BeLOnGings

Last Saturday Hilary and I participated in the 30th, ‘Running with the Father’s Heart for Ireland’ marathon along the Great Western Greenway in beautiful County Mayo.

After running my 6 mile leg, I wandered off the beaten track to grab a coffee at Nevin’s pub, ‘The Heart of Hospitality’.

Fortuitously  I caught the opening minutes of the Ireland vs Wales rugby match, but had to pull myself away from the team on the ‘green pitch’ to catch up again with the more obscure wee team on the ‘green Way’ – a motley crew of runners, walkers and cyclists of all shapes, sizes, ages and nationalities. They had been lead as an ‘Amen’ company to agree that now is the time for the ‘green’ of resurrection life to be experienced afresh in the Emerald Isle as people are awakened to the outrageous grace of the ‘Running Father’ in the story of the Prodigal son/s..”…..that the world would turn green with envy : – )

On Sunday morning the Irish papers announced the rugby team’s victory, so that they now head to the RUGBY WORLD CUP as the #1 team. The photo below is a play on words as the Irish captain is named Rory Best.

By Monday morning the Belfast stores were already capitalizing on the team’s success as the top photo illustrates. I smilingly noticed again the name on the ball that is used in all international rugby matches – GILBERT

I began writing Gilbert’s Journal when we arrived in the US as a series of meditations to go alongside the songs on the Bright Hostage Trilogy of CDs. Weaving together scripture and real life stories with the songs, that journaling now continues in the form of this weekly blog.

My middle name, Gilbert means “bright hostage’ and also happens to be the name of my father and my youngest son!

Although we know we are still held ‘hostage’ to death and decay, because of our sure and certain “hope” as believers we are growing ‘brighter’ by the day as That Day approaches when our full “adoption as sons” is manafested in this world.(Eph.1:5, Rm.8:18-24)

“Until then the most significant things on earth from heaven’s vantage point are usually hidden, like a baby in a manger.’ I thought as I wandered down a back road in Westport.

I looked up……. and as if to confirm the thought, where Croagh Patrick, the most famous, peak in ‘the land of saints and scholars’ should have been visible, there was merely a blanket of mist.

However our confident hope’ is that one day every eye will be opened and ‘’every knee will bow and every tongue confess that, ‘‘Jesus Christ is Lord!”….. to the glory of God the Father.’

……….And I was reminded of another Belfast billboard image I captured in the wake of another success by the Irish team when we were here last January.

Roaring the Best possible news of God’s gracious plan for his creation:

The week before we left for Ireland, two of our neighbors on the block reached out to us.

Lena is a lady who is African American, (but with enough Irish blood to make her a good rugby player : – ) active in the Black Lives Matter and LGBT movements. She was eager to break her happy news to us that a new life was forming within her!

John is a white man (but with a good deal of Native American blood) very ‘working class’ (Irish) /‘blue collar’ (American). He came to our door distraught, wanting to break the sad news to us that his bride of 44 years had just died suddenly at home.

In fact he wanted to use our toilet, as a miscommunication between the professional services meant that her body was still lying on the living room floor 6 hours after a failed violent resusitation attempt that left him traumatized!

The next morning John returned. He had a request. He said, “You know we aren’t really church going people……but we do believe in Jesus, and do believe the Creator has put us on this earth to help other critters, whether human or our four legged friends. …….and I know you are the same…….so I was wondering……would you be willing to take the funeral service? ‘

Then very reluctantly, while warding off his daughter Christina’s  embarrassed protests he offered….’. In fact I was wondering, because our house isn’t really suitable….. could we possibly have the reception here – at the Big Green House?’

’Certainly John. We’d be honored to host it.’  

The funeral was delayed until a few days before we had to fly. The Oswald Chambers meditation seemed particularly appropriate that morning:

The funeral was to be at a cemetery in our old neighborhood. I recalled an experience I’d had there just after we moved from Ireland while jogging through it in ‘the fall’ just as the glorious leaves were falling at the end of their brief lives. I noticed an old tree, maybe 150 years old, had just been felled, and the inevitability of death for every living thing struck me, and the song ‘The Other Day’ was born, inspired by Gal.5:6 which says the only thing that matters at the end of our days is ‘faith expressing itself through love’.

