Zella Zella, our black lab left home and was missing for 2 days. It isn't unusual for her to be gone for most of a day but, this time she was gone long enough we were worried something bad had happened. Thanks to God, Zella returned home safely! Our prayers were answered and we wellcomed her with open arms (just as the father did for the prodigal son).

"Total garden" is a metaphor coined by John W. Gardner in his work Self-Renewal (1965) to describe an ever-renewing, adaptable society. Instead of viewing life or society as a single, linear life span (seedling, flower, death), the "total garden" represents a balanced, evolving ecosystem where some things are dying while others are flourishing, allowing the system itself to live on." We are born to learn and grow! Self-Renewal is always possible and the "Total Garden" concep

Today's readings include ACTS 7:51: The climax of Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin, where he rebukes the Jewish leaders as "stiff-necked" and "uncircumcised in heart and ears" for resisting the Holy Spirit, just as their ancestors did. This verse accuses them of rejecting God’s messengers and killing Jesus. "The term was originally used to describe an ox that refused to be directed by the farmer’s goad or team. When a farmer harnessed a team of oxen to a plow, to guide or