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Monday, January 28, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Withered hands and wild-eyed wonder...
I was in town shopping and the man running the check out line had a withered hand, drawn up in a half claw against his chest; more like a T-Rex fore claw than a man’s hand. My initial feeling was pride for the man because he was working; not allowing a disability, a physical setback to keep him from living life. He didn’t seem worried that people might stare at him, or might whisper when they walked past his checkout line.
However, when I got in the car and was driving down the road I suddenly thought about the story in the Bible where Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, in a synagogue, on the Sabbath day. It struck me just how visually astounding this miracle would have been. To see a man with this bent up, withered, claw-like hand, pull it out of his robe whole; muscled forearm and complete dexterity where twisted wreckage had been.
Then I thought of the Pharisees and that in the midst of this miracle, faced full on with wonder, the only thing they could think of was that it was the Sabbath and that this was somehow impermissible. No compassion, no love, no wonder. Their hatred for Jesus and their tenacious grappling for power and control left their hearts so shriveled that they had lost their sense of wonder.
No love, no compassion, no wonder…not even a whisper of excitement, of that childlike intensity and wild-eyed wonder at the seemingly impossible. They had lost the impetus in the search for truth and traded it for the form; traded sorrow for crepes and shrouds, joy for hollow laughter and banal jokes. It reminded me of what C.S. Lewis told us in “The Great Divorce” through one of the Bright People, trying to reason with a Ghost who had lost all true reason in the pursuit of human wisdom.
“…Once you were a child. Once you knew what inquiry was for. There was a time when you asked questions because you wanted answers, and were glad when you had found them. Become that child again: even now.”
Jesus came to remind them of something written in their own Pentateuch. Deuteronomy 7:7-8:
“It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, (8) but it is because the LORD loves you…”
As I drove away and thought of that man with the lazy eyes and the withered hand, I thought of Christ and how he loves us so much that he reminds us time and time again by example to keep first things, first. As humans we seem predisposed towards the legal; towards a list that tells us we can do this and this and make it. We are objective creatures and indeed truth is by nature objective, but it is an objectivity beyond our control and that makes us nervous. The Pharisees wanted to autonomy and this new Truth (which was really Ageless) threatened their autonomy and so rather than see the wonder in the miraculous, the heart of a Father that SO LOVED THIS WORLD, they chose instead to plot and scheme behind closed doors and murder the Son of God.
BUT, do we not in our own way plot and scheme behind gilded doors of our souls and justify our actions and nullify our laws because we forget we did nothing to merit grace and can do nothing to maintain it? It is interesting is it not, that the sum of all commandments is wrapped in Love. On these hang ALL the law and the prophets.
However, when I got in the car and was driving down the road I suddenly thought about the story in the Bible where Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, in a synagogue, on the Sabbath day. It struck me just how visually astounding this miracle would have been. To see a man with this bent up, withered, claw-like hand, pull it out of his robe whole; muscled forearm and complete dexterity where twisted wreckage had been.
Then I thought of the Pharisees and that in the midst of this miracle, faced full on with wonder, the only thing they could think of was that it was the Sabbath and that this was somehow impermissible. No compassion, no love, no wonder. Their hatred for Jesus and their tenacious grappling for power and control left their hearts so shriveled that they had lost their sense of wonder.
No love, no compassion, no wonder…not even a whisper of excitement, of that childlike intensity and wild-eyed wonder at the seemingly impossible. They had lost the impetus in the search for truth and traded it for the form; traded sorrow for crepes and shrouds, joy for hollow laughter and banal jokes. It reminded me of what C.S. Lewis told us in “The Great Divorce” through one of the Bright People, trying to reason with a Ghost who had lost all true reason in the pursuit of human wisdom.
“…Once you were a child. Once you knew what inquiry was for. There was a time when you asked questions because you wanted answers, and were glad when you had found them. Become that child again: even now.”
Jesus came to remind them of something written in their own Pentateuch. Deuteronomy 7:7-8:
“It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, (8) but it is because the LORD loves you…”
As I drove away and thought of that man with the lazy eyes and the withered hand, I thought of Christ and how he loves us so much that he reminds us time and time again by example to keep first things, first. As humans we seem predisposed towards the legal; towards a list that tells us we can do this and this and make it. We are objective creatures and indeed truth is by nature objective, but it is an objectivity beyond our control and that makes us nervous. The Pharisees wanted to autonomy and this new Truth (which was really Ageless) threatened their autonomy and so rather than see the wonder in the miraculous, the heart of a Father that SO LOVED THIS WORLD, they chose instead to plot and scheme behind closed doors and murder the Son of God.