I shared in the funeral home how that song was given to me 25 years before ……for this precise day……..and place…….and person – for in talking with John and Christina I had discovered Bernie was a lady of faith that expressed itself in love in their Little Yellow House in the same way it did in our Big Green House, by becoming over the years a home for ‘stray people’ as her daughter put it. (Only they had managed to avoid getting into trouble with the code enforcement officer : – )

36 people came to the reception, the same number that signed the petition in support of us at City Hall. In scripture 36 is associated with ‘enemy’ and is made up of two Hebrew characters representing ‘authority’ and ‘nail’. ‘The authority of the nail’ speaks to me of the power of sacrificial love that has overcome our enemies, death, sin and Satan, and converts our human ‘enemies’ into friends.

When we arrived in Belfast as usual we went for a walk to combat ‘jet lag’ . We go ‘down to the sea again.’ Cultra is the priciest real estate in Northern Ireland. We like to look at the big houses here we might have aspired to, like the one above called Cuan, whose neighbor is ‘The Royal Northern Ireland Yaght Club.’

Alas our postal address is not ‘Cultra. County Down.’ but, ‘Robbinsdale Minnesota’ – but we wouln’t swap stories (or neighbors) for the world : – )

P.S. The last two ‘hard copies’ of that song on CD just went to Christina above and our friend Julie Norbury in Australia! …..but I would encourage you if you haven’t got one to access it through Spotify or iTunes : – )

“You give marvellous comrades to me; the faithful who dwell in the land.” (From Ps.16:3) 

Last Thursday I woke as usual after three hours sleep and listened. I found myself audibly but quietly (so as not to waken Hilary) giving thanks for people I have known who had been an inspiration in my life….those who have by their example called me on to know and love God better.

An hour and a half later the Spirit was still bringing people to mind from different times and places and seasons of our life. Many of you who are reading this would have been in my litany of thanksgiving – installed in my ‘hall of  faith’!

“Thank you Father for………………… Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

It was a wonderfully inspiring experience recalling and honoring all those  whose faces came to mind!

I got up out of bed as I often do and went downstairs and outside to stand on the grass and look up into the sky. The moon was bright before me illumining the wispy clouds covering most of the sky. Then I noticed a star between clouds, and then close by, another star in another space, and then two more over there and one more here……….

Father was showing and confirming in the sky what I had just done. Under his great light he was pointing me to little spots of the same light. There were countless stars up there, many more visible to my naked eye, but I had been given to see a small selection of them……..the ‘marvelous comrades’ that he had given to me over my lifetime……real ‘stars’ – in his and my estimation. 

Then this morning it occurred to me that last night the Ringo Starr saga I wrote about a few weeks ago got an unexpected epilogue. Ringo and band were performing at the local “Mystic Lake Casino.” Ben’s publicist asked him if he wanted to go. He wasn’t feeling well, but decided at the last minute he would go……only to find himself being invited onstage to join Ringo in his final number………With A Little Help From My Friends! 

The photo above is Ben’s subsequent Instagram post.

In the ‘light’ of my experience last night I realized that even the line, “I get high with a  little help from my friends” get’s redeemed as I consider those ‘friends’ who have helped me by called me upward and onward in life. 

Last week was the 25th anniversary of our move to the USA. Abby posted a photo also on her Instagram of our arriving at our new home (which we had bought in faith never having seen it!) 25 years ago.

My litany of thanks got extended as I spotted some of those who welcomed us here then, and made sure we had a bed to sleep on and food on the table!

Thank you Father for Theresa and Dave!

Thank you Father for Tony and Colette!

Thank you Father for Jake and Ali!

Thank you Father for Chris and Karin!

Last week we attended a wedding reception at “The Pritchards” for their son and his bride who had been married in Michigan last month. We met Joel’s mom, Lois, many years ago when she spent 3 months in our community in Belfast when single, and then when we moved to America, ‘lois and behold!’ we found ourselves living ‘just down the street’ from Lois, Tom and their young family!

Joel has grown up a fine young man whose ‘Christ- light’ has shone in the ‘Special Forces’ and who is now pursuing a career in Federal justice.

