Contents:
A SIGNIFICANT BIRTHDAY
ANOTHER LETTER TO THE EDITOR
SHAZARD UPDATE
PUPPY!
LIVING WATER
Hi, everybody =) How are you doing? I hope you’re doing alright. There are some of you I haven’t heard from in a little while. Drop me a note, huh, and let me know how things are in your life. You wouldn’t be on this list if I didn’t care about you. =) So, give me a little feedback.
This year, I decided to have a little get-together to celebrate the friendship of those close to me, and the presence of God through the 27 years I have lived on this earth. I had a Sabbath lunch pot-luck, entitled “Presence”, complete with a party tent, borrowed chairs, decorations, and specially compiled cassettes of music focussing on the theme. For the day, I prayed, and had a few friends praying for 2 things: good weather (we’re in rainy season) and good variety of food (I didn’t really tell people what to bring, but rather asked everyone to pray about what they would bring.) I want to praise God publicly that he answered the prayers in both respects. Even though it rained all morning, come about 12:30, I arrived home to beautifully blue skies. And as the guests arrived, and the food arrived in perfect proportions. When all was said and done, I had enough rice to eat for the weekend =) and a full container of ice cream. =)
There’s something about friends that just makes you want to love them more. There was one friend, who was really feeling down about things in his life. He told me earlier in the day that he might not come. But he did. And I appreciated that.
Another friend stayed behind after everyone left, and talked with me, and closed the Sabbath day with me. And I appreciated that.
And a most of my guests signed my virtual guest book. I’d like
to share some of their messages with you:
Well, David, I never thought we’d become this close, and believe it or not, I wouldn’t have it any other way (Hm…)
It’s a pleasure to know you, and I am proud to share this special day with you.
I wish I could say something besides Happy Birthday, something witty and meaningful and so on, but it’d take too long for me to come up with anything, and so, I want you to enjoy your day and I do pray that this day is and all of your days are filled with joy.
Well, well, well. You are a bigger boy today. That’s good. Happy Birthday. May you enjoy many more. May God bless you. You are an inspiration to me. Thanks for that…....
For a most kind, compassionate, and caring person, I wish you all the best life has to offer. Keep on trusting and believing in God; put Him first and everything will be added unto you.
Just wanted to say Happy B-day, and wish U many joyous returns of this occasion. (I hope this has a +ve effect on my grade. Ha ha…anyways all the best. Continue 2 have faith in God.
Hey David Andrew, … here, wishing you a happy birthday. It is always good to have friends, and you are a great friend.
Jonathan in the Bible was close to David. So much so that Jonathan’s son who was lame was given back Jonathan’s land and invited to sit at the table with King David every time after Jonathan died. Such compassion! We may never become as close as David and Jonathan but ‘as man to man’ your friendship does mean a whole lot to me. You are an important person in my life.
~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY~~
“Cry aloud, spare not! Lift up your voice like a trumpet, to show my people her transgression, and Israel her sins”
A friend who lives up the road came to me and told me about how there was a graduation “bashment” held at the Maracas Community Centre. Those who put on the bash were students of the Maracas Seventh-day Adventist Secondary School. One of the organizers was a son of one of the Union officials (to the chagrin of his family). My friend told me about how the neighbours were talking about how “the Adventists” were putting on this uncharacteristic bash. In this context, I wrote the following letter to the editors of 3 of Trinidad’s dailies. I saw it printed in 2.
Dear Editor,
This Sunday evening (Monday morning) a “graduation bashment” was held in the Maracas Community Centre. Many of the participants of the “bashment” were graduating students of the Maracas Seventh-day Adventist High School. However, the music played, the comportment of the participants, and the consumption of alcoholic beverages demonstrated that those participating clearly do not hold to the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Although the event was not officially associated with the High School, nor promoted as being in connection with the School, the people of the neighbourhood considered the event as involving school children from “the Adventist school”. As a Seventh-day Adventist, I am embarrassed that such behaviour would be associated with my church and the high school that bears its name. Is this how we say we have graduated? Is this how we celebrate our education? By getting drunk, and bringing shame to those who sacrificed to make our education possible? By bringing into disrepute the name of our school? Surely, education prepares us to act responsibly, and I ask you, [graduates], to demonstrate that to the community. I appeal to the graduating class of 1999, whether Adventist or not, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Jew, as a student at an Adventist school, please recognize that your behaviour will reflect upon me, my church, and Jesus Christ, whom I serve. Plan activities that will honour, and not disgrace your alma mater. Thank you.
David Jeffrey
Maracas Valley
There has been mixed reaction to the letter. Some admire my taking
a stand. Others feel (mistakenly) that I’m tearing down the school.
Others criticize without having actually read the letter. Some feel
that I took a small issue and raised it to the national stage unnecessarily.
While the last point may have some merit, it’s too long that we have tried
to hide and push under the carpet issues that we need to own up to and
address. The name of our God is too precious to allow others to mash
it by their conduct, with impunity.
