by Barbara Oliver

He was lost. The desert stretched before him, endless, dry, forbidding. He wiped the dust from his forehead. His sweat evaporated immediately, leaving only dry salt that irritated his face.

He saw it coming. The wall of sand raced toward him. He ran. Fear surged through him. No cover offered protection, only a few large rock formations sticking up from the desert floor like giant stalagmites. The storm was gaining on him. He felt the sand bullets striking the nape of his neck. He sprinted toward an outcropping of stone. His eyes stung from the whirling sand. He scoured the rock with his hands, searching for a place to hide from the storm that now enveloped him. He found a small cleft, just large enough to squeeze into. He pulled his jacket up over his head and lay protected from the stormy blast.

How often do we feel pelleted by worry, pain, disease, and death? How we long to find that cleft of rock! What joy to know that we have that protection! Fanny Crosby said it well in her song, "A Wonderful Savior:"

"He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand."

And as God is inclined to do, he heaps the blessings on us.

He gives us friends. We all have that one special brother or sister in Christ to whom we can take any problem, any hurt, any joy, and know that, even though our words may not come out right, he'll understand our heart's intent. If you don't have such a friend, be one! "A man who has friends must himself be friendly" (Proverbs 18:24, NKJV).

He gives us an earthly family. I love my church family here in Winona. Not a large congregation, we are only about seventy souls. They are such a loving church, helping each other during difficult times, enjoying each other during good times. They are a cleft in the rock for me. I know that during times of crisis, those brothers and sisters will be there for me. I have no doubt!

He gives us a heavenly family. Angels watch over us (Matthew 18:10; Luke 16:12), the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26,27), our Brother lived and died for us and bore the separation from God for us. We have a Father who gave his most precious Son for us.

Surely, He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, and covers me there with his hand!

by Barbara Oliver

When I was a child, my mother made me wear big white socks that she had worn until they were too stretched out for her. They were so big I had to put rubber bands around the tops to hold them up.

One day, on my way home from school, it started to rain, and those socks got so wet that the rubber bands couldn't hold them up anymore. They sank down to my ankles in a big, messy clump. The other kids laughed at me, and I began to cry.

Out of nowhere, a big umbrella covered me over, and an arm fell across my shoulders. A soft voice comforted me, telling me that people had laughed at her before, and that I should not pay any attention to those kids. She said it didn't matter what I wore or what other people thought of me because of the way I looked. It only mattered whom I was inside.

I let the warmth of her words and touch soak into my weary young body. Too shy to look up, all I saw were dark legs at the top of her boots.

During times of heartache and trouble, I am reminded of another voice that comforts me. "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5b, NKJV). And I am reminded that part of my job here on earth is to be a comforter (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Romans 12:15, 12:10).

On rainy days, I remember the sweet black teenager who took the time to love a little white kid with droopy socks and a broken heart.

by Barbara Oliver

"I have this tool bar that I can't get rid of."

"Go to View, Toolbars, and unclick it."

"It won't unclick."

"Go to this site and download their software. It will find it and remove it for you."

"I am running it now. WOW, where did all this stuff come from? I didn't know it was on my computer! So, is this spy software free?"

"Not usually. They make you buy it before they delete all the junk."

"Ouch! Thirty bucks!"

Mike had been very careful. He only used his computer for research for sermons. But he discovered that behind the scenes, someone had been downloading software onto his computer from the Internet without his consent. It happens to us all. We innocently visit a web site, turn off our computer, go to bed, and BAM! The next morning we discover that we have extra toolbars, pop-ups, weird sounds, strange cursors, and other unwanted stuff.

How did it get there? How do you get rid of it? Like Mike, you usually have to pull your credit card out of your pocket and lay down thirty bucks!

In the church we are going along just fine, not many problems, pretty good growth, and then BAM! We discover that someone has been downloading spyware into the congregation.

Jesus warns that it will happen. The enemy plants tares in the field with the good seed, and before you know it, you have weeds in with the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). Peter warns against false teachers "secretly" introducing destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1, NASV). The Galatians experienced it. They were bewitched by the teachings of some of the Jewish brethren (Galatians 3:1), exchanging the freedom and the blessings they enjoyed in Christ for slavery under the old law.

Weeding out the spyware always demands a price. Some things we may have to tolerate awhile, "lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them" (Matthew 13:30). For example, new Christians often bring strange ideas with them. These will often disappear with teaching, time, and patience.

Some things we have to get rid of, regardless of the cost, because "a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough" (Galatians 5:9). Some religious people deny the things written in the Bible. They deny the virgin birth, the miracles, the creation, and some even deny the sonship of Christ!

There is an old saying, "Forewarned is forearmed." Peter says it better: "You, therefore, beloved, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness" (2 Peter 3:17).

