The Brothers

Today is my nephew's birthday. He is the second of four boys, who are all very different in character. That, however, is generally the way.
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Here is a story which a wandering teacher once told about a man who had two sons of contrasting character:
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The man was a farmer, and the sons were called Ali and Yusuf. Ali was the elder son, but it was Yusuf who surprised his father one day by demanding the share of the estate which was due to him. Since there was no legal objection, he got what he wanted, sold the land quickly, and emigrated to France with the proceeds.
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Yusuf headed straight for Paris and with his new wealth had a wonderful time. He made many friends and went to lots of parties - until the money ran out and nobody wanted to know him. At the same time, the French economy took a very sharp downturn.
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Now Yusuf was forced to look for work at a time when there was little available. Having few skills except those he had picked up on his father's farm, all he could find was a job looking after some pigs. The pay was extremely poor and Yusuf was so hungry that he found himself looking at the scraps he was forced to feed to the animals.
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It wasn't long before Yusuf began to get homesick.
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"My father's workmen always had plenty of food," he thought, "yet here I am, starving to death! The best thing I can do is swallow my pride and go home. The only problem is - will my father have me back after the way that I’ve treated him?”
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Yusuf gave the matter considerable thought as he fed the pigs.
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"I'll do it," he decided, "but, when I meet him, I'll apologise. I'll say: father, I've sinned against both God and you, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Please would you take me on as one of your labourers?"
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Having made up his mind, Yusuf left the farm and started hitch-hiking. It took him ages, but, as he walked up the road that led to his home, his father saw him through the window and ran out to greet him.
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"Welcome home, son!" he cried.
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"No," said Yusuf, "I've sinned against both God and you, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son ...."
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But his father started shouting to his servants.
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"Quick, run this boy a bath and give him some decent clothes! Then tell the cook to kill the prize bull and organise a feast for us! For my son was dead and now he's alive! He was lost, but now he's been found!"
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Ali, however, was out in the fields when this happened. At the end of the day, he came home and music and dancing.
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"What's going on?" he asked a passing servant.
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"Your brother has come home, sir, and your father has killed the prize bull and is organising a feast to welcome him back. Come inside."
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Ali was angry.
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"No!" he said. "I won't!"
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The servant went into the house and told his master that Ali refused to come in. So his father went outside to plead with him.
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"Yusuf's come home safe and sound," he said. "Please come indoors and join in the fun."
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"Look,” said Ali. “I’ve been slaving away for you for years and years, and in all that time I’ve never once disobeyed your orders, but you’ve never even given me a goat with which to have a party with my friends. Now this son of yours has come home - the one who wasted your property on prostitutes - you’ve killed the prize for his benefit."
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"Ali," said his father, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we need to celebrate this evening, because your brother was dead and now he's alive! He was lost, but now he's been found!"
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The teacher ends his story there and leaves us to draw our own conclusions from it. Was the father right? Or was Ali right? What do you think? And what was the teacher trying to tell us? Please let me know.
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Thanks and God bless you.
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The Last Enemy

I look out of the window. Fluffy white clouds are floating along in the sky. The sun shines brightly on the red-brick houses across the road. There are blue and yellow flowers peeping up through the grass - a sign of new life - so why is it that my mind is filled with gloomy thoughts of death?
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The answer lies in something I read this morning:
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It's the record of the events leading up to the conflict between Achish, king of Gath and leader of the Philistines, and Saul, who ruled over Israel. The Philistines had set up camp outside the town of Shunem (which is now called Solem) and the Israelis were assembled at the foot of Mount Gilboa. Outmanoeuvred, outnumbered, and with the morale of his men at an all-time low, Saul was terrified of the forthcoming battle - and that's why he did what he did.
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He began, quite sensibly, by going to God for guidance. With the prophet Samuel now dead, this meant that Saul was obliged to ask the high priest to pray for him - which the man did, but was unable to give him an answer. Neither did anyone arrive to deliver a message from God and even Saul's dreams gave him no guidance.
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Finally, in his desperation, Saul turned to what before he had always avoided - the occult - and instructed his men to search the area for a medium. Eventually they found one for him in the town of Endor (now known as ‘En-dûr now) which lies four miles south of Mount Tabor. So by night, disguised and accompanied by only two trusted men, he went to visit the house of the medium.
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"Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up the man that I name."
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"That's illegal," she said. "If Saul ever finds out about it, I'll be put to death."
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"No, I promise you won't," he said, and he swore a great oath to confirm the rash promise. Then he asked the woman to raise up Samuel the prophet.
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She did so, and screamed when Samuel appeared.
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"You've deceived me!" she shouted. "You are Saul!"
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He acknowledged the truth of this and threw himself full-length on the ground.
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"Why have you disturbed me?" demanded Samuel.
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"Because I had to!" cried Saul. "I'm fighting the Philistines and God has deserted me. He no longer answers by prophets or dreams, and I don't know what to do next!"
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"If God has turned away from you and become your enemy, what can I do to help?" asked Samuel. "I told you this would happen. Today, God has taken the kingdom from you and given it to your neighbour David because you refused to obey Him. And tomorrow the Philistines will defeat Israel, then you and your sons will join me here."
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And that is precisely what happened.
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Are there any of Saul's mistakes we can learn from before we make them ourselves? Yes, I think this story has at least three important things to teach us:
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1. Obey God at all times.
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2. Keep in touch with Him - directly, that means by prayer.
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3. Don't turn to mediums for guidance - or anything else they may offer.
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Now I commend you to God and His love, and trust you will know the power of His blessing - until we meet next time.
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A Little Experiment

Welcome to this new blog.
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I am, as you can see, trying a little experiment and I don't know how - or even whether - it will work, but I would like to invite you to join me on the Great Journey. Stay with me for a while, enjoy the ride and let's see if we can really get somewhere.
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Until tomorrow - farewell!
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