Late Snowfall

I woke up on my off day, excited about the prospect of a long walk on a nice sunny day, only to discover that 3 inches of snow had fallen during the night.

I had a choice of reactions at that moment; could have complained and pouted; could have gone skiing – but remembered the last time I did, I couldn’t walk straight for a few weeks after that; could’ve driven South to Bellingham to shop, but realized their unsalted and unplowed streets will be in a worse condition than ours.

I picked none of the above and decided to shovel the snow. I decided at that moment that since the sun was not out, I’ll do a watercolor painting of a sunny scene from Santorini, Greece.



Later, I did some work on a Military Tank Model project for an elementary school. It’s funny, but I do really enjoy projects like that.

By the lunch time, the sun peeked through the clouds and it was off to my walk with the wife. It’s amazing how things can look so different when your attitude to life is not determined or controlled by your present conditions; no matter how gloomy or negative they may seem at that moment.

Through the ups and downs in life; I’m learning to always look for the “silver lining” in dark clouds; and the bright crocuses in the late snowfall.

“He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.” Psalm 147:16 (NLT)

A Little Oasis

Tucked away in a sea of concrete high rise apartments is this tiny green space. I discovered this refreshing oasis in one of my trips back to my birthplace. In this tiny Island nation, 4 million residents are squashed into an area no larger than Vancouver. Hence the need for 80% of the people to live in high rise flats. (British name for apartments or condos.)

The visit to this Nature Park took place on my first morning at 6 a.m. Anyone who has traveled from North America to South East Asia will have experienced this unpleasant phenomenon called “jet-lag.” My inability to sleep coupled with the craving for all the delicious food I’ve missed, drove me out earlier than I had planned.

In no time at all, I was sweating like I was in a sauna, but was soon rewarded with a pleasant surprise halfway through the morning walk. There in the middle of this concrete jungle, was a man-made “lake.” Actually, it was more like a large pond left over from a stone quarry. I went all the way through the paved trails right up to the top of a hill. All along the way, there were songs birds and trees and fauna I had thought were long gone and extinct in that part of the world.

In our business of life, we need to find our very own little oasis; a special place, a quiet moment alone with God and your thoughts.

King of the fruits

That walk was good for the soul, not to mention that I definitely worked up a great big appetite after that.


"Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so he went higher into the hills." John 6:15

Old Church Buildings

I’ve always been intrigued by Old Churches, and I have a collection of photos as well as books and paintings of them from various parts of the world. I’ve even done an ink drawing of our 100 year old Church building after it burnt to the ground. That’s another story.


Adorning one of the walls in my guest room are framed photographs of some of the oldest church buildings in North America. On one of my road trips through Texas, I came across a beautiful church building in Galveston and doubled back just to take some pictures. After I had that picture framed, I discovered it was one of the two buildings that survived the 1900 hurricane that wiped out the city.

I’ve also had the opportunity to visit some of the most ornate and beautiful churches in Europe. The Sistine chapel was the highlight of my visit to the Vatican City.

While I really appreciate the architecture and the artwork that went into these magnificent structures; they are after all just brick and mortar.

The problem with such awesome edifices is that we sometimes mistaken the building for the body of Christ. We focus on beautifying the building and forget to fortify the soul of the believer.
“Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Matthew 16:18 (NLT)

The local church - the hope of the world!

God Knows

On one of my vacation trips to South Padre Island, Texas, I had planned to go swimming in the sea and learn to surf. Trying to escape the cold winter of the Pacific Northwest, we were looking forward to some sun and the warmer weather there. The last time we were there, we came back with a nice tan.


After a 9 hour drive from Dallas, we were deeply disappointed to discover that a storm system had arrived in the Gulf of Mexico, and the strong winds would put a damper on our plans.

Even then, we still hoped to at least play in the surf for an afternoon. That didn’t materialize as the temperature dipped below 10 degrees C.

We ended up shopping and driving into a small town in Mexico.

The next morning while on a walk on the beach, we encountered ‘blue bottles’ scattered on the beach. Very quickly, we found out what they were; Portuguese Man O’ War jellyfish!

They were beautiful to behold but extremely poisonous and even deadly. I learned very early in my teen years snorkelling, never to touch any marine life that is too colorful or beautiful.

Some Facts about The Portuguese Man O’ War
The Portuguese Man O' War lives at the surface of the ocean, with its bluish float above the water, serving as a sail, and the long tentacles (which grows to 150 feet) hanging below the surface. Technically, it is not a jellyfish and it is propelled by the wind, currents or the tide. The sting from the Man O’ War is extremely painful and sometimes fatal.
It is the favorite food of the leatherback turtle. The sting of the Man O’ War cannot penetrate the thick shell of the turtle.


It was at that time, I understood why God permitted the storm and bad weather when we were there. Had it not been for that, we surely would have gone swimming, and even surfing, and who knows what would have happened to us!
We have to trust God when He changes our plans.

"O Lord my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to an end of them." Psalm 40:5


“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28(NLT)

Some Food for Thought

Food, glorious food!

Some eat to live! Others, live to eat!

I thought it would be enlightening and interesting to consider some of the sayings of wise individuals on the topic of food.

“He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise.” Henry David Thoreau

Flaming hot salsa in a Restaurant in Mexico

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” George Bernard Shaw

Wynn Hotel Buffet in Vegas

“I am not a glutton — I am an explorer of food.” Erma Bombeck

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. You are like a pebble thrown into water; you become wet on the surface, but are never part of the water.” James Albert Michener


“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” Walt Kelly

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” Mark Twain

It is said; “you are what you eat!” In this health conscious generation, more people are eating healthy and even counting calories. In the biblical context, food consumption is related to Paul’s “becoming all things to all man” philosophy of ministry.

“Peter went up to the flat roof to pray. It was noon, and he was hungry. But while lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, ‘Get up Peter; kill and eat.’ The voice spoke again, ‘If God says something is acceptable, don’t say it isn’t.’ The same vision was repeated three times.” Acts 10:10-15

God used food to break cultural and race barriers - This was the beginning of the cross-cultural, multi-ethnic church!

Leaves

Have you ever tried painting a leaf before? I have! It turned out to be like a kids drawing. Can you imagine if someone had to paint every leaf, put in each a special detail to make it unique from other leaves. Must take a lot of work and time! I remembered doing potato printing when I was in elementary school. We also tried doing the same with leaves; it was frustrating at first, but rewarding when you’d finally get one good print.


Have you ever sat down and considered the importance of leaves, and the vital contribution they make on planet earth?

Mimosa leaves seem to be alive –touch them and they close immediately.

Without healthy leaves, plants would not grow, flowers would not be nourished, and we would be deprived of their precious fruit. Without leaves, that give off life-giving oxygen, global warming would have already decimated the human race; along with the long extinct dinosaurs. What would the British do for afternoon tea if nobody discovered the wonderful flavor of tiny green leaves? How about the many miracle medicines from leaf extracts that prevent sickness and save lives everyday?

How could something that is 'here today and gone tomorrow', be so simple and yet so beautiful. Only God could create something so common and dispensable, yet make it invaluable and unforgettable.

“Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.” Henry David Thoreau

“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.” Walt Whitman


Wierd tree with leaves full of holes!

And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given you all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." Genesis 1:29-30