Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2
I had such a sense of anticipation as I prepared to go to St. Helen’s today. A missionary couple had invited me there for a first service to have a look-see and assured me I would find a warm welcome. But a couple of wrong turns contrived to make me twenty minutes late and when I arrived at the west door the service was already in full swing. I dutifully silenced my mobile and stepped through the swinging doors and voila I was inside.
Inside there were 200 hundred faces, staring intently at the preacher but, to my horror, every single one of them was white. “Uh-oh!” I thought, as I slinked my way up to a chair and slid in, hopefully unnoticed. “This is going to be a long night.” As I looked around I saw another black couple, themselves sitting in a far-off corner, looking as conspicuous as I was but they provided no relief for me as they skedaddled before the service would end.
All at once my sympathies went to everyone who’s ever been the new guy. Nobody likes to stand out in the crowd – except, of course as a hero or something – and I immediately felt the sense of desperation that they all must feel. How many johnny-come-latelies (JJCs) had I overlooked in my short experience? Oh, how I wish I was a little more welcoming to them. Payback’s a bummer.
After The Blessing I hung around the foyer, looking for an opportunity to say hi to someone but they all seemed so into themselves and no-one noticed me at all. We were invited for an after-Church informal around hot dogs and tomato soup but every bone in my body begged me to make a run for it. I was none too comfortable with the two-day growth of stubble on my beard either, but I grit my teeth and made a beeline for the food. As I stood in the queue, feeling sorry for myself, along came Richard. “Hello, have I seen you here before?” Thank God for Richard!
With love, Doosuur.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Eyes On The Ball
Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed...
Hebrews 12:2 (The Message)
The first rule of tennis, or indeed any ball game is simple. Keep your eyes on the ball. It seems straightforward enough but you’d be surprised how often a novice like me must remind myself, sometimes quite audibly, “keep your eyes on the ball.”
Today was no different. As usual, I changed into my tennis gear and began my warmup routine muttering to myself that most important mantra. As I got into the groove I went from Rule 1 to Rule 2: Move your feet. The other basic rules soon followed:
Take a backswing
Follow through
And very quickly, everything was flowing smoothly. One particular backhand drive made me feel like the new Federer come to town.
But then, almost as quickly as it had begun, it all started coming apart at the seams. I started hitting awry balls and ambitious drives became home runs as they rose over and beyond the confines of the premises. All of a sudden it seemed I just could not get it right. The more I tried the worse it became. What’s wrong? I wondered. And then it hit me. I stopped, took a breath and whispered to myself, “Doosuur, keep your eyes on the ball.” And then I started again. At the beginning.
But then it’s not just on the tennis court that I find I have to remind myself of the most important truth. It all starts well enough, in the morning, as I open God’s word and turn my eyes on Jesus. But then as the day drags on, it’s so easy for me, as I’m sure you, to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we neglect where our focus should be. We become so engrossed in meeting up with the demands of everyday life - pleasing a demanding boss, meeting an unexpected deadline, coping with a testy client - that all of a sudden the freshness and joy of a beautiful morning fades away.
And then if we are not careful we find ourselves hitting balls askew as we slowly lose control. We let our guard slip - a careless word here, a thoughtless gesture there - and very soon we’re headed down the slippery slope with no end in sight.
How apt it was of the writer to the Hebrews to command them, “fix your eyes on Jesus...” (NIV). He does not just say “look at Jesus”. He says, fix your eyes on Him. This is much more than a casual glance. It requires one to be involved in, immersed in, the object of their attention. Consider now, what it would mean for you if you were to really fix your eyes on Jesus. If I may use an analogy, it would be like putting on a pair of glasses. The things you look at are still the same but the way you perceive them could be very different. Life takes on a whole new perspective.
If we go through the day with Jesus constantly ahead of us, coloring our circumstances, we would discover that life could be so much more fulfilling. And perhaps we wouldn’t have to drop the ball ever so often.
With love, Doosuur.
Hebrews 12:2 (The Message)
The first rule of tennis, or indeed any ball game is simple. Keep your eyes on the ball. It seems straightforward enough but you’d be surprised how often a novice like me must remind myself, sometimes quite audibly, “keep your eyes on the ball.”
Today was no different. As usual, I changed into my tennis gear and began my warmup routine muttering to myself that most important mantra. As I got into the groove I went from Rule 1 to Rule 2: Move your feet. The other basic rules soon followed:
Take a backswing
Follow through
And very quickly, everything was flowing smoothly. One particular backhand drive made me feel like the new Federer come to town.
But then, almost as quickly as it had begun, it all started coming apart at the seams. I started hitting awry balls and ambitious drives became home runs as they rose over and beyond the confines of the premises. All of a sudden it seemed I just could not get it right. The more I tried the worse it became. What’s wrong? I wondered. And then it hit me. I stopped, took a breath and whispered to myself, “Doosuur, keep your eyes on the ball.” And then I started again. At the beginning.
