Grains of Sand

Ian Cruikshanks Recently I heard a report on the news in which COVID-19 was compared to the Spanish flu that infected 500 million people and killed somewhere between 17 to 50 million people. That outbreak lasted from January 1918 to December 1920. Another report, specifically concerning my home province of Ontario, also included some grim numbers as scientists and health experts looked forward to what could be the best and worst case scenarios when it comes to COVID-19. It was food for thought. But my thoughts did not turn to long-term isolation or protective gear or shortages or economic downturns. They went back to the history of my home church, First Baptist in Timmins, Ontario. It's connection to the 1918 pandemic is significant. In 1917 and 1918, a young man by the name of Ian Cruikshanks travelled back and forth from Toronto to Timmins on the train. His mission was to bring the Gospel to the miners and loggers of a community rising out of the woods, lakes, and r...

Pixabay It’s no use trying to fool ourselves: all our idols have clay feet. If ever anyone lived (apart from Jesus Christ) who should be admired and emulated, that someone would be Abraham. His journey with God is one that borders on the exemplary—I say, “borders,” deliberately. Abraham, like any human idol, had his “clay foot” moments. Genesis 20 describes one of those moments. Biblical history overwhelmingly supports Abraham as an example of faith worthy to be followed. But God never minimizes the frailties of even those of His “nearest and dearest.” It’s one of His ways of reminding us that in our weakest moments, His grace is still, and will always be, sufficient. Genesis 20 is a story similar to one recorded for us in Genesis 12:10-12—same problem, different location. Abraham fears for his life while under the eye of Abimelech king of Gerar. Sarah is old by today’s standards, but still beautiful enough to attract the attention of the king. Abraham, fearful that his life is at ...