Ecclesiates 3:1-14 and Culminating Events

Greetings family and friends!

As always, the outer life (that most people see or are aware of) is colliding (as it often does and should) with the inner life (one's most intimate thoughts, feelings). My outer life for the month of May and into June will involve many culminating events as a teacher and as a parent.......**banquets for PTA and instrumental music boosters, **praying and voting for Issue 1, the Akron Public Schools levy to pass,** an Eagle Scout award presentation for a good family friend, **a talent show at my school, **my niece's high school graduation and celebration party, **final band concert for daughter Lindsey,**getting all Bethany's stuff returned from UA dorm room,**not to mention final grades for 400 students......Other than that, life will be slow and easy. (HA!)

OK, so how does all that stuff collide with the inner life? Well, I was asked to do a short inpiration/invocation for the Garfield PTA banquet. It's going to be from Ecclesiastes 3 about a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven......including the celebrations of culminating events where people are honored for their labors and honored for their character.
As I will read through all of Ecc. 3:1-14, I'll end with the gist of verse 14..........God has done all these seasons for everyone SO THAT MEN WILL REVERE HIM. It's not just all about frenzied activity for the sake of being and looking busy. It's so we will honor God. And how do we do that? Well, that's another post with LOTS of different outer ways springing forth from what Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 22:37-40: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.