The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

I've just come in from a two-hour star-gazing episode with a friend. Even though it's a lovely windless night of 5 degrees Celsius, we were cold. My neck was cold (of course, we've already put away all our scarves and mitts.)

We set up the telescope and had a beautiful view of the crescent moon with its many craters in high relief.

We saw some double stars and picked out the constellations we know. I always try to spot something new. Tonight we worked on Draco, but we were too close to town light to see it all clearly.

There are so many stars. I never tire of looking at them. Well, my neck gets tired from bending my head back to look up, but I don't tire of gazing at the sky. I love to see that handful of stardust we call the Milky Way. The Chinese call it the Silver River, I'm told.

The sky charts make it seem so easy, with all those lines connecting the dots of the stars into shapes: eagle, crown, bear, dog, a woman on a chair. But they are flat, two-dimensional. Looking through the telescope gives a small glimpse of the three-dimensionality of the sky. There is depth there; it goes on and on and on.

Beautiful Saviour, Bright and Morning Star, how glorious is your name!

No "Examination Copy" of this Book

As a teacher, I often get sent what are known as "desk copies" or "examination copies" of new text books being published in my field. Publishers send out these free copies in hopes that teachers everywhere will adopt the new book as a class text, thereby boosting sales of the books. They're free samples, letting the instructors examine the new text (hence the name, examination copy), view the features, and compare it to the textbook currently in use in a particular course.

After many years of teaching, the new editions seem to multiply on my bookshelf, and at the end of the semester, I'll often put some of these samples in a box outside my office. I tape a FREE sign on the box and within a couple of days, maybe even a couple of hours, some students have gone away happy with a new book, and I have some room cleared on my bookshelf.

It's a good thing, isn't it, that God has not offered an "examination copy" of the Lamb's Book of Life. We get no chance to check it out and see whose name is there and whose isn't. When we get to Heaven, we're going to look around and maybe there will be some surprises. Some people we were sure were going to be there will be conspicuous by their absence; on the other hand, our jaws may drop when we recognize those we thought were destined for somewhere where we were sure we weren't going to be.

Of course, we are called to holy living, and we can judge the tree by its fruit, but beyond that, we can only declare what God has done for us and in us, not what He hasn't done for someone else. For it's only God who knows the heart . . . and there's no examination copy of the Lamb's Book.

Canada Post, I'm Disappointed in You

It was only a small slip of the mind, which led to a small slip of the pen. I got most of it right. Riverside . . . should have been Riverview. The house number was right, as was the town, province, and postal code. But back the envelope came today in my own mail (of course, I had obeyed the "rules" and put my return address on the envelope).

But it's puzzling to me. From my understanding of reading the Postal Code directory, there are only a few--three or four, maybe five--addresses with each postal code. They will be on the same side of the street (even or odd numbers) and within a certain range of numbers.

So I'm wondering about the person who put that Return to Sender stamp on the envelope I had sent, and checked off "no such address." It's a small town. The letter carrier has been delivering mail to my friend for more than a year at that address. How difficult would it have been to ask a question or two? The postal code is supposed to be a fail-safe system.

But no. It was easier to stamp it Return to Sender without a second thought and send it on its way back.

I am sure it would have been possible to deliver my letter despite the small error. But that would have required some brave soul to step out and think.

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath, Proverbs 15:1

I was driving through a particularly confusing intersection at which the traffic pattern has recently been changed. I slowed, looked both ways, and pulled ahead. As I did, I saw a large red pick-up truck right next to me, slowing down on my left to let me pass. He had been in my blind spot, but now I saw his face. He did not look very pleased. I waved briefly, acknowledging his care, and we both proceeded through the intersection.

He pulled into the same parking lot where I was headed. I pulled in right beside him, got out of my car, and walked to the driver's side of his vehicle. I motioned for him to please roll down the window. He still didn't look very pleased.

I smiled. "Thank you for being such a careful driver," I said. "I'm sorry I didn't see you. You were in my blind spot."

"That's all right, lady," he said, now looking a little suspicious.

"Well, I just wanted to say thank-you for your care."

We nodded and went about our separate business.

Some people would say I was lucky--lucky perhaps that that other driver hadn't been talking on his cell phone, not paying attention to the road.

