I CAN STILL RECALL THE SMOG ALERTS of my childhood. It seemed as though there were at least 3-4 days each fall when a smog alert would be issued and thus school activities curtailed. I remember having our football practices cancelled, and our games postponed because the air was that toxic. UGH! I can even remember driving through Los Angeles in the middle of the afternoon with the car headlights on because the smog was hampering visibility. Double UGH! Breath in and your chest hurt. Fortunately, believe it or not, things are better. Not perfect, but better.
I can remember driving up to Big Bear Lake and breathing in that clean, crisp mountain air. I think we actually breathed double time, trying to get as much in us as possible and hoping to maybe clean out all the pollution that had filled the lining of lungs. Driving back down Rim-of-the-World highway was like dropping into a vat of gray soup. We would try to hold in that clean air, but you can only hold your breath for so long, and back in would rush that lethal concoction of particulate matter. UGH, again.
We all breathe, all the time. The alternative is not very good for you. But not only do we breathe in the air around us, but we also breathe the air of our culture. Our culture produces its own smog. I call it Selfish Materialistic Obsessive Greed. And like the smog of Southern California, it cannot be counteracted by a couple hours of “breathing clean.” To clean out the 168 hours of “breathing” we do in a week, it is going to take more than just an hour of clean breathing to undue the damage. It’s going to take the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, the reading of God’s Word, prayer, and His empowering in our lives. It’s putting on our spiritual oxygen mask and breathing deep and long. Holding your breath in this world just won’t cut it, you’ve got to breathe the Spirit.
So, take a deep breath and let the cleansing begin.

HEAR THE WORDS “MID-LIFE” and it is usually attached to the word “crisis.” But if we take a close look at the word we see anything but crisis. Rather, it is the combination of two words, “mid” and “life.” “Mid” which tells us that this is neither the beginning nor the end. At mid-life we find ourselves in a place that gains from the wisdom and experience of the past and also looks forward to a future in which that wisdom and experience can be dispensed.
It is also a word that speaks of “life,” but sadly we have given the phrase the specter of death, or at least an increased awareness of its soon arrival. Yet, if we truly find ourselves at mid-life, say 45 years of age, then would it not be correct to say we have 45 more years to go? (Lord willing.) That’s more than enough time to make a positive impact in our world.
This weekend ushers Felton Bible Church into “mid-life.” At this 45th anniversary we will need to ask ourselves whether this will be a time of mid-life crisis or mid-life celebration? Will it be a time of dwelling on the past or planning for the future? Will it be a time of fearful aging or of expectant hope? Will it be a time of bemoaning the passing of our “youth” or will it be a time where we joyously look forward to the generations of believers yet to be born?
Forty-five years ago those followers of Jesus Christ who gave their heart soul, mind and strength to the founding of this fellowship of believers could not have imagined the changes that would take place in their world. Yet, they faithfully moved forward following the leading of the Holy Spirit. They created a place where the unchanging Truth of God could be proclaimed in order to see lives changed in the midst of an ever-changing culture.
May their legacy continue, to the glory of God.

ISRAEL KNEW BOTH exodus and exile. They knew what it was to wander toward the Promised Land, and they knew what it was to be removed from it. The journey to the promise was prolonged because of disobedience to the LORD, and their removal from the land hundreds of years later was also because of an increasing disobedience. Though both have links to disobedience, each was to be experienced differently.
The exodus from Egypt, and it’s subsequent wilderness wanderings, was meant to purify the Children of Israel and to prepare them for the coming occupation of a new homeland. Through the time of the exodus the nation learned to follow and to obey. They learned to rid themselves of the false god’s and false philosophies of Egypt and the peoples they encountered along the journey.
In the exile they learned how to dwell in a foreign land and culture while at the same time learning how to remain faithful to the one true God. In Babylon, God told them to, “Seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile…for in its peace you will discover your peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7)
Centuries later Jesus would tell His followers to be salt and light, and in the process to do good so that God would be glorified. (Matthew 5:13-16) He wanted His followers to know that they were not experiencing an exodus leading to a Promised Land, but rather a people of a different kingdom living in exile. (1 Peter 2:9-12) It would be their responsibility to live well in that place of exile. To live well, not just for their benefit, but for the benefit of the people of that land. As I have stated elsewhere, “to be counter-cultural for the common good.” (Andy Crouch).
Welcome to exile.

