The Deceiver

The Deceiver, Laccaria laccata

People sometimes ask if retirement is boring. No. Its wonderful. The problem is lack of time and lack of energy.  By lack of time, I mean that so much time seems to be spent with medical matters.  For example, yesterday morning I took myself off to be fitted for my new specs. And the rest of this week is going to have more than its fair share of such things.

And as for energy...    just the specs, some route calls, and a bit of shopping finished me off.  I did manage my studying for the day, supper for us, and cards to Aunts Jo and Bea. We bought some pretty butterfly cards at the AGM.

I had a chat with one of my magazine route calls yesterday - and I read her Revelation 21:3-5.  She said she had never come across those words before, so I have typed them out and sent them in a card, to remind her. She needs the hope and comfort they hold out. We all do. And I hope hope hope that it might make her think why she did not know of this promise.

As I have said before, I learnt more about what the Bible on my shelf says in the first 20 minutes I spent talking to the Jehovah's Witnesses who called, than I did in all my years of churchgoing - both Catholic and Protestant.

Another two calls were not at home, but at least I delivered the magazines.  The Watchtower's main topic this month is Satan.   Revelation warns us he is "deceiving the entire inhabited earth".  But it also assures us that his time is very short now, and that a perfect rescue is so close at hand.

"Revelation 21:3-5:  "With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them.  And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”  And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” "

Are these promises too good to be true?   No, Jehovah assures us they are "faithful and true".  Every cause for suffering will be gone.  Not one of Jehovah's promises has ever failed, nor will it.

Everyone on earth needs to know this.  Urgently.  Just watch the News, if you can bear to.

The fungi picture is from The Captain's Log - a fantastic Autumn blogpost. The title seemed apt, in view of Revelation warning us about "the father of the lie" - the one who told the first lie ever told in Eden, and brought this chain of disaster on us.

And, on a much happier note, It would be lovely to be out in the woodlands picking mushrooms, bringing them home to make wonderful soups, stews, curries...  but in this system of things I daren't. Even the most experienced of mushrooms gatherers can come to grief.   Why is this little fungus called "the deceiver" for example?   However, when the earth is restored to Paradise won't that be one of the joys of Autumn?