March 19, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, March 19 - the first day of Spring!
My niece, Lesli, lives with her family in upstate New York, in a house built in the 1850's. That house was brand new when a new minister came to that town. His name was Maltbie Babcock. He was young, and he was determined to be an effective pastor to his flock. Whenever the burdens of his job grew too great, Babcock would go for long walks into one of the most beautiful parts of America. He would call to his young wife, "I'm going out to my Father's world!"
At the young age of 42, Maltbie died, burdened by the pressures of his position, and by a condition that was little known and even less understood at that time - depression. His wife, when going through his papers, found a poem he had written after one of those long walks. It speaks to us today.
This is my Father's world and to my listening ears
All nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheres
This is my Father's world, I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
His hand the wonders wrought
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
