daily life as life goes on . . .

Three weeks in a row I have sat down on Thursday evening with young adults.  We potluck together.  Tonight was taco night – I supplied the meats.  Others brought a fruit salad (which had pasta as part of the ingredients – marvelous).  Another brought taco shells.  Another brought dilly bars.  Another one or two brought themselves.

Around the table I ask questions.  One about favourite books.  And another about favourite Bible verses.  The rest of the evening is just conversation.  Around a quick game of UNO, or around the dishes, or even setting the table and sitting at table. 

I laughed so hard, as did others, that we were using our napkins as tissue.  I heard some doubts in life and some situations that require God and others.

I wish I could say that this is an answer table.  Where people come to hear and walk away with surety in their lives.  Well, I do trust God to provide.  At the same time we do plan on being together again next Thursday.  In some ways the promise of a future is not a bad thing. 

So, young adults!  6:00 at my house next Thursday.  It’s pasta night!!

I began today with a little thought from A.W. Tozer.  In his devotional thrust he mentions the need to think rightly.

Interestingly, his thoughts headed down a path I should have expected, but almost missed.  As a boomer I tend to be caught in rational thought.  As post-moderns many are caught in unfocused mystery.  Such extremes often leave us wanting to find the radical middle.

Perhaps the in between is thinking God’s thoughts.  Which starts with prayer.  Uninhibited expressions to God.  Unexpected promptings returned by God.  A sense that I will intentionally spend the time. 

• Spend time lavishly on praise. 
• Spend time lavishly on heart searching. 
• Spend time lavishly on meditation. 
• Spend time lavishly on focusing on Jesus. 
• Spend time lavishly on returning a heart that wanders too easily. 
• Spend time lavishly on God.

I’m  somewhat new at this flower and planter thing.

This summer one of my friends gave me a planter of petunias and some crawling plants (do you call them vines?).  For the summer they have hung from the front porch.  I faithfully water the pot and watched with amazement when part way through the summer a new species emerged.

Now I watching again in wonder. 

On the petunia stem a new type of pod has begun to emerge.  At first I thought I would just deadhead the pod.  But then I began to examine the pod further.

I call it a pod.  I’m not sure what else to call it.  A tiny beak appears to be situated where a flower should emerge.  I separated the beak on the first pod.  I thought small bugs or aphids were escaping.  The second pod appeared to be the same.  By the third pod a realization overcame me.

These were seeds.  I am naive as to when seeds begin to appear.  I thought maybe in later September.  Of course, harvesters are out in the fields around Kindersley combining peas and lentils and other crops.  Why not petunias seeding at this point in the season?

And so, I brought the seeds inside, placed them on a paper and taped them down (they were so small even a puff of wind could blow them away – and I’m not sure my camera could do them justice).  Just imagine tiny dots situated on a white expanse.  There sit my seeds.    A marvel of nature that from this seed comes such beauty!!

I’ve been watching Ramadan with a prayer full eye.  A devotional book has helped me focus those prayers for Muslims around the world.  We do a good thing, and for God’s glory, to pray!

From the devotional for today, I’m reminded that today is the “Night of Power” for Muslims.  Tonight Muslims have the opportunity to stay up in prayer all night.  Prayers offered during this night are believed to be “particularly well received.”  Muhammad was believed to have received his first revelation of the Qur’an during this night.

I wonder if we might adopt some of the fervor and passion of this night ourselves, as Christians.  Perhaps God is calling us to greater prayer – perhaps even a night of prayer.  For ourselves, for others, for a fervor in seeking God!   Perhaps our prayers should also include a prayer for supernatural revelation of Jesus in dreams and visions for Muslims around this world.