tenderly remove morning’s frost from spring petals, some still mourn winter During the lifetime of Jesus, the Jews had a unique custom pertaining to the temple in Jerusalem. When entering, the people had to walk in only one direction. They moved up the stairs, through the outer courts, inner sanctuary, and down the stairs to exit, all in the same…
Category: Faith
I Am Broken
A sea of Ethiopians sit across from the tables. One by one they come to us, the several nurses that assess their medical needs and direct them to appropriate clinics. In between patients, my eyes scan the faces–the people who wait patiently, almost reverently for free medical help. They cannot afford to pay for…
How Appropriate!
My Christmas cactus is blooming… now that it is Easter. How appropriate! We leave in a few minutes for Ethiopia. See you on the other side of the ocean…
‘The Topaz of Ethiopia Cannot Equal It’
Wisdom is when God touches man to reveal Himself. The revelation of wisdom is Jesus. I am preparing myself for the trip to Ethiopia today. I came across anew these beautiful Scriptures from the book of Job below about how precious wisdom is and how men seek it– not even the topaz of Ethiopia can equal the beauty and…
The Privilege of Adoption
My daughter is in the front row with Ethiopian orphans. We leave in a week for a two-week medical trip to Ethiopia. I certainly have mixed feelings about this trip. In fact, every trip has been hard for me this year. I think a decade plus of mega international traveling has caught up with me. Even…
Gnarled Tree
I am watching the dawn break slowly across the wide expanse of the sky. Navy blue is turning to slate now, with small streaks of light pink and gold. The black silhouette of three barren trees sit against the morning sky. They look especially gnarled, almost ghoulish, against the early dawn.
haiku: spring
winter’s spell broken when the cold barren branch bursts pink life from the dead
William F. Buckley and the Jews
William F. Buckley Jr. once said, “In my own experience anti-Semitism is not a communicable disease.” John B. Judis in his biography William F. Buckley Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives states that Buckley grew up with attitudes of Jewish hatred in his home. Later in life, Buckley learned that “anti-Semitism is not a communicable disease” through his own…
What Happened to that Little Girl?
Last evening, we ate dinner with a lovely Italian family from our church. I especially say Italian, because they are proud of their ethnicity; and I am fascinated by it as well. We have known them for many years. They have five bright children; and their parents, in their 80’s, live with them a few months…
Finding the Quiet Center
I quell many thoughts competing for my attention as I sit in the temple. I have come to worship, not to mull over the mundane of life. The morning sun reflects pink and gold tones upon the white Jerusalem stone, as the rabbis remove the Scroll from the Ark, their prayer tassels sway as they bend and lift with tender…
Bonnie Saul Wilks 