CAFFEINE AFFECTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE in different ways. Some are able to drink it by the gallons with seemingly no effect, while others walk by a brewing pot of caffeinated coffee and they start to get “the shakes.” I fall somewhere in-between.
A couple of cups of tea (no coffee for me) and my motor gets warmed-up, but much more than that and it becomes a lesson in the “law of diminishing returns.” Caffeine after 8:00 at night? Well, let’s just say falling to sleep is no problem, it’s staying asleep that becomes the issue.
The problem for many in our culture today is that we seem to ingest so much caffeine from so many different sources that many are running on a perpetual caffeine induced stupor. A situation that we often feel powerless to stop. The caffeine craze not only affects the inner workings of our bodies, but we feel “naked” if we don’t have a coffee cup in our hands. Desire as we might, it seems impossible to change.
I often feel this way when it comes to my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. I get so “jacked-up” on the caffeine of this world, that it seems near impossible to slow down, let alone stop, and to spend time with my Lord. I want my spiritual life served up like my Earl Grey tea; waiting for me at the counter at Coffee Cat as I walk in the door. I don’t want to sit quietly, or to wait for an answer, or to mature. I want it now!
But, this is not the life to which we have been called. God has made us for work, yes, but He also requires us to rest. The Lord desires for us to experience the blessed gift of time unrushed with Him. Take a breath, relax, rest, and be blessed in His presence.
God created the Sabbath for you.

AFRICA HAS BEEN CALLED THE DARK CONTINENT, not because of the people or because of the difference in culture and religion, but because we knew so little about it. It was not that it was dark, it’s more that we, in the West, were in the dark about this great land and its amazing people.
But thanks to National Geographic Magazine and the shows that populate the TravelChannel, we are less in the dark today. In fact, Africa is now becoming the new center for evangelical growth and theology. The church is alive and well, and in many regards has much to offer us here in the West. We would do well to sit up and listen to what our brothers and sisters have to communicate to us from the two-thirds world.
Africa has not been the only dark continent. Too often our souls are shadowed places for us as well. Not necessarily places dark because of sin, but like the Africa of the past, dark because we know so little about them. We hesitate to spend anytime getting to know ourselves spiritually. We gain knowledge and expertise in so many areas from the latest cooking techniques, sports, any number of hobbies, even the bizarre foods of Africa, but we fail to learn that which will deepen and enrich our souls. Much like the Dark Continent of a century ago, we seem fearful of the place closest to us.
But, like Africa, learning from our souls brings much benefit. There is nothing really of which the follower of Christ needs to be afraid, for it is there that our blessed Lord resides. It is in those deep dark reaches that we can meet the Savior, learn of Him, and experience the amazing love He has for us.
So, fellow-traveler, I invite you to take a journey of discovery, the journey of opening your heart to the One who loves you the most and the best. Allow the Light of the world to enlighten your soul and rejoice.

I GREW UP HEARING THE PHRASE, “Many hands make light work.” This past week I saw the truth of that statement played out once more. Those many hands came in the form of 32 individuals (ranging in age from seven-years-old, to those over eighty-six-years-old), who joined hands in packing 125 World Vision Caregiver Kits. In less than 45 minutes we loaded the orange boxes with gloves, soap, cream, flashlights, medication and other items that will help the care-givers provide tangible expressions of mercy to those suffering the ravages of AIDS. Most importantly each box also contained a card of encouragement from a Vacation Bible School attendee and was prayed over by the one packing the box. It was a great evening of many hands making light work, and of many hands doing the work of prayer. Blessed are the hands.
This past Tuesday evening, at our AWANA kick-off, I once again saw an answer to prayer as many came not only to lend a hand, but also their hearts and voices as we began to once more reach out into our community with the love of Jesus Christ and the message of the His Good News. Honestly, we were very concerned that we would not have the staff needed to care for the children that would arrive, but God graciously and abundantly answered our prayer. What a joy it was to watch and listen to our leaders share the Word of God with the kids and to help those kids begin to hide God’s Word in their hearts. Blessed are the hands.
I was reminded that God has given us hands for a reason. First, to fold in prayer as we seek His face and grace. Second, to be lifted before Him in thanksgiving and praise. And third, to stretch out in service as we seek to offer God’s mercy and compassion to those we encounter.
Blessed are the hands.

