Pearls in a Nutshell

'Typos

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

We have just enjoyed a week of real winter with lots of snow.

I love snow in all its beauty but particularly its ability to cover up anything and everything that offends.

My girlfriend relayed to me an experience she had in her church service a couple of Sundays ago. The song leader was teaching the congregation a new song and everyone was concentrating on getting the notes right... singing each word as it came up on the screen.

It was only when they were singing the song for the second time .. that my friend suddenly caught her breath and looked over to catch her friend's eye who was shaking her head !

At the same moment, the pastor jumped up and rushing up to the song leader said.. "No, no .. I think we better correct that !"

The refrain of the new song contained a typo . The words everyone had been singing were...

"We will sin, shout and praise in heaven!"

An embarrassed wave of laughter rippled over the congregation as a quick adjustment was made in the lyrics. Sin to sing - one letter .. but a world of difference in meaning ..

When she told me the story , I , of course chuckled with her .. but then I thought about it .

Isn't that so true in our lives?

How often the things of this world distract us and we fail to notice the 'little' things that slip unnoticed into our thoughts, words, actions.

We are so focused on what we are doing we shift our attention and the sin 'typos' find an easy entry - a thought we fail 'to take captive' , a hurtful/angry word that slips off our tongue, an action/reaction that we leave in our wake.

When we have neglected our reading of the Word , our prayer time .... how long before we recognize that 'typos' have slipped onto the screen of our life ?

Perhaps others see them before we do !

On our computers we have 'spell check' --a life saver for me , IF I use it - but even if I do it does not catch a word that is misused.

As believers we have the Holy Spirit who 'spell checks' our hearts - but He doesn't miss anything. If we ask Him to check for 'typos' -- He will !

And in revealing, the Lord is also waiting to correct -- to forgive -- to cover with pure whiteness.

Job declared "My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity. " Job 14:17

His words bring a picture to my mind of his sins in a trash bag, sitting at the curb covered in snow, waiting for garbage pickup .

Job was in the old covenant where sin was only 'covered', but for us in the New Covenant - Jesus has come. Our 'bags' of transgressions have been picked up and taken away - we need never see them again!

How good it feels to know we can be 'clean' before God -- able to come boldly into His Presence -- with joyful thanksgiving !

Out of Season

2012-01-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

We took down our hummingbird feeders in fall as we usually do before winter , but the day after we took them down I saw two hummngbirds hovering outside my kitchen window looking for the feeder!

Of course I immediately put the feeders back up and we have been enjoying the birds coming to drink.

They are 'out of season' and of course that brought to my mind a scripture passage that speaks about "out of season" and my winter hummingbirds have given me insight into what "out of season" means in my life.

"I charge you therefore before God..... Be ready in season and out of season... " II Tim. 4:1,2

Here are listed some of the lessons taught me by my hummingbirds....

1> What is meant by 'out of season' ?

'Out of season' is the opposite of 'in season' and 'in season' is when things are comfortable, pleasant and convenient!

'Out of season' is when life situations and circumstances are not what I would choose.

In other words, when life is difficult!

2> Food sources are limited

In season, of course, nectar is easy to find in the abundance of flowers, blossoming under the warm summer sun. As well, there are all the hummingbird feeders that people hang in their gardens and patios.

But in the winter, the weather has turned cold and the flower seeds buried themselves underground waiting for the next 'in season' , patios have been cleared and winterized.

So the hummingbirds have fewer food sources that their life depends upon.

So it is for me as well.

In the 'out of season' times in my life I often feel alone or bereft of the things I once took for granted. My resources may be depleted, I fear my needs may not be met. My life feels cold.. my world 'winterized'.

3> Driven dependence on one food source

With no flowers in bloom and hummingbird feeders stored away until next summer, the hummingbirds that are here for the winter have become dependent on my hummingbird feeder and come often.

I thought of my 'out of season' times of life and looking back see how in those times I was driven to the One Source ... the One who would provide what I needed. When all else fails me I seek God -- more diligently and more often!

I wonder .... does God bring the 'out of season' times because He knows that will drive me to seek Him more ?

4> My responsibility

Knowing that my hummingbirds are dependent on my feeders providing the food they need for life makes me feel responsible for them. I am watching more carefully to make sure their food is clean and in good supply. I know they are vulnerable and if I neglect them, they could die.

Is that how God feels toward me in my 'out of season' times?

Is He closer ? Paying more attention to guard my trust and dependence on Him ?

Is He careful to provide the comfort and encouragement I need to keep going ?

Does He feel that same protective emotion toward me that I feel toward my hummingbirds?

5> More not less

Watching the hummingbirds enjoy their breakfast even as my husband and I enjoyed ours, I commented to my husband, "If the hummingbirds would just trust us ... we could open the window and let them come sleep inside where it is warmer!"

We would be so happy to do more for the hummingbirds than they will accept.

Am I that way toward God as well ? That I accept what I am comfortable taking, but then pull back from the 'more' He is so willing and eager to give me?

Am I like my hummingbird... satisfied with 'just enough' when my God is an abundance giving God?

6> My Hope

As I watch my winter hummingbirds, I am hoping that when the 'in season' comes again that they will not forget what they have learned this 'out of season'. I'm hoping that when summer comes they will continue to feed at my feeder and teach their children to do the same.

Is that what God hopes for me as well ? That what I learn in my 'out of season' times, I will remember when life is once again 'in season' mode ? Even when life is comfortable again will I remember what I learned and stay close to the One who will never leave me or forsake me?

Clinging to the One who alone and always has my best in mind ?

The One who wisely gives me all I need to live safe and secure in an ever changing and threatening world ?

7> Be Ready

I am really amazed how the little hummingbirds find my feeder. Obviously, they are always alert and ready to find what they need. And take for granted that what they need HAS been provided within their reach!

Am I like that? Am I always ready to find what God has already provided ? Or do I give up in despair ? Do I find a place to crawl into and wait to die?

Or do I believe that no matter where life circumstances put me, God is totally aware of my needs and desires and has provided them for me ... All I need do is open my eyes and fly to them .

8> My Pleasure

My winter hummingbirds have given me so much pleasure and I delight in watching them and trying to capture them on camera for that perfect preserving shot!

I wonder if God delights in me ... watching me do life... watching me as I find my nourishment in Him.

Is He hovering with a Divine Camera ... capturing those moments that will be preserved for the time that He speaks those coveted words... "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"

God speaks... through His Word... through His creation.... in a whisper.

"Give me a listening heart, O Lord !"

*****

My Prayer for You - for 2012

2012-01-01T23:22:00.000-08:00

For every sunset, there is a sunrise,

For every year's end there is a new beginning ..

My prayer for you this new year of 2012 is this....

"And this I pray,

that your love may abound still more and more

in knowledge and all discernment,

that you may approve the things that are excellent,

that you may be sincere and without offence

till the day of Christ,

being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ,

to the glory and praise of God."

Phil. 1:9-11

Blessed Christmas

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wishing each of you my readers, followers, and yes .. my lurkers !

a VERY Blessed Christmas and holiday season ...

May the joy and peace the Christchild came to bring to hearts and lives

follow you every day of the new year!

I have appreciated so much all of your comments...

and I love you all !!

Thank you !!

A New Look at the Christmas Story

2011-12-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we don't realize how easily we filter what we see or hear through the grid of what is familiar to us or according to the cultural defines of our world.

I believe we do this more often than we know with the bible stories or teaching that we have heard all our lives.

I recently read a very interesting book by Kenneth Bailey called "Jesus, through Middle Eastern Eyes". Kenneth is a university professor who spent sixty years living in the Middle East observing first hand the ways and customs of the village people -- so little changed over the last 2000 years.

What he reveals changes some of the details of the Christmas Story that are taken for granted in the telling and retelling of the events as they are understood from our own cultural perspective. We are unaware that the details may well be different than we have been given to understand them.

Let's examine the story from the Middle Eastern culture in which the events of the beloved story took place.

1> The Census-
"So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city." Luke 2:3
When the census degree was issued everyone had to present himself in the city of his birth.
Immediately, we imagine people going back to the city of their birth - a city that has changed and grown. Joseph and Mary would be entering a city crowded with travellers all looking for accommodations .. and just like we have experienced .. the inns, the hotels all have 'No Vacancy' signs hung in the window.
Not so .... in ancient Bethlehem !
Joseph was not travelling to a foreign city. He was going home! Home where many family members still lived. Not only was he going 'home' but he was considered 'royal'. Bethlehem boasted of so many descendants of King David that they affectionately referred to it as The City of David. Joseph was "of the house and lineage of David" meaning that most every house in Bethlehem would be open to him.
To refuse hospitality to a descendent of King David would reflect negatively on the whole community. It wouldn't happen!

So if we accept that Joseph and Mary would not have come to Bethlehem with no where to stay .. how do we deal with the other details of the story as we have understood it?

2> The Inn
But the scriptures specifically say "for there was no room in the inn" , don't they?
Yes.. but ... what is meant by 'the inn' ?
There is a specific Greek word for what we would call a hotel or public inn. That word is used in the parable of the Good Samaritan. But the Greek word used here in the Christmas story is a word that is used only one other time and that is when Jesus sent His disciples to go to a certain house and ask to use the upper room or guest chamber.
We need to understand something about the homes of the Middle East villagers... homes that remained unchanged into the middle of the 20th century.
The homes consisted of two rooms. One of those rooms - either build onto the side of the house or on top of the roof (as in the upper room or as was built for Elijah by the Shunamite woman) was set aside for a specific purpose. Hospitality being of such importance in the eastern culture every home had a 'guest room' where they could put their guests. It was used for no other purpose.
So now we know... the home where Joseph and Mary went to find lodging already had its 'guest room' occupied. Because of that, the babe was laid in a manger. So we have to answer the question of the 'manger'.

