This week marks the first day of fall. Over the weekend, I started to notice the longer nights beginning to creep in, the cool mornings and warm afternoons. Spending time outdoors watching the leaves change colors is one of my favorite parts of fall. I am looking forward to enjoying this change over the next month or so. It's easy to fall in love with God's creation this time of year when the weather is mild and the colors are vibrant. I enjoy this time of the year, the changes that occur and the time to reflect on how God continues to work in us.

I try to be open and ready for things to change and embrace new challenges. As a Florida native, who has lived in South Carolina or Georgia for the past 12 years, I am still not ready for the change that happens in a few months when winter moves in.

So how do I cope with these changes? How do I appreciate God's creation when it becomes uncomfortable in a few months with winter temperatures? I pull out the scarves and gloves, make chili in the crock pot, and look for the blessings in each day. What do you do to cope with change? God has blessed us with the changes in seasons and the colors in creation.

As we begin to transition into fall, I want to invite you to take a moment each week to think about creation and its blessings in Genesis 1 in a new way through the words of this poem by James Weldon Johnson:

So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas;
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed;
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled;

And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,

The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.

Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said, "Bring forth! Bring forth!"

And quicker than God could drop His hand.
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said, "That's good!"

Prayer for Today

God our Creator, you made the great lights in our sky: the sun to rule in the day, and the moon and the stars in the night all because your great love lasts forever. Our sun and moon and the stars that you call by name all give you praise, because they do what they were created to do. Lead me, to reflect the light of Christ your Son and so live fully as, in your love, you created me to do. Amen.