Luck? No, I would chalk it up to a Heavenly Father who looks after me. He has no blind spot.

You're Not Just Whistling Dixie!

Children have a unique perspective on the world. They try to make sense of what they see and hear by using their limited experience, knowledge, and vocabulary. Also, they tell it like it is.

My four-year old granddaughter was riding in the family van, and being able to see out the window from the vantage point of her carseat, noticed a man in another vehicle driving alongside the van.

"Mommy, that man has a whistle in his mouth."

Parents also try their best to make sense, in the midst of traffic and icy roads, of what their children are saying.

"Oh?"

"And . . . there's smoke coming out of the end of the whistle."

The light begins to dawn, on Mommy's face, at least.

Now there is more surprise in the little voice in the backseat: "And he's sucking on the whistle, instead of blowing on it!"

She blew the whistle on him, in no uncertain terms.

A Portrait Made Her Famous

On this day, January 8, in 1962, the Mona Lisa was exhibited for the first time in the United States. More than 2,000 dignitaries, including President John F. Kennedy, gathered for the unveiling at the National Gallery in Washington. The exhibit was opened to the public the next day, and in three weeks, more than half a million people had seen the painting. It was then shown in New York City, where another million people saw it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and French Minister of Culture André Malraux arranged for the painting to be shown in the United States.

The painting by Leonardo da Vinci was completed in 1504 - do the math: that's 505 years ago! - and depicts the wife of a wealthy Florentine citizen, Francesco del Gioconda (hence, the other name by which the painting is known, La Gioconda).

It's not very big--30 inches by 21 inches (77 cm by 50 cm). The room in which it is exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris dwarfs the painting. On the opposite wall, near the entrance to the room, is a huge wall-sized painting, The Wedding Feast at Cana. As you enter the room, your eyes are drawn to this immense painting that is about 1000 cm by 700 cm. You view the cast of characters, the colours, the play of light and shadow, and then you slowly become aware of the other people in the room. They aren't looking at The Wedding Feast. They are captivated by neither the story it depicts--that of the first miracle of Jesus--nor by the colours and expanse of blue sky at the top centre of the painting. That's not what they have come to see.

They've come to see one of the Louvre's three "famous ladies." Perhaps they've already seen the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. They've saved the best for last: the painting that has been studied and analyzed more than any other piece of art in the world. It is protected by a guard, maybe two. It is covered by a Plexiglas box that keeps the dust off and provides a humidity-controlled environment for the painting.

Hundreds of people are in the room. They move forward slowly in the line, to stare for a few moments at the famous face with its enigmatic smile. Then, knowing the impatience of the those waiting behind in line, each person moves away, their eyes having gazed for a few moments on The Real Thing.

For most people, these kinds of moments don't happen very often. They are special, remembered. It's like being introduced to a famous person. We are awed--whelmed--by the experience.

And that's a wonderful feeling.

Some of My Best Friends Are Psalms

Colm Wilkinson, best known for his starring roles in the musical productions of Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, is also a talented singer-song writer. His latest album is entitled Some of My Best Friends Are Songs.

I'd like to use his title--with a slight change: some of my best friends are Psalms.

Once you get to know the Psalms, you'll visit them often. Like a good friend, they can encourage you when you feel down. Feeling frustrated about how things in your life are going? Dip into the Psalms. You'll find a Heavenly Father who is on your side. Maybe you're feeling especially blessed. The Psalms provide wonderful patterns for praise and prayers of thanksgiving.

In your reading for the New Year, put Psalms on your list. Which is your favourite? Where do you turn in times of trouble or temptation? Which Psalm best expresses your praise in times of victory?

Befriend the Psalms. Climb the heights. Sing the Songs.

Going Green

It's a new year, and that's an opportunity for a new start!

One of the things I received for Christmas from my grandson was a set of six compact fluorescent lightbulbs for the outside of the house. Because of the extremely cold weather since Christmas, these have yet to be installed, but I'm hoping they soon will be, now that it's warmed up to -14 degrees C (there is something fundamentally wrong with that statement--that it's "warmed up" yet it's only -14, but that's another story for another day!)

