Early in January, Dennis and I had the opportunity to meet up with Global Partner leaders In Barbados. I know, not such a bad place to go in January! It wasn't the first time we had been on this gorgeous island. On a previous visit, we ask the National Superintendent (of the Wesleyan Church) and his wife if they used Fahrenheit or Celsius for their weather reading. They looked at each other considering the question. "We don't know. We never have to think about the weather." For those of us who live in the seasonal changes of summer to fall and fall to winter, can you imagine?! This little island, 21-miles long, 14-miles wide, stays a summery 70 to 88 degrees all year round.
Since we were there over a Sunday, the leadership team spread out to preach in a number of churches across the island. Dennis and I enjoyed the vibrant Caribbean-style worship, and then I was so intrigued by what the congregation did prior to the message. The worship pastor had the congregation stand to recite a passage of scripture on the screen at the front of the church. One passage was from the Old Testament, and the other from the New Testament. These passages, he explained, were chosen as a declaration of their faith for the new year. They planned to read them every Sunday.
As I took in the words of their Old Testament selection, Psalm 91, I decided right then and there, this was a passage I wanted to put to memory. Seasonal person that I am, I first thought I would memorize it over a 3-month period. Early on though, I decided to be creative with the passage, sketching an image that represented a set of verses, using my watercolor pencils to complete the picture.
It has been a meaningful way to take in this Psalm, and it's going to take me the entire year to get through it. So, rather than a Psalm for a season, it has become the Psalm for 2017. That's a seasonal/yearly person for you.
