One thing we all have in common is getting older. From the moment of birth, we are embarking on a journey to the end of life. During our youth, that end of time is rarely considered. We have our whole life in front of us. We have all the time in the world. But how quickly that changes. Without understanding how, we suddenly realize we have fewer days ahead than behind. While aging isn’t optional, choosing how we age is.

Now that I’ve got your attention, you will soon find this isn’t going to be about what you expected. The nakedness I observed recently were the trees all around town. My wife had gone into the grocery store, and I sat in the car so it could keep running and get warmer. Despite being below zero, the bright sunshine that reflected off the snow created a feeling of warmth.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.

I grew up in what we in the “church world” call a low-church (or low liturgical) setting. This basically means I experienced a typical evangelical style worship service. This basic worship service placed its emphasis on stripped down simplicity, which included a few worship songs, the Lord’s Supper (we do this each week), offering, and the sermon. Also, there was little-to-no recognition of the church calendar.

The American Red Cross urges donors to make an appointment to give blood to keep the blood supply as strong as possible in the final days of the year and into 2026.
Types O, A negative and B negative blood donors are especially needed now.