​As we face the heat of this past weekend and what we expect this week, I find myself needing to confess my intolerance for heat which may seem odd considering where I grew up.  I am the kind of person that if the indoor temperature in our house goes above 72 degrees, I adjust the heat pump to cool the house down to at least 70, preferably 68 degrees.
How this is at odds with where I grew up is that I still remember, as a teen, hearing, “Good morning, it’s 7am, current temperature is 102, humidity is at 97%. Expected high of 112 with 100% humidity.”  That was a typical summer day forecast. A side note on hometown memories deals with tourists. My hometown had a lot of snow bird visitors in the winter and lots of tourists in the summer who came for our beaches.  These visitors provided my friends and I with at least two regular occurring amusements.  One was watching a tourist get out of their car in their bare feet onto an asphalt parking lot. You could almost hear the sizzle of the soles of their feet as we watched them do some free style dance moves while they hurried back into their cars. The other was at the beach, where washed up jelly fish were a regular sight. For some unfathomable reason some tourists thought it a good idea to jump up in the air and land down, again bare footed, onto the washed-up jelly fish to burst it open. This yielded some liquid onto the feet and legs of the tourist that was rather unpleasant to the skin so we were again rewarded with some rather interesting moves on their part.
The reason why I shared about where I grew up is that if they would see our weather app that states, “extreme heat warning” and the listed expected temperature was under 110, they would likely question our fortitude.  Living in Tacoma, I have seen such a warning when the temperatures are not expected to reach 90 degrees.
This comparison made me think of David when he faced Goliath. When David first said he would face Goliath, King Saul questioned his logic.  David explained that he had faced lions and bears as he protected his father’s sheep. We read in 1Samuel 17:36 [“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.”]  David may not have faced a giant before, but he had faced the lion and the bear. Those encounters helped prepare him to face this giant.  He knew the God who gave him strength to face the lion and bear was with him now.  
We all face giants in our lives and draw on the knowledge that the God who helped us face the lions and bears in our lives will help us face those giants.  The thing is, what is a giant to me may be a lion or bear to others.  What others see as a giant to tumble, I may see as a defeated lion or bear. Just like those from my home town may not understand that we are not used to facing what is to them normal temperatures, we may not always understand why something is a giant to someone else that does not seem so big to us.
In those moments, we need to seek to show empathy, remembering that we are not all wired alike. We are to remember to be there for each other.  Whether we see a giant or not, our brother or sister in Christ needs to hear the words, “I’m here for you, let’s bring this giant down together.”.
Have a blessed week. 

Greeting to all
I need to begin with asking with your forgiveness. I have been remiss about keeping up my blog entries. I have been juggling several plates and this plate was dropped. I will do my best to update this blog at least once a week to share a thought that may lead us in reflection of our Christian walk, or challenge our thinking.
Most of us have heard the term "waking up on the wrong side of the bed";  or "starting off on the wrong foot". Both sayings convey that either a person is in a foul mood or a relationship (sometimes a project) began in a negative manner that is hindering a positive progression.  The saying "starting off on the wrong foot" has been on my mind. It has been on my mind in context of how my initial perspective of someone has had a negative impact on how I proceed in dealing with them.  Bear with me as I try to explain myself.  I realize that confession is good for the soul but bad on the reputation; nevertheless, I made a commitment long ago to be as transparent as I could with you.
We are aware that in the last few years the church has felt increasing pressure from secular society to adjust our teaching to be more in step with changes in secular morals and values. This has made some of us, myself included, a bit defensive when we feel demands are being made that we change what we understand the Bible to teach or that we endorse lifestyle choices we feel are contrary to God's expectations of His people.  Regretfully, this has caused me at times to begin my interaction with someone on the wrong foot. What I mean by that is that my interaction begins with either seeing the person as someone seeking to change what we teach, which means I begin on the defensive; or I see them as someone who is choosing a lifestyle that is contrary to what I understand Biblical values to be. In either case, I am starting on a negative which means I have started on the wrong foot. 
However, if I choose to begin any interaction with another by remembering that they are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and that they are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) then I have started my journey with them on a positive note or on the right foot.  When we see someone, regardless of their political or social agenda, as an image bearer of our Creator, we are reminded of our connection and of the intent of their design. This in turn may make our words softer, our demeanor more open, and our manner gentler.
Let us strive to start all of our interactions on the right foot.
Have a blessed week, Vic