Grains of Sand

Pixabay This morning I took meat out of the freezer for this evening’s supper. I made soup and dessert. I filled the bird feeder. I don’t usually overthink these tasks. But I did this morning. I had read Exodus 16 earlier in the day. That story finds the Hebrews  out in the Desert of Sin. Apparently they had run out of food and begun to complain to Moses and Aaron. “ If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!” they muttered, but loudly, “There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death ” (16:3). Really? You sat around all day stuffing yourselves with prime rib? What happened to being slaves under vindictive taskmasters? What happened to making bricks without even the raw materials to work with? But let’s move past the “spin” being put on what had been a bad situation now conveniently forgotten. For the next forty years, while one generation gave way to another, God would p...

Pixabay How many altars have I built in my life? An altar is a place of worship, of commitment, of sacrifice. Noah built an altar when, at last, he and the riders of the great ark were on dry land once again. It is recorded that Abraham built altars at significant points in his spiritual journey. In Genesis 26 Isaac builds an altar as well. This event was spurred by an encounter with God during which the Lord said: “ I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham” (26:24). It is said that Isaac built the altar “…and called on the name of the Lord ” (26:25). An altar is a place of communion, a place of encounter with God. We used to have “altar calls” away back when. Those were moments at the end of a service when the pastor invited anyone who wanted to accept Christ, or make some other significant spiritual decision, to come forward. I responded to one of ...

Providence, Rhode Island, (Photo: Pixabay) Canadian Thanksgiving has past, but even on this side of the border we Canadians are well aware that our cousins to the south will soon be celebrating their Thanksgiving. Today, though thankfulness is not always the emphasis during these particular celebrations, the original date marked a time to remember the providence of God, particularly among those looking for freedom to practice their beliefs without persecution. Providence. I like that word. Of all things, the City of Providence, Rhode Island, came to my mind. Wikipedia says this about that city: "The area which is now Providence was first settled in June 1636 by prominent Baptist Roger Williams and other religious exiles. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies of the United States. Williams had been exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his outspoken beliefs concerning distinction of state government and religion. Williams secured a title from the Narraganse...

Pixabay It kind of snuck up on me. The deep greens of the bush beyond the town became yellow with the occasional tinge of red without me really noticing the change. With all the busyness of sorting and packing, I had to consciously stop to smell the crispness in the air and mentally process the arrival of Fall. And here we are at Thanksgiving weekend. The list is long of things to be thankful for. But this morning God's faithfulness rises to the surface of my mind along with this old hymn: Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. Chorus: Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifol...

Classic ingratitude. The king of Israel is being stalked by his enemy, the king of Aram. Elisha, who seems to be gifted with the ability to hear through walls at long distances, continually warns him of the ambushes and attacks being planned so that he can avoid getting killed (2 Kings 6:8-12). "Royally" annoyed, the king of Aram plots to kill Elisha, but that too is foiled in that famous episode in Dothan. Elisha's servant discovers what the prophet knew all along: " Those who are with us are more than those who are with them " (6:16, NIV). The angelic hosts surround God's servants. But then things change. Aram attacks Israel and besieges the city of Samaria. Things are very grim—no exaggeration considering it appears that people resorted to cannibalism during the siege (6:26-29). The king of Israel is angry at Elisha and now wants to kill him (6:31). The end of the story sees God doing a miracle to save the city. We wonder why He waited so long and can onl...

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. And to all the rest of you, there is every reason to still be thankful even if there isn't a turkey or a ham filling the house with savory smells, or pies waiting to be devoured, or family arriving on the doorstep. Apart from the material blessings for which we give thanks to God, what are some of those spiritual blessings in Christ that you are thankful for today? Play Santa and make a list and check it twice to make sure you haven't missed any.

Exodus 38-40 “ The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them ” —Exodus 39:42, 43. I’m glad those last four words were included in the sacred record. Acknowledging a job well done is like putting icing on a cake. The cake is great without the icing, but oh the joy that a finishing touch of sweetness brings. The labourers had done an incredible job of the construction and furnishing of the Tabernacle, of the preparation of the priestly garments—just read for yourself the extensive description that covers a large part of the book of Exodus. Everything was done “ just as the Lord commanded… ,” a phrase repeated an amazing number of times throughout the book. Can you imagine the workers holding their corporate breath as their leader inspected the finished product? Would he find some fault, some flaw, some tiny detail that didn’t quite measure up? Would th...

It's Word-Filled Wednesday once again. This week we are hosted by Susan at Forever His . Check it out. In celebration of American Thanksgiving I am going to share this delightful picture of my third cousin, Morgan. (Even though I am a Canadian, it's good to be thankful all the time so I'm going to join hands with my American friends here.) " Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins ad heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfied your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. " —Psalm 103:1-5 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my friends.

I had the opportunity yesterday to visit my Toronto home church. It was truly a cross-cultural experience. Over the forty years I've been associated with the church, the colour of its' congregation has changed. Added to that, the guest preacher yesterday was a man from Grenada, a convert of one of the members of the Toronto church. He preached a fiery sermon which gave rise throughout to hearty "amens," hallelujahs," and "preach it, brother" expressions, not to mention applause. Since this is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada the message was appropriate to the subject. Though I was an unexpected visitor the pastor squeezed me into the program and gave me a few moments to share during the service. Since the congregation had just finished expressing some of the things it was thankful for, I added my bit of praise by reminding them of Paul's words when I said how much I thanked God for every remembrance of them. Over all these years they have been a speci...

One of any pastor's favourite verses to haul out and wave in front of the congregation comes from 1 Corinthians 9:7. Paul writes: " Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver ." The quoting the verse is usually closely followed by the arrival of an offering plate. The context of the verse certainly supports the application. Paul is enthusiastic about the generosity of the saints in providing material resources for their poorer brothers. Cheerful giving doesn't just apply to money. I think of all the work teams and volunteers, young and old, who have made sacrifices to step out in faith to give their time and talents to help others in need. I remember the two elderly farmers who came to Colombia many years ago. One was a self-taught expert in all things mechanical and spent his month or so fixing everything that remotely fitted into that category. His friend was a carpenter and made...