3> The Manger.
Again we need to examine the home of the common people of that time. Beside the 'guest room' there was one other room in the house. A long room that was divided by either timber laid across the width of it or a dropped floor.
This division was needed because on one side the family cooked/ate/slept/lived. On the dropped side the animals spent the night. They were brought in at dark and tied.
There were two reasons the animals were brought into the house. One was that the animals kept the house warm and the other was that it kept the animals safe.
At the divide between the animal side and the family's side were one or two mangers filled with straw. If the animals became hungry at night they could eat of the straw provided.
In the morning the animals were taken back out, the area thoroughly cleaned and fresh straw laid in the manger. Many a village babe was laid in this manger for the day. it was perfect !
It was here that baby Jesus was laid - His first bed.
Another misconception we have is that Mary suffered and birthed her babe alone. That would never happened in middle eastern culture. The women would have sent the men out of the house and they would have attended and cared for Mary when her time came. For the family or even villagers to have left her uncared for would have been an unspeakable travesty of hospitality or the blatant neglect of their own.

4> The Shepherds
When the angels appeared to the shepherds that night they gave them a 'sign' saying "and you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger".
What was the meaning of the sign? Why was it important for the shepherd to know this ?
Shepherds were considered the poor of the poor -- the lowest on the social ladder. If the angels had come and told them that a King had been born, the shepherds would never have dared to go look for him. They knew they would never be admitted to a palace or even into the home of a wealthy citizen of Bethlehem. But the angel told them "swaddling clothes, in a manger". That told the shepherds that this baby was born into a common village home. Swaddling clothes they understood -- their own children had been so wrapped.. and they all had a manger in their homes. The angels' message to them was that the babe was 'one of them'.

5> The Wise Men
Not only was the babe born for the poor, but also for the rich. The wise men were eager to find the new king - the babe the star directed them to.
We read that they came to the 'house' where Mary and Joseph were -- not a stable, not a cave but a house!
Some have tried to make this fact fit by saying that Mary and Joseph had moved back to Nazareth at this time but that is easily seen to be false just by reading the scripture. After the wise men had come, the Lord warned Joseph in a dream to take his little family to Egypt. This he did and it was after he came out of Egypt that they moved to Nazareth.

I know these details do not change the important message of the story - that Jesus was born a baby... in humble circumstances - that He came to live among us fully man and fully God.
We can still rejoice in the great 'gift' of salvation that He brought with His life and His death.
Jesus - the evidence of God's love toward us and God's desire to live among us.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Created to Sing

2011-11-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

(Lazuli Bunting - rare sighting in my backyard)

When I was two years old, my brother was born. He was a sickly baby suffering from eczema and asthma. He had trouble sleeping and gave my Mom many difficult nights. She was very happy if he would fall asleep during the day, allowing her to get some of her work done. Because my brother was a light sleeper, Mom needed to keep me quiet so my noisy play would not awaken him.

I remember one specific day very clearly.

My Mom had just rocked my brother to sleep and she told me I needed to play quietly. She took away the toy I was playing with saying it was too loud. I remember distinctly grappling in my little mind what constituted 'quiet' - why some toys were OK and others not. I could not quite grasp the concept of where the line between quiet and too loud was, but I tried my very best to be 'quiet'.

I thought that I was playing quietly but my brother's sudden cry proved I was not. I remember my Mom being upset that I had woken my brother and I felt crushed -- feeling so bad that somehow I had not done what my Mom needed me to do - and not understanding why.

'Quiet' has to be learned, making 'sound' comes quite naturally.

Our parents tell us to be quiet, we are told to be quiet in libraries, in churches, in school. Not many of us could point to times in our childhood where we were told to be 'noisy' !

And yet, it seems our God loves noise ! and indeed tells us to 'make noise!"

Psalm 98:4 - "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!"

I recently watched an amazing youtube video -- it is only 9 minutes long but it will move you to tears! Perhaps you have seen it, if not here is a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWKm-LZWm4

Our God, the creator of all things created everything with the ability to make sound. What an amazing symphony must be heard in the highest heaven where He sits on His throne.

When His creation was finished, God pronounced it as good! And if it was 'good' is it not natural that each part would praise Him?

Praise cannot be silent, can it? If it is, there is no praise.

I don't think I ever considered, until I watched that moving video, that of all of God's creation only man has to ability to choose whether or not he uses his voice to praise God.

Everything else in His creation is programmed to praise Him continually -- even the rocks stand by to praise Him!

If all ability to make sound was created for singing/shouting praise to God, then are our voices not also created for that highest purpose?

And yet... what do we use our voices for ? How many times a day do we raise our voice in 'praise' to God ? To join in with that amazing symphony that encompasses all of our universe and beyond!

I am told that a conductor or composer has the ability to hear separately each note or sound of every instrument or voice in a choir or symphony. How much more then, would God not have that same ability -- to hear every individual sound that rises from His creation. How pleasing it must be to Him when every individual sound blends into the majestic harmony of praise.

And yet -- how often do our individual voices disturb the harmonious universal choir because our voice rather than being lifted up in praise is lifted up in anger, in criticism, in complaining or even in praise of something earthly.

Does our individual 'out of key' voice grate on God's ears the way someone singing out of tune grates on my husband's ears? His sensitive ears can hear even the smallest discord - how much more finely tuned are God's ears ?

I desire - I choose - my voice to be raised in praise to the One who alone is worthy of all praise!

Psa 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!"

Psa 5:3 "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up."

Press Play

2011-10-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

The other day at breakfast my husband related an experience he had had the night before.

As is his nightly ritual, he was sitting in his favourite easy chair reading his bible. Reading from John 14, he read to verse 13 when he dosed off.

A dream came to him.

In the dream he was looking at a computer screen that had John 14:13 written on it ..

"And whatsoever you ask in My name , that I will do, that the Father maybe glorified in the Son."

But over top of the verse was the triangle "Press Play".

He wasn't sure what the dream meant but the analogy presented itself immediately in my mind!

When we pull up a video or youtube on our computer screens there is the 'press play' button that activates the video. If you don't 'press play' the movie never plays, it stays static, frozen in one frame.

So often we pull up a certain scripture, a promise of God or a commandment and we just sit and look at it frozen in the frame of the printed page. To activate that promise or word of God we need to 'press play'. We need to 'act' on it -- believe it , make it something we live out, something we DO ... not just think about , not just know about , not just be able to read or even recite from memory.

What we believe motivates us to let it change us and determine our life path. Watch the things people do, listen to the things they say and you know what they believe.

Even as Christians, it is not an automatic given that the scripture we are so quick to say is the inspired word of God, is what we allow to be the greatest authority in our minds.

It is one thing to know what God says , but another to have pressed play to activate our obedience to actually live them in our daily life.

God says ... "Forgive others as I have forgiven you!" Do we press play and forgive those who have hurt or offended us ? Or do we stare at the 'screen' thinking of all the reasons why we cannot forgive someone.

God says ... "Do not worry, I will meet your needs." Do we press play and trust that all our needs will be met without us lying awake at night worrying about them? or do we go over and over the things that cause us concern and fill us with apprehension or indecision.

God says.... " Ask in my name and I will do it ... " Do we press play and believe it? Do we confidently expect the answer to our petition is coming or do we live as though our prayers go unanswered.

What scripture verses have stood out to you lately ? What passages are you drawn to ? What words of God speak to your need or situation or walk of faith ? Have you pressed play when you look at them ? or do you hold back ......

"Dear Father, I pray that you would help each person reading this to reach out and press play on your word to them. That their faith/trust in your word would be released with power and authority to play out in and through them. I thank you for your faithful, caring love for each of your children - and I love that you know each of us by name! through Jesus, Amen!"

Our Inheritance

2011-09-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have always loved wild flowers more than the ones we grow in our gardens and I think this is the reason why.

No matter how dry or infertile the soil, no matter if rain falls or not, no matter how hot the sun, wild flowers bloom in wild abandon somehow unfailingly cared for by some unseen Gardener’s hand.

The flowers I plant in my garden on the other hand, seem to need constant pampering and attention which , in my case at least, never seems to be enough. And if I turn my head away for a day or two and the weather conditions are less than perfect they hang their blooms and leaves and die more easily than they live!

I have come to the conclusion that God has done that on purpose wanting man to see that what He does is perfect and when He speaks we can trust that it will come to pass. He did not say He would care for us as we care for our garden flowers. He said He would care for us as He cares for the wild flowers that are perfectly healthy and happy – as well as beautiful - in the most adverse growing conditions.

I was reminded of a verse in Psalm 2 this morning that encouraged me in spite of the discouraging conditions of the world around us. If we look at the failing economy, the shaky financial institutions , the ever increasing threat to our moral standards and values and to our expression of them , the threat to our personal safety from criminal or terrorist activity, then we have every reason to feel like a flower in my garden that is fearfully dependent on my ‘notsogreen’ thumb for survival .

BUT… what does Psalm 2:7,8 have to say to us ?

The familiar words of verse 7, "You are my Son , this day have I begotten you" …. quoted in Heb. 1:5 make it clear that in those Psalm 2 verses we have God the Father speaking directly to Jesus , His Son.

He is promising to Jesus His inheritance, which is … “I will give you the heathen and the uttermost ends of the earth !”

