Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, NC, a widely traveled evangelist, and the author of several books. His books are available on Amazon and at www.wordofhismouth.com

I do not believe I have ever lived through a hotter summer. This is both atmospherical and situational for me; in addition to the high nineties on the thermometer, my two primary tasks for the last several weeks have been repairing the church’s large asphalt parking lot and stripping the roof over our home garage and replacing it with metal roofing.

I have drunk gallons of fluid each day and still lost nearly ten pounds, all while eating like a moose to try and keep my weight up.

I know that others can feel the heat as well. Many of you work outside for a living; others work in sweltering factories; still others have found that the AC only breaks when it is most needed.

I have no control over the weather, no sway with any of your factory bosses, and only limited skill in HVAC work, so I am afraid I will not be of much help in physically cooling any of you down. But may I, at least with pen and paper, at least get you in a cooler mindset?

Here goes.

In just two weeks, we will officially arrive in what one of our dear members, Angie Buff, calls “The ‘Ber months.” The faintest tinge of a cool breeze will begin to blow, and one evening, you will be surprised to find yourself rooting through the closet for a light jacket. Mind you, summer will not go lightly; our southern summers tend to fight like the third monkey in line for a spot on Noah’s ark. But bit by bit, just as God designed it to do, the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth will be more away from the sun than toward it, and summer will begrudgingly give in to the inevitable.

As October nears, humanity will once again divide into happy warring factions between those who rightly believe apple/cinnamon to be the preeminent smell and taste of the season and those happy heretics who cling to all things pumpkin spice. Oranges and reds and browns will take the place of the summertime colors people have been wearing, and the trees will begin to follow suit with a wardrobe change of their own. Soon, green leaves will transform into epic tapestries of red, purple, orange, and yellow. The mountains will call, and you will find yourself driving that direction in no particular hurry.

Midway through October, the only heat will be people online arguing about Halloween. This can be some excellent free theater for you as you sip your apple cider; just be sure to only watch, and refrain from getting dragged into it.

As November dawns, the air all around you will be cooler still, and your heart will begin to soar with a holy expectancy. Thanksgiving will be circled on your calendar, and you will be making big plans for one of the happiest days of the year. Turkeys, those gigantic dry plate-birds, will go on sale, and seemingly everyone will be rushing out to get one. You, though, will likely be more refined in your palate, and will opt either for the much juicier ham with pineapples, or a delicious pork butt with some local gent’s homemade barbecue sauce. As for the cool, refreshing cranberry sauce, you will either be on the side of the canned stuff that makes a weird noise when dumped from its metal home, or on the more delectable side of the homemade variety. Or as I call them, “Team ‘Schplorp!’” and “Team Mmmmm.”

Family will gather. The air will be warm enough to still enjoy the outdoors, but a solid twenty-five or thirty degrees cooler than what we now endure. Football will be played in the front yard, and then watched on television. Pumpkin pies will be the desert of choice, cool and refreshing, and adorned with an even cooler dollop of whipped cream. The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special will be on that night, and multiple generations will watch in happy wonder as Snoopy does his chef beagle thing.

That night, another transformation will begin. Boxes will be retrieved, a spot will be cleared, and the Christmas tree will be set up and decorated. For some, old ornaments dripping in memories and sentiments will be hung beside new and shiny baubles, making a glorious, happy mish/mash. Others will have one tree for the old stuff, a different tree for something appropriately elegant, and still others (its us, we are the others) will have yet a third tree on which to hang all of the travel ornaments reminding us of all the wonderful places we have been.

Movies will begin to be watched in the evenings. Some will settle in for seventy-four Hallmark movies, and enjoy all three plots. Others will begin with (and you must use a filter for this to remove bad language) Die Hard, one of the great Christmas movies of all times. Holiday Inn, It’s A Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the claymation Rudolph, all will fill hearts and homes with happiness, even as the days outside grow darker and cooler still.

Churches will be decorated. Christmas plays will be presented. Carols will be sung. Parties and fellowships will be had. Shopping, shopping, more shopping, Salvation Army bells ringing, and maybe, just maybe a snowflake or two falling. There will be trips to see the lights. Above all, there will be the most unique focus: we will be worshiping a babe who came into the very world he himself created. The one who made the new life of Spring, the vibrant growth of Summer, the cool and elegant beauty of Fall, and the utter wonder of Winter, will capture our focus once again.

Enjoy the coming coolness, courtesy of the babe in the manger!

Pastor Wagner can be contacted by email at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org, and his books are available by clicking the Store link above.

Feature photo by Grok