Heart Hope by Olga

It was one of the last beautiful fall days before winter sets in, so I wanted to take advantage of it by going for a walk around the lake. There were only a couple of ducks swimming on the cool water, I guess because the smart ones have already headed south for the winter. As I watched the ducks floating and paddling across the lake, I saw the wake that they left behind as they swam.  We have all seen it before, the path starts with a narrow wave, but as the duck moves forward, the wake grows wider and reaches farther. The faster and harder the paddling, the larger and farther the wake travels. You and I too leave behind wakes wherever we go; our lives touch others as we move through life.  Tonight we said goodbye to our worship pastor, Joe Schlegal and his wife, Becky. They are good examples of this principle. Through his leadership and example, Joe has touched lives and has had a far reaching effect on people of all ages in our church. Becky has also le...

Duck on Pon d Soon it will be time for the ducks to fly south for the winter, but for now they are still enjoying their mountain abode before their long journey. While basking beside the river recently, listening to the praise and worship music on my iPod, I was watching the water rush by and observed that in some places it looked peaceful and calm, while in other areas, it was turbulent and white. Then suddenly I spotted an unusual movement in the water. Upon closer observation I found that it was a lone duck swimming upstream, against the strong current. The way I see it the little duck had several choices. It could go with the flow of water and get somewhere really fast using the current of the water to assist in his journey, but he might not get to where he really wanted to go. He could get out of the water altogether and choose to go nowhere. Or he could do what he was doing and paddle against the current which was slower and harder, but he could still make progress in makin...