viewoutsidethepew

If the spiritual life with Jesus was written as a spy novel, what character would you be?

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We are told of an incident in the life of St. Peter. He had a vision of clean and unclean animals being lowered to earth from heaven on a picnic blanket. A divine voice told Peter to eat. In this vision he refused to eat the unclean things. The voice from heaven, though, said, “Don’t say that the things which God has made clean are impure” (Acts 10:15 God’s Word). The vision repeated twice more to emphasize its importance. Read more…

Manitoba maple trees produce thousands of seeds every year. They fly everywhere. The seeds germinate easily. So yesterday I went out to remove them from my privet hedge at the back.

The job multiplied. When you start pulling out one “weed” you find more. As we read in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us” (Amplified Bible). Read more…

Much fascinates me about the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-24. Even though I did an academic paper on the translation problems the humour still gets me.

The Prophet Balaam and the Ass, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1626. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Balaam makes a living as a prophet. His use of black magic (or demons) to curse people may well have made him rich.

So when Balak hires him to do a cursing off he goes to earn the big fee.

Unknown to Balaam (who is not a prophet of the True God) he has taken on people protected by Creator. Surprise! God sets out to destroy this enemy of the exodus people. Balaam’s gift of dark  prophecy cannot discern God at work. But, fortunately for him, his donkey has insight and saves his life.

The true prophet speaking for the True God is an ass. I’m laughing, especially as one with that gift. Never take yourself, or your gift, so seriously as to think you have importance beyond membership in the family of God. God doesn’t share credit or glory.

Now, if Jesus replaced you with a jackass, would anyone notice the difference?

My Father died when I was about seven. Mother raised the three of us, at great personal cost.

Mother

Sometimes the food wouldn’t divide four ways and so she went without anything. Since this all happened before the modern trend towards rights and protections we moved often. All her attempts at a new relationship rested on shaky terms because of her instinct to protect her brood.

She raised us in Baptist churches, though the specific breed never took on importance. The only thing that mattered in the choice was could we get a ride, or could we walk.

While such things escaped me when I was a child, it haunts me now to think that she went hungry so we kids could share the last of the bread and milk. The stress of single-parenting, all the weight of earning the money, finding accommodation, making what little we had go around makes an almost unbelievable story.

Had she just given up on us her own life might have turned out better for her. But she didn’t.

I make no pretense of my Mother living without flaws, nor does she. But I honour her model of faith, endurance and a love that goes far beyond words or definition.

When I look at my Mother I see Christ at work, not theologically, but in the dirt and grime of some of the worst that humans have to endure.

I tell her this. Here I do that again. And now I pass it on to you. Jesus lived the love of the cross, even though it costs. My Mother did, too.

Will you?