Hi Folks:

Its storming today. I drove into town to pick up one of the boy's friends, and even Tim Horton's is closed. (For American readers, read "Duncan Donuts" for Tim's) We haven't had a lot of snow this winter, just enough each time, and at the right time of day, to cancel school. They've been in school 4 full days and 2 half days in the month of February. We're about to pull our hair out since it disrupts our routines, too, and as many of you know, I don't have much hair to lose.

Despite the uprooting of our routines, I've managed to finish the first chapter of my book this week. What a feeling. At times it seems like an unrealistic goal, but passing this first marker was an encouragement.

I've put some more pictures of the boys on the website. www.onfireletter.com They're shovelling the driveway on the weekend. This marks a milestone since they did the whole driveway by themselves for the first time. Today they went out and shovelled without us having to ride them. Even better.

Being a pastor puts me in contact with a lot of different people. Last week it was the firemen and ice rescue training. This week I went out with a man from my church who is a road construction supervisor and he let me try an excavator. Wooo hoooo! He let me get the feel of the controls for a while and then dig a hole. Very neat. Takes me back to my childhood, playing with Tonka toys and trucks. Only this "track hoe" scoops almost 10 000lbs at a time. Sorry, no picture. I didn't think to take the camera until later.

While the excavator experience is neat, its even neater to talk with this man. When I first met him a few years ago, he rarely came to church. After his mother died, he had an experience with the Lord while visiting her grave, and ever since he has been a transformed man. Now he comes every week and has claimed a spot in the back pew with his wife. When we sing action songs, he tries them. He loves to show me around his property. While I was with him on a backwoods road last year, he accidentally backed us into a ditch. While embarrassed, he handled himself well, and later explained that there was a time the air would have turned blue with four letter words. I love to go out with him because he is a living reminder to me of how the Lord continues to work and transform lives.

I've been reading in Mark with an eye to the characters and their faith journey. I'm always struck that Jesus did so many amazing things. For example, in the first five chapters of Mark alone, he drove out evil spirits, healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law, a man with leprosy, and a man paralyzed from birth. He also calmed the storm, drove the many demons from another man, healed the woman whose bleeding would not stop, and raised a dead girl from the dead.

Then we get to chapter 6, and Jesus hit a roadblock of sorts. Yes, even Jesus hit them from time to time. He went back to his hometown and taught, once again amazing the people. Some were sceptical, however and took offense at him. Its been said that an expert is someone from more than 30 miles away. Since they knew Jesus, they didn't imagine that he could say anything worthwhile.

"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. (Mark 6:2-3)*

The next lines are instructive. Verse 5 tells us that he could only do a few miracles there, far less than he normally did, because he had no honour in his home town (v. 4) and the people lacked faith (v. 6).

The people had "Little Jesus" syndrome. They remembered him when he ran around in diapers. They thought of him as a youngster. Despite his age, he would always be "Little Jesus."

They knew him, or at least they thought they did, and they knew his family. They had a mental image of Jesus and what he could do, based on where he came from and what his parents and siblings had accomplished. Jesus the carpenter - that's easy to figure. Jesus the teacher, miracle worker, and Messiah Son of God - no way. "Little Jesus" couldn't do those things, so they didn't believe.

"Little Jesus" syndrome didn't die out with the people of Nazareth. I find myself facing this all the time. Because of my experiences, it is easy to think that even God couldn't do something about a situation. Because A led to B in the past or with someone else, then it will happen again. Matter of fact. Done. That's "Little Jesus" thinking, and just as it happened in Nazareth, my unbelief may actually limit what Jesus might otherwise do.

So, "Little Jesus," or "Big Jesus" ? This is what I find myself facing in a hundred little ways each week. May we not make Jesus little in our minds and hearts.

I hope this helps. Be OnFire,

Troy.

Feb 19, 2007