I was tickled when I heard that on the morning of his wedding as he was getting ready he choose my songs as his background music!

One of the greatest joys I have experienced is to participate or hear reports like this, about how the songs ‘Abba’ has given me have played a role in people’s landmark life events such as births, deaths and marriages.

‘Geoff’s Song’ on the Ascent album for example was inspired by a man who attended a retreat I lead in Colorado where he was introduced to the song ‘Good Mornin’ Dad’.

At the time he was suffering from a terminal disease and knew he had only a short time to live. Subsequently, after driving his son to school each morning, the two would then pause and sit and listen to the recording of ‘Good Mornin’ Dad’ together, before saying farewell.

‘I open my eyes, 

I see your smiling face

Warming my heart,

Good mornin’ Dad!’

Geoff wanted his son to know that when his earthly father had said his final farewell and was no longer present to him in this life, his heavenly ‘Dad’ would still be there…… smiling on him.

After Geoff died the family invited me to return to Colorado to sing at the funeral. The Lord subsequently gave me ‘Geoff’s Song.’ likening Geoff’s experience in the valley of the shadow of death with Jacob’s as he prepared to encounter his angry brother Esau and his own possible demise. (Ex 30)

Both men had a transformational experience  – as in their wrestling with God they beheld the true ‘face of God’ 

At the end of the evening at the Pritchard’s home I pulled out my guitar.

“What would you like me to sing Joel?” I asked.

“Always With You” was his immediate reply.

That song taken from Psalm 73 is of course the inspiration for this blog’s title and subtitle:

BeLOnGings

……..and being with you nothing else I desire.

It is a most appropriate song for these days in which we live when God is increasingly exposing the evil in this world, and also appropriate for Joel……who out of a pure heart desires to participate in seeing godly justice restored on earth.

Since singing it that night I have found the song ‘on repeat’ in my mind for the Soundtrack that rises up by the Spirit is not meant to be just for meetings or landmark events, but an accompaniment that we ‘live’ by.

The recording of that song, also on “The Ascent”, is a beautiful production by Paul McAree. We are so pleased these songs are being listened to by Joel’s generation……. and are now available to them and you via Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music and Amazon!

This post is an afterthought comment on my last three blogs.

Two weeks ago I wrote about being redirected while running and my subsequent encounter with a ‘rough looking’ character while I was in a  pretty sweaty, smelly state myself!.  The point I made was that our Father sees beyond the ‘roughness of the diamond’ to the jewel he has created hidden deeply within each one of us. 

Then after writing last week’s blog, re-reading it a few days later, I had “blogger’s regret” …..Alas! – too late to edit, as most of you had already read it!

There was one critical word I would have changed. Instead of using the word “Humility” to describe the brothers I regularly meet with, I would have better used the word, “Humbled”

As I reflected on each of their stories I realized that the humility (that is indeed present in good measure) was not something that they had innately.

Rather, each one had a unique story of incredible human suffering, but instead of being ‘broken apart’ by these experiences they each had been ‘broken open’…. to discover, receive and manifest the grace of God in the midst of their acknowledged weakness.

One of them commented that the scripture I had used to title the blog 3 weeks ago “Be Still And Know That I Am God.” could equally well be translated, “Be WEAK And Know That I Am God.”   

So today when I was out running, the title and illustration for this blog on this same theme came, as I noticed the flower pictured above that had fallen onto the path;

A glorious purple thistle bursting forth out of it’s painfully prickly bud!

……………..for in life isn’t this how it often is?

The BEAUTY of Christ bursting forth in some incredibly BEASTly situations!  

We had a rather beastly situation this week when I ran into another  car….my fault completely! As the other driver, who I saw was an Asian Hindu, got out to inspect the scratches on his car, he looked at me and waving said….

“Go on!” 

“Thank you!“  I said, shaking his hand and looking into his eyes.

“You are a good man!”

His wife, however, with a Bindi on her forehead, then jumped out of the car to take a look. She was obviously not so sure, and clearly objected to his kindness in no uncertain terms (except to me who did not know their native language!) Dismissing her protestations her husband turned again to me and said emphatically,

“Go on!…..YOU REMIND ME OF MY FATHER!….Just drive on!”  

