Dear Brethren,

Well it happened once again. The signs were all there, but it seems that each year it still comes as a little bit of a surprise when it happens. The sun has begun to set earlier. The weather has cooled down. The leaves have begun to change color. Autumn has arrived and in just a few short days, we will enter the Fall Holy Days by observing the Feast of Trumpets. From there we move to the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and end with the Last Great Day (or Eighth Day). Hopefully, we have been preparing ourselves the past several weeks to keep these special days. This takes the form of our physical preparations (planning travel, packing, etc.) but most importantly spiritually preparations.

One challenge that we will be presented with, is keeping a spiritual focus in the coming weeks. These Days which God has us observe every year are of tremendous spiritual importance. They deserve our attention. This means that Satan will be working hard to divert our attention.  Not only that, but our own human nature will draw us away from the spiritual intent of these Feast Days and prevent us from truly coming away with the proper spiritual edification God intends.

To combat these pulls, we need to be vigilant in the coming weeks. This means controlling ourselves down to our very thoughts, refusing to be drawn into things that pull us away from the meaning of these days (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). This became a very real struggle for me at last year's Feast of Tabernacles. Many will recall that this time last year the nations focus was on the Supreme Court nomination and hearing of Bret Kavanaugh. There were uproarious responses everywhere in the media. I found myself turning on the news while getting ready for services in the morning. The conversations before services almost always led to that topic. It overtook my focus on the Feast and I began to realize this was having a negative spiritual impact. Thankfully, this realization came in time for me to go before God and realign with where my heart and mind should have been.

I found it interesting that more political rumblings have come out this week. Coming back from last year, I have learned my lesson and am making a conscious effort to not let it distract me.  I pray that we can all do this effectively, with whatever distraction that may come up. What we look forward to is greater than any political squabbling, any personal trial, and the busyness of this life (Romans 8:18).

We should seek daily to "set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2), but even more so in the next few weeks. As we do this, it will drive those things we choose to think about, what we discuss with others, and the activities that we choose to do. If we are diligent in keeping a spiritual orientation this Fall Festival season, we will find that God will bless this very special time of year.

Have a wonderful Sabbath, and an edifying Feast of Trumpets.

Devin Schulz