Grains of Sand

Pixabay It's not the milk's fault! I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the line the "perfect food" became imperfect. Milk used to be considered that "perfect food". I remember one choir tour that took us to a farming community in Eastern Ontario. The ladies of the congregation prepared and served lunch for us in the church basement after the morning service. It was a full meal, a banquet in fact. Part of any meal is a beverage, and milk was one of the items offered that day. I took the milk and I seriously doubt that what I drank was ever touched by anyone but the farmer from whose cows it came. It was the real deal. It was sooooo good! What appears in our stores today is not that. And while what we drink might be so altered as to no longer be "perfect" perhaps the problem is not the milk so much as it is the drinker. We are an altered people, contaminated by the world we have contaminated—tit for tat. But thi...

cutestpaw.com (Google Images) Louloubelle has taken a liking to drinking water out of the bathroom sink. It's a bit of a nuisance when I am trying to wash my face in the morning! But hey, if you're thirsty, you're thirsty, right? If we are thirsty, we look for something to drink. If we are hungry, we look for something to eat. If we are tired, we look for some place to take a nap. We know what to do when we have a physical need. We are not always so smart when it comes to that deep, gnawing emptiness that comes with spiritual need. Perhaps, unlike hunger or thirst or weariness, we think, “going without” spiritually won’t hurt us. Or, we think that a weekly intake on Sunday morning is sufficient—if we get there. According to statistics, only 25% of evangelical Christians read their Bibles daily. A whopping 86% of Canadians never read the Bible. The latter number shouldn’t be all that surprising. But that 75% of Christians don’t think it’s important to be reading the Sc...

Google Images The Gospels only tell a small part of the life and times of Jesus. Perhaps that is one reason why the skeptics disbelieve the account that we do have recorded for us. The current commercial on some channels concerns a program that will, I suppose, explain why these particular “experts” don’t believe that any of the disciples had actually ever met Jesus! It probably has to do with the differences between the Gospels and because of the gaps in information that are obvious. One “expert” in the commercial for the program throws his arm up in the air and says: “The Bible may be divinely inspired but it has human fingerprints all over it!” Duh. Divine inspiration never rubbed out the personalities and particular quirks of the writers God chose to record His story. But arguments aside, we acknowledge the gaps in the record. John, writing in John 20:30, 31 explains the reason why there are gaps. “ Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which a...

Google Images “ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth ” John 17:17. Repeatedly the Scriptures tell us how important being immersed in the Word of God really is in a journey of faith that is taken seriously. Part of Jesus’ last prayer for His followers emphasized that importance as He asked His father to make them holy through their interaction with God’s Word. PSALM 119 is well-known for its emphasis on the importance of the Word of God: “ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word ” (Psalm 119:9). “ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you ” (Psalm 119:11). “ The unfolding of your word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple ” (Psalm 119:130). The author to the Hebrews says this: “ For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart ” (Hebrews 4:12). As indi...