Do you think the same God who gardens with such faithfulness the wild flowers would be unable to deliver on His inheritance promise to Jesus ? I think not!

The promise He made to Jesus is also made to us as the followers of Jesus.. His inheritance is also our inheritance!

Col 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

What does this inheritance entail ? What is it exactly that we have been given the right to and the power to receive ?

In Deut. 20:14 God gives His people instructions on how they are to deal with ‘cities that are afar off’ .. He says that they are to take from them all the plunder that they could productively use, as well as take the women and children as their own. Interestingly, they were to kill all the males. Why would this be?

Males represent power... and so God's people were not to allow something that would have power over them. God was to be the only authority in their lives.

The ‘cities that are afar off’ represent the world. We have this given to us in Acts 2:39 in the first sermon preached by Peter in his words… “and this promise is to you and all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call”

The words ‘afar off’ and the ‘cities afar off’ do not parallel by accident. Just as the OT ‘cities afar off’ referred to the heathen in the OT world, so also the words “afar off” in Acts are speaking about God reaching out to the heathen in the world to whom the promise of salvation was being extended.

So we see that God has given to Jesus and to us the ‘plunder of the world’ as our inheritance. Whatever we need for our livelihood or our ministry is ours to freely take … and the best plunder, of course , are the souls that we take ‘out of the world’ and bring into God’s Kingdom.

Did you ever stop to think that that is our inheritance?? That as citizens of God’s Kingdom we have the right and ministry to take from the world that which rightfully belongs to God and claim it for His everlasting Kingdom?

I love that God calls it our ‘inheritance’ . No one need fight for an inheritance – it is simply given by the one who names the recipient.

An inheritance can be squandered or used selfishly. That is not to be the attitude of God’s children. We are to be known by our attitude of love. We are to use our inheritance for the glory of God and in such a way that we will be recognized as children of God !

If the inheritance is ours by God’s Word, then the conditions around us in a crumbling world hold no terror for us, though they may threaten! What God has given us to do will never be hindered nor our opportunities be diminished !

So if God gave Jesus .. (and by extension to His followers and brethren) the 'heathen and uttermost parts of the earth as our inheritance does that not mean that we SHALL have it ?? surely God can pass on to us what He has decreed to be our inheritance !

So that means that no matter what happens in the world around us ... we shall take from it what belongs to God's Kingdom ... and that is our work and our calling and our ministry and our joy !!!

What's 'New' ??

2011-08-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

The above photo is of my new e-reader, the Amazon Kindle that my kids and husband gave me for my birthday . I love it!!

Have you ever stopped to consider how many times a day you say or hear the word 'new' ??

A common greeting - 'What's new'?

A new experience, a new outfit, a new kitchen, new dishes, new hairdo, new technology, new recipe, new toy, new appliance, new décor, new friend, new book, new baby.... the list is endless.

In every instance 'new' is an adjective that conveys to us a sense of value concerning the 'thing' referred to ! It is not something old or worn out. It is something fresh, something desired, something we did not have before.

The word 'new' is also used in scripture, perhaps not as many times as we would guess. It is mentioned 49 times, with 7 of the references in the New Testament.

A very often quoted and one of my favorites is "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new." (II Cor. 5:17)

There is another reference to 'new' in Colossians 3:10 where Paul refers to believers as having put on the 'new man'. Because of something I learned this week about the Roman class system these words 'new man' have taken on a deeper significance of meaning for me.

I always simply understood Paul's reference to 'new man' fitting in with the above quoted verse in II Corinthians but I am wondering if Paul did not have a vivid analogy in mind drawn from the customs of his world.

Paul, living in a world dominated by Roman rule, would have understood their political structure. The Romans had two elite classes of citizens. One of these classes was the Senatorial class from which were elected the members of the Senate and the consul. The consul was a man elected to the highest political office in the Roman Republic.

This Senatorial class was dominated by the nobles. The nobles were distinguished by the fact that they had an ancestor who had served as consul.

The elitism of this class was closely guarded and men were appointed/elected to the Senate or as Consul because they carried birth-rite membership in this class of Roman citizens.

However, on a rare occasion, a man would so distinguish himself on his own merit that he would be elected as a consul even though his family did not belong to the noble class.

When this happened, Romans would call him a 'new man' because he was the first in his family to be elected to this public office. He then consequently qualified his family for noble status.

Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was such a man, who lived in Paul's lifetime.

How does this interesting Roman political tradition magnify the meaning hidden in the reference to 'new man' in our passage in Colossians 3?

I see several points of parallelism.

1> A 'new man' is not someone who is 'grandfathered' into a position of honour.

For the Romans it was not someone who could lean on ancestry.

We also cannot depend on our family connections or heritage in seeking relationship with God. We cannot take for granted that because our parents, grandparents or uncles were godly believers, we automatically belong to the 'noble' class and are part of God's family in the Kingdom of God.

2> A Roman 'new man' came on his own merit, as must we to become one of the elect.

What is our own merit ? Unlike the Roman man who distinguished himself by his mighty works or exemplary achievements, we must come on the merit of our own repentant hearts recognizing our personal need of a Saviour.

"..the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15)

3> The Roman 'new man' was elected by man. The 'new man' believer is 'elected' by God. Paul admonishes the believer in Col. 3:12 that as an elected 'new man' the believer must live up to the standard now required of him.

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

While a Roman elected 'new man' could lose favour with the people, the believer 'new man' need not fear the opinion of man, only the opinion of God matters. "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies". (Rom. 8:33)

4> A 'new man' leaves his old 'class' behind and steps into an entirely new identity.

Looking at verses 5- 9 in our Col. 3 passage , we see that the 'old man' belonged to the class of sinners (fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, idolatry , anger, wrath, malice , blasphemy, filthy language, lying)

But the 'old man' has been put off -- the Roman citizen could not belong to two classes at once. He could not belong to both the common class and the elite noble class. He had to leave one behind and embrace the 'new' .

So the believer, becoming a 'new man' steps out of his sinner class and steps up into the heavenly noble 'elect' class!

Col 1:13 "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (1Th 2:12) "that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory."

5> The 'new man' believer, just like the Roman 'new man' who qualified his family to belong to the noble class, has an great influence on others.

" whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (I Cor. 10:13) becomes his motto. He lives in such a way that his life will honour his new class and make others want to become one of the 'elect' as well.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

6> There is one difference in the Roman 'new man' and the believer. The Roman 'new man' had to prove that he was independently wealthy - he had to be able to prove that his personal worth was at least one million sesterces (about 2 or 3 million dollars in today's currency) There was no monetary salary offered with his elected position so he had to have his own resources.

The believer, on the other hand, is offered the riches of the kingdom for his support !

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

(Phil. 4:19)

The invitation to become a 'new man' in the Kingdom of God is open to all ... not those born into the 'right' family, not those who earned it by their works , but ANYONE may come and receive the status of the elect 'new man'.

In the words of Jesus, hear His invitation .."And the Spirit and the bride say 'Come!' And let his who hears say 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires , let him take the water of life freely." (Rev.22:17)

*******

Dispeller of Shame

2011-08-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

One day, long long ago, a baby was born.

The baby's birth was celebrated as only the birth of a King's son can be.

Loving arms and royal affluence withheld nothing needful or desirable for the child.

His name? Mephibosheth.

A difficult name to pronounce was perhaps the first indication that an easy life was not to be for this dear child.

His loving father, however, hid a nugget of hope in the meaning of the name he bestowed upon his son -- 'dispeller of shame'.

It was the child's grandfather, Saul, that brought the shame upon his life. The child was only five years old when disaster struck the house of King Saul.

News of the deaths of Mephibosheth's father and grandfather reached the palace causing an immediate panic as everyone fled for their lives.

The young child's nurse could not bear to leave her charge behind and snatched him up in her arms to carry him with her. Somehow, an accident happened, perhaps she stumbled and dropped the boy, who at five years of age would have been heavy. His legs were injured in the fall leaving him permanently crippled.

We hear nothing more of this boy through the rest of his childhood and into his adult life until years later.

Then one day, someone came to Mephibosheth's door asking for him by name.

Not someone he recognized - it was a stranger who commanded Mephibosheth to immediately accompany him. The King was demanding that he appear before him!

Mephibosheth was terrified. He knew the stories of how wickedly his grandfather had treated David and how he had tried many times to take his life. Now David was king and obviously wanting to even the score -- take his just revenge!

Trembling, he was brought to the throne on which David sat. Not even daring to raise his eyes, he fell on his face pleading that he was a willing servant.

Imagine how his trembling fear turned to disbelief - when he heard the king kindly say ... "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for Jonathan, your father's sake and I will restore to you all the land of Saul , your grandfather !"

That was unbelievable enough .. but then came the promise....

"YOU shall eat bread at my table continually!"

Mephibosheth, having lived with shame all his life was unable to grasp the 'dispelling' of it and questioned ... "WHY?? why would you do this, why even look at a dead dog such as I?"

But it was true... the King's blessings were poured upon Mephibosheth and he was treated as one of the King's sons, sharing the King's table for the rest of his life.

(II Sam. 4 and 9)

A beautiful story of love, is it not?

When I reread the story recently, I thought of how the story is really a picture of our own experience!

Adam and Eve stumbled in the garden of Eden and each of us fell as a result. Each of us has been crippled under the shame of sin.

We lived fearful of the judgement we deserved.

Then one day, we heard the Good News that God was calling for us ! That He had, in fact, chosen us for the sake of His Son !