IN OUR FRONT YARD STANDS AN OLIVE TREE. Apart from spring-time pollen, I like olive trees. Their branches intertwine and have, as my wife would say, character. During my recent vacation I took some time to give the tree a much-needed trim, and in the process learned a lesson or two.
To take a look at the specimen in my front yard you might guess that it’s a tough old bugger. The bark is rough, and craggy; rub up against it and it will leave a light abrasion on your skin. But put your foot against it to climb up its trunk and you will quickly discover that craggy old bark is very thin, and hidden just under it is a softer, greener, skin.
As I contemplated the bark of the tree I thought of those I know who seem rather rough and craggy on the outside, much like our olive tree. And, like our tree, that craggy and rough surface is very thin. Underneath they are people who are vulnerable. To put it another way, their roughness is only skin deep. The problem is that we can believe that their scruffiness is really who they are and in the process never really get to know the person who lies just beneath the surface.
I suppose that is why the Lord gave us the directive to love one another as we have been loved by Him. (John 13:34) Jesus knew what we all needed, no matter what kind of bark we show to the world around us, we need to be loved.
So, let us love.

AT THE FIRST PASSOVER the Children of Israel where told to make their bread for the meal, and the subsequent journey, without yeast. It was to be unleavened bread. The reason for this command was because they would not have the time needed to let the bread rise, the kneading and rising activities would take too much time. They needed to be ready to move at moment’s notice.
For the children of God today, the need is still there; the need to be ready to move at a moment’s notice. We need to travel light. As with those moving from the captivity and bondage of Egypt to follow God toward the Promised Land, so it is with us. For them there was no longer the need to knead their bread, for us there are most likely some things that we no longer need as well.
To follow the Lord toward the “Promised Land” we too are called to travel light, to be ready to move as the Lord directs. I know that too often I hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling me to move this way or that, but my obedience is hinder by the things I think I need. The things hidden in my larder (as yeast was kept in the dark recesses) slow down my progress for the Kingdom. The Lord calls me to move out and I respond to the Lord, “I will go, but first I must wait for my bread to rise.” Sadly, the things I need slow down my progress.
Like the Hebrews of old, I believe it is time to sweep out the corners of our homes. To rid us of the yeast that causes what we need to be more important than obedience to the call and command of the Lord. If there is anything that needs to rise, it’s not our bread…it’s us.
Let’s rise up. It’s what’s needed.

purposes summer vacation is over…and I for one am ready. Now, don’t get me wrong I had great summer. One of the best Vacation Bible Schools ever! Two weeks of helping out at Redwood Christian Park with their children’s program. Two week’s in Africa. Visits from family and friends. Watching my kids learn new skills and experience new growth. BBQ’s and sunshine. Yes, this summer was great, but now I am looking forward to the rest that schedule brings.
Earlier bed-times, school schedules, weekly church programs, oh yeah, and soccer. Yep, I am looking forward to sliding back into the old comfortable clothes of fall. I guess that adage that we are all creatures of habit is true. And it is really not a bad description, that is unless the habits are bad ones.
One thing I try to do at this time of the year is to enter into some renewed habits (good ones). It may mean getting back into the habit of prayer, or of journaling. It may mean getting back into the habit of exercise and eating right. It may mean getting back into the habit of time around the table with family and friends. This time of the year, maybe more than any other, affords me the time to stop, reassess, reschedule and in the process be renewed. In many ways, we usher in not the end of the year, but its beginning.
As we say “good-bye” to the lazy-hazy-crazy-days of summer join me in saying “hello” to a glorious season of harvest. A time of new rich colors, a time of warmth, a time of festive renewal. A time where the hearths of our homes and hearts can be opened to the fire of God’s Spirit.
Come, and be renewed.

