Grains of Sand

Pixabay “ Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) Reading these verses reminded me of a life experience that a missionary colleague shared with me some years ago. She and her husband were serving overseas. They were expecting their first child—actually children plural. She was carrying triplets. The babies, all boys, were perfect when they were born. But none of them survived. She was RH negative, and the medical personnel were unaware, or unprepared, for the implications of that reality during her pregnancy or when the babies were born. I asked her what that terrible tragedy meant to her as she looked back on it years later. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1...

Pixabay Many cats are not "cuddlers." Of all the feline friends I've had, the current one, Lou Lou, is the cuddler.  She loves to be held. Don't we all. Yesterday afternoon I watched the movie, RISEN . I don't know whether it was the story line, or the fine acting, or that I was being particularly sensitive, but there were scenes where the actor playing the part of Jesus touched or embraced other characters. Those scenes moved me to tears and I wished for that kind of embrace. I thought again how blessed the real people in the real story had been to have felt that loving arm of Jesus holding them close. As the character portraying Jesus disappeared into heaven he reminded his followers that he would be with them always. Even though not physically present to give them "cuddles" he would be there by his Spirit to meet every need (Matthew 28:18-20) as they went about the mission he had sent them to do. In Psalm 139 we are reminded again of that ...

Pixabay Ahhhhh, what a wonderful thing it is to feel the heat of a warm stove on a cold day! A blankie. A cup of hot chocolate. The embrace of a friend. Sometimes even trouble has to find a corner to hide in. That's the essence of Psalm 71—a man with troubles, but a man who has wrapped himself in the embrace of God and, no matter how serious the trouble, he is comforted. The "punch line" (or one of many) is the first verse: " In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. " Not a chance. The one who places himself, or herself, within the safety of the " rock " (vs. 3) will never have reason to regret the decision. It's not that things have always been easy. To: " Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter..." , the psalmist adds, "...you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again " (vss 20, 21...

Waste. That’s what has niggled at the back of my mind this week. At the beginning of this month a message was left on my voice mail from the sister of a long-time friend. She didn’t say what it was about but I was pretty certain Rita would only call me if Jean had passed away. She didn’t leave her phone number and I couldn’t find it on Canada 411 so I hoped she would call back. This past Monday she did. We talked for a long time and I was left with the sad reminder of how wasted Jean’s life had been in so many ways. Yes, she lived into her sixties but many of those years were lonely and fraught with both emotional and physical pain. Jean was the kind of person that most people don’t “see.” I had my share of regrets. I wished I had been a better friend on those occasions when I had the chance to be. Sometimes I didn’t “see” Jean either. Over the past few weeks, and twice this week, three young people have died in our little town. One young man killed himself after killing his parents....

Andrew and Suzanne Yesterday, the husband of a good friend of mine went home to be with the Lord. Andrew, a young husband and father of two pre-schoolers, fought his leukemia valiantly and with a demonstration of faith seldom seen. He was a scholar with, according to worldly wisdom, a long life of great contribution to society and to the Christian world ahead of him. God had other plans. Many will struggle with his death. Many will toss the “why?” question back and forth in frustration and anguish. I have no answers. But as I was reading Genesis 7 this morning I thought of Andrew’s wife, Suzanne. I thought of his family. I thought about others who are passing through deep, deep waters and perhaps struggling with those same questions. After Noah had built the ark and gathered all the animals into it, the Scriptures say: “ Then the Lord shut him in” (7:16). The skies opened up as they had never before been known to do. The fountains of the deep let go of the water reserved in them....

Reading Zechariah 12-14; Revelation 21 I just finished perusing some posts on Facebook. A young woman whom I used to do Bible study with commented that today was the 13 th anniversary of her father’s death. She remarked that this was the day that God decided it was time for him to leave this earth. She also remarked on how much he loved his daughters. According to my friend, her father now looks after them and protects them lovingly from where he is. It’s funny, and sad, how we remember things. We filter them through our “wanna be” and “wish it was” and end up with a story that comforts us even when it isn’t true. Her father was a philanderer who abandoned his daughters and wife to live with a second family that he had been maintaining on the side for some time. He left them penniless and with a mountain of debt that took his wife years to pay off. He committed suicide immediately after calling his oldest daughter to come and visit him, knowing that she would be the one to dis...

Reading: Jeremiah 32-35 Sometimes God asks us to do the most humanly illogical things. He asked that of Jeremiah on more than one occasion. Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet.” He spent a lot of his time delivering messages of doom and gloom to God’s people. There was nothing left for them except punishment for the offenses they had committed against God. Israel had already been decimated and now it was Judah’s turn. Jerusalem was about to be invaded and destroyed by the Babylonians. The message was: Don’t resist. Resistance is futile. It sounds like the message from the undefeatable Borg set on assimilating the universe on the old Star Trek: The Next Generation series, doesn’t it? Except this was no fantasy, no make-believe. Everything would be leveled. Most everyone would go into captivity. They would lose everything. Then God asked Jeremiah to buy a piece of land (32:6-12). Jeremiah did as he was told because the Lord also gave him this word of encour...

“ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved ” —Acts 4:12, NIV. Frederick Whitfield said it well: There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth; It sounds like music in my ear, The sweetest name on earth. It tells me of a Savior’s love, Who died to set me free; It tells me of His precious blood, The sinner’s perfect plea. It tells me what my Father hath In store for every day And tho’ I tread a darksome path, Yields sunshine all the way. It tells of One whose loving heart Can feel my deepest woe, Who in each sorrow bears a part That none can bear below. Refrain: O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus, Because He first loved me! Embrace that Name. Hold it close to your heart. Place it foremost in your mind. Keep it on the tip of your tongue. Whisper it frequently in reverence and love. Shout it when you can. Sing it with joy. Share it at every opportunit...

Today is MONDAY MANNA, hosted by our very own Joanne over at A Open Book . Go over and take a look. Joanne has chosen Psalm 34:18 as our verse for today. Let me give you the context: " The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken " —Psalm 34:17-20, NIV. As I read these verses a woman by the name of Betty comes immediately to mind. Betty had a terrible life, just about the worst kind of life anyone could have. When friends of mine who lived next door to her had occasion to meet her in the hallway or the elevator, they were afraid of her. Her face reflected the reality of her life. Until she met Christ. You knew that the Spirit of God had transformed her inside because her outside, her face, was totally cha...