We approached Him hesitantly, afraid to believe, and yet .. It was true !! God's offer of love and salvation would 'dispel the shame' we had carried all our life.

His countenance smiles upon us in love, exchanging our shame for His righteousness and joy !

He calls us sons and daughters, inviting us to eat at the King of King's table forever !!

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God.." I John 3:1

".... that you may eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom..." Luke 22:30

The Wedding Feast

2011-08-02T14:24:00.001-07:00

It is a sure thing that one day every person will cross that bridge that takes us from this life into eternity.

I am in the process of reading Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven". In the book he tells a true story, that very vividly brings home a scriptural teaching.

I don't think the author will mind if I share the story with you .

Following, is the excerpt from his book.

************* Ancient cities kept rolls of their citizens. Guards were posted at the city gates to keep out criminals and enemies by checking their names against the list. This is the context for Rev. 21:27 “Nothing impure will ever enter (the city) nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”

Ruthanna Metzgar , a professional singer, tells a story that illustrates the importance of having our names written in the book. Several years ago, she was asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man. According to the invitation, the reception would be held on the top two floors of Seattle’s Columbia Tower, the Northwest’s tallest skyscraper. She and her husband , Roy, were excited about attending.

At the reception, waiters in tuxedos offered luscious hors d’oeuvres and exotic beverages. The bride and groom approached a beautiful glass and brass staircase that led to the top floor. Someone ceremoniously cut a satin ribbon draped across the bottom of the stairs. They announced the wedding feast was about to begin. Bride and groom ascended the stairs, followed by their guests.

At the top of the stairs, a maitre d’ with a bound book greeted the guests outside the doors.

“May I have your name please?”

“I am Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband Roy.”

He searched the M’s. “I’m not finding it. would you spell it please?”

Ruthanna spelled her name slowly. After searching the book, the maitre d’ looked up and said, “I’m sorry, but your name isn’t here.”

“There must be some mistake, “ Ruthanna replied. “I’m the singer. I sang for this wedding!”

The gentlemen answered, “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you did. Without your name in the book you cannot attend the banquet.”

He motioned to a waiter and said, “Show these people to the service elevator, please.”

The Metzgars followed the waiter past beautifully decorated tables laden with shrimp, whole smoked salmon, and magnificent carved ice sculptures. Adjacent to the banquet area, and orchestra was preparing to perform, the musicians all dressed in dazzling white tuxedos.

The waiter led Ruthanna and Roy to the service elevator, ushered them in, and pushed G for the parking garage.

After locating their car and driving several miles in silence, Roy reached over and put his hand on Ruthanna’s arm. “Sweetheart, what happened ?”

“When the invitation arrived, I was busy,” Ruthanna replied. “I never bothered to RSVP. Besides, I was the singer. Surely I could go to the reception without returning the RSVP!”

Ruthanna started to weep – not only because she had missed the most lavish banquet she had ever been invited to, but also because she suddenly had a small taste of what it will be like someday for people as they stand before Christ and find their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Through the ages, countless people have been too busy to respond to Christ’s invitation to his wedding banquet. Many assume that the good they have done, -- perhaps attending church, being baptized, singing in the choir, or helping in a soup kitchen - will be enough to gain entry to Heaven … but people who do not respond to Christ’s invitation to forgive their sins are people whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. To be denied entrance to Heaven’s wedding banquet ill not just mean going down the service elevator to the garage. It will mean being cast outside into Hell, forever.

In that day, no explanation or excuse will count. All that will matter is whether our names are written in the book. If they are not, we’ll be turned away.

Have you said yes to Christ’s invitation to join him at the wedding feast and spend eternity with him in his house? If so .. you have reason to rejoice – Heaven’s gates will be open to you !!!!!

**************

Shadows

2011-07-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a lovely weekend to be outside enjoying nature. My husband and I did just that, enjoying a walk around a local lake. Of course I walked camera in hand and as I enjoyed the quiet and the views, my attention was caught by shadows.

Look for them in a few of my photos .....

As I observed the shadows I captured in my photos, I thought about the fact that if I taken my photos an hour or two later or earlier in the day my images would have been different. On a cloudy day, they could disappear all together. Capturing the shadow of something is a fleeting thing, it is true only at the moment you are observing it.

Imagine that you could not see the 'thing' casting the shadow. That all you knew about 'this thing' was observable only in its shadow. How ever changing would be your mental grasp of what it really was. Just when you thought you had it figured out, the shadow would move and with it's moving crumble your understanding of the object the shadow reflected.

As I walked along the lovely forested path surrounding the lake... observing the dancing shadows I thought of this verse...

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

"NO shadow of turning!"

Did you ever stop to consider that since God is invisible all we can see of Him are the shadows He casts?

He cast His shadow in His creation and in the God/Man Jesus and in His Word.

And He says ... "The shadow that I cast does not move or turn ... because 'I change not' !!"

What does that mean to us ?

It means that God does not cast Himself one way in the morning and another way at noon.

It means that what He said thousands years ago is the same as what He says today.

It means that there is NOTHING that can affect His shadow... it is as solid as the One who casts the shadow.

It cannot be affected by time, by fashion, by custom, by man's opinion, by new information, by popular demand, by the enemy's influence, nor by earth shattering disasters or circumstance ! There is no power great enough to change by the slightest degree of turning the shadow God casts of who He is !

I found this very neat verse in Job 23:13 "But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires that He does!"

Unique... One of a kind is our God ! the One and Only !! There is no one like Him!!

Whatever His soul desires ?? And what does His soul desire ?? I once did a search of scripture seeking out the passages that declared the desire of God's heart. A study I would recommend!!

And if we know it is God's desire to give us what we have need of, with what confidence can we ask .... if God offered it once, He still means it today!

My favorite 'shadow' of 'God's delight' .... is that God says He desires us to KNOW HIM !

Jer 9:24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.

Really? I think of the crowds that waited for hours for a glimpse of future King William and Kate... and those who got to 'touch' them or speak a word or two were thrilled to death !! How much greater is the King of all Kings -- and He desires to KNOW US ?? !! WOW !

Alongside the study of seeking out what delights God, I recommend you also seek out the things God hates.... If He hated them once, He still hates them! The shadow has not turned !

In knowing someone, not only do I want to know what they LOVE, I also want to know what they HATE.

I am someone who loves things to stay the same - (except for the things I don't like, of course..smile) But I love the things I love not to change.

I loved my last pair of glasses, they were so comfortable and fit my eyes perfectly. At my last optometrist visit my doctor prescribed new lenses and looking at my glasses very kindly said... "I'm not sure how much longer these are going to last!"

"Oh ??" I responded ... "I haven't had them very long!"

She looked at her records and said.. "Hmm .. its been 6 years !!"

I was surprised, but she was right .. a few weeks after my visit my glasses broke. I would rather they have just lasted forever.

Aren't you happy to know our God never gets 'old', never 'breaks' ? That He is Forever ? and unchanging in who He is ? We can TRUST His shadows - when nothing else in our world stays the same for long!

The Old Covenant God says ... Mal 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change."

The New Covenant God says... nothing has changed.... Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

There is a warning in Prov. 24:21 It says.. My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change;

Why does God warn us about those 'given to change' --- because if someone changes easily we can't trust them. We don't know if what they say today will hold for tomorrow. Their promises have an expiry date attached.

But not God's ... His promises NEVER change! His word is forever established.

I am so thankful that in a world trembling in the face of change and coming darkness I know that My Redeemer lives and His shadow is without turning ! I can TRUST His Shadow completely!

The Purple House

2011-06-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

our Purple Lupin lined path

******

The little house, recently sold, was non-descript no more.

Whereas for many years it barely got a passing glance from by passers, now it was the talk of the town.

What changed ?

The new owner, a painter by trade, decided to use the little old house as an advertisement for his skill. The new house colour was purple with red gables and yellow/green trim. I’m not talking muted designer colours, I’m talking primary - out of a child’s crayon box ! It looked like a larger than life child’s play house.

The purple house stood on a long country road that I travelled most days to and from my own home.

One day I was taking my daughter’s teen friend to our house. . We small talked and then she asked me a question. “How will I know the right man for me?”

I thought a minute and realized the perfect answer lay on the road before us.

I said, seemingly changing the subject, “On this road there is a very unusual, one of a kind house… Point it out to me when you see it.”

She answered, “What is unusual about it ?”

I replied.. “You will know when you see it .. if you have to ask .. its not the one!”

She looked out the car window carefully scrutinizing the houses we passed. One had an unusual roof line and caught her attention… “Is it that one?” she asked. I smiled… “You are asking , so no .. that is not the one.”

Several more times she , with varying degrees of convictions pointed out a house that had a number of unique features. Each time my response of “Are you sure?” brought doubt.

We were nearing the purple house… It barely came into view… when my young friend gasped and with unwavering conviction in her voice said … “THAT ONE!” I asked her if she was sure, but there was no moving her this time! .

I said.. “Just as you recognized the unusual house when you saw it, is the same way you will know the right man for you. When you meet him, you won’t have to ask… ‘is he the one?’

I was reminded of this purple house the other day and how it provided such a great learning lesson for my young friend.

But then I was thinking how it can be an even greater lesson to all of us.

So often we face challenges, choices, decisions. Our life path could go several ways.

We are advice seekers.. We ask professionals, we ask our friends, we ask anyone we think may have some wisdom to impart that will enable us to make the right decisions - large or small.

But do we look for the ‘purple house’ ??

Seeking professional or especially godly advice is a good thing and the bible commends those who do it.