Yesterday, I replaced other incandescent bulbs in the house with CFLs: my bedroom and the living room lights (except for the single potlight). Those of you who have "gone green" in this way know that slight "hesitation" of perhaps two seconds (or maybe only two microseconds) between the moment you turn on the light at the switch and the moment the lights actually turn on. (I have already been warned by another in my household that under no circumstances am I to replace the lights in the entranceway at the front door because "it would make the entrance dim and unwelcoming."

I protest by saying that soon, we won't be able to buy incandescent bulbs, but I think there is a plan afoot here to begin hoarding those soon-hard-to-find bulbs. Regardless, I carry on.

It does take some getting used to. The light doesn't seem as bright, even though I replaced 60-watt bulbs with 60-watt-equivalent bulbs. For someone who likes bright light and doesn't see so well in dim light, I can't say I'm entirely pleased with the effect. Maybe the technology just isn't there yet. Regardless, I carry on.

Hopefully, this will make a difference, both personally and globally. Personally, because we don't always to remember to turn the lights off when we leave a room. We live where summer is short and winter is dark and so the lights are on a lot in our house. We are two families living on two levels in our house and so that's a lot of lights that go on and off during the day. Personally, because electricity is rising in price and our household use doesn't qualify at the moment for the lower price in the two-tier system recently implemented by the utility company.

Globally . . . well, we all have to do our part. Use less, reuse more, reduce our footprint.

Last year, it was plastic bags. in our household, we made an effort to reduce the number of plastic shopping bags coming in to the house. We set up a system: reusable bags that were stashed in the vehicle, came into the house with the groceries, and then went back to the vehicle to be reused. It took some getting used to, some planning, some remembering. Were we 100% successful? No, but we made an effort and created a new pattern, a new habit.

This year, it's the lights. I carry on.

Definitely Not the Ordinary!

I was listening to the radio today--CBC, of course--and heard an intriguing discussion about gratitude. The host interviewed a writer who undertook a month-long experiment in which he would write a thank-you note to everyone who did something kind for him. At first, he thanked for everything: holding the door open or providing directions or passing a package of Sweet-n-Low in a restaurant. As the month wore on, he began to be a bit more discriminating, and each morning, would look back on the previous day and choose three people to send thank-you cards to.

His conclusion at the end of the month was that gratitude requires humility.

Trying to catch up to religion and philosophy, scientists are now studying gratitude. From the results of his experiments, Dr. Richard Emmons, of the University of California at Davis, explained how gratitude has positive psychological, physical, and social effects.

The host of the radio show then read a thank-you letter that she had written to a friend. The letter mentioned many specific things about the friend and their relationship that the writer was thankful for, but that she felt she had never adequately expressed to her friend.

You can catch the whole Jan. 3, 2009 show at the following site:

www.cbc.ca/dnto

So here's the challenge: to whom would you like to write a thank-you letter, expressing gratitude that perhaps you've never articulated before? Your parents? Your children? A teacher? A friend? A colleague or business associate? An author whose book has influenced you?

Write the letters. Choose the paper and pen. Use your best handwriting (okay, type it, if you must!) Even if these people are from your past, people you've lost touch with, try to find them. Google their names. Use Canada411.ca or another similar online phone directory. Don't give up! Address the envelopes! Buy some stamps and mail the letters. Who wouldn't love to receive a letter like that! It will be a wonderful surprise for the recipients!

You yourself may feel the world is a bit brighter place for having done it.

Who Were those Bible People Who Made Resolutions?

Maybe after reading my entry from yesterday, you're wondering, "Just who were those Bible people who "resolved" to live a certain way?"

Daniel, for one. Daniel 1:8 says:

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

Purposing in his heart--he was resolved.

Joseph (the supposed father of Jesus),for another. After he found out that Mary was pregnant, he "was minded to put her away privily" (Matt. 1:19).

Was minded--he was resolved.

Paul, too. Acts 19:21 says that "Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Madedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome."

Purposed in the spirit--he was resolved.

Paul, again, advising the Corinthian church. 1 Cor. 10: 14, 31-32:

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. . . . Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God."

Flee . . . do all to the glory of God . . . give none offence: resolve to do these things.

Paul instructing the church at Colosse (Col 3:12-17):

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

All those imperatives--be resolved to do these things.