As I pondered this afterwards I sensed his forgiving spirit was not necessarily just because of a human resemblance, but because he had been given to see by his ‘Father in heaven’ “The Christ; the Son of the living God.” in me!

……….which was why I reminded him

……….of his, and my loving heavenly Father.

As I did drive on I realized I had in the midst of St. Paul, surrounded by angry unforgiving motorists blowing their horns at our two cars sitting awkwardly at a busy junction, been briefly transported back to my men’s group as this total ‘stranger’ also opened up to “the Spirit of truth” in the midst of a painful situation – seeing Beauty in the Beast.

“What a rich time!” said Brian.

“Absolutely. And getting richer all the time!.” responded Bill.

We five brothers had just finished another 3 hour conversation. It began with us all dropping down into a place of stillness and peace encountering the ‘living’ God. From there we flowed effortlessly, sharing together our personal experience, present and past. There was deep listening, perceptive questioning, redemptive revelation, wise counsel, straightforward adjustment and poignant prayer as we touched on the depths of human pain and suffering, punctuated with unbridled joy as we heartily laughed and also cried (in a manly way of course : – ) our way through another ‘enriching’ experience of genuine friendship and brotherhood.

This is not just a talking together but a practical walking together in life as we are present for one another through crisis court cases, repeated house moves, regular family care, etc. etc……the ‘koinonia’ sharing in a common life that we are all made for and redeemed to experience.   

“Heart to heart” farewells said, I turned to check my email and ended up watching an interview with someone who has just written a book after scouring the world looking for answers to the epidemic of loneliness, depression and anxiety sweeping our society.

His personal and profound conclusion?….“It is not because of low serotonin levels in my brain that a drug can fix……it’s primarily because of the breakdown of the ‘tribe’ that we now are living in the loneliest society ever!” 

He quoted an ‘expert’ who talked about how just as “junk food” causes the problem biochemically so do “junk values” sociologically. We are continually bombarded and manipulated by those offering us happiness through that ‘sugar fix’ or through those twin imposters, ‘fame and fortune.’   

This gets intensified by modern technology offering the illusion of connection through Virtual Activity that leaves us Actually Dead. As one expert said, “If our devices are a station along the track, they can be useful. If they are the terminal we arrive at, we are in deep trouble! A screen will never satisfy your deepest needs.”

Jesus pointing to himself indicated “The Way” that leads to “The Truth” that leads to “The Life.”  He said, this “life” is in the deep ‘knowing’ of intimate, honest, committed relationship. (Jn.17:1) 

Wondering about a photo to illustrate this blog I snapped the REAL connection between Hilary and grandson Luke this morning. Luke whose name means ‘light’ is a beam of light in our lives. That beam was split into a rainbow as it passed through the glass of our front door this morning, as you can see, visibly connecting Hilary and Luke, reminding us of God’s message in the sky that his plan is that the whole of creation be authentically re-connected as they come back into covenant relationship with him. This is the true ‘desire of all nations’ and of every individual, that alone heals the lonely human heart.

Just this morning we read in Psalm 68, “God places the solitary in family, ……….but the rebellious dwell in a parched land”. or as the TPT puts it.”...for the rebels there is heartache and despair.”

“Humility“, I say to Hilary. “….the honest seeking and surrendering to The Truth is the common life giving bond this eclectic group of truly ‘free men’ share.”

It is the humility that says;  

“I am not an island.”…… “I need help.”….”Place me Lord, wherever, and with whomever, you choose.”

Just a few decades ago a survey revealed that most people could count on 5 friends who really knew them. Today tragically the commonest answer (from half the population!) is, “I have no one who really knows me!”

That is why I am so deeply grateful that I still have 5 (these 4 brothers and one wife!)…….and counting!……who are getting to know me as I am getting to know them – through and through.

I consider myself “Fabulously Wealthy”

Last week I had two interesting early morning encounters, one to do with the plan of God for the whole of creation the other to do with his plan for each individual’s life.

