Monday Musings of Pastor Ron - August 3, 2026
Friends,
August has arrived. The "Dog Days of Summer".
Dog Days of Summer is a phrase without a clear origin. Most think that it goes back as far as the Greek and Roman days when the time was so hot that food spoiled and even the wine became ruined. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac: This period of intense heat coincides with the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, part of the constellation Canis Major. Ancient civilizations noticed the star appeared in the eastern sky just before dawn during midsummer.
The Greeks believed its brilliance intensified the summer sun, and its name, “Sirius” (σείριος), even means “scorching.” For the Egyptians, Sirius—called Sothis—signaled the annual flooding of the Nile, a critical event for agriculture and survival. While the star has no actual effect on Earth’s temperature, the lore surrounding Sirius has endured for thousands of years.
In America it became a reference used for the latter part of the baseball season when players encountered extensive heat during the end of a long season.
Here in Houston, we relate it to days with oppressive heat, dryness (unless there is a hurricane), high humidity (always). To times when most vacations have been taken, and families are getting ready to go back to school (most students aren't happy, but most parents are). Dog days. Those are the days you wouldn't want to give to your worst enemy. Yet we live them here in Houston, every year.
I guess the question we should ask ourselves is how do we live them? I am not asking how we survive them, I am asking how we live them. What attitude do we greet the day with. What mood are we going to put ourselves in. Are we going to let the mundane get in the way of our relationship with God and our neighbors.
Our revival Sunday this past Sunday gave us a hint at where we need to be even in the dog days. We need to be seeking God's face. We need to be singing God's praises. We saw it in the psalmist. Even in the midst of a rough time, praising God: looking, listening, discerning, following, moving forward. That is just the opposite of what our tendencies are when we have days like August. We want to sit at home in the A/C. We don't want to go out into the heat. We aren't thinking there is much to praise. That is what happens if we are not careful. We can let the world around us; we can let the climate we live in zap us of our desire to praise.
That is not who we are. That is not who we are called to be. If you are struggling with the "Dog days of summer" join us this Sunday for our next revival Worship. We are going to have some Old Time Religion. We are going to sing. And pray. And hear some testimonies. And sing some more. But most of all we are going to lift our voices to Praise our God. A God who loves each and every one of us even when we forget, even when we think we are unlovable.
Join us Sunday. Send me an email today or tomorrow with your favorite hymn. We are going to sing as many as we can.
God bless you. See you Sunday