Paul . . . again. This time, his counsel and heart to the church at Thessalonica:

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus my be glofiried in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:11-12).

Every resolve for good--be resolved for good.

So making resolutions is Biblical. There are many more examples that could be cited. Bible men and women have always shown resolve: Joseph, when enticed by Pharaoh's wife, fled from her presence, and was thrown into prison because of her false accusations. Joshua and Caleb, outnumbered by the spies who brought back stories of an enemy that couldn't be defeated, were resolved to stand by the word of God and so encouraged the people to go forward because God had promised them the land. Esther was resolved to speak to the king on behalf of her people, even though she risked her own life in doing so.

There are many more. Search them out for yourself. Hebrews 11 tells about a great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us, men and women of resolve.

Take courage. Live each day to the glory of God. Be resolved.

Happy New Year! Welcome, 2009!

I've been away from my blog for a while; I've been busy studying. But now I'm set for a new start in the new year. The artwork at the left was done for me today by my grandchildren.


Usually, I make a list of resolutions and present them to myself on New Year's Eve. This year, for some reason, I waffled--I couldn't decide if I should carry on with the tradition. Looking at my list from 2008, I could see that perhaps the value of making such a list was small. For sure, it wasn't because I think I don't have any faults. More likely I just felt overwhelmed, not knowing where to start!

To be resolved to do something is to be determined to do it. To have made up your mind with firmness and conviction. Many people in the Bible resolved to live a certain way, and many of the commands given to us in the Bible could be prefaced with "be resolved to."

In 1722-1723, when Jonathan Edwards, the great American theologian, was 19 years old, he wrote a list of 70 resolutions by which he meant to govern his behaviour and his life. After a brief opening statement (see below), the next sentence was this: Remember to read over these resolutions once a week. (Maybe that's where I've gone wrong!)

His were not resolutions like the ones that might be garnered from a survey of recent blogs: get more exercise, lose 10 pounds, don't buy on credit, don't talk on the cellphone while driving. These resolutions may be useful and even common-sense, but they deal mainly with the outer person and not the inner life.

Edwards' resolutions, on the other hand, go to the heart of his life. For example,

Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God;

Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

You can read all of Edwards' resolutions here:

The Seventy Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

He prefaced the list with the following brief introductory sentence:

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these reolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.

He first recognizes that without God's help, he will not be able to accomplish any part of the list. He asks for God's help in keeping the resolutions insofar as they are agreeable to the will of God. And finally, it is for Christ's sake that Edwards wishes to keep the resolutions, not for his own sake or glory.

Over the years, many people have compared the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards to those of Benjamin Franklin. Whereas Franklin's resolutions were focused on becoming the model citizen, Edwards' were focused on bringing glory to God through a life dedicated to Christian principles.

So, then, what should my list look like for 2009? As much as I'd like to adopt Edwards' list, I cannot do that. I must take a look at my own life and see my own failings and ask God for help in purging those sins from my life.

1. To redeem the time: use my time wisely.

By this I mean to make more minutes count each day. I am, in my own nature, a time waster and a procrastinator. I know this about myself. I've seen it time and again. I don't make good use of the time I have and therefore, many times, I stay up way too late. Now that I'm taking a course, I have lots of reading, studying, and writing to do. Wasting time affects many things: often I don't make time to read and study the Bible.

2. Be patient.

There are many scripture verses about patience. I think I'd like to think I'm a patient person, but really, I don't think I am. I have little or no patience for little annoyances. I'm often not patient with the little kids. I would like to move forward towards sanctification in this area.

3. 2 Timothy 2:15 says: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Now that I'm taking a course, I see how much I don't know. Stuff I thought I knew (that means I sort of knew it in my head, but couldn't really explain it out loud in any comprehensive or comprehensible way, with Scripture verses for support) wasn't really solidly a part of me. When I open my mouth to say something, I want to be able to explain what I believe.

Jonathan Edwards stated it this way: "to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same."

4. Read through the Bible in a year.

I tried The Bible in 90 Days last year, but I found that, first, it was really hard to keep up, and second, it didn't leave me time to do any extra study. So I'll go back to another more modest goal.