THE BOYS ON MY U-8 SOCCER TEAM LIVE to scrimmage. From the time they get to practice they are constantly asking me, “Hey coach, are we going to scrimmage today?” They tolerate stretching, they work hard at passing and dribbling, and practicing shots-on-goal, but they live to scrimmage against each other.
Scrimmaging is an important part of learning the game. It’s the closet thing we do to playing a real game, but without the other aspects of the practice all a scrimmage becomes is an opportunity to kick the ball around and instill improper soccer techniques. The learning and practicing of basic skills is crucial to a productive scrimmage and ultimately to a successful game.
Often, as followers of Jesus, we are like my soccer team. We want to scrimmage, or better yet, just play the game. But, in order for us to play the game well it is vital that we learn and practice the skills that we will need in the course of the real game.
One of those much needed skills is that of prayer. If we have not made a habit of the practice of prayer during the “everydayness” of our lives, then when we find ourselves in the midst of the heat of life , we will not have developed the skills needed to grant us success. Prayer, like the skills of soccer, needs to be practiced over and over again, so that when we find ourselves in the need of prayer, it will come as naturally as a push pass to our teammate.
Play on! Opps, I mean “pray-on!”

LIFE IN BILAMPERGA IS NOT ALWAYS IDYLLIC, but the three days Linda and I spent there with our daughter Krista gave us a sense that village life has its benefits and blessings. After three days in the capital city of Ouagadougou, with its noise, heat, trash and crush of people and vehicles, our time in the village was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one.
The rhythm of life brought peace to your heart. The people were warm and friendly, the pace slow (I am sure the heat had something to do with that), life was gauged by the rising and setting of the sun, and everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, knew their place in village life. When the rain fell, life became quiet, except for the echoes of raindrops upon tin roofs, but when the sun once again broke through it was time for all to return to the fields to plant their millet or corn. All understood the rhythms and their place, and thus life worked well in the village of Bilamperga.
Another thing that grabbed me, was that even though Krista had been a part of the village family for a year, they still desired to be a service to her. The children were always ready to pump the well for her water, and to carry it to her home. Whenever she had a need, the people, her family, where quick to come to her aid, in fact, they would get quite upset if they were not asked to help. These people truly care for her, and as a far-away parent, that gives me a sense of peace.
I believe the local church can learn much from the people of Bilamperga. We can learn better to live within the rhythms of life around us, to “go with the flow” as it were. We can learn the importance of everyone having a job to do. We can learn the importance of carrying one another’s water, of always looking for place to serve, not for what we gain, but always for what we can give.
What’s your place in the Village?

GET ANY NUMBER OF PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS (pcv’s) TOGETHER and the topic will quickly move to where they all went to dinner last, or where they were planning on eating next. I have come to the conclusion that if you need to find out where, or where not, to eat in a given country talk to a PCV’er. When these folks meet, they eat. It almost became quite humorous to me to listen to their conversations, it seemed that all they did was go out to eat together…they lived for meal time.
As I gave this some thought, and as I enjoyed some meal times with them (where they would talk about previous and upcoming meal times) I realized why these meals gained such a great priority in their lives.
The reality is that each of these PCV’s spend the majority of their time away from light-skinned, English speaking, western-mindset people, and when they have the opportunity to come together it is a time for celebration, for catching up, for enjoying a sense of family which finds its best expression in the family dinner table, even if that table was outside at Paradisio. My new PC friends reminded me that true community comes from sharing that which is in common…theirs was a true communion meal.
At these gatherings is shared a common story lived out through a variety of daily experience. It is a meal that allows them to look back and to look forward (often to the next meal). During these meals their hearts and stories are intertwined and new strength and hope is renewed as they prepare to return to their often solitary lives of service. Thus, these meals were of incredible importance to their ongoing lives. They were not something that could be easily done without.
Not unlike the Communion Meal we celebrate today!

THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS TIMES in my journey as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, that I have prayed, dare I say called out, for an opportunity to see Him face to face. Often these times have come when I am feeling stressed in the face of ministry, or when I have felt lonely. But, to this point in time I have never seen Him face to face like Moses did, or have I heard His voice in the gentle blowing like Elijah, or have I experienced the manifestation of His glory like Isaiah, or witnessed the transfiguration of others in His midst like Peter, James and John. Or have I?
I have cried out. I have fasted. I have sat in quietness. I have worshiped with reckless abandon, and prostrated myself in prayer, but His face I have not seen. I have dwelt in the darkness alone and I have gathered with a multitude of the saints, and still His physical, manifested presence I have not seen. Or have I?
This past week I was humbled by an old truth, a truth that reminded me that I have seen Jesus face to face. In fact, I saw Him this past week in the face of the homeless man walking by the church. I saw Him in the face of the day-laborer who was working at the church. I saw Him in the child at Harvey West Park.
Jesus told His followers (Matthew 24) that as they would serve the least of society they would be serving Him and I guess with that seeing Him as well. As I visited the left out and lonely, and fed the hungry and provided for the needs of the needy, I would in fact be ministering unto to Jesus Himself. No burning bush, blowing wind or transfigured person, just real people like you.
It is in serving others that we see the Savior. He’s everywhere for me to see!