But the ‘purple house’ is when we seek and find God’s word on something.

Then we need no one’s advice… we know that we know that we know the right thing to do. The ‘purple house’ of scripture’s “Thus says the Lord…. “ ends all discussion.

How diligent are we in finding the purple house of God’s thoughts or commandments… or are we content with man’s opinions as they fit with our natural inclinations? Do we try to find the one who speaks a comfortable ‘interpretation’ of God’s Word or do we seek to know what God plainly says.

I love a little motto I had on my fridge door for years …

“God said it, I believe it, And that settles it for me!”

“ The entrance of Your words gives light….Direct my steps by Your Word …I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure ! “ Ps. 119:133,147,162

A Pink World

2011-05-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

There is a Cherry-Blossom tree where I live that is glorious in pink splendor every spring. Not only is the tree loaded with 'pink' but the falling double rose-like blossoms fall to cover the grass under the tree!

Recently, a young friend of mine celebrated her 17th birthday with a 'Pink' party.

After the party she wrote a poem. She gave her permission for me to share it.

A Pink Teen

She was Pink.

And all she ever wanted was Pink.

Pink... Pink, Pink, Pink.

Pink paint, Pink walls and a Pink Royal Ball

To which all who attended were Pink.

Pink crown, Pink hair, and a Pink teddy bear

Given to her by a prince who wore Pink.

Just think ... Pink !... a world painted in Pink!

She wanted no fur, nor mink, not any un-Pink thing.

For all she ever wanted ... was Pink.

Pink love, Pink tears, Pink through all the years

Until her life blazed the color of Pink.

What color will your life be?

by McKenzie Rigney

When I first read her poem, I smiled and thought - What a sweet little poem but the question in the last line hung itself on my mind and made me think.

I realized there was a deeper underlying meaning in the words of McKenzie's poem.

The girl in the poem loved 'pink'. Every choice she made was coloured by 'pink'. If it wasn't pink she turned away from it. It was her overriding focus - Pink - the color that brought harmony and beauty and unity in her life!

She was not satisfied... her yearning was not stilled... not until her whole world blazed with Pink!

What color will your world be? What colour mine?

Each of us is offered a palette of colour from which we choose the color that will eventually determine the visual reality of our life.

Some people choose the color of money. Their choices, their goals, their decisions are coloured by the questions... How will this be good financially? What is the monetary advantage here? What is this worth? Is this a promising investment? What is the return for my time spent? More and more their life will brushed until there is nothing left that is not painted the color 'money.

Some people choose the color of self. Their choices, values, motives are painted by the questions... How will this make me feel? Will this make me look good? Will this give me what I want? Me, me, me is the only paint-loaded brush that colors their character, their life... until every is painted the color of 'self'.

Some people chose the color of ego/pride. They load their paint brush to paint .. asking .. How will this give me the advantage over others? How can I show my superiority - intellectually or otherwise? Where can I put others down to show myself higher? Where/how can I find opportunity to put myself in control or be the one with the final word? Finally, with their whole world painted with 'pride' they find themselves alone.

Others may choose the color love. In every situation their brush is ready to pain ... Will I find love here? Can I show love here? Will this choice/decision make me feel loved?

Other choices are made. Some choose the color or discontent.. or the default color of anger. Some may choose the color of good works, the colour of giving or the color of giving their life in service to others.

Our color of choice will keep painting our life until we are known for our color. People will see what our overriding desire are, what motivates us, what determines the value of what we accept or reject.

But how can we know that in the end we will be happy with the color we have painted our world? I believe no matter how pretty or appealing a color may initially look.. there is only one color that will ultimately satisfy us with lasting beauty.

I want the color of my life to be the color of Jesus Christ. I want my thoughts to be a color reflection of His thoughts. I want my actions to be painted with the color of His love in me. I want my reactions to be pained with the color of obedience in forgiveness and grace. I desire the glow of His countenance to be reflected on mine. I want my motives, goals, choices, decisions to be painted with the color of His Word. I will reject all that is un-Jesus. I desire for my world to be ablaze with this one color so that those who look at my life will see and recognize the color of Jesus.

What would the world be like if everyone chose the color of Jesus?

We cannot paint the whole world but we can paint our life 'spot' in it - imagine spots joining to spots until there is a coming together in the unity and harmony of ONE color that the world will not be able to ignore !!

"Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness (color) of Christ!" Eph. 4:13

Perfect !

2011-05-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

A perfect shot, isn't it ?

My daughter took it of their family dog and sent me the photo with the challenge to use it for a devotional.
I awwww...ed over the photo , of course! Then, I let my thoughts go and I followed them.
Let me share them with you .

*****
Scattered throughout our days and years, often in unexpected time and place, are flashes of perfection. We see a sudden vision of beauty, the coming together of details unusual or rare, insights that quicken our spirits or stir our emotions.

Often we recognize the fleeting quality of a perfect moment and something deep in us immediately reaches out to grasp hold and somehow capture, record, preserve it to relive its pleasure at will, to share it with others or to ensure that the experience will not be subject to fading in our less than perfect memories.

We reach for the camera or the pen to freeze the image, experience or insight that marks its significance in our soul.

Perfection ! Why does the mere glimpse of it resonate so profoundly in the depths of our being?

Did you ever stop to consider that we were created for perfection? That perfection is what 'fits' us best ?
No wonder we are so uncomfortable with sickness, grief, sorrow, pain, confusion, injustice and yes... death itself. We were never 'fitted' for those kind of things. We yearn for the perfect. When there is no longer a need to hold on to fleeting glimpses.

We were created in the image of our Creator God who is a God of Perfection. Would we not also be designed to enjoy perfection as well?

The garden of Eden was perfect. Sin destroyed that perfection and the resulting consequences were ill-fitted to man, leaving him ever dissatisfied deep in his soul.
But God's plan was still perfect....He would use man's failing to raise him up to be a 'perfect' man , fitted in every way to enjoy an eternity of perfection! He sent Jesus to prepare the way... and to send the His Spirit into our hearts . That is our work in this life - to yield to the indwelling Spirit guiding us, preparing and perfecting us for our true eternal home!

There is an interesting verse in Ecc. 3:11 that says "He has made everything beautiful (perfect) in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

Some bible translators translate the original Greek work into the English 'eternity' and some as 'the world' .
I think both together give the best sense of what God is saying. God has indeed put a sense of eternity and perfection in our hearts so we never lose the yearning to be perfect as we were created to be.
But as long as we are in our earthly bodies we are limited by this earth time. We do not have the ability to see what God did before our time or what He will do after this earth time is over. We cannot imagine what true perfection in all things is like !

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." I Cor. 2:9

One day this earth will end and there will be a new beginning ... A new heaven and a new earth where perfection will rule.
Can you imagine?
Never more a disappointing moment, a moment of sadness, a twinge of pain or regret. The moments of perfection we yearn to hold onto here will stretch timelessly there with nothing to cause even a ripple of discord. Every moment, every experience, every thought, every vision is unending perfection!
What unspeakable joys await us !!
*

When People Pray

2011-05-01T09:58:00.001-07:00

Does God answer when people pray ??
Let me tell you ... YES YES !!!!

Several months ago I was diagnosed with a large substernal thyroid mass with suspicion of cancer . There followed seemingly endless blood tests, scans, biopsies, ultra sounds, x-rays and referrals to thyroid and thoracic surgeons. I was told to expect something beyond a simple surgery.
Friends, acquaintances and even an atheist rallied around me assuring me of their love and prayers! I was overwhelmed with the love and concern poured out toward me. (the photo above depicts my own 'private nurse' knit for me by a neighbour)
Finally my surgery was booked and on Tues. of this week we left our house at 4:00 am for my 7:25 am surgery appointment at Vancouver General Hospital.
Right to the last minute, complications were expected .... but people were praying!

God answered every single prayer !!!

Medical Concerns Wiped out by Prayers

1. Breathing Tube -- because of the substernal mass , my trachea tube was somewhat compressed and curved. In my pre-surgery appointment with the anaesthetist he advised that because there was doubt whether the tube could be safely inserted after I was put out, it would have to be inserted while I was still awake. He called in a second opinion and his diagnosis was confirmed.
I was nervous about being awake for it.... but as I lay in the pre-op ward the two anaesthetists came to see me. Two very sweet young women. They stood at the end of my bed reviewing my charts and then said... "It would be soooo much more comfortable for you if we put the tube in after you are asleep. We think we can do it... If not, we'll just wake you up again. We will have to put in a larger tube though, which will make your throat more painful in recovery." The thoracic surgeon stopped by and briefly discussed with them the procedure and agreed, adding however that the larger tube would hinder the surgeon's space since she needed all the room she could get. So, he advised the smaller tube! The girls agreed.

2. Neck Opening not Enough
My surgeon advised me that because of how far the mass had grown down into my chest there was a real concern that she would not be able to get it out the usual way through a neck opening. A thoracic surgeon would attend and he would make three openings in my ribs through which two cameras and an instrument would be inserted to push the mass up toward the throat opening for the surgeon to pull the mass out. Failing that, there was a slight chance that my breastbone would need to be broken. I was prepped for the more complicated procedures -- which were not necessary!! The surgeon told me the morning following the surgery that the mass was not down as far as she had believed it to be.
Either all the scans/x-rays were deceptive or God in answer to prayers, shrunk the mass up to where the surgeon could reach down to pull it up through the throat opening. I am convinced it was the later. I had the best surgeons who certainly know how to read test results and examine pictures.

