Isaiah 18:1 (NKJV): "the land shadowed with buzzing wings"
Constantly buzzing flies – swishers

Ethiopian Airlines
Planes with the Lion of Judah symbol
Empty airports
Late planes (no hurry)
Sheba mi1es

The Land
Dry and barren and flat
But beautiful
Clear, fantastic skies
Clean, no rubbish

The Peop1e
Extremely poor, but generous
Welcoming, smiling
Walking in long processions to worship
Aged beyond their years

The Children
Groups, always around
Pencil thin
Eager to get close
Asking "Pen, pen, one pen?"

The Feeling
Back in time and history
Living the Old Testament
Smelling, absorbing the tropical air

The Ark of the Covenant
Guardian of the Ark
Totally dedicated monks and priests
A people's sense of mission
Future gift to the Messiah?

Places
Addis Ababa -— "the Capital of Africa"
Tana Kirkos Island -- hidden treasures
Axum -- Saint Mary's of Zion
Lalibella -- Rock churches

The Timkat Festival
A long, deep trumpet tone to call the people
Monks dressed in black
Smiling, beckoning, encouraging
A mass of women in white prayer shawls
Formal processions
Night-time candlelit singing and worship
Reverence and joy
Holiness and inner peace

New Understandings
The history of a nation
The Queen of Sheba
Menelik to Heile Selassie
Josiah's death
The Ethiopian Eunuch's visit
The Mercy Seat

Ethiopia — a spiritually enriching experience

Living in a remote forest at the northern edge of Canada, Trapper John made his closest friendship with his faithful German shepherd, Duke. Every few days he and Duke would take the overnight trek to check the traps. Selling animal pelts at the trading post in the distant town. He sustained their simple way of life.

Trapper John and Duke had shared each other's company for over 10 years, since he had traded a couple of furs for that little puppy. The dog loved the man, often protecting him from wild animals when they were out on their all-night treks to check the traps. Duke even seemed to listen attentively to Trapper John share his feelings as he sat by the campfire. Although it was a lonely existence, Trapper John had chosen it for himself and his dog.

On one trip into town to sell his furs and purchase more goods, he met this beautiful woman. New in town, this young woman immediately caught his attention. She worked at the trading post and seemed anxious to engage him in conversation. They enjoyed dinner together, and after that John started making more frequent trips into town. That spring they married, and she moved her things out to the trapper's cabin in the woods.

Their first child was born the following winter--but tragedy accompanied the birth of their beautiful daughter, for Trapper John's wife died in childbirth. Broken-hearted, he had no choice but to take his baby girl into town to live with a kind family willing to take care of her until she was old enough to return to the cabin to live with her father.

She was almost two years old when Trapper John brought her back to his cabin in the woods. Now he was faced with the challenge of raising a child while sustaining their existence with trapping. During his overnight trips, he would leave Duke with the sleeping baby, knowing that he would protect her if she was in any danger. On one such trip tragedy once again visited this small family.

Returning home early in the morning after checking his traps, John came to the top of the hill overlooking his cabin. His heart pounded wildly when he noticed the front door of the cabin pushed open. Throwing down his pelts, he raced to the open door to check on his daughter.

As he entered the cabin, his worst fears were realized. The baby's little bed was covered with blood. In that moment he caught sight of Duke cowering in the corner, covered with blood. Enraged, the man cocked his rifle and pointed it directly at Duke.

"You killed my baby! You killed my baby!" John's anguished roar awoke the baby, who was startled out of sleep, with a little cry from under the bloodied blanket. John, his finger on the trigger and his dog in the gun sight, turned his head toward that cry--and with a sweep of his hand, uncovered his unharmed baby. It was only then that he saw the dead bobcat behind his daughter's bed. In a heartbreaking moment of understanding, he realized that he had almost killed the one who had saved his baby's life.

If Trapper John had taken time to get all the facts, he could have avoided this near tragedy. How many times are we guilty of the same thing? We jump to conclusions about other people and judge them before we know the whole story. We sometimes hurt each other because we haven't taken time to get all the facts. In most cases, our understanding of another person's situation is frequently incomplete. We need to learn to stop, look, listen, and think before we act with our families and brethren alike.

When Jesus died on the cross, he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) It was ignorance that nailed Jesus to the cross. Don't make the same mistake today. Don't crucify Jesus all over again by turning your back on him by disregarding His teachings. Jesus lived His life as an example for us, so that we will know how to live a Christlike existence. He loved us as we should love one another. He is our Savior and Brother.

A Daughter's Heart
by Donna Mathewson

This past August, my Christian walked took a giant leap. Previously when I stopped to consider my spiritual goals, holiness was not on my list. Holiness always seemed like something unattainable to me. It was something only God could be. Actually I really didn’t even understand what holiness was. The Christian Believer’s Conference changed all that for me. In fact, my Father was working to change that even before the conference started. As the Vespers and Devotions Director, I needed to find hymns, scriptures, readings, etc that dealt with the theme and how the Lord opened my eyes to what I had never truly understood before. I learned that holiness is the attribute that God truly loves and admires most in His children. Our Father longs for us to mirror Him and holiness is how we do that.

I had no trouble with the idea that God is holy. The word Holiness means to be separate, to be different from all others. God is that! He is not like any other god that man has come up with: they have created vengeful gods, lustful gods, immoral gods, and selfish gods, but the world does not know a forgiving god or a merciful god. Jehovah, on the other hand, is different from all the world’s gods. He is just and powerful, but he is also loving and kind, merciful and forgiving, it is his Holiness that sets him apart from every other god that the world worships today. There is no other god in the universe that sacrificed his own son to save creation. There is no other god in the universe who cares for me and has chosen me for his daughter. Jehovah God, my Father, is different from all other gods. He is truly Holy, Holy, Holy.

