Grains of Sand

Pixabay Paul Tripp writes: " Perhaps we can find no more real and present argument for heaven than the angst that we all carry in the face of the temporary and dissatisfying awes of the present." He then quotes C. S. Lewis: "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." Placing our focus in life on eternity's destination changes what life looks like as it is lived out with anticipation of our arrival there. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go on from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.  —Psalm 84:5-7 When Peter writes his first letter, he addresses it to " …exiles scattered ."  "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect,  exi...

Pixabay I  got to thinking about refugees this morning. Many provinces in Canada are celebrating Family Day today and my mind turned to those who might spend today, not out snowshoeing or skiing, or playing games, or going for tranquil walks with the family dog. I thought about those illegals crossing the border into Manitoba and Quebec. I thought about families in camps in the middle east waiting for sloth-speed bureaucracy to give them a chance at a new life. I thought of those huddled in dangerous spaces in fear for their lives. I thought of those in leaky boats risking everything to get somewhere even remotely safer than where they had been. My thoughts were triggered by this story from Matthew 2. Joseph and Mary have received a visit from some important visitors. Wise men from the East had come to find the infant King of the Jews. The then-current king, Herod, was less than happy to discover he might have a rival. Hoping to use the magi to flush out this royal infant, ...