3. Nerves for the vocal cords - My surgeon warned me because of the close proximity to the nerves for the vocal cords there was a good possibility my voice would be affected, hopefully only temporarily. The nerves are often difficult to see. The resident surgeon who was in the operating room came to see me that evening and said with delight in his voice... "Your nerve was just lying there in the open !!" So my voice was not affected at all.

4. Pericardius Attacks
Because I have re-occuring pericardius attacks triggered by my rheumatoid arthritis and because surgery can trigger the attacks in healthy people, there was concern that I would suffer an attack after the surgery. Precautionary drugs were injected into my IV before surgery.
I had no attacks !

5. Cancer - while the mass was sent to the pathology lab for analysis, my surgeon feels that judging by sight she does not expect it to be cancer.

Personal Comfort
1. Vic --One of my biggest concerns going into surgery was was my husband. He was very concerned and I worried about him sitting waiting for me to come out of surgery. A couple of days before my surgery, he had a break-through... He found that place where He could trust the Lord for my well-being. And then my daughter was able to come with us on surgery day to keep him company .. Again, God taking care of the details. It was such a comfort to me to have them both with me!

2. Going, going, .. The last thing I remember in the operating room is looking at the speckled ceiling and watching the plaster specks quiver. Immediately after, I heard a voice drawing me awake. "Julianna, you are in recovery!"
I murmured ... "I was dreaming." I don't remember my dream except for the last scene which was vivid in my mind. A pastoral scene of a meadow... grass, trees , a grazing black and white cow, and sunshine. I opened my eyes to look out the window to see the weather had changed. The picture window revealed a large blue patch of sky bordered by bright fluffy white clouds. When I told my husband, he smiled a big smile remembering a vision he had had before I went into surgery of a blue sky and white clouds and the Lord impressing him with joy!
"So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture will give You thanks forever, We will show forth Your praise to all generations!" Ps. 79:13

3. Pain - Though I was in a fair amount of pain when I awoke, pain meds were quickly administered and those in the recovery room were the only pain meds I have needed.

4. Hospital room -- I had at first requested a private room, but I became uncomfortable with that decision, thinking that spending the extra money was maybe not necessary and we decided that we would just trust God to chose the room for me.
My room was beautiful!! Very quiet... just me and a little old lady.

My room was on the 9th floor and my bed was positioned so that without moving my head, two large windows allowed me to have a view of Vancouver city back dropped by the mountains and eastern sky.
I lay for hours in the Lord's Presence, relaxed and peaceful, enjoying the changing scene before me.
God and I have a code word - 'wings' - that God tucks into a verse or a song or a written/spoken word... to bring me His message of comfort or assurance of His Presence with me. Here ... the 'wings' were real -- the seagulls swooped and soared eye-level , beautiful in their feathered colours of striking shades of black and white. I was mesmerized as I floated with them in the sky and smiled when one and another would soar , wings extended, making a deliberate pass-by almost grazing the window panes.
The clouds formed and reformed, the late afternoon sun edged the clouds in brilliant white, then brushed them with pastel pink as slowly the day faded . Lazily, one by one the lights of the city came on until they sparkled like countless jewels against the night sky.

5. Care - I could not have asked for more gentle, hospital caregivers ... from surgeons, to nurses, to support staff.

6. Friends/family - Sometimes we take our friends/loved ones for granted or don't really realize how many friends we have. I have been overwhelmed with the love of those who share my 'space' in life.

I want to thank EACH ONE OF YOU !! for your expressions of love and for your heartfelt prayers ! Know that God heard and answered !!
May we all be encouraged to pray more , full of assurance that our loving God is listening , ready and willing to answer above and beyond what we can think to ask !
Truly ... "We have not because we ask not!" (James 4:2,3)

"To God be all glory and thanksgiving!"
*

"Nanna, can you come?"

2011-04-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

"Nanna, can you come?"

I was in the middle of Easter baking, my yeast proofing, ingredients ready to mix when the phone rang.
It was my granddaughter - but her voice had an unmistakable undercurrent of urgency or fear.

"Nanna, we were in the house when sudenly there was a rumbling and the house shook and then there sounds like ... 'ooooooohhhhhhwwww' We were sooo scared we ran outside but we could still hear the sounds.. Now we are too scared to go back inside and we are kinda hiding outside. Can you come?"

They knew Nanna would come. Short of death, they knew nothing would keep me from answering their call.
Being without a car, I threw on a jacket, grabbed my house keys and hurried the ten minute walking distance between our houses.
I found them waiting for me. When they saw me, they ran to meet me.
The door had been left wide open and I went inside, the girls tentatively following at a safe distance. I first checked the kitchen for appliances left on or making noises. Nothing. The girls were sure the noises had come from downstairs.
I immediately turned to descend the stairs encouraged by admiring voices.. "Nanna, you are sooo brave!"
Yes, of course!

I looked all around downstairs... checked closets and storage rooms... nothing - all was still.
Seeing that I seemed to be in no immediate danger, the girls followed me into the back room.
Suddenly they gasped as they looked at their father's computer screen . The realization dawned on what had happened. The computer had been left on some kind of standby and had suddenly without warning -- with the volume on high -- blasted out a youtube of scary sound effects.

Visible relief washed over the girls, they giggled with released nervous tension and I was hugged and profusely thanked for coming to rescue them even though it had turned out to be nothing to be afraid of.

As I walked back home, I thought about their confidence and faith in me. They KNEW I would come, they only had to ask.

We just celebrated Easter, remembering that Jesus came in answer to man's cry for help.
Even death could not stop Him. He conquered it and saved us !
Now with what confidence can we call upon Him and know our every need will be met.
His words "Fear not!" allow us to tread upon the enemy and go where others tremble.
He has gone before us... we can follow Him, secure in knowing He is our trustworthy guide.

"So we may boldly say, ' The Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Heb. 13:8
**

Like an Eagle

2011-04-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

My son-in-love sent me a link to a live web-cam of an eagle's nest. It is fascinating to get a rare view of the life of eaglets in their nest. You can find the cam-link here .

I have spent hours watching the activity in this nest and so thankful for this Virgina cam that allows us to see what would otherwise be impossible.
It has so moved me as I have watched and seen displayed before me a 'picture' of the nature of God.

The eagle is a bird of prey with no predator of its own. It rules the high places and the small creatures below are at its mercy.
It is equipped with sharp, powerful talons that kill with ease and a strong beak to tear flesh apart !
The eagle has extraordinary visual abilities to see detail at great distances. Little escapes its attention.
It has no equal in the sky!
What terror must flash into the hearts of creatures who see the dreaded shadow of the eagle over them in the last seconds of their life.

And yet....

I watch this same eagle guard her young with such tenderness.
I see the nest meticulously created. I've watched the eagle keep it in good repair, picking up a loose twig and weaving it back into the nest wall.
I see how the food is brought to the nest and the mother tears off pieces and offers them with gentleness to the young who expectantly lift their open beaks.
I watch how the eagle hovers over the young to shelter them without crushing them.

What melts my heart most is watching the little eaglets.

I see how they are so totally unaware that their tender caregiver is a powerful beast of prey. There is no fear at all in their beating hearts. The shadow of the powerful wings sweeping over them brings no response of terror but rather a happy welcome to a returning parent.
I note how they are so content with the parent's presence on the nest. Without fear of provoking wrath they pecked at her feathers and curl up to sleep at her feet - never questioning the fact that they are perfectly safe.
I also wonder at how freely the little ones move and tumble in the nest that is still to them very spacious. They have no sense of the danger their lofty 'home' presents - how carelessly leaning over the edge could send them free falling to certain death. They simply trust.

But one day soon they will experience the most terrifying day of their lives. The nest - the only home they know - will become cramped and small and an unfamiliar restlessness will overwhelm them. Then one day the mother will do the unthinkable... she will push them out of the nest and they begin their deathly descent with nothing to cling to.
All security is gone! What is wrong ?? Why has their own mother turned on them?

But she hasn't .... she watches ... and then before the eaglet falls far enough to be in danger she swoops underneath and catches the young one on her wings. She takes it back up to the nest only to push it out again. Terrified, the young one finally realizes that it has wings and spreads them out and soars in the sky ... suddenly experiencing the freedom for which it was born!

I'm sure you know where I am heading ... God is like the eagle.. unequaled in the heavens... powerful and a God to be feared .... "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb 10:31

and yet ...
He is as gentle as a mother to His own. He provides , He cares for our needs, He hovers over us to protect.
We grow in our trust .... we experience His love and faithfulness toward us.. but then one day tragedy strikes in our life and we free fall, terrified! Where is God ???

Just like the eagle, He is watching .... waiting ....

God wants us to be free to be all He created us to be ... but to do that we need to learn to fly... and we can't do that unless He pushes us out of our comfort zone....where the security we have trusted in is stripped away .... where there is nothing left but God Himself.
Just when we feel there is no hope left, He catches us on His wings and carries us to Himself. as He says.... "I bare you on eagles wings and took you to Myself" Ex.19:4

How great and loving is our God.... and how worthy is He of our trust and love. Always - 24/7.

The Perfect House

2011-03-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

Chocolate in the dishwasher?

My daughter and son-in-law are wanting to move and are looking for the perfect house! They found it . The real estate photos supported the verbal description.

The house was on a quiet street... it had been redone according to executive home standards... lots of wood trim, moldings, new kitchen cupboards, heated tile and wood floors... a indoor pool (with wave pool option) surrounded by glass .... a spa... an exercise room, a hot tub, ensuite jacuzzi tub, a mini Butchart's garden back yard, fenced lot backing onto a two acre park ... on and on the list of extras went.