Once a month I drive to the spring at Eden Prairie to fill our 10 x 5 gallon containers with water. Because I go at dawn there is usually no one else there, but last week, as I was halfway through filling the jugs another car pulled up and a lady got out. She was anxious that she would be late for work and so I happily offered for her to go ahead first. Furthermore seeing they were also 5 gallon containers I helped her load them back into her car. She was most grateful. As we paused to say farewell I noticed she was rather attractive, and discovered her name was Darlene, meaning ‘darling’. She began to drive off but then paused unexpectedly so that I also noticed the make of her car: It was a Soul.

As I pondered this on the way home I sensed Father was speaking to me again of The Big Story and it’s ‘shadow’ in the episode of Jacob encountering Rachel at the well and helping her get water for her father’s sheep by rolling the stone away. Jacob noticed how ‘beautiful’ she was but was deceived by Laban into marrying Leah before he could then obtain his darling Rachel as his bride.

Both Leah and Rachel were lawfully married to Jacob, but their relationship was different. Leah had a legal relationship with Jacob; her marriage was largely on paper. Rachel had a love relationship with Jacob. This was similar to how Hagar had an Old Covenant relationship with Abraham whereas Sarah had a New Covenant relationship, which is why Paul exhorts the Galatians to ‘cast out the bondwoman.’ 

God wants a new covenant, grace based, love relationship with us, his bride……his Soul mate!  

A few mornings later I set out for an early morning run. At the corner of our street I noticed a Cardinal (bird that is!) perched atop a lamppost singing his heart out. I took my usual route through the forest and was about to turn right as always when I heard again the full throated song of a Cardinal to my left. So left I turned, along a path I had never run before! A few moments later I encountered a man walking. As he stepped aside to let me pass I noticed he seemed a bit ‘the worse for wear’ 

I ran on and then circled around to retrace my steps, this time pausing under a bridge that again I had never visited before. As I snapped the above photo, the walker appeared from around the corner. This time I commented to him on the graffiti and he seemed happy to enter into conversation.

I told Eric I lived locally but had never run this way before….but got redirected this morning by a singing Cardinal! He replied he lived quite a distance away and this was also his first time to walk this particular trail.

“What do you think it means? “  He asked, pointing to the artwork.

“Ha!” I replied. “I always ask God about what things mean.”  

“So what did he say?’ Eric asked.

“Well he said to me ‘Yer DA (’cause I see God as my father… and he speaks Belfast : – ) is K… for King’ (hence the crown over the E.)” 

“Interesting!” Eric (which means ‘ever ruler’) replied.

He then pulled out of the bag he was carrying, a rock.

“I think there is an agate there.” He said pointing to an irregularity in the stone.”It’s pretty dirty though. I’d need to wash it off in the river to see properly.

“Standing there in my sweaty gear, I responded, “That’s a bit like us Eric; some of us might be pretty rough looking on the outside but our Da’ sees the precious jewel that he has made each one of us to be!” 

We said our farewells.

I was running home, smiling at another ‘set up’ by Da’ when there right in front of me 

……….was my third Cardinal (witness) : – )

……..flying out of:

P.S. I’ve just uploaded another video to YouTube, inspired by yet another ‘Divine encounter’ last week.

Last week a close friend who is very smart, recommended I should start tweeting on Twitter. (No, it wasn’t the lady pictured above, although she is very smart too! That part of the story comes later in the blog!)

He sent me an excellent podcast series explaining how the traditional means of ‘leveraging’ oneself using large amounts of money and people, had shifted. The successful entrepreneur suggested that now without either of these things I could use the internet to leverage my unique set of gifts in order to create ‘wealth’ for everyone. (in contradistinction to just making me rich!). My friend also recommended I use Youtube and Spotify but warned me off of Facebook : – )

It occurred to me this morning that Twitter was well suited to me. I realized I am more of a ‘concrete’ than conceptual thinker which is why I do best with the K.I.S.S. technique…Keep It Simple Stupid, and so in the back of my journal I have pages of pithy one liners that Dad has whispered to me over the years that rise up from my spirit and help me serve more effectively in this ‘concrete’ world.

Here are three of my own quotes I repeat to myself, each with a slightly different emphasis:

“Don’t Drift; Decide!”