Maybe part of my trouble in the past has been that I've made too many resolutions. Edwards made seventy. Franklin confined himself to thirteen. For this year, I believe I'll ask God to help me with the four I've stated above.

If you see a lack in my life--a particular sin that needs dealing with--and bring it to my attention, I'll add it to the list.

And "lose 10 pounds"? That's probably not a bad idea, either.

Bittersweet at the End of the Semester

Today was the last day of classes in the semester. Students talked about what they had learned about grammar, about reading, and about sentence structure. I told them that most important was what they had learned about themselves, about how to be in the world, how to interact with others, and how to be a better human. I told them that if they didn't learn these things, then I felt that, somewhere along the line, I hadn't succeeded in my role as teacher.

Today was the last day of classes in the semester. This is the day all teachers wait for and look forward to. I love teaching, but even teachers who love teaching look forward to the last day of classes. No matter how much we love helping the students reach their goals; no matter how much we enjoy being in the classroom and interacting with the students--on the last day of class, we're happy.

Today was the last day of classes in the semester. I know this is the last time I'll see some of these students. That's the sad part. Even promises to "keep in touch" may fade in importance as other things take over in the daily routine.

We've all worked hard since September, and we are all looking forward to a rest. For some, there will be a major change, as they return to their own country, their own culture, and, yes, their own language. As much as I've encouraged them all to keep listening to, speaking, writing, and reading English, I know that kind of activity will drop off dramatically once they land in Bogota, Macau, Tokyo, Kyoto, or wherever else they call "home."

Farewell . . . till we meet again!

HBS 9426

We are the family of last-minute projects and hare-brained schemes (HBS). We work to the deadline. This means that when we arrive at the finish line, we're practically dead.

We measure the hare-brainèd-ness of any scheme by how many late/sleepless nights it takes to complete the project. The more late/sleepless nights, the higher the number on the HBS (hare-brained scheme) scale. "Late" usually means past midnight.

Lately, we've been involved in a few such enterprises. For example, making signs for a school fundraiser. This was a many-stage project. First, finding just the right graphic. Then, setting up the projector to project the image on the blackboard. Next, tracing the design in chalk, colouring carefully over each line in various and appropriate colours of chalk. Finally, delivering the finished product to the venue at which the fundraiser would be held.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1=low and 10=high), that was about a 7.

Tonight, it was different effort. Six person-hours, and that was just counting tonight. Last night boosted us up on the HBS-ometer with this hare-brained scheme (HBS). I'm sure it was past midnight when we put away the proxima; gathered pencils, pens, and rulers; shut down the laptop; and turned off the lights. We'd spent a couple of hours (two-person hours, for a total of four-person hours) tracing the letters on a banner for our float in the Christmas Parade. And that wasn't counting the thinking and planning time. I'd put it at about an 8.

But we all pull together. Everyone in the family helps. One person has an idea; another person adds to it; a third improves it even more. The kids cooperate and lend a hand to the project by quietly watching a movie while the adults work.

I use the term "hare-brained scheme" (HBS) loosely. Most of our efforts are actually directed towards very worthwhile projects: school fundraisers, grassroots activist groups, and other such world-improving projects.

It just seems that in the middle of the work, or towards the end of a long evening during which we'd all rather be doing something else but our word that we've given keeps us focused, the plan of action that we signed up for seems a bit like a hare-brained scheme.

We all decided that it would just be too depressing to assign a number to and keep count of all such projects that we undertake. But at least, we're all in it together. A project is always a chance to work together, help each other, and improve the world.

What better use could we make of our time?

Civic Elections

Our city has a new mayor tonight. On city council, five of the six incumbents were returned, and there will be one new face at the table. Congratulations!

Thank you to those who put themselves forward to run for office. It's not an easy thing to give up a certain amount of privacy, to be put on the "hotseat" and asked questions by the voting public, and to spend your own money on campaign efforts all because you believe you can make this city a better place to live.

But shame on us! Only 22% of eligible voters turned out to exercise their civic right and duty. In the nearest city to us, the turnout was almost 40%.

So 22% of the eligible voters have decided for 100% of the citizens.

This is democracy.