Well, a bright spot, and a dim spot this week. Monday, Shazard and I went to a drug support group, known as Friends Forever. We had a good time, and he participated in a discussion about honesty in drug recovery. He said he wanted to return next Monday. Perhaps buoyed by this enthusiasm, and his claim that he was working a “10 days” Unemployment Relief Program. Of course, he had no money to get to work, so I gave him some money to cover a few days of travel. However, the next day, when I saw him, he said that he had used the money in other means – in an informal investment (a sou-sou: which doesn’t make sense because he’s not going to have a long relationship with his work mates which will facilitate a revolving payout system, and also doesn’t make sense because people working 10-days don’t have money, unless they have a benefactor like me…) and also for 3 pairs of “drawers” of which he doesn’t yet have possession. When he told me this last night, I just couldn’t take it…
Just so you understand, a sou-sou is a primitive form a savings, where a group of people all donate money to a collector, who then redistributes the pool to one individual at a time. So, over a period of time, each would receive a large amount of money, however, on balance, they would place exactly that amount of money into the pool. A sou-sou requires a long-term commitment, and trust, two things lacking in a group of desperate men put together to work for the government for 2 weeks repairing roads or doing municipal construction.
Oh, and his urine again tested positive for cocaine, 2 months to the day from his last test.
Needless to say, I’m upset with myself for trusting him with that money
when I should have known better. But I guess I felt I wanted to give
him a chance to prove himself.
I stopped in a pet store today… and there was a small light brown puppy,
alone in a cage. He came to the front of the cage and tried to lick
my fingers through the cage. Oh, so cute… I looked into his
eyes and wished I could have him/her. But, alas, I doubt I could
handle a dog in my present residence. One day, though… one day….
Jesus said, “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water.” John 4:14.
I am reminded of several experiences I have had involving water. As a preparation for the “5 minute” talk I have been asked to share at this evening’s vesper service…
The 3 summers before I came to Caribbean Union College, I worked at New Frenda Youth Camp in Cottage Country, Ontario. Every now and then the waterski staff would be persuaded to get up at 5 or 5:30 in the morning to take skiers out for a morning waterski. There’s something about the lake in the early morning, after a night uninterrupted by the turbulence of passing boats, the lake is clear and smooth. I have always called it the sea of glass. And it’s a pleasure to waterski behind a boat on silky smooth water. I am reminded of the episode where our Master said to the winds and waves, “Peace, be still.” And as he spoke to the elements, he speaks to my heart when it is turbulent, and gives me peace like the water of Lake Rosseau in the morning.
Just over the mountain from the Maracas Valley lies the Maracas Beach. And on several occasions I have made the trek from the bottom of Mount Zion to the beautiful beach, to enjoy the rushing waves and stimulating sunlight. It is important to carry water on the trip, as there is none to be had along the way, save at an outlet from the reservoir at the beginning, and from the river at the end of the trek. Jesus is like the refreshing water I would drink along the way; providing refreshing through the mountainous regions of life.
Every now and then, the water supply to the Maracas Valley is disrupted. Either during dry season when water is rationed, or during the rainy season when mud would clog the water intake. Our house in not blessed with a water tank, and so when there’s no water, we must rely upon the water we have stored to take care of our needs. It’s amazing how ubiquitous water is in our lives – for washing of hands for sanitary purposes, for bathing, for cleaning “wares”, for making juice, for drinking, for washing clothes. There are those who like to be dirty, but it becomes annoying when you have no clean dishes because they’re all piled up in the sink, no clean clothes to wear, and even you begin to find your body odour repugnant. That’s what sin does to us, but Jesus offers us living water to clean us up and make us presentable again.
Water isn’t always friendly. Sometimes water brings death. I had two near-misses involving frozen water. While driving on a two-lane highway in winter, I turned off into the left turn lane. The snow and ice made it difficult to see the edge of the road, and 2 of my tires slipped off the road. Thank God for front wheel drive, as I was able to regain control of the fishtailing car, and manage to stop before the traffic light. In another situation, I waited at a traffic light, to turn left, and another car turned right from the intersection to my left, and just started to slide on the ice toward me. I looked the driver in the eye and saw a look of hopelessness as he slid toward me. By some miracle his car managed to miss mine. But I was reminded of the danger of that water. I praise the Lord that he is a water of which we need never fear, which brings me to my next experience.
When young, my mom has us in swimming lessons. We always had to get into the water. I never liked the “cold” water (about 78F/26C) and so I would get into it gradually… a bit of my foot… a bit of my leg… up to my waist… and then finally in… squirming and squiggling all the way. I learned, later, that it makes more sense to jump right in. As you immerse yourself in the water, the body quickly acclimatizes. And it’s the same way with Jesus. A partial drink of Jesus will make you uncomfortable, as exposure to Him creates a heightened awareness of things in your life that aren’t in line. The best way is to plunge wholly into Jesus Christ.
Come, and drink of the living water. The invitation is open:
“But whoever drink the water I give [you] will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give [you] will become in [you] a spring of water.”
(John 4:14, personalized)
“Never again will [you] hunger, never again will [you] thirst.
The sun will not beat upon [you] nor any scorching heat. For the
Lamb at the centre of the throne will be [your shepherd]; he will lead
[you] to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear
from [your] eyes.” (Revelation 7:16-17, personalized)
Take his invitation! Come and Drink!
Have a great weekend, and an awesome week!
Love you all,
Dave.