We all believe; it is trust that we find challenging.
Doing is natural to us; depending on someone else is exceptional.
Answering comes easily to us; asking is more awkward.
Some life situations are unchangeable unless we trust someone who is trustworthy and can do more than we can and do it more effectively.

Those are some of the thoughts I have today as I reflect on something that I read. I preach at Richmond Chinese Evangelical Free Church this morning at the English service. Yes, occasionally I have an opportunity to do this once again. I thought that sharing some of the lessons God has been teaching me might be helpful to you too. I am preaching from mark 9:14-29 on the theme, “I believe, help my unbelief” which as you can remember is a prayer uttered excitedly and urgently by a father who was convinced that his son was infected with an evil spirit that caused the boy to be self-destructive, uncontrollable, irrational and non-communicative. The Canadian Olympic theme song refrain says, “I believe in the power that comes from a world brought together as one. I believe together we’ll fly. I believe in the power of you and I.” It’s an enjoyable song of solidarity but the power of you and I falls short when addressing the profound issues of life. While Jesus took three disciples, Peter, James and John to a mountain where Jesus was transfigured, the remaining nine disciples were challenged to cast out this evil spirit when the father brought his son for deliverance. The power of them blew it. They couldn’t fix the boy and the father was very disappointed. When Jesus returned, he reproved everyone’s unbelief but his prescriptive remark was, “all things are possible to one who believes.” That’s when the father prayed this prayer, “I believe, help my unbelief.” When later the disciples asked Jesus why they had not been able to deliver the child, he told them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” This is a transferable lesson to the many life situations which are beyond our ability to change or remedy or fix but All Things are Possible to One who Believes and Some Of These Situations Can Only Be Changed By Prayer.

MAKE THAT TWO

That's right. Make it two trapped squirrels in three days. Another grey squirrel but this time I was surprised to find it had no tail. Closer inspection showed that it had been a recent accident perhaps in a fight or some other unfortunate incident because it appeared like a fresh wound. My image here is a stock photo and not one minus tail.

in this case my squirrel might have succeeded in hiding as the second image demonstrates.

Another trip to Redwood Park to release squirrel 2, and now the cost has been halved, sort of. One trip, $80.00 for one squirrel. It's down to $40.00 per squirrel. The business plan is unfolding with each passing day.

The Squirrel Meister

I stamped his passport today. I have waited for several days. Today was the day.

A grey squirrel decided last week to make his home, his nest, perhaps his/her nursery in my garage soffit. I saw the squirrel entering a hole one day and knew I was in for a challenge. I tried boarding the whole and he chewed through the wood. I reboarded, and he simply chewed a larger hole up higher in the softer soffit wood.

I did my research, reading all I could online. I bought a havaheart trap and it has been waiting for him now for three days. Each day he came out in the morning, entered to look and taste the peanut butter and even took a couple of shelled peanuts. Yesterday I placed peanuts with shells at the entrance and today he took one on two separate occasions and then proceeded to take the peanut over the roof, along the fence, into the neighbour's yard and up into a tree at the back of their place. While he was gone I placed the peanuts behind the trap trigger plate so he would have to step on it to access the nuts. HE CAME, HE TOUCHED, I CONQUERED AND HE'S GONE.

I placed the cage with squirrel into my trunk, with a blanket over the cage to subdue the anxiety, transported him 10 kilometres to Redwood Park and let him go. If he returns he has to actually have a good GPS, be able to swim a small river or cross a busy bridge.

Now I have a cage. And I think that I will hire myself out. Do you have squirrel problems? Drop me a note. Perhaps I can help, for the price of my travel to set up the trap and to take the trophy away. Seriously.

Trap cost me $80.00 & made a round trip of 20 kms and have to buy some soffit wood - it was an expensive visitor.

I did it - my talk at the Surrey Art Gallery Association

Last night was a very enjoyable evening for me. One of those bucket list items. A chance to talk to art enthusiasts about my art story, my early youthful ambition to be a graphic artist, the divine interruption that started me on a path of altruistic service within the church community, the setting aside of art as a career, the revived aspiration that in retirement I would give my art another serious try.

I was honoured to be asked to tell my story last night at the Surrey Art Gallery Association. At first perhaps ten people were there and by conclusion twenty. I chatted about the 18 art pieces I had brought with me and entertained questions as we shared some food refreshments. These new acquaintances were very encouraging to me. I confessed that I am not sure who I am as an artist because my styles and brush strokes and mediums appear to change according to the whim of the moment. Nonetheless the comments I received helped me and affirmed me.

Surrey Art Gallery Association Talk 'A passion postponed' Ron Unruh

A passion postponed

Ron Unruh, a pastor-turned-painter, will speak at the Surrey Art Gallery on Feb. 4.

Surrey Leader Newpaper

As a child Ron Unruh was consumed with drawing, and as a youth he planned a visual art career. But a divine interruption summoned him to a life of service to others, and brushes and palette were set aside.

Surrey Art Gallery Association presents an illustrated talk by this Surrey-based visual artist titled Recovering a Postponed Passion on Feb. 4.

Unruh is a contemporary realist painter who paints scenes of the coastal region of British Columbia where he resides. With his residence/studio in Cloverdale, he is near White Rock and Crescent Beach waters and within sight of the North Shore Mountains and the snow peaked range of the Rockies so they become subjects of his work.

His Miata MX5 navigates through the agricultural lands of the Lower Mainland where heritage farms have changed hands and fields display the turbaned heads or bamboo hats of their current owners. He is fascinated by these images and seeks to record them. Unruh has travelled Canada from coast to coast and enjoyed numerous international trips.

Unruh has shown his work at the Cloverdale Blueberry Festival and in the constituency suites of MP Suhk Dhaliwal and MLA Stephanie Cadieux, under the auspices of the Arts Council of Surrey. He has also displayed in the Watershed Arts Café in Walnut Grove and recently held a show in his residence/studio, and almost half of the twenty-seven paintings on display found new owners. His work can be viewed at http://ronunruhgallery.webs.com.

The Feb. 4 talk is from 7:30-9 p.m. and there will be time for questions and conversation during and following the talk. Everyone is welcome and admission is free. Surrey Art Gallery is located at 13750 88 Ave.Call 604-501-5566 or check www.arts.surrey.ca for further information.