This Week on CBC's "Ideas"

This week, the CBC radio program "Ideas" will broadcast the CBC Massey Lectures. Margaret Atwood will be reading from her newest book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth. In addition to being a great novelist, Atwood is almost a social critic and commentator.

You can read the CBC promo for the show at this web site:

http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey.html

Tune in to "Ideas" Monday to Friday this week on CBC Radio One at 9 p.m. Check your local listings for the broadcast time in your area.

It's going to be great!

This Was No Comfort to Me.

Today, I was listening to a lecture by the eminent professor who teaches the distance course that I'm taking. He said this: "I'll never ask you anything on a test that I couldn't tell you myself."

As his student, I drew no comfort at all from his statement. I'd seen his resume posted on the seminary web site. It was impressive. He is the Richard Jordan Professor of Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He has a BA, a BD and, from the University of Edinburgh, a PhD. Oh, and a diploma from the University of Lyon.

The description continues: "His firm grasp of multiple languages [probably Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French . . . ] and his theological competence are capably demonstrated in translating such works as Sermons by John Calvin on II Samuel. He is serving with David Wright of the University of Edinburgh as a general editor for a revision of Calvin's Old Testament Commentaries."

Hmm. Are you getting the picture? I began to feel very nervous about the upcoming midterm exam, even bearing in mind that he wouldn't ask me anything he didn't know.

He has recently written Creation and Change: Genesis 1.1 - 2.4 in the Light of Changing Scientific Paradigms and Carolina Scots: An Historical and Genealogical Study of Over 100 Years of Emigration, and has just published a systematic theology. He has travelled extensively throughout the world preaching and teaching. He was enlisted to serve on the Jurisprudence project of The Christian Legal Society and wrote a book, The Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World. Other publications include If God Already Knows, Why Pray? and Preachers with Power: Four Stalwarts of the South.

There was absolutely no comfort in his statement, "I won't ask anything of you that I couldn't tell you myself."

Valerie Elaine Wilkins, Where Are You?

This is November 3. It's a special day in my memory. It has been for a long time.

When I started Grade 5, I changed schools. I was the new girl in the class. The teacher paired me up with another student named Valerie. Throughout the next three years, we became best friends. In Grade 5, Valerie lived on my street, just a few houses--half a block--down the street. Then she moved three streets over. Montclair, Walkley, Prince of Wales.

We used to run home on our lunch hour, either to her house or my house. We always had the same thing for lunch. A glass of milk and cream of tomato soup with handfuls of Saltine crackers crumbled up in it. Then we'd race back to school. Three blocks to my street, then three or four blocks to the school. I think we were late lots of times. Or almost late.

When we started Grade 8, Valerie and I went to different high schools. It was the beginning of the end. In Grade 9, I moved to the suburbs. The last time I talked with Valerie was when I was in Grade 11 or 12.

November 3 is Valerie's birthday. I can picture her face the way I last saw it. I don't know where she is now. Our lives have taken us different places and there have been many years in between then and now. It was from Valerie that I first heard the phrase "retribution of justice." At that time, it was perhaps the most complicated language I had ever heard and the most profound idea I had ever come in contact with.

I still remember the great times we had together. I remember walking home from Girl Guides every Thursday night. We'd get to the corner of her street, but we weren't finished talking. So she'd walk me to my corner, but we still weren't finished talking. I'd walk her back to her corner, and maybe she'd walk me back to mine. Then we'd each have to run home before our mothers were phoning each other, worried that something might have happened to us on the way home.

I remember playing. I remember lots of laughing.

Today, I just wanted to say, "Happy Birthday, Valerie."

Reformation Day - October 31

Tomorrow, October 31, children and adults across North America and Europe will celebrate Halloween. A walk around both my neighbourhood and my workplace reveals that many have spent time and money to decorate their houses, yards, and office doors and windows. There are bats, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, coffins, gravestones, black cats, hideous faces carved in pumpkins, witches on broomsticks, cobwebs, mummies, and much more--and that's not even counting any of the costumes that will be walking about tomorrow.

They will celebrate Halloween. As for me, I choose to celebrate Reformation Day. This is the commemoration of the day on which Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg, Germany. That was October 31, 1517. That act, 491 years ago, instigated the movement known as the Reformation.

