Quail are as common to me in the Okanagan as sparrows were in the Holy Land to Jesus. I usually walk blithely past them without so much as a glance as they scurry from bush to bush in the undergrowth. However, a recent encounter with a covey of quail drew my attention to today's verse and how God is aware of what happens to all life forms in His creation, no matter how common and insignificant they may be to me.

It was a beautiful summer's day in the Okanagan, and I was strolling along on my usual after-church Sabbath walk, mulling over the sermon our minister had just delivered, based on the Good Samaritan, about kindness and the question, "Just who is our neighbour?" As I strolled along, I came upon a small, rocky hill that has a very steep and primitive trail running about 300 feet up its side to an observation platform at its top. Due to my recent health problems, I have not been able to do anything more exerting than walking on the flat. I considered my options and decided that I would go as far up the trail as possible.

I started the climb and was quite delighted that I was handling the trail well. My focus was on the trail ahead of me, when suddenly, in a patch of sunlight, out darted a covey of quail. There were three adults, and several new chicks. I was taken quite by surprise as I watched them flit along the trail as the adults guided the chicks to safety in the brush. This "God moment" lasted only just that — a moment — but it left me with a sense of delight. Then the quail scurried into the undergrowth and disappeared from my sight.

I continued on up the trail and returned to contemplating the sermon: "Just who is our neighbour?" The quail are so common in our neighbourhood that I in my unawareness have taken no keen interest in them at all. It is only recently that I have learnt the call of the adult male bird, yet they are, in fact, my next-door neighbours; together we share in the providential grace of God for His creation. God is aware of them and cares for them just as much as He cares for me. As I climbed on up the trail, I asked myself a series of questions that I challenge my readers to ask: "Do I care for my human neighbours in the same way as I treat the quail?" "Am I interested in my neighbours?" "Do I care about their wellbeing?" I must admit that since knowing Jesus, my love of my neighbour has improved considerably, but I still have the need to call on His divine grace to deepen my care, my understanding, and my concern for all of His wonderful creation.

God is always awake and always aware of us all — all of His creation, even the most common of us. I came down from the hill refreshed in body, mind, and soul. It was a very delightful way to spend a sunny Sunday morning in the loving care of God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, in Your mercy, bring us into an awareness of the most common quail amongst us: the man sitting on the sidewalk with his hat between his knees, the woman pushing a cart with her load of pop cans, the teen in distress in a doorway, the invisible seniors eking out their existence right next door to us — the invisible human quail of our neighbourhood. May we bring them a smile and a blessing, all in Your name. Amen.

Luke 8:5-8 – A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. (NIV 2011)

For me, the most pertinent point of the sermon was that even some of the seeds that landed on rocky ground could eventually come into bloom. I lived for many years on skid row as an alcoholic, and the soil of my soul had become very rocky ground. It was hardened, poisoned, and covered by the rocks of despair from the starkness of my daily grind for survival. I was emotionally and spiritually dead, detached from life, from self, and, most importantly, from God. Although many of God's servants sowed the seeds of salvation, I was totally incapable of responding. Some people even turned away from me in frustration, feeling that their best efforts were being wasted on me. I felt that I had been abandoned to the dismal fate of an alcoholic death.

I now firmly believe that it was the Spirit of almighty God that came to me one night as I sat behind a green dumpster, drinking a bottle of rum. I had an insight, a voice as clear as a bell, a gentle voice from within me that said, "You were not born to live this way. You were not meant to die this way." That luminous moment of insight was the beginning of my journey towards Jesus, towards the light of life.

The living seed of God, sown by the servants of God years before, began to blossom in the dry soil of my soul. The Lord Jesus gently led me to the foot of His cross, where I eventually knelt, confessed my sinfulness, and admitted my need of His all-saving grace. All honour and glory be to God, for without His saving grace, I would still be counted amongst the lost souls. I will also be eternally grateful for all of God's people who, with patience and persistence, continued to sow the seeds of salvation. Today, through the eternal message of the gospel, I am able to love without fear, to embrace life with all of its vagaries, and to live life to its fullest.

The important point is that as Christians, we ought never to turn away from people in desperate and disparate circumstances, no matter whether we feel that our best efforts to sow the seeds of our Lord are landing on deaf ears. We never know when or where those seeds will take root and flourish in even the most broken of souls. By the great commission left by Jesus, we, His friends and servants, are to be the sowers of the seeds, the fishers of souls. It is to be left to God alone, through His will and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to furnish the nourishment of His grace, so that some of the seeds that we sow may someday thrive, even in the most rock-strewn and desolate of human hearts.

Prayer: Dear Lord, with Your help and grace, may we become sowers of the seeds of Your Word, and may Your seeds return to you a hundredfold. May we always in word and deed give witness to the redeeming love and grace of Your Son, our dear Lord Jesus. Amen.