A test I did recently revealed I had a tendency to A.D.D. Ah! Yes! I thought…that is helpful to know! I actually think in the fast paced, sensory overloading world we live in today we are all prone to getting distracted and being blown to and fro by external stimuli sparking a reaction from our souls rather than being peacefully lead as we respond in this same world to the still small voice constantly whispering in our spirits, and then using our Father’s continual commentary of ‘truth in love’ as a basis for life decisions we then make and stick to.

“Stop and Drop!”

Proverbs warns us not to ‘rush into sin’. The ever increasing pace of life in today’s world makes us prone to racing ahead of grace and then crashing, which is why I frequently say to myself, “Stop and Drop!”…. and then drop down into that place of the Spirit in my ‘belly’….. out of which flows the ‘streams of living water.’ 

“Stop and Sink!”

Again this reminds me to ‘Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise but as wise making the MOST of EVERY opportunity, (rather than something of some opportunities) for THE DAYS ARE EVIL.” (Eph. 5:16) As we are careful not to be swept along by the wave of evil in our day we need to learn to think from our ‘belly’ (spirit) i.e.“Stop and S(pirit)thINK” rather than operating from our carnal (soulish) minds.

Stephen Jones illustrates this distinction between soulish and spiritual thought well in his web log today at God’s Kingdom Ministries…. which ‘just happens’ to be on the same theme I have been given to write about on the same day!

“If the Jews had understood divine logic (logos), they would have seen the wisdom of God in the story of Moses, who sweetened the bitter waters by casting a tree into the pool (Exodus 15:25). If they understood divine logic, they would have seen the same wisdom portrayed in the prophets, for Elijah cast a stick into the Jordan River to recover the lost axe head (2 Kings 6:6).

In both cases, the wood represented the logic of the cross, which made no sense to the carnal mind but made perfect sense to the spiritual mind/self which knows the deep things of God.”

I am still pondering how I should respond to my friend’s suggestion. I don’t want to be naively passive about how this world’s connectivity works, on the other hand I am increasingly in awe of how divine connectivity happens for those awakened to it. An example of this is the following email I received from one of my readers last week. I met Melissa briefly many years ago which is why she had to send me the photo above to remind me who she was! This illustrates how we are, despite minimum natural contact, divinely connected as members of one body, Christ Jesus being our Head.

“Dear Paul,

As always, I appreciated your feedback after last week’s blog. I try and respond to everyone who writes. As I said in “Why Belongings?” 3 1/2 years ago, the purpose of the blog is not ‘going viral’, but ‘being vital’. Life is relationship. This has proven a beautiful way to stay connected in LIFE with some friends all over the world whom God has given us over the years.

A few days after the last post Ben sent me the above link to Rolling Stone’s report on the “Peace and Love” birthday event. (I was blocked from putting the link on the blog, but if you go to Rollingstone.com and search for Ringo’s birthday you can watch and listen to this 4 minute report.)

My phone pinged with Ben’s text, just as I was reading another passage from the book I referenced last week.

Bonnie Gaunt’s last book, “The Dawn of Earth’s Great Millennium” records her first discovery about how the gospel is written throughout the whole of creation, in numbers.

She was describing how the New Testament value of the name LORD JESUS CHRIST is 3168. This is confirmed in creation, for when God made the earth to be home for the man he would create, he made it’s dimensions to fit into a square having a perimeter 31,680 miles!

Then when he came to earth as a man, and gave himself as a ransom, he was born in Bethlehem at latitude 31.68 degrees north! 

having just read this I turned to listen to the Rolling Stone report which opened and closed with Ben singing the same song………as the credits rolled the refrain repeated again and again,

“………..You know it don’t come easy”

I then turned the page in the physical book I was reading and the true credit was staring me in the face………

The sentence at the top of the next page confirmed the gematria of the underlined portion is again…………. 3168!

To me this amazing timing was our Father’s commentary, loud and clear, that his intention for his creation is indeed “Peace and Love.”

………. purchased at great cost to Himself and His Son.

……….’Cause you know it don’t come easy!”

Of course PEACE and LOVE must be properly defined.

