Posts by John Staiger (Page 108)
Day 44 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Home.” New Zealand is the land of agnostics. Telling people about Christ’s saving act on the cross is usually met with polite silence around here. The kind of silence that says, ‘I’m happy for you that you have found something to believe in but understand that that religious stuff is not for me. So, if we are to be friends, please keep it to yourself.’ Some claim to be atheists, but even they will argue themselves around to a mindset that…
Day 43 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“It is still called ‘Today.’” Not to spread false hope, but I hear that Kiwis may be able to worship together again soon. Praise the Lord! We still will be restricted in numbers, and to non-contact greetings—waves, nods and smiles—however, being together will be a great reunion with lots of good and godly words spoken. The apostle John wrote, when concluding his short letter to a good sister: “I have much to write to you, but I do not want to…
Day 42 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Better than a good memory.” When I was 20, I was blessed to live and work in the city of Palmerston North for 8 months. I arrived as the winter of 1981 was beginning and quickly learned that the winds that whip across the Manawatu Plains can carry a bite that goes deep. But the spring was worth waiting for. Even my youthful eyes, which had no interest in suburban beautification, couldn’t miss the prettiness of it all. It was…
Day 41 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Vigilance is the order of the day.” Back in the 1980s my friend, Jimmy Townsend, worked for the airport. He was among the sea of workers responsible for assisting travelers into the friendly skies. He wasn’t a pilot, but he was, admittedly, closer to the cockpit than the baggage claim. One ‘Fun fact’ he enjoyed sharing with me was something that half of me dismissed as a joke, and the other half of me hoped was an urban legend. He said,…
Day 40 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Tell it to me Straight!” John Steinbeck does not need my praise to establish his place in literary history. Titles such as Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden and Of Mice and Men had cemented his fame long before I was born. Of the few Steinbeck books I have read, Tortilla Flat was the one I enjoyed most. Steinbeck’s story follows the antics of the Monterey’s resident winos. His ability to juxtapose their camaraderie with their utter selfishness, is masterful.…
Day 39 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Fine Red Ink.” Terry Brown taught us the Books of The Minor Prophets back in my Bible College days. He asked a paper of me on the Book of Nahum. Excitement immediately welled up inside of me. I studied extensively and typed on that old click-clack typewriter for hours. I put in effort that one couldn’t believe and time beyond anyone’s calculation. With massive pride I handed him my exegetical masterpiece. Well, that’s the way I saw it, anyway! Nahum…
Day 38 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Rejoice!” Most people have been patient during Lockdown. When tempted to state my opinions I am reminded that the average person is really trying to be a good citizen about this. The spirit of ‘Love thy Neighbour” has been heart-warming. I’m sure you’ll agree that looking around to find opportunities to rejoice with those who rejoice can be labelled ‘Good Medicine,” right now. Here’s some thoughts from life and scripture: (1) Solomon told us that there’s “A time to laugh”—Take…
Day 37 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Tunnels along the way.” When my kids were teenagers we went to Universal Studios in California. For movie fans it is well worth the visit. On arrival we were put on to an open-air vehicle and driven from one interesting display to another. One of our stops was in a tunnel. Our guide, a dapper sixty-year-old man, who was so well spoken that you wondered why he wasn’t in the movies instead of talking about them to tourists, was asking…
Day 36 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“Money for Heaven’s sake!” When Hettie Green died in 1916 she was worth between two and five billion dollars in today’s money. She was the richest woman of her time. She was born into a wealthy Quaker family that owned a fleet of whaling ships but became an expert investor in her own right. Her financial philosophies were simple: Know what you are buying, buy low after sleeping on it, sell high when everyone is buying like crazy, and have…
DAY 35 The Lock-Down. Bringing Hope to Confined Circumstance
“One plants…again.” It was a blessed day that Larry and Helen Deason left their home in Texas in the 1960s to be missionaries in New Zealand. Larry met and taught Peter Craig the gospel and, praise God, baptised him. In turn, Peter Craig taught me the gospel and baptised me into Christ on the seventh day of the seventh month of 1977 (another blessed day). That was the greatest day of my life. From childhood I had no doubts about…