I was reminded of this movie, because recently, I have been taking a course in ancient Greek history, part of which is the poetry of Tyrtaeus of Sparta (c. 630 BC). The poet describes the bravest stance of the hoplite warrior as being one in which his feet are planted firmly on the ground, his shield held securely facing the enemy, his spear ready to thrust at the forward ranks, and his breastplate and helmet shining in the sun. This image of a confident, steadfast, well-armed, and well-protected warrior is also reflected in the writings of St. Paul. During my morning walks lately, I have been considering Paul's injunction to "put on the full armour of God" (Ephesians 6:11a NIV). Paul reminds us that we are daily exposed to the trials and tribulations of the world, the temptations to lust, greed, and anger, and all the difficulties of living in a depraved culture of physical, spiritual, and emotional violence. However, this does not mean that we as Christians do not participate in society. As followers of Jesus, we do not retreat from the world. Jesus said:

John 17:15,18 – My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. (NIV)

Thankfully, the Lord does not send us in harm's way spiritually unarmed or unprotected. Paul's assertive injunction is, "Put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13 NIV)

Paul then goes on to describe the full panoply of God's armour:

Ephesians 6:14-17 – Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NIV)

Each morning when we put on the full regalia of God's spiritual armour, we need the Lord Jesus to check our equipment to see that it is in good order. We need to pray continually in the Spirit for the gifts of the Spirit, to be filled daily with faith, hope, and love. With Him by our side and fully clad in the armour of light, we need fear no evil. We can then face the trials and tribulations of the day with confidence, steadfastness, and the rootedness that comes from the sure knowledge that it is Jesus who touches us on the shoulder, and gently and lovingly says to us in a calm, quiet voice, "Lock and load, my faithful friend. Let's go!"

Prayer: Dear God, as we walk through this valley of life, grant us the protection of Your rod, Your staff, and Your armour of light. May we stand with feet firmly rooted in your Son, Jesus, and with the encouragement of the Spirit to face the day fearlessly and with the confidence that You will always be our protection. Amen.

One morning this past summer, during our morning walk, my wife and I stopped for a break at our usual bistro. It was a beautiful morning, and we decided to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. Sitting at a nearby table was a group of three or four people listening to a man describe in minute detail, and in a very clear and ecstatic voice, his experience of undergoing surgery at a hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As he related his story, it became obvious to me that he was the recipient of a heart transplant. As I myself had been through the experience of open-heart surgery as a teenager in the very early days of that procedure, I was interested in his story.

The man at the table was expressing his feelings about the experience in a joyous voice, telling his listeners just how grateful he was towards the doctors, the technicians, and the nurses. Just as I was getting ready to leave, one of his listeners asked the man if the surgery had given him a new outlook on life. Once again, the man related in a voice still full of thankfulness how he awakens each day with joy in his heart just to be alive. He went on in a quieter and more reverent tone of voice that each day, he remembers, "Someone had to die in order that I may live, and each day, I try to live life to its fullest." As I walked away from my table, I suddenly became overwhelmed by the thought that, just like for that man, Someone had to die in order that I may live my life to its fullest.

John 10:10 – The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life — indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. (CEB)

Jesus died on the cross that we might, through the regeneration of the soul, attain the newness of heart that gives us life in its abundance. Those who are in Christ are born again. Do we rise each morning with a heartfelt sense of gratitude for His sacrifice? Are we as emphatic in our witness to the newness of our heart, received as a gift through the death of our Lord Jesus?

Prayer: Dear Lord, by the power of Your abundant grace, bestow on each of us the gift of a grateful and courageous heart, in order that we may ardently express to others the fullness of our gratitude for Jesus. We earnestly pray for all those who, this day, are seeking Your kingdom, Your love, and Your grace. Amen.

There is a small, non-descript fountain at the entrance to our city park. The fountain itself is not very impressive as fountains go. It has just seven streams of water rising to a height of about ten feet, and a red brick wall contains the waters of the pool. One of our friends, who often travels to Rome and other European cities, even scoffs at our little fountain in comparison to the fountains she has seen in Europe. Nevertheless, we enjoy our little fountain. However, it sits very close to one of the busiest intersections in town, and the sounds of the cascading waters are usually drowned out by traffic noises. Nonetheless, my wife and I always stop and sit by the waters whenever we go to the park. If we mentally ignore the rush and noise of the nearby traffic, we can actually hear the babble of the falling waters.

Like the Samaritan woman in today's Scripture, when I was goaded by the grace of God, I asked Jesus a few years ago for His living waters and for the Spirit of the waters to enter my parched and weary soul. I actually experienced the rush and bubbling of the living waters that He promised. The waters filled me with a song of joy and a sense of peace. I felt just like Scrooge when he found out that it was still Christmas Day. My wife noticed that I had become more cheerful, friendly, and outgoing. However, I yearned for sweet silence, and I tried to find a quiet place where I could listen to the song of joy as the waters bubbled and gurgled over the rocks of my very being. The more I tried to keep the living waters to myself, the more the noise and rush of life had a way of invading every sense of my being.

