Low Sunday Thanksgivings

Today was another glorious Chamber-of-Commerce type day. Our church was surprisingly well-attended for "low Sunday" (the Sunday after Easter) and also for the weather which usually tempts many away from services and to the golf links or other outdoor recreational activities.

Before tackling the subject of the "post-modern" church in the Sunday School class I was teaching this morning, I asked the group if anyone wanted to share comments on the passing of the Pope. One young woman in the class commented on the news reports that refer to the Pope as the "head of the church" and the "Holy Father." She observed that if you asked her young daughter who was the head of the church she would answer "God." The class generally agreed that they felt the news coverage of the event was designed to appeal to the Catholics in our population.

This afternoon I picked up The Noble Dog from the kennel and then attended my father-in-law's 89th birthday celebration. We are all very thankful that the new medications that he is taking have significantly improved his condition and his memory. He is so much more like his old self! It is a real lesson to all of us that even at an advanced age, proper diagnosis and treatment of senility-like problems can result in a much better quality of life.

And finally, I have to recommend The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of novels. Brought to my attention by Babs, I found them charming, literate and interesting. They are set in Botswana and the author (who used to live there, although he is a Brit) has a great ear for African dialogue. We have a number of African members of our church, and the novels remind me so much of them. Although not overtly Christian books, they have a subtle Christian sensibility that I think is very appealing. I am about to start the latest book in the series and am sad because when I finish it I will have to wait for the author to complete and publish the next one!

As Sunday draws to a close I give thanks for intelligent and engaging Sunday School class members, spectacular Texas Spring weather, a good birthday observance, and the discovery of a fine series of books. Thanks be to God!