By Larry Reinhold

Dad and I stopped in and looked at some colts in Rapid City the other day and we ran across our brother Paul who was selling some weanlings in that sale. In his typical exuberance he asked about our summer and then shot off the question, “How many souls were saved?”

I was pleased to respond, “fifty-four that we know of.”

Paul replied, “Hey, that’s great!” He went on to tell of an experience that he had by saying, “I have a bull riding preacher friend in Oklahoma that challenged me to find out who made these life changing decisions, because those numbers represent people that have been added to the list to spend eternity with Jesus.”

Numbers can become a game, and I can assure you that none of us involved in that conversation are carried off by that; however, we praise God if even one comes to repentance. But oh the joy is multiplied when many realize the life changing grace that comes from God the Father through His precious Son, Jesus.

The Lord blessed us with a great summer with 401 campers in attendance from 18 different states. They included South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wyoming, Maryland, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, Arizona, California, Washington, Kansas and Nevada. It is always fun to have kids from near and far get together.

I have enjoyed the office in our new addition, although I am not a natural desk-sitter. I had to step out and get my “fix” of fresh air. The view was peaceful as I gazed into the night sky at the nearly full moon. This moon will be the Harvest Moon. I could not help but be overwhelmed by the seemingly perfect peace that I was experiencing and yet I would be amiss to not realize that our country is far from peace. There have been more tears of sadness and fear shed in the last couple of weeks than we have allowed for a long time. The acts of war brought by these terrorist into our borders have shaken us, to say the least.

Many eloquent words have been written and spoken and I would be foolish to add more of mine, but I can’t help but ponder this Harvest Moon. It got its name many generations ago as farmers worked fervently into the darkness, thankful for the extra light that was shed by this Moon in the midst of the Harvest. We know today that the moon sheds no light of its own but is a reflection of the sun, a mirror of the day. We can be as the Harvest Moon in the midst of the darkness as we reflect the light from the Son of God. Perhaps we can bring a sense of peace to those around us in these dark times. I can not help but wonder as well, is this a time of harvest? Jesus said, lift up your eyes upon the fields for they are white unto harvest. What more can we offer our fellow Americans?