this story was in an e-mail received by my friend Ali from Nicodemus* who lives in N. Africa
As you ask and suggested I have sought God. I'm bowing before Him with all my heart and will, praying for Him to show me the truth. God heard me. He showed me through a dream.
I was sitting in a broken down house, one that was completely demolished. Before me I saw a beautiful house. I longed to move from the demolished house to the beautiful one.
A shining white cloud appeared and a voice said, "Stretch out your hand to Me."
"How? I can't."
"Try, if you truly love God."
I tried, but it was impossible. Because I could not reach Him though I tried and tried, He reached out to me and pulled me to the beautiful new house.
As He was leaving, I asked, "Who are you, my Lord?"
"Didn't you ask Me? I am the Lord, the Christ. You belong to Me now."
My life has changed.
*Name changed for security purposes
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Aliens and Strangers
My favorite husband is still off in Egypt. His trainees asked him to perform in the short films they are making for this media training. In one he plays a college dean, in another he plays a clown. Look out Sundance!
On the home front we had a plethora of church and office activities. On Saturday we took two neighbor girls to a church youth group. One of the French families brought a Spanish exchange student. I managed to communicate enough with him to learn that he likes neither Enrique Inglesis nor Juanes (his nose wrinkled at the mention of Ricky Martin as well).
That evening the tots and I helped with kitchen duty for some big dog meetings at our office. We served food prepared by our Persian sisters. As the Princess and her friends giggled and washed all the dishes I enjoyed listening to a conversation between an Algerian woman who has lived her whole life in France and an American girl that spent 18 years in France and has now completed her first year at the University of Michigan (see earlier post about her graduation). They both spoke on the phenomenon of being at home neither here nor there. As those great songsters, Switchfoot sing, "I don't belong here". It is comforting to feel solidarity in our alienation.
On the home front we had a plethora of church and office activities. On Saturday we took two neighbor girls to a church youth group. One of the French families brought a Spanish exchange student. I managed to communicate enough with him to learn that he likes neither Enrique Inglesis nor Juanes (his nose wrinkled at the mention of Ricky Martin as well).
That evening the tots and I helped with kitchen duty for some big dog meetings at our office. We served food prepared by our Persian sisters. As the Princess and her friends giggled and washed all the dishes I enjoyed listening to a conversation between an Algerian woman who has lived her whole life in France and an American girl that spent 18 years in France and has now completed her first year at the University of Michigan (see earlier post about her graduation). They both spoke on the phenomenon of being at home neither here nor there. As those great songsters, Switchfoot sing, "I don't belong here". It is comforting to feel solidarity in our alienation.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A Nice Day for an Outing
Today was a holiday; the Monday after Pentecost. The hubby is out of town, the kids and I have hung around the house all weekend (two quilts are in progress!), the sky was bright blue, so an outing to Paris seemed the perfect way to spend the afternoon. Normally the kids go to Paris to go to America. They prefer Starbucks, Subway, movies and Ben & Jerry's. I foolishly proposed something more cultural. Our piano playing boy loves Chopin, so I suggested that we visit Chopin's grave at a famous cemetery, one where many other famous artists are buried. Chopin's tomb has a beautiful alabaster angel playing lute on top of it. An abundance of fresh flowers adorned the area all around. So far so good--yet I was unwilling to stop there! As I led the children up and down and around looking for Jim Morrison's grave one of them asked, "Who is he anyway?" Eventually we found it--it had been terribly vandalised, and compared to Chopin he wasn't really that great of an artist. None of the brood was very impressed. Well, maybe traipsing about a cemetery wasn't the best idea; but we did get out of the house!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Christian Zeal
Dear Friends and Family,
After a long absence, I'm back! It took several weeks to get internet at the new house--and several weeks more for me to get back to my old routines. Today I'll just post a quote from Jonathan Edwards that I read this morning. (I'm progessing usually one paragraph at a time through this rich book, Religious Affections)
" . . . some are much mistaken concerning the nature of . . . Christian zeal. It is indeed a flame, but a sweet one; or rather it is the heat and fervour of a sweet flame. For the flame of which it is the heat is no other than that of divine love or Christian charity, which is the sweetest and most benevolent thing that is, or can be, in the heart of man or angel. Zeal is the fervour of this flame, as it ardently and vigorously goes out towards the good that is its object; and so, consequentially, in opposition to the evil that is contrary to it and impedes it. There is indeed opposition and vigorous opposition, that is a part of it, or rather is an attendant of it; but it is against things and not persons."
After a long absence, I'm back! It took several weeks to get internet at the new house--and several weeks more for me to get back to my old routines. Today I'll just post a quote from Jonathan Edwards that I read this morning. (I'm progessing usually one paragraph at a time through this rich book, Religious Affections)
" . . . some are much mistaken concerning the nature of . . . Christian zeal. It is indeed a flame, but a sweet one; or rather it is the heat and fervour of a sweet flame. For the flame of which it is the heat is no other than that of divine love or Christian charity, which is the sweetest and most benevolent thing that is, or can be, in the heart of man or angel. Zeal is the fervour of this flame, as it ardently and vigorously goes out towards the good that is its object; and so, consequentially, in opposition to the evil that is contrary to it and impedes it. There is indeed opposition and vigorous opposition, that is a part of it, or rather is an attendant of it; but it is against things and not persons."
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