The scripture for today is a section from Numbers describing the cloud over the tabernacle as representative of God. When the tabernacle was completed, the cloud descended upon it. Thereafter, when the cloud moved, the people packed up and followed it until it stopped again. When it was stopped and the tabernacle was reassembled, the tribes camped around it, with God, significantly, in the center. In his last sermon with us (he has been appointed Senior Pastor at another church), Brandon says that we often think of clouds as ominous signs of danger, and we are sometimes caught up in a cloud of self-doubt and despair. But if we recognize that cloud as a way to follow God, we may well find new ways to follow our God and renewed confidence in our paths. We must be open: Where is God leading West End UMC?