August 3, 2000

Friends,

Here we go again!

"The grimy, weary soldier looked around him at the dusty plains around him. The stream that once bubbled and frolicked through grasses waving and dancing in the cool, strong air was now thick and sticky with the remains of battle. The grasses had been trampled deeply into the soil, now muddy with water and blood and excrement. The scene was repulsive even to him, a seasoned and practiced warrior. Strewn about were men of all sizes and shapes, but only of two colors. Some were maimed, others dead, others too tired to go on. Many had given up, forgetting the importance of this fight. No, that wasn't quite right. Only those on his side had decided to forget their charge, their commission to the King. How could they forget that no-one had ever conquered their Leader, the true King of these plains? How could those of the White Lion forget how He had taken them, ransomed them from the slavery of the Black One, and taken them as His very own Sons? How could they forgo the reward which would be theirs so soon? A piercing pain in his leg, in his side, and into his skull gave him pause, provided a grim reminder of how many times he had been tempted to let his muscles lag in their service of the King. The temptation was too great - he could not carry on. His strength was gone, his body was not only weary but virtually useless. All he could see around him was despair, the dust in the air seemed to be tall walls surrounding him. Who could escape this torment? He knew he fell so far short of what the Great King, the White Lion, required. There wasn't a way, there wasn't a way. He shifted his body to set his head down on the ooze behind him. A trumpet call echoed in the distance. And echoed. Odd - he had heard more bugles in the day than he cared to admit, his ears had nearly ceased to hear their brassy signals. But this one he heard. And he began to remember. 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit...With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles...I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.' The Master's voice was clear in his head. No, there wasn't a way to continue, not by himself. But he had one who was greater - the King Himself was with him, in him, all around him. He had been rescued, the punishment he deserved for his life as a criminal had been taken by the Blameless One, he had been given a seat at the King's table and called "my son" by the gentle, yet strong, voice of the White Lion. He faced transformed; from utter resignment it turned momentarily into tears but then solidified into the King's own stern resolve. He knew that there was much to do - and that it would be difficult. But he knew that a Lion was inside of him - and, maybe more important than all else, he was loved. Wasn't that enough?"

Hmmm....that was a bit different than most of the stories I've written for this. That's okay - every story I write doesn't need to end in the middle of the climax. :-)

Hello again, everyone! There isn't much new here, but I'll give you a quickie synopsis anyhow.

A couple Saturdays ago, I went to SpiritFest, a Christian music festival about half an hour away from here. Although I don't have a particular fascination with concerts, it was fun to go. I goofed off with my brother and his friend and their walkie-talkies quite a bit. :-) I also saw, let's see, Bride, Rebecca St. James, Petra, and Michael W. Smith in concert. (As well as a few others that I don't remember. Probably my favorite part was hearing some of the artists share a little bit of their faith - that was very encouraging. The lead singer for Bride (oops...almost spelled Birdie) gave a sermon! It was impressive.

One of my friends at Fleet Farm got married this past weekend. His name is Chuck. (He's old enough to be my grandfather.) And he just got remarried! He is a great Christian guy - one of those people I look up to a lot.

Probably the only other interesting thing that has happened this week is me learning a bit more about my parent's salvation. It never really clicked until I was talking to Mom a while ago that Mom and Dad weren't Christians until I was two or three. They got saved because of - get this - Dad's barber! I don't know the whole story (I've heard it, I think, but I need to ask again) but my parents became Christians because of a barber who followed God's direction. It just blows my mind how many people that single decision has probably impacted. It just shows how important it is for us to persevere in our faith. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

August already - only a few more weeks before Dordt starts up once again. I'll be seeing many of you soon, and, unfortunately, leaving others. But our Lord is with us always.

God bless you all!

Your brother in Christ,
David Alan Hjelle

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