I like this photo by Anne Zwagers of a flock of sheep with a church in the background. It reminds me of John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Looking forward to green pastures today. Happy Sunday.
Tag Archives: scripture
A Rainbow Apology
It is evening time on August 13th and I am looking at a beautiful rainbow as I write this. It reminds me of a time when I gave a book of children’s Bible stories to a little girl many years ago.
The child saw the story of Noah’s Ark and the accompanying picture of people, including children, drowning in the great flood of Genesis 7. This story had a devastating effect on the little girl and I’m sure turned her mind totally away from anything to do with God.
Unfortunately, the story was never satisfactorily explained to her nor the meaning of the rainbow that followed in Genesis 9:13, I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
This was God’s promise to Noah, and all of us, that He would never again do such a destructive thing to His people.
I’ve never been sure whether the flood story is allegory or not, but one thing I am sure of is that it’s effect on one little girl has haunted me since the day I was made aware of her great fear and apprehension.
Just as the rainbow of thousands of years ago was meant to be an apology from God to His people, this evening’s rainbow reminds me that because of a cruelly depicted story, a young child may have grown up to be an unbeliever…and for this I am truly sorry.
I pray that there has been enough evidence over the years of a God who loves her unconditionally and will continue to do so for the rest of her life.
This is my rainbow apology to that little girl.
I’m Wondering
There are things going on in our world today that could cause us the nervousness of a long-tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
I’m wondering why leaders of our powerful and respected countries take to “twitter and tweets” to draw attention to the undesired policies of their world counterparts instead of going through diplomatic channels. I’m wondering what is the world coming to.
More and more we are seeing and hearing of governments trying to clean up their counterparts’ policies by “tweeting” it out for all the world to see, before concentrating on their own homeland issues.
I’m wondering why they are eager to see another’s faults without addressing the fact that there may be something lacking in their own agendas. It’s a good thing to defend human rights and all the other issues that assail us on a daily basis, no matter what part of the world we inhabit, but I wonder if there is not a proper way to address them.
Perhaps all leaders might want to look to their own infallibility and consider the course of action that would be beneficial to all concerned, and process it through proper channels, after some sincere soul searching.
Scripture speaks of this beautifully:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:3,4 NIV
Just wondering…
I Love Spending Time With You
I know a lady whose husband often spoke those words to her, “I love spending time with you.”
It made me think of how God longs to hear those words from us.
Can we bring ourselves to not only say those words to Him and mean them, but also spend some time with Him every day? Happy Sunday.
Isaiah 30:18 New Living Translation (NLT)
Blessings for the Lord’s People
18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
The World is an Oyster
“Why, then the world is mine oyster,” are the words Shakespeare put into the mouth of his character, Pistol, in The Merry Wives of Windsor. And so came the saying, The World is an Oyster.
For some reason the words popped into my head one day along with “and you are its pearl.”
The world is an oyster, and you are it’s pearl. Doesn’t that make you feel on top of the world? Well maybe it shouldn’t. Read on.
Oysters are a great delicacy to some but the pearl oyster is an oddity in itself because it’s ability to form a pearl comes from an irritation.
If you think of the pearl as a precious gem born of an irritation it may not make you feel on top of the world. But, when you think of how hard the oyster had to work to rid itself of the irritation and form the pearl…and then there is this:
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45,46 NKJV
Following
I saw this picture the other day and it reminded me of Matthew 4:19…“Come, follow me,” Jesus said…and I did.
It also reminded me of the movie, The Sister Act and the wonderful way it portrayed the song, “I Will Follow Him”. Enjoy.
The Sooner the Better
Learning the ways of God can be very humbling. Some say they don’t bow to anyone but if we’re lucky, sooner or later God will have His way, and, as it is written, so it shall happen…the sooner, the better. Happy Sunday.
It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'” Romans 14:11
On Eagle’s Wings
There are some people I know who are going through difficult problems right now…cancer, depression, severe arthritis, and other maladies. Today Isaiah 40:31 comes to mind when I think and pray for them. In spite of everything, they still will manage to have a…Happy Sunday.
“But they that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Subtle Reminders
How many times do we see something that reminds us of something else and it can make us feel sad or glad. This picture reminds me of Psalm 121 “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills..” It makes me feel glad and is a subtle reminder to always look up. Happy Sunday.
Let’s Play Pretends
One of my earliest childhood memories is playing a game called Let’s Play Pretends. You could be anything or anyone you wanted to be and were never questioned about it; from princesses to movie stars to singers and dancers and acrobats. Pretending was such fun.
On a mini vacation a few weeks ago with some friends, I found myself behind the pulpit in a very old Presbyterian church in New Glasgow, Ontario. I was pretending to be a preacher. (Call it my second childhood…after all I am eighty-one!) It was a beautiful church with lots of character and for fun I had this picture taken.
I didn’t have a sermon ready and just as well or my friends would have left me there talking to myself, I’m sure.
It goes to show that our imagination can stay with us as long as we are willing to entertain it in games like “Let’s Play Pretends”. Here’s the sermon I would have preached. Happy Sunday.
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
My Precious Life 