And the price ? amazingly affordable.

Hopeful but with a hint of suspicion clouding their expectations, my kids drove out to see the place.

Ohh yes... it was all that the ad had proclaimed it to be !

But... the problem ? Location.... It was in a rundown neighbourhood with uncared for homes ... broken furniture and junk littered the adjoining yards. The two acre 'park' had two public accesses making it a perfect hang out for teens wanting to party.

My kids said .. "If only we could pick the whole place up and move it to a more desirable location!" The house was perfect but no one wanted it because its value was ruined by what touched it on either side. The fact that the house and property was beautiful with great value in itself did not improve or change the fact that the neighbourhood was undesirable.

I was reminded of a passage in Haggai 2:12-14.

In this passage Haggai is instructing the priests regarding the holy and the unholy.

He poses the question ... "If someone is carrying something holy and it inadvertently brushes against something unholy ... will the holy make what it touches holy?"

The answer is no, something unclean cannot be made holy by touching something holy.

Haggai then asks the question the other way ... "If someone is unclean and he touches something that is holy will the holy thing be then unclean?" and the answer is yes... it will be unclean.

I thought about how the buzz word today in real estate is "location, location, location!"

This can also be applied in a spiritual sense. A Christian in the wrong 'location' can ruin his reputation and testimony. Caught in a compromising or sinful situation will draw attention to the Christian but those watching will not be made 'holy'.

I Peter 4:14,15 speaks of the 'location' of suffering believers. If we suffer the consequences of our sin, because we were caught as a "murderer, a thief, evildoer, or busybody" , we are not in a 'location' where we will bring glory to God.

But.. if we suffer because of our faith and Christ-like words and actions ...then we will shine in our 'location' and bring glory to God.

Have you thought of your 'Kingdom market value' ... in terms of your location ?

Have You Misplaced Your Awe?

2011-03-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
Psa 33:8,9

We stand and watch the power of the ocean waves.... the glories of a sunset sky.... the wonders of mountain grandeur..... the intricate details of a flower, the tiny perfection of a hummingbird and our hearts are lifted up in awe to the Creator who designed and fashioned it all !
We think of His omnipresence, His omnipotence, His omniscience.... and are moved with the powerful emotion of awe.

If we were to define what triggers our feelings of awe would we not list....

Something much bigger than we can comprehend....
Something overwhelming to our senses ....
Something that makes us feel very small and insignificant .....
Something that is far outside the realm of our control....

God is all of the above and more , is He not ... so to feel awe toward God is a natural and proper response, one that is easily stirred within us.
When our awe is rightly placed in God and we see Him for Who He is ... the resulting emotions are peace, comfort, quietness of mind, trust, and love.

But ......

What if our 'awe' gets misplaced ? What happens then ?
What if circumstances overwhelm us? Financial circumstances, sudden loss of health, death of a loved one.

I am facing surgery and am aware how easily the surgeon's knife could slip, damaging a vital vessel or cord and change my life in important ways. I am in awe of how many details keep my body intact for it to continue to function in perfect working order.

We see the stability of our world crumble around us in frightening events - war, earthquake , destruction, financial recessions, stock market crashes, famine, drought, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.

How easily we are moved with awe at how little control we have over the events that shape our lives - both personally and globally. How easily our awe is moved or misplaced.

When our awe is misplaced - when we fixate on some overwhelming circumstance, event or experience, or to man/nation/people holding earthly power or position , the resulting emotions are ones of fear, worry, anxiety, anger, insecurity, vulnerability.

I have heard it said... "The one who fears God , fears nothing else" Perhaps this is a paraphrase of Psalm 118:6 "The Lord is on my side, What can man do to me?"

Could we not also say, "The one whose awe is firmly fixed on God, will never misplace it" ? Then we will not be overcome by awe of man or circumstance. Our hearts will not fail for what we see around us in a crumbling, frightening world. We will walk in faith and hope and trust knowing that we are forever safe in the hand of our Almighty God.

Where is your awe? Is it in God ? or is it misplaced ......
*

Natural and Supernatural

2011-03-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

I have a story to tell about my granddaughter and would have loved to post a photo of her but she was shy about it .... so I'll just tell the story.

She recently came home from a week long school field trip in Quebec with her French Immersion classmates.

I, of course prayed for her safety but I also prayed that she would in some way have an encounter with God.

She did.

In Quebec City there is a tubing hill that, according to my granddaughter makes Whistler or Manning hills look tame. The one in Quebec City is almost vertical steep, sheer ice and very fast! But apparently, very fun with many runs.

Coming down one run, my granddaughter came to a stop and stood up in her tube talking to some friends who had also just come down. She wasn't concerned about getting out of the way because she was sure there was no one behind her.

She had her back to the hill, her friends facing the hill.

Suddenly their expressions changed and they cried out her name in alarm.

My granddaughter had just enough time to turn her head to see two tire tubes careening at full speed toward her before they both hit her tube. The impact sent their tubes in opposite directions and tossed my granddaughter into the air with no where to come down but on the ice.

She landed ... not on the ice .... but cushioned in an empty tire tube.. Not hurt at all !

Her friends immediately all came running to her - not to exclaim about the chances of her landing in an empty tire tube -- that would have been miracle enough.

No .. they all exclaimed, "WHERE did that tire tube come from ??? There WAS NO TIRE TUBE THERE!"

They are still talking about it, baffled about how a tire tube could appear out of no where.

Of course... I know where it came from ... and so does my granddaughter.

A miracle ! We love them don't we ? When God's supernatural breaks into our 'natural' ?

And yet, recently I have been thinking how wrong we have it .

We have defined 'natural' as something science can explain ... and supernatural something they can't.

Yet in the truest sense, EVERYTHING is supernatural .. everything we see was created by God who spoke it into existence with His word. The very laws we call 'natural' were supernaturally designed/decreed by Him.

So how difficult it it for Him to do what we call a 'miracle' ?

He invites His children to ask in His name ... and He will do it ... Why do we not ask more ? And why are we surprised when our prayers are answered ?

Delight... awe... praise ....honor.... are all appropriate responses to our great God ...

but 'doubt' is not.

May the words in Ephesians 3:20 lift our hearts in joy, and turn our faces to the Lord who is not only a great and awesome God .. but also our loving Father who desires to give good things to His children.

Eph 3:20 "Now to him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,,, to Him be glory !!!!!"

The Knowledge of Good and Evil

2011-02-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

photo credit: Emma Smart

One of my first memories of struggling with right and wrong was when I was very young... probably not more than three years of age.
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I remember having a crayon in my hand and kneeling in front a white chair colouring on a piece of paper.
The thought entered my head that it might feel nice to colour the chair instead. I had a vague feeling that it would be wrong to do it but the urge to do it was stronger. I remember the first stroke. It gave me pleasure. I enjoyed the feeling of the crayon against the smooth white paint and I loved seeing the coloured lines appear.
*
Part of me recognized a sense of guilt that I knew not quite what to do with and I tried to remember if I had ever seen someone else colour on chairs.
I wondered if my mother would be angry with me, but I couldn't rationalize why it would be wrong if it felt so good to do it - so I carried on.
*
I did, of course, get into trouble ... and I never coloured on chairs again.
*
All of us are born with some innate sense of there being a standard of right and wrong.

What that standard is or who has the authority to set the rules that govern it is something that we must at some point determine.

From an early age we are quick to find a way to justify the terms of that standard according to our own reason and/or emotional needs.

It matters not how we twist or redefine to our own advantage - the standard of right and wrong / good and evil is set by God.

It is unchangeable, non-negotiable - it is fixed in His character and eternity.

We have our first example of rebellion against this rigid standard in Lucifer. He was lifted up with pride and saw no reason why he should have to live by God's standards. Why could he not set up his own system of right and wrong and live by his own rules? A tempting heady thought! He tried ... but God's reaction was swift - he was banished from his former estate and condemned for eternity with the angels that fell with him.

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When Satan entered the garden of Eden, he understood exactly how to move Adam and Eve out of fellowship with God. All he had to do was tempt them to question God's standard and establish their own.
Satan already understood why they were not allowed to touch the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
He knew that God would never allow any deviation from right and wrong as He defined it. The knowledge of how that standard was set up belonged to God and God alone. If man reached out his hand to touch it in any way ... he would suffer what lay outside of God's 'good'.
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Living by any standard or commandment other than the ones God sets will lead to sorrow, pain, hardship, suffering, evil, and physical death in this life. Ultimately, it also leads to spiritual death in eternity.
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Stop and think... look around you.
We live in a world today that is infested with wickedness - of man inflicting and suffering pain and hardship. If we examine the root cause -- is it not because someone has 'touched' or disobeyed' a commandment of God ? Attempted to redefine what He has declared to be right and good?
How quick we are to question (at best) or accuse (at worst) God for the difficulties that afflict all of us. But did God not warn us from the very beginning ? Violate my rules/my standard for good and evil or suffer the results? Is man himself -- either directly or indirectly - not responsible for all the suffering man experiences ?
We see every day the resulting evidence of people trying to live by their own code of what is right and wrong. On a personaly level, one's life soone takes a downward turn, affecting those around him in a widening arc.
And when a nation turns away from the 'law' God set forth -- the ten commandments -- that nation moves itself out of God's blessing.
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Our society is fast paced, ever changing and the natural response is to adjust our world view accordingly and compromise previously held standards of God's right and wrong.
But we are not allowed to do it. God has warned us and we cannot escape the resulting pain of the consequences of disobedience.
God did not set His standard to make life difficult for us; He set forth His commandments so we would know how to live happy and fulfilling lives that allow His blessings to be poured out upon us.
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I have been convicted of late to what extend we, even as believers, have 'touched' the tree of Good and Evil and have adjusted or even rewritten God's standard of good and evil / right and wrong.
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What God says and what Jesus taught... were not just valid for the day in which they were spoken .. The same Word speaks today and is just as true as it ever was.
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What God says is right and good .. is forever right!
What He says is wrong... is forever wrong.
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His commandments are still valid today with no less authority.
God's law IS law and the only law that counts!
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"Therefore I love Your commandments , more than gold, yes, more than fine gold. Therefore all Your precepts (standards) concerning ALL things , I consider to be right. I hate every false way." Psalm 119:127,128
*

Wait .. Waited.... Waiting

2011-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Bald Eagle waiting/looking for food

Waiting just seems to be a part of life, for both man and beast.

