Raisins

I am baking muffins tonight and realized that the only fruit with a different name when dried is a grape. If you dry a cranberry it's a dried cranberry. An apricot is a dried apricot. Same for a banana, or an apple or a currant. But not a grape. When dried it's called a raisin. Doesn't give any clue why in the dictionary, maybe you know.

On the muffin menu tonight are cranberry/raisin bran muffins and oatmeal raisin muffins. I baked carrot/pineapple/rhubarb bran muffins a day or so ago. I hate sweet muffins so I drop the sugar, or most of it, and add fruit and molasses.

By the way if you ever have a muffin at Tim Hortons notice how they all taste the same, no matter what type you get. None of that nonsense at Tommy's where the muffins are always tasty.

Pa

The sound of victory

At the Healing Room last night Geordie and I prayed for a person and got to a point where he said he had self hatred and a temptation to hate others. We thought that had better go and, while I'm usually cautious to wait on the Spirit when telling things to go felt I could proceed directly and remove this spirit from his life.

I command the spirit of self hatred to leave and the person started jerking then farted fairly significantly. I felt the spirit had been expelled and right then the Spirit of Joy hit and he started laughing with more freedom and joy than I had ever heard him laugh with. I knew the Lord was pouring the Spirit into him at that moment. This lasted for a while then we moved on, him swearing me to secrecy about telling anyone of this event.

I said I wouldn't tell a soul.

We've had all sorts of fun at the Healing Room and have experienced lots of things. Above all we have experienced the power of God and the victory we have in Jesus.

Pa

The increase of his government will never end...

I'm still mad about a testimony at church where the devil got the nod. The person had been healed and waited three months to see if it was real then testified that it had been three months but they weren't sure it would last.

Despite what I write here I really do have compassion for people and I fully understand where this person is coming from. But my blood boils when I hear the liar speaking. Used to be I could just shrug it off but it's making me more and more angry. Mad at the lies, mad at the father of lies, mad at the doubting theology, mad that my God gets that kind of a rap.

When we get healed why don't we believe it? Do we really think that when Jesus healed people in the Bible that their healing only lasted a little while and that this is the norm for us?

Like I said to this person after the testimony the only way to have your healing leave your body is to start doubting and start telling people it could come back at any time. Doubt is the ultimate faith destroyer, that's why Satan uses it all the time.

When we get healed the enemy sneaks in and whispers, "you just never know, this may not last, don't get all excited just yet", then when you stay healed for a while he says, "yeah, but what about Bob who said he was healed only to die of his disease, you don't want to mislead people now do you?".

So we say, "Did God really say...?" and agree that the devil just might be right. It certainly looks right.

But we forget to look into the Word of God to see what it looks like in there. Healing in there looks a whole lot different than healing out here for the most part. I don't see anywhere in there where Jesus or one of his followers says, "Glad to see that knee healed but don't count on it lasting." All I see is Christ bearing the curse for us (which includes sickness), destroying the works of the devil (emphasis on destroying) and declaring the Kingdom of God has come upon us (which excludes the work of Satan).

Let's all agree on this - When God does something in your life get happy and tell everybody what he's done, even if it is only 10% of what you need done. Never say it's going to stop. His arm isn't too short.

Pa

Water

I rode my new bike to the cabin this weekend which is a really nice thing to do but creates a problem on arrival. We have no running water so when I arrive after 3 hrs in the saddle I stink and Ma wants me to stay outside.

My solution was to heat about 4 litres/1 gallon of water, head to the little bath tub in the trailer and have whatever kind of bath it was I had. As I was shampooing my hair and washing the sweat off I remembered that book City of Joy where the guy says people in Calcutta wash with about a litre/quart of water a day and are considered some of the cleanest people on earth.

My little bath was entirely adequate although I'm not sure if I'd want to repeat it everyday. It did give me pause to consider that I probably use more water in a day than people in Calcutta use in 6 months. I know we in North America use more water than anyone on earth and the earth conscious side of me thought it would be a good idea to conserve a bit.

I ran into this in Winnipeg too when I went over to a friends house that was small, old, furnished with old stuff, had the oldest fridge I have ever seen, etc, etc - on purpose. Instead of heading to the burbs for the big house with two shower heads in the shower he's headed the other way. I like that.

I think I want to try and cut back on things that I consume, likely in reaction to the 'must have better' impulse I feel and am not so sure is right. When I went to University I was interested in saving the whales and Greenpeace, belonged to the whole food co-op, had a 'Boycott Kraft' sticker right across the front of my fridge and had no interest in more, more, more. Except for booze, but that's a tale for another day.

My little bath connected me with the fact that I'd like to be totally off grid at the cabin and really like the cabin because it's not a house and demands one live differently and think about things like water supply. The pit toilet, well, that's another story.

Pa

One for Andy!!

Thor Hushovd, the mighty cyclist from Norway and green jersey winner at the Tour de France 2005 won the Gent-Wevelgem race this week, outsprinting the likes of Petacchi and winning by inches.

I see the Norse flag waving in Montana and know Andy is wild with pride for his countryman. After extensive language training by Andy I can actually say Thor's name about half right but on a happy day like this it doesn't matter, I can just call him the winner.

It is quite a feat to win a spring classic race, the best in the world line up and nobody knows who's going to be at the pointy end of the race at the finish. Thor isn't the best sprinter in the world and for him to beat Petacchi is a real feat of racing.

Here's to Norway! Here's to Andy!

May you too finish the race you are running well.

Pa

Rest Day

Today is a rest day off the bike and my body is thanking me. Spring training is always tiring and painful and when you've not trained much over the winter it's all the harder. If you want to race you need to be in shape and getting there takes military discipline.

Part of the discipline is to rest (hear me now all you overworked for Jesus types), which means to not get on the bike and ride. If you dare get on the bike your brain goes psycho and tells you that you must ride hard because you are so out of shape. So one daren't swing a leg over the top tube or even look at his cycling helmet lest the brain take over.

You then listen to your body tell you when to ride again, at which point you are far stronger and all your training benefits are all captured.

This has nothing to do with serving the Lord because in that sport rest isn't considered profitable, even though we do talk about entering into his rest. But to take a day or two off because your body told you too? People are more important than that aren't they?

Our Pastor says he's always worked 70 hours a week, a feat I can only feel sad about but which most Pastors equal him in. I'm not interested enough in anything to do it for 70 hours a week, except maybe sleeping.

If you are reading this and are in the red zone for fatigue, stress or health I declare this to be a day of rest for you. Yes you can. Yes you will.

Take the risk. See if one day of rest doesn't result in a far more productive and profitable day following. The hard work, combined with a day of rest, results in a better You.

See you on the couch,
Pa