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Scott Legried swerved to avoid hitting a puppy. It may have saved the puppy, but it almost cost him his farm. Legried was left with a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, and seven ribs. Two bones in his back were cracked, and he had a concussion and a collapsed lung. Doctors said it would be months before he could get on his tractor. He had something else wrong. He had a crop of soybeans he would not harvest due to his injuries. Word spread, and 18 farmers rolled tractors down his lane into his fields to harvest the entire soybean crop. When the corn comes, they will come back. Legried said, “I am lucky to live in a community where people have always looked out for each other.” So are we. When the Lord instituted his church, he did it to win the lost, but that was only one part of the story. The other was to create a community where Jesus’ care flows through the members. Paul described this band of believers: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:13–16, ESV) When one hurts, all hurt. And all come to the aid. Aren’t you glad for the community? -Robert G. Taylor-

How short is life? Ask Peter Craigie. Craigie was an Old Testament scholar and author of many books and commentaries. In one, he wrote of life’s brevity. Life is extremely short, and if its meaning is to be found, it must be found in the purpose of God, the giver of all life. He believed that recognizing life is short is a starting point to “achieve the sanity of a pilgrim in a mad world. “ He was writing the first of a three-volume set of Psalms when he wrote those words in 1983. But two years later, a car wreck ended his life. He was only 47. The Bible emphasizes that our life is a vapor, a mist that vanishes quickly. That is why Moses counsels: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) Take stock of life. It slips through the fingers like sand in a fist. Recognize that you may never finish what you want, but if you complete what God wants you to do, it is a good life. So live life fully, even if it is not long enough. -Robert G. Taylor-