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It has been a hot week. Does that mean summer has arrived? It is unusual to have such hot weather this early in the year. Hopefully, the rains that are coming will bring the temperatures back to late spring weather. Summer doesn’t officially arrive until late June.

With all the hot, dry weather I have been out watering quite a bit lately. It’s early for things to look dry and wilted. We are working to keep things watered and the flowers and vegetables are looking good. I finally finished getting everything in the vegetable garden last weekend. Now I just have to keep the bunnies out and take care of the watering.

We have been enjoying local strawberries for several weeks now. That season will soon be ending and it won’t be long before the blueberries and raspberries start coming in. We have our fingers crossed that we will get a good local peach crop this year. We enjoy eating all the fresh fruit and berries, especially over some pancakes.

We’ve been firing up the grill some this spring. The grill needed some new parts. The grates were almost completely worn out. When I replaced them, I noticed that the burners were not functioning well, either. I got those parts installed, so now I am ready to go for the summer.

I like being outside as much as possible. That’s why I am a big fan of the warm spring days and the cool fall days. I don’t care much for the humidity-filled, oppressive summer days, or the freezing winter days. I guess you could call me a weather moderate. I will confess that I am a fan of hurricanes and snowstorms, but I like all kinds of exciting weather.

I like being outside on nice days. I like the peacefulness of sitting on the front porch whether I am thinking, praying or reading. I like working in my garden, where I am alone with my thoughts. I like working with my wife on her flowers and tropical plants. It is so peaceful and we are both in our happy place. We both enjoy working on plants together.

It’s in those quiet places that I can hear from heaven. I firmly believe that God wants to talk with us, but we have to give Him room and space to reach us. We also have to remove all the mental distractions and the worries of the day. When we can do that, we can hear Him.

I have been reading in Romans recently. I have been going slow and am thinking of going even slower. There are so many good gems hidden in that book. Take, for example, the first couple of verses of chapter 5. When we ask Jesus into our lives to be our personal savior, God transfers His righteousness to us. He then declares that we are faultless. I don’t know about you, but I can assure you that I am not faultless. Regardless of that, God, the creator of the universe, declares me to be faultless because of what Jesus did for me.

There is also the gift of peace. There is peace between God and me. Jesus’ blood covers all my sin, creating the open relationship with God. The peace God gives me guards my heart no matter what is going on in the world around me. The peace He offers can also invade my mind if I open the door.

These verses also tell me that I have permanent access to the kindness of God. He is a good, good Father. As our good Heavenly Father He wants to pour His love in us. He will take very good care of us. He will meet our needs and bring healing to our broken lives.

On top of all that, He wants to fill our hearts with His contagious joy. This joy will spring forth from us in spite of the circumstances around us. If we find ourselves in difficult places He promises to give us hope for a brighter tomorrow. The hope He gives will help us to hang on through the tough times until our help comes from heaven to rescue us.

I want to encourage you to open your Bible and begin reading. God has hidden some wonderful promises and great stories to encourage our faith. Look what I found in two verses. Imagine what you might discover as you begin to read more of God’s love letter to you. God has a bright future planned for you. You can trust Him and depend on Him if you open your heart to Him.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.