MEXICAN OR CHINESE? HASH-BROWNS or cottage-fries? Spicy or mild? I have lots of preferences when it comes to what I would like to eat. In fact, the list could get rather long as I think about it, though I will admit that sushi and grubs have not made the list.
Living by my preferences gives me lots of options when it comes to eating out. If they are not serving what I like, I can just change my preference for that meal. That’s one of the benefits of having lots of preferences, when things are not going the way I think they should, I can change to another preference. It’s actually the way most of us live. If something is not going the way we think it should, we just change our belief about that thing.
Living by our preferences can affect various areas of our lives such as our politics, favorite sports teams, television shows, reading material, even places of worship. Some of these areas are really not life-altering, but sadly, dangerously even, living by our preferences can seep into our friendships, our character, and even our relationship with God. When things don’t go our way, or meet our tastes, we easily switch to another preference, or another belief.
Thankfully, people like the Prophet Jeremiah did not live by their preferences, but rather by their convictions. It was Jeremiah’s conviction about the faithfulness and compassion of God that gave him the strength to remain steadfast even from the bottom of the pit. It was his conviction that God’s justice is always tempered by His love that sustained his hope, even in the darkness of times.
When it comes to God and His ways, may we live by our convictions, and in doing so find hope and peace.
That’s my conviction!

IT IS IN THE HEART OF JESUS that little children come to Him. Not as quasi-adults, but as they are, little children. He calls them to come with their simple faith and their penetrating questions. He calls them to come with their open hearts and open arms. He calls them to come with their joy, their laughter, their silliness, and yes, even their tears. He says, “Let the little children come.”
He calls them to come to experience His unbiased love, His abundant mercy, His complete forgiveness, and His overwhelming grace. He calls them to come to His gentle touch and His strong arms. He calls them to come to hear the stories of their Heavenly Father and to rest quietly in His embrace. He says, “Let the little children come and forbid them not.”
He calls them to Himself for He loves them so. He calls them to His side for “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
And He calls us to likewise come…all of us…as little children.
So let us come!

THIS WEEK MANY YOUNG PEOPLE throughout our area moved their tassels and grabbed a diploma and said “goodbye” to the past and “hello” to the future. For some this week marked the culmination of years of education and possibly a deep desire to never have to open another text book or attend another boring lecture. Yet, for others, it marks the beginning of a new and exciting learning adventure. For some, the diploma signifies the end to a formal education and for others it is the passport for future discoveries.
As I look back on my high school graduation MANY years ago I think I feel somewhere in the middle of the two groups listed above. I was really thrilled to be finished with high school, and I was truly looking forward to a “new way” of doing school. I wasn’t 100% sure where my educational journey was going to take me (maybe a Recreational Education degree with an emphasis in Developmental Ed., maybe underwater basket-weaving). Early on, my journey was all over the map, but I was learning, and it was fun. I may not have had a good plan, but I knew I wasn’t through with learning.
I believe the Apostle Paul had this ongoing education process in mind when he encourage young Timothy to, “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
The challenge is a good one for all of us, no matter how long ago we received the diploma and turned the tassel. Learning is a life-long process, dare I say an eternal process, so let’s keep learning.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME OR NOT four o’clock in the morning is dark. It is most definitely a time for sleeping and dreaming, but over the past number of months I have been waking up ever morning between four and four-fifteen. The reason? Christ and Krista.
I believe that the Lord has been waking me ever morning to pray specifically for our daughter Krista as she serve with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, Africa. Four o’clock our time is about noon for her (depending on good old Daylight Savings Time).
Most mornings it is pretty much the same, I awaken, turn my heart and mind toward what she might be experiencing or doing on that day, and then I offer up a few prayers, and then drift back into my state of slumber. I don’t get out of bed, I don’t get on my knees, I just lay in bed and lift up a prayer or two, and back to sleep I fall. Not very spiritual, but at least I do pray.
My Christian life is often like my four o’clock awakenings. Each day I have committed to pray for Krista and I do, if the Lord wakes me, I struggle to keep focused, and once a few prayers are lifted it time to drift back to sleep. I find in my life as a follower of Jesus I have committed to pray, if the Lord wakes me (so much for personal discipline) and then after a few fitful attempts and half-hearted moments I slip back into my slumber. Not very spiritual.
My fear is that this is what we often do on Sunday mornings. We awaken for a few short moments, utter some sleepy-eyed words of praise and prayer, and then slip back into some kind of spiritual sleep-walking. Not very spiritual.
Oh Lord, awaken us fully, so that we can be fully awake to Thee.

