Copyright © 2020 by Russell J. Levenson Jr.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

      Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

      A version of this book was previously published as Autumn Leaves by Insight Press.

      Church Publishing

      19 East 34th Street

      New York, NY 10016

      www.churchpublishing.org

      Cover art: Falling Graces by Russell J. Levenson Jr. Cover design by Jennifer Kopec, 2Pug Design

      Photos on pages vii, 1, 25, 37, 61, 118, 128, courtesy of David Bolin and the Communications Department of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church; used by permission.

      Page 18: Moses Finding Manna in the Desert, attributed to Carl Friedrich Wendelstadt (German 1786–1840), Northern European School, circa 1800s, 29" x 38” Oil on canvas. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas. Used by permission.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Names: Levenson, Russell J., author.

      Title: Finding shelter : an autumn companion / Russell J. Levenson Jr.

      Identifiers: LCCN 2019047401 (print) | LCCN 2019047402 (ebook) | ISBN 9781640652699 (paperback) | ISBN 9781640652705 (epub)

      Subjects: LCSH: Autumn--Prayers and devotions. | Episcopal Church--Prayers and devotions.

      Classification: LCC BV135.A98 L48 2020 (print) | LCC BV135.A98 (ebook) | DDC 242/.2--dc23

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019047401

      LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019047402

       Dedicated tomy wife, Laura, my children and familywith love and gratitude for their unending supply of encouragement and support,and to the staff and members of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas,with deep appreciation for their prayers, friendship and the work of sharing the Gospel together

      Contents

Preface: A Word of Welcome

Meditations

1 • A Change of View

2 • God in the Shadows

3 • Look Up

4 • Even When We Grumble

5 • The Right Way

6 • Self-Sinking

7 • Tending to the Garden

8 • Stepping Out in Faith

9 • The Way of Faithfulness

10 • Speak . . . For Your Servant Is Listening . . .

11 • Giants Don’t Have the Last Word

       12 • You Are the One . . .

       13 • Choosing Wisely

       14 • The Lord—He Is God!

       15 • I Am God . . . You Are My Child . . .

       16 • Heaven’s Gate

       17 • Do You Really Want to Grow?

       18 • To Whom Should You Go?

       19 • Trusting in the Unseen

       20 • There’s More to the Story

       • Halftime

       21 • Salt and Light

       22 • Get Some Rest

       23 • For All the Right Reasons

       24 • Death for the Sake of Life

       25 • What “Raised” Means for You

       26 • A Fork in the Road

       27 • How to Live

       28 • Pruning It to the Core

       29 • The Promise of the Unseen

       30 • Lawless Fruits

       31 • Giving the Devil His Due

       32 • A Song Worth Singing

       33 • Don’t Poke the Bear

       34 • Who Gets Your Vote?

       35 • Every Day Belongs to God

       36 • Punching Holes in the Darkness

       37 • Angst or Thanks?

       38 • What Remains

       39 • King Me!

       40 • The Beginning at the End

       Afterword • Pregnant Pause

       Acknowledgments

       Scriptural Index

       Index of Authors Cited

Preface: A Word of Welcome

      You who live in the shelter of the Most High,

      who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will

      say of the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my

      God, in whom I trust.”

      —Psalm 91:1–2

      Here is the purpose for this book—to give you a place of shelter in your daily life. What follows is a set of meditations,