“They were, after all, looking for a political Messiah who would smash Rome into tiny pieces and establish a tangible kingdom of raw power. But, instead, here was Jesus, walking on the water, turning water into wine, calming the storm, caring for children, touching lepers, and speaking with – of all the nerve – outcasts and women…”

Reaching Toward Easter, p21

Today is Photo Friday, yes, but also the first week of Lent.

So my quote (above) is a reminder that the Jesus we are invited to walk with is a servant at heart who rode on a donkey, not a war horse.

Geoffrey:

I saved this one for today. Great pics on the “Grandchild Photo Dump” earlier in the week, but this one takes the prize!

The gift our daughter Naomi has in photography is for her ability to see, and to frame. A dozen people could have tried to capture this moment but none of them would have achieved this – especially with the dog.

Nice work, Naomi. You win Photo Friday yet again!

Rebekah:

In keeping with the theme of art, our niece Jordan is a wonderful landscape painter. Her forte is Central Florida. In consequence, Rebekah has a wonderful collection of Jordan originals in her study.

A couple of days ago her 2023 calendar arrived. Twelve beautiful paintings.

Bravo, Jordan, Bravo!

Auntie Olive turns 100!

Now this shout out to my Auntie Olive in the U.K. This past week she celebrated her 100th birthday. Very impressive.

Olive met my uncle Norman in WW2 London, singing so lift people’s spirits in air raid shelters during the Nazi bombing.

After the war, Norman went to Bible College, and – together – my aunt and uncle led congregations in the South of England, as well as serving as missionaries both in Hong Kong and Samoa.

You can see my cousins in the photo too. Marion, who is an accomplished artist and retired educator, and Liz, a recently retired minister in the United Reformed Church.

So, please pray for Olive. It can be a difficult struggle to live to 100, and I ask that God would grant her peace in every possible way.

Salmon Crepes

Tuesday, also known as “Shrove Tuesday” has another name too. “Pancake Day!” In England, growing up, my mother always made the thin crepe pancakes and served them with lemon and sugar. Wonderful!

I am not in need of stacks of pancakes loaded with sugar, but I did want to honor the tradition. So I prepared a salmon crepe for dinner and – along with some asparagus – it was the perfect Shrove Tuesday dinner treat.

Around the Maul Hall garden:

Yes, it is still officially “winter” around here. But we have been enjoying a lot of springlike conditions in Wake Forest this past week.

Even the “Lenten Rose” plants have got a jump start on the season. Whatever happens with temperatures over the next few weeks, the “call” for spring has absolutely gone out and it is not something that can be reversed.

Have a marvelous weekend, friends, and don’t forget to spend an hour at your local house of worship. Lent is a special season of preparation. All I can say is that it does my soul good – DEREK