Romans 5: 1 says, “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have PEACE with God through our LORD JESUS CHRIST.” (3168)

Then once again with impeccable timing Dad provided the double witness to the source of true LOVE through our Oswald calendar thought for TODAY based on the same passage…..Romans.5:5!

This week end there was a ripple of excitement throughout the Kyle family because Ben was singing a couple of songs at Ringo’s 79th birthday party. Prophetically named, there is only one Ringo, and he remains – a Starr. You can add your view of the performance to the 79.9 thousand others on Ringo’s Facebook page!

Under the instagram photo above of Ben and Ringo is a fun comment by Josie, a friend of ours. Having lived with us for a year we have personally experienced this lady’s true ‘prophetic’ gift. She could also now be considered ‘famous’ ….not because she ‘stars’ on “The Elijah List” but because God speaks through her works of art which she generously shares with 466,000 followers on Instagram!

On Sunday at our fellowship circle we again consider together what it means for Jesus to live in obscurity for 30 years. Bonnie Gaunt’s book “The Dawn of Earth’s Great Millennium” has sparked a conversation. People in the circle of ‘truth seekers’ share, not opinions, but ‘signs and wonders’ as Simeons and Annas who can see and hear how truths from the book have, and continue to play out in their lives.

“So how should we live then as the body of Christ in this season of obscurity?” becomes the focus of the conversation.

Last week I described ‘wisdom’ as becoming one with the Father. The other growth in Jesus, our head, that is mentioned in Luke 2 is to do with the ‘grace’ in Him and toward him. The Greek word “charis” means “to lean toward… to bless”.

With 6 month old Luke visiting us at the moment (with his mum and dad of course) this leaning toward…to bless one another, that our Dad wants with each of us his children, is our daily experience with our latest grandson.

We continue to read how this growth in Jesus happens as he simply goes back home and places himself under his earthly mother and father, not resisting but surrendering daily to his heavenly Father in the acceptance of the ordinariness and order of life as a human being.

We finish our circle by encouraging one another as we sing,

“He who has called you

Is faithful and He will do

All He has promised to

In you……..”

…..then we all troop downstairs, and around the dinner table share another hilarious meal. The conversation often goes to food with banter between those currently eating carnivore, ketogenic, OMAD or ‘regular American.’

Part of our 1 Thess.5:23,24 calling is to help people toward ‘soundness in body’, so processed foods and sugar is a rarity. Yesterday however some gigantic M ‘n’ M cookies did show up. (M ‘n’ Ms are like Smarties for my UK readers) As ‘regular American’ Brian munched on one of them I said,

“Brian, you’ve got to sing your M and M song.”

….and so the whole Rupe family gave us a rendering of the song that has made Dad famous…. at least in the YMCA Family Camp circles where he was Camp Director. Daughter Amy described how at one camp the hysterical teenagers would rush the stage after Brian gave his usual C+ rendering of

M ‘n’ Ms that spells Mmmm
Mmm is the sound that you make when you eat ’em
When I die…
Bury me in M ‘n’ Ms

I recalled how earlier in life Brian had thought to best serve God would involve his going overseas as a missionary, or at least serving at home as a pastor. Receiving a wise word from his earthly father had him change course, a change that has impacted many young lives, not just through his rendering of the M ‘n’ M song : – ) but through his ‘apostolic’ gift facilitating a ‘Family Camp Culture’ that enabled the young campers to sample ‘the kingdom of God’ for a couple of weeks in the summer at a critically formative time in their lives.

I believe there will come The Great Reversal at The Great White Throne when many current Somebodies will become Nobodies and Nobodies become Somebodies, as we are awakened to see beyond the falseness of a success measured in “Bigness” of Numbers, Names and Noises. Then judging justly the (mostly) hidden faithful servants like Ben, Josie and Brian (and their even more hidden spouses) will receive their reward from the most successful man who ever lived. He never wrote book, recorded a song, sent an email, made a phone call, rode in a car, or wrote a blog. At the end of his life he had only a few ‘followers’ clustered at the foot of a cross where in unity with his Father he in ”wisdom and grace’ with total success, redeemed the whole of creation.

I look up to read on our well worn ‘Oswald’ calendar his thought for us today: