Night Sky in Cameroon

 

I have visited to Bambilli, Cameroon seven times starting in 2005.  The sunsets are gorgeous!  But that is because during the dry season, there is a lot of dust and pollution in the air.  And at night, the stars are awesome!  The Milky Way is the clearest that I have ever seen!  Here in Ringgold, there is always a glow in the sky from nearby stores and streetlights.  They call that “light pollution.”  But Bambilli is way outside of any big city.  Hey, Bambilli is way outside of ANY city!  Because of many logistical difficulties in Cameroon, electricity goes out often, which is a problem.  But for star watching at night, electrical outages are wonderful!  Against an ink-black sky the stars stand out like diamonds.  In Cameroon, I am outside looking at God’s wonderful creation, but down the hill, someone is trying to cook supper with the lights out.  With no streetlights to give them any help, they must work by flashlight or candlelight cooking on a charcoal fire.  One man’s blessing is another man’s curse.  Jesus said of God, the Father, in Matthew 5:45, “… he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Hey, the farmer is praying for rain, the painter is praying for sun, and the roofer is praying for clouds with no rain.  But the dear Lord knows what He wants for us all.  Hey, we should trust the Lord.  He knows what is best for all of us.

French Dialogues

In 1963 I took French I from Miss McFadden at Edgewood high school in Edgewood, Maryland.  In order to learn expressions and conversational terms, we had these dialogues between two or three people to memorize.  They were about a page long, handwritten.  We had one a week.  I memorized them but didn’t understand too much.  When I took French III as a junior, I revisited those dialogues and, amazingly, as I repeated them in my head, I understood them perfectly!  Hey, often I read words on the pages of the Bible, but the words just don’t seem to sink into my soul.  But when I ask the blessed Holy Spirit for wisdom, He makes the words come alive.  That’s because the Holy Spirit is my guide and teacher.  But for some folk, they never come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  He never becomes their Savior.  Jesus is just a word on the page.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:21&22, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”  But the sad part is found in verse 23.  Jesus will say, “… I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Do you read the Bible with understanding?  Or are you like me in French I?  Are the words of the Bible just words on a page?  I hope not.  Ask God for wisdom and for guidance.  He will teach you if you but ask.

Free Lunch

 

Two months ago, my wife and I went out to lunch.  Lunchtime it is cheaper, so we went at lunch and took advantage of the bargain.  As we were finishing up, I noticed that the waitress hadn’t brought our check.  When she came by the next time, I asked for the check, and she replied, “Oh, your bill has already been paid.”  And she left.  My wife and I were stunned and looked around the restaurant for a friend.  But I recognized no one.  When the waitress came by again, I asked, “Would you mind telling us who paid our bill?”  She said, “I don’t think that they would mind you knowing.  It’s that family right over there.” And she pointed out a lady and two children and her elderly mother.  I didn’t know them, so I spoke up and thanked her for paying for our meal.  She said, “Oh, it’s nothing.  I just like to brighten someone’s day.”  I thanked her again and we left.  Her gift warmed my heart!  Hey, I was reminded of an even greater gift that I had received years ago.  In 1956 I accepted Jesus’ offer and He paid for my sins!  Peter said in I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”  Jesus Christ paid my sin-debt on the cross of Calvary.  That was a bill that I could never pay, but Jesus Christ paid it in full!  Thank you, Jesus, for paying my debt so that I could go free!

Fighting the Invisible

 

I drop my dear wife off at dialysis at 5 am.  Yikes!  But folk are lined up waiting to get in before 5 am!  I drop off Kathy and sometimes stop by Jack’s restaurant in Ft. Oglethorpe for breakfast (They’re the only place open at 5 am).  And yes, I am a door-buster.  Sometimes I am the one to turn on the dining room lights.  Nancy is rolling out biscuits, Jackson is putting paper liners on the stack of trays, and K.K. is cleaning the counters.  K.K. likes to clean.  She is the morning manager and a clean freak.  She takes the fountain nozzles out of the bleach-water solution, rinses them, and screws them onto the self-serve fountain out front.  And then she wipes off the counter just for good measure.  K.K. is fighting germs so tiny that she can’t see them.  But she knows that they are there … and I am grateful.  Because K.K. is keeping me healthy and safe.  Hey, the enemies of my soul are invisible too.  They are out to do me harm every minute of every day.  I don’t see them, but they are very real nonetheless.  Paul said in Ephesians 6:11&12, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  Just like K.K. protects me against invisible germs that would make me sick (or worse), God has provided protection against spiritual enemies that I cannot see.  Hey, make no mistake, these forces of evil are very real.  And they are out to destroy you as well!  Read the rest of Ephesians 6 to gain insight into this invisible foe.  And then arm yourself with God’s powerful defensive gear to defeat your mortal enemy … not in your power, but in the mighty power of an Almighty God.