Pastor Meg spoke of Abraham taking a step at a time to follow God’s promise to him. Neither a road map nor GPS. No plan disclosed, nor how to find one. Faith. Difficult to do for the planners among us.

Such is life. We travel unexpected roads. We find unimagined destinations. As the philosopher Forrest Gump told us, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.’

The evening shadows gather. A June Day goes by so quickly. One week in, and there are only 30 days. Two beavers hustled across the yard. They are in search of a good nap.

The President stormed off an interview on Meet the Press. When confronted with simple questions involving facts or the lack of them, he develops anxiety…angry anxiety. He may have a bad stomach and need Tums. I have never felt satisfied with being angry. I always feel I have lost.

A step at a time leads to calm thoughts. Nothing to prove, no keeping us with the Joneses. Not caring what people think lifts a heavy burden.

Great accomplishments begin with a first step. When I became a manager at Southern Illinois University, I felt ill-equipped. Yet, with each step, it became a little easier. The comfort or courage did not come overnight. Often, it took me a year to feel somewhat prepared for what a job required. The rewards for taking one step at a time are wonderful.

Our safety requires truth tellers. People who are not afraid to speak truth to power. Kristen Welker was not afraid this morning on Meet the Press. Scott Pelly fired by CBS for asking direct questions about management’s dismissal of a brilliant journalist who was not afraid to speak truth to power. We desperately need more who will speak truth to power.

The Bullfrogs are tuning up for their performance. They are in good voice this evening. The Lead Bass singer in the quartet told the Old Man that if everyone would practice taking a step out of their comfort zone, many of our problems would be over.