My wife and I had houseguests not long ago, decades-old friends from southeast Florida that we had not seen in years. Our friends had never been to this part of Florida, so a significant part of our “catching up” conversation was dedicated to describing what life is like here on the Florida panhandle.

I have noticed a recent trend – well, a trend I call recent because I just noticed it – people thanking the universe. I first heard it a few years ago from the lips of an acquaintance, who had just come through a very dark period of depression. He emerged thanking the universe for his recovery. My initial, unspoken reaction was, “I wonder where he got that notion?” Since then, I have noticed an uptick in the number of people, celebrity and average Joe alike, thanking the universe.

At the beginning of the school lunch line was a basket of delicious-looking red apples. There was a sign above the basket that read, “One apple per student. Remember God is watching you.” At the far end of the line was a basket of homemade chocolate chip cookies with a sign that said, “One cookie per person.” A student had written, “Take all you want. God is watching the other end of the line.”

“If in doubt, sing louder!” I told the volunteer church choir at a rehearsal. The look on their faces said, “Oh, really? Why would I do that?” They knew that I had been a professional musician, but they also knew that I had zero choir-directing experience. I explained, “If in doubt, you hold back, even if you are singing your part correctly, it will sound wrong. So, if you are going to make a mistake, make it a good one, and we’ll fix it!”

Many years ago, when I was in college, I drove home along I-95 for an extended weekend.

A relative recently asked for my opinion on her pastor’s Bible commentary recommendation to her. Of course, the commentaries he recommended are those he uses for his own personal study. I considered his list of three and, whereas they would provide a reader with some interesting information on the Bible, in my opinion, they were not the best for helping someone better understand the message of the Bible.

The Book of Acts describes an encounter between Phillip, a newly minted deacon, and an Ethiopian court official, who was sitting in a chariot reading Isaiah 53. The Spirit of God directed Phillip to ask him if he understood what he was reading. “How can I, unless someone guides me? About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or someone else?” Phillip told him from the Scriptures the good news about Christ Jesus, and that man put his faith in Christ.

To conclude this series on the Prayer of St. Francis, read the prayer in its entirety again:

In the last section of the Prayer of St. Francis, he continues to look beyond himself to the greater need and good of others. He wrote:

“Where there is despair, [let me sow] hope;”

There are many reasons people in our society today feel despair. There is political volatility, continued racial unrest, great inequality with regard to income levels. Health concerns and the cost of treatments continue to skyrocket. The list seems endless. Yes, there is much to cause people to despair.