But then it’s not just on the tennis court that I find I have to remind myself of the most important truth. It all starts well enough, in the morning, as I open God’s word and turn my eyes on Jesus. But then as the day drags on, it’s so easy for me, as I’m sure you, to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we neglect where our focus should be. We become so engrossed in meeting up with the demands of everyday life - pleasing a demanding boss, meeting an unexpected deadline, coping with a testy client - that all of a sudden the freshness and joy of a beautiful morning fades away.
And then if we are not careful we find ourselves hitting balls askew as we slowly lose control. We let our guard slip - a careless word here, a thoughtless gesture there - and very soon we’re headed down the slippery slope with no end in sight.
How apt it was of the writer to the Hebrews to command them, “fix your eyes on Jesus...” (NIV). He does not just say “look at Jesus”. He says, fix your eyes on Him. This is much more than a casual glance. It requires one to be involved in, immersed in, the object of their attention. Consider now, what it would mean for you if you were to really fix your eyes on Jesus. If I may use an analogy, it would be like putting on a pair of glasses. The things you look at are still the same but the way you perceive them could be very different. Life takes on a whole new perspective.
If we go through the day with Jesus constantly ahead of us, coloring our circumstances, we would discover that life could be so much more fulfilling. And perhaps we wouldn’t have to drop the ball ever so often.
With love, Doosuur.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wickedness Unlimited
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:12,13
Chances are you are privy to the events that have overtaken the city of Jos, Nigeria in the past week. We have witnessed firsthand man’s inhumanity to man and seen atrocities committed in the name of God. We watched in horror as an ostensible political squabble metamorphosed into a full-scale Holy War with both sides trying to outdo the other. So many have lost life, limb and loot in the carnage and there is little comfort to be seen.
The stories are as shocking as they are true as we see man’s creativity used in the most nefarious ways reminiscent of Paul’s horror at those who “invent ways of doing evil” in Romans 1:30. I’ve heard of people being thrown down bridges to be dashed on the rocks, others burned alive, pleas of mercy ignored as young men are macheted to death by youth inebriated by their own depravity.
I met a young man today, fourth year Architecture student, who was caught up in the crisis. His friend and roommate was killed and burned before his very eyes. He managed to escape but lost everything but the shirt on his back. He offered to offload an old camera to me in exchange for enough money to make the short trip to Abuja. Imagine my embarrassment when he burst into tears and prostrated on the ground in gratitude when I offered to pay his fare. One can only imagine the terror he and many others like him have witnessed.
So where does one find comfort in the midst of such suffering? Where do you find the courage to face your neighbor with a different faith and offer the love of Christ? How do you tell that mother that she will never see her young son again? “He was so young and full of potential!” she cries. “He just left me to serve his country. Why, oh why?” And what do you tell the businessman who watched his life’s work go up in flames? How can you offer comfort without sounding banal, condescending or just plain out of touch?
I have no answers today, but questions only. But I do realize that in the midst of such seemingly inhuman suffering I can look to those who have experienced such and say, along with them, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God... How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27)
Join me now to pray for those who suffer and trust God for his healing. Amen.
With love, Doosuur.
Matthew 24:12,13
Chances are you are privy to the events that have overtaken the city of Jos, Nigeria in the past week. We have witnessed firsthand man’s inhumanity to man and seen atrocities committed in the name of God. We watched in horror as an ostensible political squabble metamorphosed into a full-scale Holy War with both sides trying to outdo the other. So many have lost life, limb and loot in the carnage and there is little comfort to be seen.
The stories are as shocking as they are true as we see man’s creativity used in the most nefarious ways reminiscent of Paul’s horror at those who “invent ways of doing evil” in Romans 1:30. I’ve heard of people being thrown down bridges to be dashed on the rocks, others burned alive, pleas of mercy ignored as young men are macheted to death by youth inebriated by their own depravity.
I met a young man today, fourth year Architecture student, who was caught up in the crisis. His friend and roommate was killed and burned before his very eyes. He managed to escape but lost everything but the shirt on his back. He offered to offload an old camera to me in exchange for enough money to make the short trip to Abuja. Imagine my embarrassment when he burst into tears and prostrated on the ground in gratitude when I offered to pay his fare. One can only imagine the terror he and many others like him have witnessed.
So where does one find comfort in the midst of such suffering? Where do you find the courage to face your neighbor with a different faith and offer the love of Christ? How do you tell that mother that she will never see her young son again? “He was so young and full of potential!” she cries. “He just left me to serve his country. Why, oh why?” And what do you tell the businessman who watched his life’s work go up in flames? How can you offer comfort without sounding banal, condescending or just plain out of touch?
I have no answers today, but questions only. But I do realize that in the midst of such seemingly inhuman suffering I can look to those who have experienced such and say, along with them, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God... How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27)
Join me now to pray for those who suffer and trust God for his healing. Amen.
With love, Doosuur.
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