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It was a perfect day weather wise. The sun was warm, but not too hot. The flowers and deep green foliage were blooming on either side of the dirt road that led from Capernum to Cana in Galilee. Here and there a few travelers could be seen returning home from Jerusalem after celebrating the Passover feast. Their laughter and bantering rang out as they reminisced over their recent memories of the yearly holiday. But one well-dressed man traveling along hardly noticed. His face was set in grim lines and he plodded on as if intent on an urgent purpose.

Many places in the Bible tell us that we are to be slaves of Christ. Why then does today's verse say that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free? Is this a contradiction? How can you be both free and a slave?

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become His slaves. This doesn't sound very enticing and often we downplay this truth, focusing more on being God's friend, child, bride, sheep, etc. Though all of these pictures share glimpses of our place in God's family, it is a very real truth that when we give our lives to God, we are committing ourselves to Him to do what He asks and to live the way He commands. No longer do we live to please ourselves or others.

A few weeks ago I enjoyed watching your cousin’s hamster, Brute, running around in his glass cage. When tired of burying himself in the fluffy bedding, he searched around the outside of the glass looking for a way to escape the confines of his home.

I want you to know how much I love you. I really enjoy watching your silly antics and how you roll around with each other in one big fur ball. I enjoy watching you pounce on a bug and rustle under the hosta plants. I love to hold you on my lap and listen to you purr.

You won't believe what we sold at yesterday's auction! I walked into the barn where the sale was being held and lying on the floor were flats and flats of salt and pepper shakers. There were hundreds of different shapes, from a pair of chickens, to geese, to giraffes. You name it, it was probably there sporting holes in the top to supply bland food with a flavorful zing.All the shakers were acquired by the same person who had collected them over the years. The purpose for these cute and crazy utensils is to dispense a common but useful seasoning for all sorts of fare. But the problem is that with this many in one home they were all relegated to a useless existence in a huge china cabinet.