A SMALL CONVERTED GARAGE was our first home as a married couple, but to us it was our castle. In those early days of our marriage life was simpler. Not much money, but lots of love and desire.
In those first few months I worked as a department manager in a large retail store making $3.10 an hour. That income didn’t leave much for frills and gifts of affection, but often, while riding my moped home, I would pull off the side of the road at a undeveloped field and grab a handful of wildflowers (some may call them weeds) to present to Linda as I arrived home.
Now, the amazing thing was not that I brought wildflowers home to my new wife, but that she accepted them as if they were a dozen red roses in a gold box with a satin ribbon. What still catches by breath away is that she still welcomes my often silly attempts of expressing my love, but that’s the way real love is, is it not? Real love makes a feast out of sharing a twenty-five cent hamburger at Mc Donald’s or a high-roller vacation out of an afternoon drive through the southern California foothills. Ah, for a return to those days!
I believe this is what the Lord is calling the church to in the Book of Revelation, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:2-5) There it is: Do the things you did at first.
Too often life, and love, gets complicated and in the process we lose the depth and simplicity of love. The call is for us to return, and to focus upon that which is of true importance: to give ourselves fully to other person, to see them first, and in the simplest of ways live a life that expresses in both word and deed, “I love you.”

“OF ALL THE THINGS I’VE LOST, I miss my mind the most!,” so declares the bumper sticker I saw awhile back. The sad truth is that over time memory fades. The things that were once so clear now appear as foggy images from last week’s hastily passing dream. This memory loss seems to deepen as we grow older, it’s part of the aging process they say, ugh, I hate that process.
One of the reasons we need holidays, like the one we celebrate this weekend, is because without them we would soon forget the important memories that have brought us to this point in time and that make us who we are.
In 1868, General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, declared General Order #11 that officially set aside of day of remembrance for those who died in the Civil War. It was first celebrated on May 30, 1868. As the years past it came to be a day of remembrance of all of those who gave their lives through any of the wars that would follow, and there have been a few. In 1971, by act of Congress, it was moved to the last Monday in May, and thus, is so celebrated.
It’s too bad that we need these days to cause us to remember, but given our individual and national memory loss, I suppose it is a needed thing. It’s just that we should remember those who gave their lives without having to be reminded. For whom we are today, and the freedoms we enjoy, is because these brave men and women gave all for the service of their country. And so we stop to remember and reflect and pray for peace.
I wonder if this isn’t why God, in His wisdom, set aside the Sabbath?
To remember…lest we forget.

FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS THEY HAVE HUNG across my office window softly filtering the light and obscuring the view. Over the past few month the dusty white sheer curtains have begun to show their age with rips and tears. Alas, I have removed them…but therein is the problem.
The light they once filtered now comes through with increased brightness, and in the late afternoon, with increased heat. The view that was once softly obscured is now strongly evident, not to mention the dirty windows that I have left unwashed for too long. It is amazing how much “seeing” these see-through drapes have hindered. One has to wonder if it would not have been better to leave the torn sheers in place, but it’s too late now.
As I contemplated my new “view” I thought about the prayers I have prayed to God to help me see Him and His world more clearly. In many ways my vision was obscured by a sheer vale, allowing me to see, but not really. In asking God to help me see more clearly He has removed the drapes from my eyes, and in the process I have seen things that I wish were still softly veiled.
Yes, I do see his brightness and glory, but I also see the dirt upon my windows, and the activities of life around me. I find myself more easily distracted, watching, curious, but I also experience more heat as well. I wonder if it would not have been better to not pray that prayer.
But it’s too late now!