Grains of Sand

Pixabay If memory serves, Michael Jackson tried to change the colour of his skin. That was probably the most extreme example during this present era of the measures to which people go in the constant search to feel better about themselves. The other example that comes to mind is the woman who underwent endless surgeries to make herself look like Barbie of the famous (or infamous) Barbie and Ken doll collection. On a smaller scale we "nip and tuck," cream and cover, make-up and dress-up, tone-up and touch-up, every flaw we think we see that keeps us from being whatever someone else has decided is handsome, beautiful, acceptable, marketable, relevant, or worthy of being taken seriously.  Then along comes someone like Jeremiah to expose, literally, the ugliness that really counts and the impossibility of covering that ugliness up at any price or by any means. The prophets spent a lot of time describing the consequences attached to the continual rebellion and disobedien...

Pixabay Years ago, while I was still living in Caracas, I had to take Lou Lou to the vet. When they returned her to me after treatment, she was filthy. The smell coming off of her was one "only a mother could love." Over the next three days, whenever Lou Lou came anywhere near her, Abby hissed at her! Lou Lou no longer "conformed" to what Abby recognized as her companion—she was basically just a stinky stranger! As I was thinking about Romans 12:2, I remembered that incident. Let's begin at Romans 12:1. " Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—which is your spiritual worship. Do no conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will ." Whenever there is a "therefore" in Scripture, we need to look ba...

Pixabay It's long since gone the way of all things, but the plaque hung on a wall in my parents' home for many years. My mother was a worrier and I had bought it for her as a reminder, particularly while I was overseas, that God was looking after business and she didn't have to fret. " ...in quietness and trust is your strength " (Isaiah 30:15) writes the prophet. In its context, the verse is part of a broader message. It is, in fact, a call to return to the Lord. Israel struggled continually with putting her confidence in places and in people other than her God. She often trusted foreign kings and their armies to rescue her from other kings and their armies. Idol worship was always an issue—Israel took on the belief systems of her pagan neighbours, sometimes not replacing Yahweh, but adding other gods "in addition to...." Israel became like her pagan neighbours rather than being distinct from them as God had commanded her. Eventually this spirit...

Pixabay This year's journey through the Scriptures has landed me in the minor prophets. And as much as some like to downplay the message of the Old Testament to today's world, I take the warnings seriously. The parallels between the apostasy of God's people in the Old Testament and the modern church are too striking to ignore. And if those parallels are similar so will be the judgment that will come on us, as it once came on them. The warning has been preserved for us down through the centuries, and though there are so-called evangelicals today who poo-poo the importance, and even the veracity, of the Old Testament, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look around and see just how far we have fallen from Biblical truth, from the teachings of Jesus, from being a people of God for the glory of God. History is cyclical. Our experience is something we share with generations past. The trappings might be different, but the evils are not. And those who do not learn ...

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 This week I've been watching the "firsts" of the new season of programming on television. Last night I watched Chicago Med . One useful piece of information popped up as the characters were playing their parts. In one conversation one senior psychiatrist asked a new psychiatry resident if she knew what the origin of the word "psychiatry" was. When she admitted she didn't know, he told her that the word originally meant "healing of the soul." He was right: " ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from Greek psukhē ‘soul, mind’ + iatreia ‘healing’ (from iatros ‘healer’). " My immediate thought was that it was a pity that God's business has been stolen from Him by those who can offer only temporary relief at best. I could only wish there were more Christian psychiatrists who were able to blend their skills with the Word the God and bring people toward true healing of the soul. I appreciate the value of counseling, and know from persona...

Pixabay Nobody enjoys the presence of a complainer, but most people complain. And we usually tend to complain to the wrong person. We give the clerk a hard time when it isn't the clerk who makes the policy or decides when, and by how much, to change the prices. We tear a strip off a local politician about some decision the government made—a government whose party he might not even be a member of. David did a fair bit of complaining. The psalms are a testimony to that. David spent a fair bit of time on the run from his enemies. When we come to Psalm 142 we find the king-designate in a cave hiding from King Saul. While we have a record of his complaint, it's a good thing he didn't complain out loud about his feelings to his followers—they had a tendency to "go above and beyond" for David and would gladly have done whatever was necessary to remove Saul, his prodigy, and his followers from the earth. Those we complain to are usually not that capable—happil...