The Scriptures tell us that holiness does not end with God. In Leviticus 19:2 God says, “Be ye holy, as I am holy.” God wants us, His children to mimic Him. He wants us to live holy lives. That means we have to set aside our flesh and its natural inclinations and live lives that are not natural. We need to live lives of grace. We need to live lives of forgiveness. We need to live selflessly and in doing so we becoming like our Father and we become holy.

When I came home from CBC last August, I came home on a tremendous high, but within days I found myself in the midst of a holiness test. Could I put into practice all I had learned? A co-worker who was going through a difficult experience verbally attacked me. She was feeling unappreciated and feared she would lose her job. She had been sick and my boss asked me to organize her office in her absence. I knew she would be upset, but I did what I was asked and decided to call her to let her know what I had been asked to do, so she would not be totally surprised when she came back to work. I thought she had taken it well, but when she came back to work she was very angry and really lashed out at me. Her words hurt and my natural inclination would have been to retreat, go lick my wounds and feel sorry for myself, rehashing the story a millions times in my mind and wallow in self pity. The world around me told me I would be justified in doing that. I had every right to be hurt. Instead the words of my Father, “Be ye holy, as I am holy,” echoed in my heart.

My heart’s desire is to be like my Father. I long to react like Him and here I was being given the opportunity. I said a quick prayer and instead of running, I stayed and tried to comfort my co-worker. I told her I was sorry I had hurt her, something I had never meant to do. I put my arms around her, I cried with her and I told her that God had everything in control and would work things out for her good. I didn’t know why God was allowing this experience in her life, but I knew God cared and He would see her through. I left not feeling sorry for myself, but with a heavy heart, aching for Sue and her hurt. God has given me victory and I knew the joy of reacting in holiness.

Let me close with Rev. W. Bates words on holiness: “anyone who reflects even a small measure of God’s holiness at once attracts His eye and heart. The one who partakes of God’s holiness finds himself infinitely endeared to the Holy One.” As a daughter of the King, my prayer is that He will continue to teach me to live a life of holiness. There is nothing in this world that I long for more than to endear myself to the Father I love so!

Ebenezers
Jonathan and Saul: Son and Father
1 Samuel 13,14

It’s interesting to note that the first mention of Jonathan in scripture is when his father Saul divides the army of Israel in two parts and places one third under his son’s command. Saul went one way and Jonathan the other. Jonathan was to encamp his soldiers and wait for his father’s instructions.
However, nearby Jonathan’s encampment, the Philistines had erected some kind of heathen monument which the Hebrews found totally obnoxious. Commander Jonathan took it upon himself to issue orders for his troops to destroy it, which they did.
The Philistines were furious and immediately began assembling a huge army to drive the Israelites into the sea. This was no surprise to Saul, and had anyone else issued that order to destroy, they would have been put to death.
Saul carried the weight of the nation on his shoulders and things were quickly going downhill. Large contingents of troops were deserting, others were hiding in the hills, and the few who remained were quaking with fear and had only a few swords. Adding to the mess, Saul foolishly did something he knew he shouldn’t, and Samuel pronounced the Lord’s judgment against Saul and his family. Yes, things were very bad in Israel and, no doubt, Jonathan felt a good deal of blame for the situation.
It was under these circumstances that Jonathan came up with a courageous and daring plan. By faith, Jonathan took his personal servant and, telling no one, left camp to see if the Lord would bless an effort against the enemy. The plan was basic and simple: they’d approach the Philistines and see what the enemy said. If they said, “Halt!,” Jonathan would stay put. However, if they said, “Come to us,” that would show the Lord was with Israel and they should attack.
Well, sure enough, the Philistines said, “Come to us,” and the two Hebrews killed twenty Philistines between them. God then sent an earthquake which totally panicked and terrorized the mighty Philistines. Their army went from regimented to every man for himself within a matter of minutes. Saul’s watchmen saw the chaos and, shortly, the small, regimented army of Israel was chasing the large, scattering, enemy army.
The hand of the Lord was clearly assisting the army of Israel. Unfortunately, Saul insisted on his personal imprint on the battle, and ordered his troops not to eat till evening. It was a foolish command which only hindered his soldiers, but Saul thought himself a genius when he made it.
Of course, Jonathan didn’t hear the order and ate some wild honey, after which he found out what his father had ordered. Jonathan immediately understood the folly of his father’s command, but orders are orders.
By evening, the victory was a good one, but clearly, it could have been much better. Saul’s conclusion was to blame Jonathan for eating that honey. Saul’s verdict for his son’s indiscretion was death.
Now, any sympathy for Saul goes out the window at this miserable decision. If not for the overwhelming outrage of the children of Israel, Jonathan was a dead man. They correctly pointed out that it was he who brought the Lord’s help in the first place. “No!” they said. Not one hair of Jonathan’s head was to be touched. At that point, King Saul was powerless to do anything to his son, and he stopped pursuit of the Philistines, as well.
Let’s review: exercising his faith in the Living God, Jonathan and his servant attacked the Philistines while Saul did nothing. God rewarded his faith by putting the enemy on the run while Saul gummed up the works with a no eating order. Jonathan unwittingly ate some honey and was ordered to be put to death. Saul’s order was overruled by his people, the children of Israel.
To summarize: Saul was an egocentric bureaucrat with little faith and even less vision. His son, Jonathan, was a man of vision and great faith, who trusted and served the Living God. Jonathan truly believed that God is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him! (Heb. 11:6) Praise the Lord!