Sailors are believers; believers, sailors.Who else says,I need the breath of Godto reach my destination?Few souls are wind-driven in thisautomated, self-propelling society.Who even notices the wind?Do occupants of air-conditionedhouses, offices, cars,accustomed to ignoringthe soothing gesture of a cool breeze,understand the gentle stirringsof a Holy Comforter?Only those who favourthe fan of Godtrim the sail,straining to catch…
At Juneau, Alice and I decided to take a bus to a small ship at the edge of town that promised to take us for a two-hour boat ride so we could watch whales in the ocean. We were a little uncertain about the wisdom of this decision. The cost was rather steep for a short boat ride just to watch some whales. But the decision had been made, and we went along for the ride.
This is how we put it at the time: “We chose the name ‘Christian’ because our first allegiance is to Christ. The fact that many other believers call themselves Christians is for us a positive thing. We are not called to be exclusive in our claims to be followers of Christ. We rejoice that God’s grace is wide enough to include even us. We chose the name ‘Courier’ because it represents what we do: we are messengers.”
Here we are, the grateful owners of a very comfortable and pleasant townhouse. It will take several weeks now before we are almost settled in, although the ultimate finish line may be a year away.
Both Alice and I have found that the longer we were on the road to reduction, the easier it seemed to be to let go of things that earlier seemed to cling to our bodies.
Putting your hand to the plow and not looking back is all about leaving everything behind that hinders you from serving in the kingdom. And that kind of commitment to service sets us free to honour our fellow workers at a slow but steady pace.
Our son Maynard lives in greater Vancouver. He works at the University of British Columbia (UBC) situated on the far-west coast. It’s a large research university that serves about 52,000 students. He and two other labour relations specialists represent the administration, who oversee the close to 10,000 or so staff (not including faculty) at the university.
And all of this is good because we live in a universe that far exceeds our dimensions, and it is big enough and lasts long enough to give evidence of God’s plan to gather in all the treasures he has generously distributed through the ages.
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