A CLEAR MESSAGE

The night was very foggy, but the message was very clear-CAUTION.  

Caution is what you should have when you are an ex-housemate of mine and I had to experience torture of your doing.  Now before anybody go feeling sorry for Mr. Kyle let me tell you:  besides the normal ice in the shower trick, this fly young man filled my water bottle with warm salty water on finals day.  I am in the middle of a 2 hour final exam and a need a drink of water... it was worse then Mexico sea water.

  I will still march in May but the official document was presented in a private ceremony last night after the U.S. Postal service delivered it to the Maple Ave. mansion.  The world only gets to see this cheesy picture.

I boarded a plane this past week along with 30 or 40 Jewish teens.  Their destination was an international conference just for Jewish young people in Chicago.  They explained the goals and programming of the conference including the agenda for Shabbat.  My two row-mates and I shared freely during the flight so in our approach I had to ask; “what does Shabbat mean to you as an individual?”  The young man was candid in his reply that it really meant nothing and he viewed it as mostly a tradition. But then he added that it remains a highlight of the week because on Friday evening his family will come together and connect before dispersing for the weekend activities.

This is the same practice seen in many homes in Jerusalem at the beginning of each Sabbath.  Families come together and fathers bless mothers and mothers bless fathers, parents bless children and children bless parents.  “Blessing” is a tradition not like the Christian tradition of praying for each other but rather applying Biblical passages of blessing to the individual. For example the father would bless the mother speaking or singing verses from Proverbs 30 exalting her virtues and expressing his appreciation of her.

I don’t know how far back this tradition goes, but it has the taste of creation.  It fits within the picture of God to envision Him doing just that every Sabbath for us – extolling our virtues and expressing His appreciation for us.  Go ahead, reflect the image of God by blessing your child, your parent, and your spouse.

HAPPY SABBATH

It's friday evening and I write while sitting in my new office at 

the church... a few church members just poked their heads through the door on their way home, and now it is quiet and I am alone.  Alone... well not really.  How very cool to have an office in the "House of God."

I know I am not alone because I saw His hand this afternoon - today I spoke on the phone with a youngman who has been sending his two daughters to church with his mom.  He said, "I am a baby Christian but I want to study the Bible and be baptized."  

The significance?  We will spend our lives spreading the gospel and pursuing the study of truth.

All my stuff weighs almost nine thousand pounds. Together with a couple of very good guys and one good gal I loaded a big truck with everything I own.

This is the study corner of my "new" home. This is actually where I will work, eat, and sleep since I can't find my way around the house.  

And here is the kitchen... in case it is difficult to identify.