Beyond mourning

There's nothing quite like starting a morning with a memorial service.

Somewhere over the rainbow

As I'm typing this, Ingrid Michaelson's busy singing Somewhere over the rainbow, and as I listen to the words, I think back to the last time I saw a rainbow. It was a giant of a stunner, stretching from the bottom of a mountain range to end up plonk in the sea.

What a beautiful day that'd been. I'd left the house at 7:00, no easy feat in the autumn days that are slowly turning into winter. Even worse - it'd started raining just as I hopped into the car. But as I drove along the winding road that would eventually lead me alongside a beautiful beach and a wind-swept sea, the rain gradually came to a halt, and the sun peeked out its shy head. And then, right in front of me, stretched the rainbow.

I'd had to slow down, lest I accidentally crash into the truck in front of me as I looked here and there, trying to see the rainbow in all its glory. Yay for God's reminders of His goodness and faithfulness :)

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.

- Genesis 9:8-15

Jesus is King

Toilet doors the world over have the unique curse of being besmirched with graffiti. Sometimes it's nonsensical sayings, sometimes heartbreaking confessions, and mostly humourous one-liners - either way I've always been surprised at the number of people who seem to be carrying permanent markers around with them.

Today, I saw a new scribble on my favourite toilet door:

Jesus
is
King.

written in thick black coki.

Over that, however, someone had taken their pen and scribbled a horizontal line through Jesus, another through King, and a vertical line through is connecting the two horizontal ones. The result: A Big Fat I covering the truth underneath it.

Somehow, the author had (unintentionally, I presume) ended up creating a striking visual representation of what sin is - it is when we do not regard Jesus as King, but intentionally and rebelliously put ourselves at the center.

I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I.

Who knew that we'd find truths on toilet doors?

*Yes. I have a favourite toilet door. I actually have a number! These are the ones that have the most interactive conversations, that develop over time.