Make no mistake. The Reformation was no small or insignificant event. It influenced politics, economics, society, literature, the arts, and even the development of the English language. And it reformed the religious system of the day.

At the core, it was religious movement that celebrated the rediscovery of the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

That good news has not changed; it is as true today as it was when Luther posted his document on the church door. He originally wrote in Latin, but his theses were quickly translated into German and printed and distributed throughout Europe. You can read the 95 Theses at the following web site: www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/95theses.htm

Ninety-five of anything sounds like a lot, and "theses" sounds awfully academic, but actually, what Luther wrote were 95 simple statements (that's what's meant by "theses.")

Scholars debate whether Luther actually nailed his document to the church door or not. For sure, we know that on Oct. 31, 1517, he wrote a letter to his superiors protesting the sale of indulgences. With his letter, he included 95 propositions or statements protesting against various corrupt practices of the church. He was the first Protestant.

Regardless of whether or not Luther ever had a hammer and nail on that day, the Castle Church door has become famous as a symbol of his act. The original door burned down, but in the 18th century, bronze doors were fashioned with the 95 Theses permanently engraved on the panels of the doors.

As for Luther, he left the priesthood, was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church by the Pope, became an enemy of the state, translated the Bible into German, wrote hymns, got married to a (former) nun, and fathered six children.

On this day, may Christians everywhere remember their heritage and the great cloud of witnesses who surround us.

Lost . . . and Found

I've been looking for something. Something that didn't belong to me. I had borrowed it, and then, when it came time to return it, I couldn't find it. I was sure I hadn't LOST lost it but had just misplaced it. But where? It wasn't too small, about the size of a video box. Actually, it was a video box--two to be exact. And they had been borrowed from the library. This week I was informed that the library was going to bill me about $75 for the "lost" videos, but I was assured that should they ever surface, I would receive a cheque for the aforementioned amount.

The prospect of paying $75 for something that wasn't LOST lost was not too appealing. So tonight, I took the inevitable step. I went through my office paper by paper, book by book, binder by binder. I sorted. I reorganized. I discarded.

The shelves grew neater as the recycling bin grew fuller. Some time around 10:30 p.m., I think I had forgotten that I was actually looking for something specific and I just starting revelling in the sparseness and bareness of the shelves. Yes, I could live like this!

By eleven o'clock, the elusive videos still hadn't surfaced. It's not as if I hadn't looked for them before. Not this thoroughly, of course, but I had made less diligent search more than once, both at home and at the office. I had picked up papers, shuffled them about, flipped books back and forth on the shelf, and opened all the filing cabinet drawers.

Maybe it was where I was standing this time that was the key to my success. (Yes, I did find what I was looking for!!) I opened the top filing cabinet drawer, but instead of standing directly in front of the cabinet as I usually do, I stood at the side, and standing there, I could see around behind the files at the front of the drawer to the relatively empty space behind the files. And voilà! There were the missing videos! It was all a matter of perspective!

So tomorrow, happily, I will return the videos to their proper home in the library, and hopefully, all will be forgiven.

I felt the elation of the woman who lost the coin and swept her house clean till she found it. And the shepherd who lost a lamb and scoured the countryside till he found it and returned rejoicing.

Now if I could only find that lost book on dinosaurs that I've already paid for at the public library!

The Written Word and Jesus, the Word

As I walked home from work today, I was thinking about 2 Timothy 3:16, where it says that all scripture is "inspired by God or "God-breathed" or, in the words of the English Standard Version, "breathed out by God."

The problem with the word "inspiration" is that it means breathing in. We need to make sure we have the right perspective. It's God that breathes out the Word.

In contemplating the nature of the written word, I began to think of the relationship between the written word and Jesus as the Word, the Logos.

He was God, and, at the same time, He was man. This is a mystery for sure, but it is true nonetheless.

I began then to think about the product that we have now that we call the Bible. It proclaims itself to be the word of God. 2 Peter 1:21 tells us that "men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." Some other translations say "moved" or "borne" by the Holy Spirit.

The particular thought that struck me was that in a similar way that Jesus (the Logos) was both God and man, both divine and human, so the Bible also is both divine and human.

It makes sense, does it not? They are both the Word of God.