We will always have to deal with spyware on the Internet. We must be careful where we go and what we allow to be downloaded. In our spiritual lives and family, we must also be careful not to let false teachers slip through our defenses. And though we cannot always prevent these problems, we must "be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless" (2 Peter 3:14).

by Barbara Oliver

It was late. He had arrived early that morning, before anyone else. It was just a spot in the road, indistinguishable from any other spot. But soon it was crowded with men.

The young ones were snatched up first. Off to the vineyards they went, secure in their strength and good fortune. They would earn their wages that day, for the work was difficult and the sun was already hot.

One by one, they were carted off, until there were only a few left: the older ones, the weaker ones. He stood among them, his hopes fading with the day. He knew he should just go home. But how could he face his family? How could he go home without money for food?

Five o'clock. Feeling defeated, he started toward home when the landowner returned. He approached the few stragglers. "Why have you been standing here idle all day long?" "Because no one hired us." "You too go into the vineyard." He ran to the wagon and climbed in with the rest.

Barely an hour later, the landowner ordered them to line up for their pay, the last man first. He took his place at the front of the line. His hand trembled as he waited for the few cents he would receive. He tried not to feel disappointed. Would it be enough to pay for a sparse evening meal?

Amazed he watched as the landowner placed a whole denarius in his hand. He stood transfixed until the man behind pushed him out of the way. Tears filled his eyes. This couldn't be! His thoughts were echoed aloud by an angry voice.

"What is going on here?" shouted one of the hired men. "These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day." The landowner replied, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ... is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?" (Read Matthew 20:1-16).

It was late. He knew he should have done this before time had made an old man out of him. His shoulders were stooped with age and the burdens of a life faced alone. What good was he to God now? How could he be forgiven at this late date?

He stepped into the aisle.

He could feel their eyes on him. How could these people forgive him? They knew him! They were the ones he had ridiculed. They were the ones he had called hypocrites! He felt as if he would drown in guilt and shame before he ever reached the water.

Fear gripped him. No! He would not let pride keep him from obeying. He wanted to be forgiven. He wanted to turn his life around, with God's help. He couldn't face the short number of days ahead without a Savior. He had wasted too many years on earth. He would not waste his eternity.

At the water's edge, his whole life flashed before him. He confessed Jesus, with tears, as he was lowered into that grave of water. He arose. He turned to face his new family and saw their smiles, their tears of joy. What a generous God, to accept him at the eleventh hour!

His thoughts were echoed aloud by the preacher's voice, "Now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

by Barbara Oliver

The bee stung him right on the thumb! He just brushed it off, puffed a little smoke on it, and went on with his lesson.

This past weekend, I participated in a short-course for beekeepers. Two mornings of classes, and two afternoons in a bee yard actually working with the bees. That's where the instructor got stung. In fact, he got stung about four times that day! He said he was used to it and it didn't bother him. Me, I stayed securely wrapped up in my white coveralls, bee-veil, gloves, and rubber bands around my ankles so they couldn't crawl up my pant legs!

Bees are hard workers. In fact, they get a little cranky when there is not enough pollen and nectar to keep them busy. At least that is what we beekeepers think when we have to look into their hives during a slow spell. They can be mighty testy. But we risk their displeasure for a taste of their sweet product - honey!

Honey is on my "favorite foods" list. As early as Genesis, honey has been a part of human history. Israel instructed his sons to carry "a little honey" to Pharaoh (Genesis 43:11). Manna tasted like "wafers of honey" (Exodus 16:31), and the land of Canaan was said to be "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 33:3). Proverbs recommends eating it, but in moderation (Proverbs 24:13, 25:27). And Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would eat "curds and honey" (Isaiah 7:15). Of course, we all know that John the Baptizer dined on locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6).

Bees are fascinating. As soon as the little bee crawls out of her cell, she turns around and cleans it out, getting it ready for a new occupant. Then she starts taking care of all the little eggs and larvae, making and feeding them "bee bread". After a stint as housekeeper, she flies out of the hive as a forager, bringing back pollen and nectar. She works so hard that, eventually, she wears her little wings out.

Bees live a dangerous life, full of threats within and without the hive. Beetles, moths, mites, mice and ants take a deadly toll on the colony itself. Spiders, wasps, birds, toads and lizards attack them in the fields. Even fish will occasionally grab them! They make more honey than they can eat - which is a good thing for us - and they work until they literally drop dead!

Every bee in the hive has a purpose. And each bee lives its short life performing the work it was meant to do.

It reminds me of our Christian life. We need to be involved in good works from our earliest days. And we can never "retire" from the Lord's work. Like the life of a bee, our work may change, but work we must! And after we have worked our little wings off, we can still fly away home!