The Blue Church

After his graduation from Whale University, “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” Jonah 3:3–4

Many years ago, in a state far away, I knew a family who received an automatic bread maker for Christmas. It was an exciting surprise, so they wasted no time putting it to work.

This blog began six months ago as a daily encouragement and means of staying in touch, because lockdown already had begun. We faced a hundred unknowns, and had little to go on. We were being told that countless millions would die.

Jesus did not mince words. He made bold, unapologetic, unqualified statements:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
“No one comes to the Father except through me.”
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:6, 9

We saw that David “strengthened himself” in God, and that meant being able to trust God on the darkest of days because He is faithful, and always at work in our lives.

It was a low point in David’s life, even before he gained the throne of Israel. He had led a raid on his enemies, only to return home to discover that his outpost had been attacked and his own wives and children kidnapped.

Stepping into the clearing, I could see the lone pear tree. It was tall, too tall, I was thinking. Most fruit trees in orchards are short, rather stubby affairs, with low branches for easy picking.

We certainly can excuse children looking past early December to Christmas. And we can’t begrudge a bride counting off days to her wedding or a soldier calculating the weeks until his safe discharge. We easily understand a patient recovering from an illness anticipating a healthier near future.

I’m an avid bumper sticker reader. I find it fascinating when someone feels so strongly about something that he displays the sentiment for all to see. It may be worth reading, and when safely possible, I try to get close enough to do so. (Getting close enough to read tattoos is much more dangerous, and I don’t advise it.)

No farmer would ever hope for a poor harvest, but many people don’t seem to grasp that the same laws that govern agriculture and horticulture also apply to popular culture. What you sow, you reap.