A simpler life...come back in time with me.

     You don't have to step too far out your front door to understand that the world can be a big bad ugly place. As a follower of Jesus, I am thankful. I'm thankful that I have the benefit of the gift of grace Jesus gave from the cross. I am thankful for the truth and promises of God's word. I am thankful for his supernatural power and provision. These are the things that help me see and arrive on the high road as I wallow through the mire. I do, however, still get pretty dirty by the ugly stuff at times.
     I spent the last two and a half weeks sitting on a criminal jury. I have always wanted to do this and have said as much to many family members over the years.
     So, when God gave me the desire of my heart, He also knew how very hard it would all be for me. It was not a case I would ever chose. It was a felony molestation case. Two teenage boys. As my friend Lisa pointed out, I got "Slimed."
     Nothing about it was typical. Nothing was cut and dried. It was a convoluted mess of story that required 24 pages of yellow spiral notes and ended with me empty and sick.
     I did the job I was called to do and I took it seriously. I prayed through the entire three weeks, that God would be glorified through my service in the courtroom and in my sequestered time with the jury. I hope he was.
     But because God is God and knows what we need and when we need it, I got a repose. After the trial, but before deliberations, I got a day off, and spent a long day with my Godson in a place called, "Laws."
     It is an old train depot and town that thrived in the mid to late 1800's. It felt like a breath of fresh air compared to where I had been the days before, and I wanted to blink my eyes and disappear into it. I would have been extremely challenged by such a difficult life, but I looked into it quietly and deeply with the eyes and a heart that yearned for a simpler life.
     So if your willing, come travel with me.
     Let's go back in time.