BUT, do we not in our own way plot and scheme behind gilded doors of our souls and justify our actions and nullify our laws because we forget we did nothing to merit grace and can do nothing to maintain it? It is interesting is it not, that the sum of all commandments is wrapped in Love. On these hang ALL the law and the prophets.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Home Visit
It's been nearly two years since I left the cold New York coast behind and headed into the sunrise on a South African Airways jet. A lot has changed, but coming home I find many things are blessedly the same.
It's nice to be in my old home with my wife and enjoy the familiar sights and sounds. Delani and I are greatly enjoying our family and looking forward to being with my two sisters as well when they fly in.
Three weeks isn't very long, but any time with family is good whether short or long. Until next time I post; Merry Christmas and God bless from Jeremy and Delani.
It's nice to be in my old home with my wife and enjoy the familiar sights and sounds. Delani and I are greatly enjoying our family and looking forward to being with my two sisters as well when they fly in.
Three weeks isn't very long, but any time with family is good whether short or long. Until next time I post; Merry Christmas and God bless from Jeremy and Delani.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Ash and donuts...
Sometimes life in mission work is frustrating. Some days I want to quit and go back home, find a 9 to 5 and settle down to raise my 2.5 kids and live the American dream.
Sometimes. Only for a moment.
There is nothing wrong with that life for those to whom God has called, but I knew a long time ago, I could never do that. The moments that I want to walk away and move to a place that gets my sarcasm and where a real donut is never far away. Where a plunger is something you use in the toilet and you don't have to live in a house with more security bars than a small town jail. These moments God quietly shows me that I am wallowing in a maudlin self-indulgence.
If I am crucified with Christ and my life is no longer my own, then all thoughts of sacrifice and deprivation are deceptive and hellish at best.
It is not always easy, but when a student that has truly been a child of hell the entire last term looks at you for the first time with clear eyes and a bright smile and clarity in his soul...
Well, let's just say the thoughts of that donut turn to ash and anything you thought you laid down to be here rusts and fades into the dirt and weeds again.
Sometimes. Only for a moment.
There is nothing wrong with that life for those to whom God has called, but I knew a long time ago, I could never do that. The moments that I want to walk away and move to a place that gets my sarcasm and where a real donut is never far away. Where a plunger is something you use in the toilet and you don't have to live in a house with more security bars than a small town jail. These moments God quietly shows me that I am wallowing in a maudlin self-indulgence.
If I am crucified with Christ and my life is no longer my own, then all thoughts of sacrifice and deprivation are deceptive and hellish at best.
It is not always easy, but when a student that has truly been a child of hell the entire last term looks at you for the first time with clear eyes and a bright smile and clarity in his soul...
Well, let's just say the thoughts of that donut turn to ash and anything you thought you laid down to be here rusts and fades into the dirt and weeds again.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Time-lapse...
Sometimes life is like a time-lapse shot in a nature film. Life has lately been that way, so I suppose you won't mind if the catch up on how life is going also follows somewhat of a time-lapse kind of momentum.
The dining room...
The fireplace...
The living room will come next...
The dining room...
The fireplace...
The living room will come next...
To summarize...
Tomorrow starts a new school term.
That in itself is a very loaded paragraph so I needn't say more on that subject. This past week has been a very busy week for me; much less of a holiday and much more of my own personal version of "Extreme Home Makeover" without the volunteers. I encouraged Delani to go and visit her mother for the one week we had off because otherwise she wasn't going to see her until next April since we plan to go to the US for Christmas. It turns out her mother will come visit in November, but only for a weekend so I am very glad that Delani went. I spent the week (minus last weekend) working on things that desperately need finished in the house.
She is home now and I am sitting on the front porch watching the late afternoon sun lay long shadows across the lawn. I was contemplating all that I have done on the house we live in and all we will still need to do. Every time that I do this I am overwhelmed at God's provision and goodness. It has required a lot, but it has been such a wonderful learning curve in the process.
There is a long list of first things for me with working on this house; brick-laying, plastering, laying tile, making tongue-and-groove flooring, building a cabinet, and making a bed from scratch with steel. Anytime I want to think myself terribly clever for any of these things, God reminds me of all the help He sent along. Little bits of advice from older wiser men that you forget. Perhaps it was one little bit of advice, but without it, the entire project would have been a flop.
God has provided the funds. Like the bed I just finished. Friends of ours gave us money to be used on a bed or just what we needed. It was around $130. I used it to buy steel and with a lot of work, we had a nice bed for less than $200 dollars that should be on its feet longer than me.
