Walking by Faith

As you can imagine from this photo we are really besotted with our tiny Pomeranian dog - Paprika! She weighs only 2kg but has a much bigger personality than that. In fact she seems quite convinced that she is in charge of our home and that anyone entering it should obtain her permission first!  That can cause just a little stress to folk visiting the Pastor. Paprika is 11 now and in doggy years that makes her well up in her seventies in human equivalent years, so she is an old lady (only don't you dare say that within her earshot).

Recently this adorable little friend suffered a slipped disc in her neck - the week after I cancelled her pet insurance because the premium was becoming too high!  When I asked the vet how long we might have to keep bringing her back for injections she mumbled something about it being until her extension is paid off! Seriously though, the really sad part about this is to see our dear dog struggling to walk and even stand.  The messages are just not getting through to her legs from her head. She has good days and bad days but when things are really poor we have to hold her up to eat and do other necessary things.

We don't know how this will go but are resigned to the fact that we won't have our darling doggy much longer, as Pomeranians don't usually live as long as some breeds anyway. I have thought a lot about her condition and I feel there is a lesson for me in her dilemma.  The Bible teaches that Christ is our head - the head of the body which is his church (1 Corinthians 12) and that we need to be in clear contact with him if we are to be able to walk the path of faith in this life.  Thankfully when we do struggle and fall heavenly hands are there to lift us and hold us up, but God's best for us is to hear the commands of Christ clearly and follow them.  In this, then, as in nature, we walk by good communication with the head.

And I'm still praying that Paprika will improve too.  After all, if it matters to me then it matters to God!

Truth is the First Casualty

The world is watching Israel once again as rockets fly from Gaza to be answered by Israeli jets and drones. Israel's Iron Dome defence system seems to be successful in taking out quite a few missiles but obviously not enough to make their military effort unnecessary. People are suffering on both sides, and it is always the children who seem to suffer most, both by losing much loved parents and homes but also because they are so often the collateral damage themselves.

The first casualty of war is said to be truth. The Bible book of Psalms laments that 'truth is fallen in the streets'. Here in Britain we are watching representatives of both sides of this conflict presenting their version of the truth in the media with equal conviction. For many it will be difficult, if not impossible, to get to the bottom of what is really going on.

As a Christian I am not surprised that the Middle East is once again a flashpoint that could usher in a major international crisis. Old Testament prophecy can sometimes read like tomorrow's newspaper and it certainly foretells the fact that in the last days Israel will be a political hot potato and a centre of unrest. As we pray for peace and reconciliation let's also take heed of the signs of the times. And for a clearer perspective maybe we should open our Bibles and hold them beside the tv screen. At least there would be some chance that truth might get a look-in.