No Doubt!

This morning I turned on my radio for the news, and I caught a conversation between two men who were representing religious education in schools, and to my amazement they said that the most important part was to question whether there was a god at all.

How can these men, or anyone, doubt the existence of God . One has only to see the beauty of the world God has created, the design of all creatures and how they fit in like a jigsaw puzzle one to another. A mind at work in the largest to the smallest creature. Continue reading “No Doubt!”

The Bible – So Much More than Just a Book

In the western world it is easy to find a Bible. Many people have a Bible somewhere on their book shelf at home, book stores offer the Bible in several different versions and it can also be read online in many different languages. The Gideon organization have worked tirelessly to place a Bible in in every hotel room.

Sadly this is not true in some areas of the world – Bibles are hard to come by and to own one might mean imprisonment and even death.

Familiarity with the Bible can cause us to forget its unique value. The Bible is not just another book to collect dust on the shelf. We forget its importance. One of the first books to come off the printing press when it was invented was the Bible. And it’s still the world’s best-selling book! Continue reading “The Bible – So Much More than Just a Book”

Mothers, Remember Mary

Mothers sometimes forget just how important they are. The memories I have of my Mother are of her long hair hanging down around me like being in a cave as she bent over me to kiss me “good night”. And the radiance of her face in church as she talked to her Jesus in prayer time.. I wanted to know her Jesus too, and I did in the end.

In the Bible story of Mary we have the full account of Mary from a young innocent girl to becoming the Mother of Jesus and then with Joseph, being the Mother of at least six other children. (Mark 3 v 6) Continue reading “Mothers, Remember Mary”

Can I be a Blessing Today?

Every day is an opportunity to bring a blessing into someones life. So often it is the small things we do that can be so important to someone else.

This was the experience of a New York taxi driver who started off his day at work just like any other day.

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.

‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.’

‘Oh, you’re such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’

‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly..

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left,’ she continued in a soft voice..’The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired.Let’s go now’.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.

They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

‘How much do I owe you?’ She asked, reaching into her purse.

‘Nothing,’ I said

‘You have to make a living,’ she answered.

‘There are other passengers,’ I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Story Credit Just Saying Facebook Page

Matthew 25 v 40 ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’