The waters that feed the fountain in the park are self-contained — there is no constant stream of fresh water to the fountain — and so coloured water is simply re-circulated. There have been a few occasions when someone put food colouring in the water of the fountain, and it turned red or blue or green, or just a muddy colour. When this happens, city workers need to come and clean and flush the fountain in order to restore it to clear, sparkling waters. So it is that when I tried to keep the beauty and joy of the living waters of the Spirit to myself, the waters would become stained or muddy. It is at such times that I am in need of the Lord Jesus to come and flush out my fountain and cleanse the waters.

Just like our little fountain in the park, His gift of the living waters to us can sometimes became self-contained. If we want to keep them clear and sparkling, we must let them flow from Jesus into our pool, and from our pool into the river of life that flows throughout the world beyond us.

John 7:38 – Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him. (NIV)

If we want to keep the gift of the living waters clear and flowing brightly, we must share them with others, as the Samaritan woman did. She told others in her village about Jesus, and about the living waters. No matter how muddy or discoloured our fountain becomes from the rush and the noise of this world, Jesus will always be there to lead us back to the source of all life.

Revelation 7:17 – For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (NIV)

Jesus will always lead us back to the source of the living waters. He will wash our souls and replenish our spirits. His song will once again bubble up from the fountains of our regenerated souls.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of regeneration by the living waters of the Spirit, the Comforter who allows us to be open to the pain and suffering of this world, and not to ignore the suffering of our fellow beings. You, dear Lord, will always lead us back to the source of living waters to cleanse and refresh our worn souls. Amen.

Isn't it strange how one of those profound and sacred insights into the all-consuming love and grace of God that overwhelms our very souls seems to build up over time? My last graceful moment started with a very innocuous homily based on the woman who was healed by the Lord after a twelve-year bleeding illness. The commentator went into detail about the social and religious circumstances surrounding her illness and explained the serious repercussions to her: she would have been socially outcast and financially destitute from visiting the many physicians seeking help. The most important point of the lesson was that no man would have touched her for fear of becoming religiously unclean according to the law. A few days later, a Bible website that I use in my daily devotions also posted the same Bible verse, and this time, I felt compelled to make a reply. I simply said, "Even if we reach out in faith and touch the hem of His robe we shall be healed."

Like the woman, I had spent many years seeking help for my desperate emotional and mental condition, brought about by my struggle with years of alcoholism and drug abuse. Even though I had been sober for many years, my passions were still raging out of control. I still suffered from a grave depression arising from a constant war within my conscience, and it was seriously affecting my relationships with God and my wife. I lived in the hope that one day, the Lord would heal me. My constant prayer was for a heart of flesh — a clean heart. However, it was not until one day, out of sheer desperation in my bathroom, that I finally declared in a loud voice, "Jesus Christ is Lord!" and then reached out and touched the hem of His robe. I believe that at that point, Jesus turned and touched my soul, for over the past few months, I have been experiencing the newness of being promised wonderful things in the Scriptures. There must have been significant changes in me, as the elders of my church have asked me to join them on the session.

I whole-heartedly believe that this promise of God in Ezekiel has been fulfilled in me:

Ezekiel 36:26 – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (NIV)

I urge you to reach out this day, touch the hem of His robe, and receive what Jesus has in store for you.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, send Your Spirit to comfort and empower those who struggle with addictions or need Your healing. Amen.

Ezekiel 36:26 – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (NIV)

It was this fulfilled promise of God that helped me understand what Jesus was saying when He was talking to Nicodemus:

John 3:3 – In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (NIV)

Revelation 3:20a – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him. (NKJV)

It was only through the chrysalis of the cross, the tomb, and the gift of the Holy Spirit that I was able to allow God's promise of a new heart to flow within me, once I had answered Jesus' knock on the door. The moment I opened the door, I received Jesus' promise of salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and renewal. This became real to me as the days passed into weeks, and both I and others noticed changes in my behaviour and attitudes. It was an ongoing learning experience, like that of doubting Thomas, interspersed with many epiphanies. Some call it "sanctification". This was a period of getting used to my new relationship with Jesus, my Saviour, who was working within me by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was and still is a time to spread my wings, to leave the chrysalis, and flit about, getting used to my ever-renewing, God-given attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours.

1 Peter 1:23 – For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (NIV)

God speaks to me and gives me many opportunities to remember my experience at the foot of the cross and the mystery that is His redemptive power. Many times I have been called by the Spirit into a time of reflection — a time to recall God's promises, to thank Him for Jesus, and to count my blessings for newness of life through God's grace, His Word, and my Christian community.

Prayer: Dear Lord, grant us the grace of redemption that we might experience the fullness of Your love. Amen.