We have had the invaluable help of several people, mainly Steve Geise. Steve Geise is perhaps one of the most helpful, kind and godly men I have the privilege of knowing. When he knew that we needed help with the house so that we could get moved in, he cheerfully offered his services. He prepped the walls of most of the house (no small feat since they looked like a road map of cracks) and painted better than any professional I have seen. Every time I stop and think what would have happened if he hadn't been willing to do that, I realize that we would probably still be living in our friend's guest room with our belongings spread between four houses. He also helped me, along with Bro. Bokang, to strip the carpet glue off of the wood floors. That was a terrible job and he did it cheerfully, even staying late with me at times.
Any work I have done has had to be after ministry hours which doesn't leave much time and requires strength and stamina. God has given both in abundance. We have certainly not been building a palace over here, but simply trying to fix up a missionary's house with limited funds and God has provided.
So, sorry if it has seemed to some of you that spoke to me, that the house was all I do. Sorry to those of you who haven't heard from me if I seemed ungrateful for funds sent or prayers offered or words of encouragement. I am very sorry if it has come across that way. We are very, very grateful for all that our friends and family are doing for us so that we are able to minister here in Ladybrand.
We will try and keep posted a little more. If life ever slows down, I will try and start putting my many jumbled thoughts to "paper" once again. God bless.
That in itself is a very loaded paragraph so I needn't say more on that subject. This past week has been a very busy week for me; much less of a holiday and much more of my own personal version of "Extreme Home Makeover" without the volunteers. I encouraged Delani to go and visit her mother for the one week we had off because otherwise she wasn't going to see her until next April since we plan to go to the US for Christmas. It turns out her mother will come visit in November, but only for a weekend so I am very glad that Delani went. I spent the week (minus last weekend) working on things that desperately need finished in the house.
She is home now and I am sitting on the front porch watching the late afternoon sun lay long shadows across the lawn. I was contemplating all that I have done on the house we live in and all we will still need to do. Every time that I do this I am overwhelmed at God's provision and goodness. It has required a lot, but it has been such a wonderful learning curve in the process.
There is a long list of first things for me with working on this house; brick-laying, plastering, laying tile, making tongue-and-groove flooring, building a cabinet, and making a bed from scratch with steel. Anytime I want to think myself terribly clever for any of these things, God reminds me of all the help He sent along. Little bits of advice from older wiser men that you forget. Perhaps it was one little bit of advice, but without it, the entire project would have been a flop.
God has provided the funds. Like the bed I just finished. Friends of ours gave us money to be used on a bed or just what we needed. It was around $130. I used it to buy steel and with a lot of work, we had a nice bed for less than $200 dollars that should be on its feet longer than me.
We have had the invaluable help of several people, mainly Steve Geise. Steve Geise is perhaps one of the most helpful, kind and godly men I have the privilege of knowing. When he knew that we needed help with the house so that we could get moved in, he cheerfully offered his services. He prepped the walls of most of the house (no small feat since they looked like a road map of cracks) and painted better than any professional I have seen. Every time I stop and think what would have happened if he hadn't been willing to do that, I realize that we would probably still be living in our friend's guest room with our belongings spread between four houses. He also helped me, along with Bro. Bokang, to strip the carpet glue off of the wood floors. That was a terrible job and he did it cheerfully, even staying late with me at times.
Any work I have done has had to be after ministry hours which doesn't leave much time and requires strength and stamina. God has given both in abundance. We have certainly not been building a palace over here, but simply trying to fix up a missionary's house with limited funds and God has provided.
So, sorry if it has seemed to some of you that spoke to me, that the house was all I do. Sorry to those of you who haven't heard from me if I seemed ungrateful for funds sent or prayers offered or words of encouragement. I am very sorry if it has come across that way. We are very, very grateful for all that our friends and family are doing for us so that we are able to minister here in Ladybrand.
We will try and keep posted a little more. If life ever slows down, I will try and start putting my many jumbled thoughts to "paper" once again. God bless.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
House Update
After working late the other night cutting stones, I caught the sunset before it was completely gone. Here is the first glimpse of the house.
The next Saturday I needed to keep going so here are just a few pictures of getting sand, the view I have while working sometimes. My efficient concrete mixer and laying bricks for the first time.
And here is the house in daylight
The next Saturday I needed to keep going so here are just a few pictures of getting sand, the view I have while working sometimes. My efficient concrete mixer and laying bricks for the first time.
And here is the house in daylight
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