Have you ever talked to an animal?

Numbers is a book about a forty-year camping trip. Israel goes from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land, a two-week walk, and it takes them forty long years. Strange.

During that walk, as mentioned yesterday, they are led by a cloud pillar. It moved the mob at a turtle pace until all of the original generation died in the desert. During the trip, strange things happened. Water comes from a rock, not once but twice! The people, always a murmuring crowd, are always getting punished for disobedience or grumbling. Once, they cried for meat, and God gave them so much quail that it made them sick, and many died of a plague. Even the ground opened up one time to swallow Korah and his family. They were a bad bunch.

One of the weirdest stories entails a talking donkey! Do you remember that one? In chapter 22, Balaam's mule saves the mystic's hide by avoiding the Angel of the LORD (Jesus Christ). Unfortunately, it took Balaam a few attempts to pass a particular location before the donkey crushed Balaam's leg against a rock. Balaam even threatened to kill his faithful ride (a true Beast 😁).

As Jesus reveals himself as the LORD'S angel, Balaam realizes his mistake and follows God's instructions. However, Balaam is a mystic who never comes to God in true repentance. He is cited later in Scripture as one who led the children of Israel into sexual sin (see 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11 and Revelation 2:14).

Where is the lesson for us in this very different book of the Bible? They are many. In Sunday school yesterday, one lesson was that God could use unbelievers for his purpose. Another lesson mentioned yesterday was that, even though the people of God were in the camp below, complaining, God was protecting them from the curses of an evil king and his hired witch.

God doesn't always keep us from all harm, but he never loses control of any situation.

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Daughter and dog...

About six months ago we discovered that Ann was pregnant and were very excited for she and Jackson. We will have babies on this side and that of the Atlantic. We weren't prepared for that news and we we were even less prepared for the news that our little dog is pregnant. To date we have spent more on the dog than on Annie (don't tell her... Ann that is). Ann has yet to discover whether her baby is a boy or girl. Both ultrasound images were inconclusive. Though I did some further investigation of my own and was startled with what I found. to me it looks as if the baby is definitely a boy and has some resemblance from both sides of the family. Take a look for yourself and let me know what you think.

God’s Orchestration

I love to see the Lord work His Salvation miracles. His works are Master Pieces of sweet music. They are arrangements that only He can make happen. Two weeks ago I began my second attempt at cello lessons. I had tried the instrument about five years ago and found my fingers so rusty and decrepit that I had given up after just a few months. So, why my second go? Here’s one short and sweet story. There is a youg man that works with Alexandre at school. He teaches music and is a musical genius. At sixteen he began a city wide music program to train young musicians in Sorocaba. Recently he has worked with two deaf children and has been able to teach them to play violin using a method that he developed. There doesn’t seem to be an instrument that he cannot play. His seventeen year old wife also plays the flute and is studying nursing. They are a very young but very sharp couple. In a conversation after the recent Recital Junior convinced me that it would be a good idea for me to take up...

Abs of Steel with Glasses

Have you ever wondered why Clark Kent always took his glasses off before he turned into Superman? I hadn’t ever thought about it either until this last Saturday when I almost got sucker-punched. Wellington, one of my spunky Juniors, wanted to wrestle. He feigned a punch to my gut and I said, “Go ahead. I have abs of steel!” I think that my gym visits might be going to my head because my abs of steel are buried under a healthy layer of blubber. I have improved my six-pack but it is far from chiseled. It looks more like a quarter of a keg. Anyway, quick as a wink and with near lightening speed Wellington said, “Yeah but up here is made of glass!” as his poke went within a hair’s breadth of my glasses! I belly-laughed. His rapid reflexes and wit had caught me by surprise. And what he said was so true and funny. It was an excellent though brief lesson. I often prepare for an oncoming fray. I get ready, set and then “BLAM”! The proverbial punch comes from a totally different direction. ...

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