I have just had an exercise in waiting.

An accidental observation in a lung x-ray revealed to my rheumatologist a widening of my mediastinum.

That began a long series of blood tests, scans, biopsies.... all of them in the plural and all of them followed by waiting periods often extended by doctors going 'out of town' or tests lost or needing to be redone.

Waiting, waiting, waiting -- that extended into weeks, then several months.

Finally, this week I got that call I had been waiting for that gave me some definitive 'answers' or at least an indicated direction of resolve.

The suspicious nodule in my substernal goiter is impossible to biopsy for cancer. The only way is be sure is to biospy it after removing my thyroid gland. But, my oncologist/surgeon explained, in my case that is not a simple surgery since it will take two surgeons and my breastbone needing to be broken to help get the thyroid gland out.

So I am scheduled for more appointments and waiting for the inevitable surgery.

In thinking about my situation ....I have realized some things about waiting.

1> The feeling of being alone. Perhaps the common childish fear of being abondoned by parents is a fear that never really leaves and we feel remnants of it throughout our lives. When we are standing outside a building waiting for someone to come pick us up or waiting in a coffeeshop for a friend who is late. we feel suddenly alone and the fear of abandonment threatens to surface even though reason tells us the wait is only temporary.

2> Waiting involves dependancy on someone else.

There is only one reason to 'wait'. Someone/something is needed in our life that we have no control over. Someone else has the power or authority to make it happen but for some reason their action is delayed.

3> Waiting is emotionally demanding.

Waiting draws an intensely emotional focus on the thing we are waiting for, causing the other things in our life to pale in importance. When we are waiting for something, it is difficult to impossible to prioritize any other way than to keep that waited-for-thing at the top of our 'focus on' list.

Waiting - how happily we would banish it from our lives.

And then - when we turn for comfort to the scriptures we are simply told ... "Wait on the Lord!"

How can that be comfort?

We wait feeling so alone struggling to trust/believe that He will come through, somehow, sometime.

But will He? Perhaps His will is not what we are hoping for...perhaps His timing is not our timing...perhaps we are undeserving of His attention.... are we abandoned?

Fear arises in our hearts minimizing our faith.

We wait... watching, hoping, longing for that one thing that will make our life better .. if only the Lord would act on our behalf.

But wait .... we have it all wrong ... there is something beautiful we have missed !

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Psa 27:14 "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"

The way we read the verse we subconsciously read into it all of the emotion of what the word 'wait' brings to mind and heart.

But there is something VERY different when God calls us to 'wait' for Him - something I only learned recently.

The Hebrew word for 'wait' is a word that means 'to bind or entwine'. That word meaning suddenly changes the whole situation.

What God is inviting us to do .. rather than sit alone and afraid... is to come and wait 'entwined' with Him.

We are not asked to wait alone.

He Himself will wait with us, His arm protectively around us as we wait together.

We wait, not dependent on the frailty of man or the unpredictability of circumstances.

We wait knowing that God has all things under His control. We need not fear.

God asks us, rather than struggling to keep our emotions from frustrating or terrifying us, to bind ourselves to His word, to His promises as we wait together with Him.

Then, instead of being focused on the 'thing' we are waiting for we are focused on Him... our hearts entwined with His... our thoughts following His thoughts, our mind grasping hold of His promises , our emotions 'resting' in the security of His peace, our hearts rejoicing in praise and thanksgiving.

THAT is what 'waiting' on the Lord is !

Lifting Our Hands

2011-01-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

I think most of us have become comfortable with people raising their hands in church. We know that we are indeed encouraged to do so by Paul in 1Ti 2:8, "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

Often when something becomes the 'thing to do', what we lose is the reason WHY we do it.

Do we know what it means to raise our hands to God ? or what it SHOULD mean ?

I realize over and over again how God has made His ways and words clear to us because they relate to the physical things we understand easily. The understanding of the spiritual often lies in understanding the physical.

We have so many readily recognized meanings of raised hands in our every day life that are symbolically true of the spiritual as well.

1. A Sign of Surrender --- We all have visual images in our mind of people taken captive with their hands raised in surrender. It is a universal sign that a person is 'giving up', that he has nothing left to fight with.

Is that what we are also saying to God ? "God, my hands are raised... I surrender to you ... Not my will .. but yours, O Lord!"

2. Clean Hands -- Who has not as a child been asked... or as a mother asked... "show me your hands" ? We recognize the importance of clean hands to our overall health.

I love Psalm 24:3,4 "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart."

Do we lift up our hands to the Lord saying... "Examine my hands - my heart - O Lord... are they clean ?? May I come before your throne, into your Presence?"

3. Reaching for the Father -- I love to see how quickly and naturally the small child reaches up their hands for the parent -- wanting to be picked up !

Is that what we mean when we lift our hands to God ? "Oh Lord, pick me up! I am reaching for you and you alone. Hold me where I am safe and secure!"

4. Lifting our hands to Honour -- I watch the concerts/public rallies/gatherings/sports events where a sea of hands are in the air honoring some hero.

Are we lifting our hands high to honor the One to Whom all honor is due ? Saying "To you alone is all glory and honor forever and ever... There is none other but You !"

5. Lifting our hands to Receive -- Little ones so naturally lift up their hands in expectation to receive something from the hand of their parents.

Are we also expectant when we lift our hands to God ? Do we desire what is in His hand to give us ? Do we reach up in faith to receive it?

6. Humility.. Raising our hands is an outward act of humility... Opening our body leaves us vulnerable ... we tend to want to protect ourselves by holding our arms tight around our body. As parents we are all amazed how quickly a child shows his independence by folding his arms tight and saying .. "NO!"

Lifting our hands to God is saying that we have nothing in ourselves... we are needy and longing for more ... "More of you, Lord and less of me, I trust not in my own riches or strength or wisdom."

"I would that men/women everywhere lift holy hands ... " The next time we are in a service or in our private time of prayer ... let the act of lifting up our hands be full of meaning to us and a wordless expression of prayer to God.

*****

Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full

2011-01-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

The question of seeing the glass half-full or half-empty has become a familiar defining of some one's outlook on life.
Interesting to note - in both glasses the liquid amount is the same. It is in the eye of the beholder whether the glass is in the process of being filled or in the process of being emptied.

Two people can find themselves in identical circumstances; one will see the meaning of his life draining out as in a half-empty glass, whereas the other will see his glass is only half-full leaving room for fulfilling purpose to be yet added!

Easy in theory.... not so easy to live out.

I love stories of people who inspire us with what they do when their cup is suddenly half-empty. and end up with a story worth telling !

I saw Leon Fleisher's interview on TV today. A well-known professional concert pianist. Then one day his cup was emptied.
A seemingly simple cut on his right thumb caused focal dystonia. His fingers froze into a permanent curl rendering his hand useless on the keyboard!
But music was his life and he determined that he would not choose to see his cup half-empty but rather half-full! So he became famous as a skilled pianist of concertos written for left-hand only accompanied by orchestra! For 40 years he continued as a one-handed pianist until doctors recently discovered that botox injections released his frozen fingers and allowed his right hand to once more join his left hand on the piano keyboard!

Fourteen years ago when I was diagnosed with auto-immune diseases, my first thought was of a half-full glass. I went to the Lord and with a troubled heart expressing to Him how I had been so willing to serve Him and had been so excited about the things I could do ! Also without my full involvement in our business our income would dry up!
The Lord's reply resonated in my spirit . He softly said... "What if you can serve Me better without perfect health?" "Yes!!" I responded. "My cup is truly half full !! Fill it, O Lord !!" and He did ! My challenges opened new doors greater than the ones that closed.

Joseph's cup was half-emptied when his brothers planned his death, he was sold into slavery, he was unjustly thrown into prison and forgotten. But God filled his cup by bringing him into a ruling position, second only to Pharaoh and through him saved nations , including his own family, from starvation.

Abraham's cup was emptied when he was told to sacrifice his beloved son... but God filled his cup by providing a substitute lamb and with countless descendants who followed his example of faith .

Paul's cup was often emptied by beatings, shipwrecks, stonings but God filled it by inspiring him to write most of the New Testament!

In Zarephath, a widow's cup was emptied when famine threatened her life and that of her son. But God filled her cup with the miracle of an unending supply of flour and oil when she gave her last morsel to feed God's prophet Elijah.

And Jesus' cup was emptied in suffering and death but God filled it with resurrection life! Not only for Him but for countless others who place their faith/trust in Him !

Is your cup half-empty today ??
Hold your half-full cup up to God and ask Him to fill it !
***

DNA - Two in One ?

2011-01-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Lydia Fairchild's nightmare began when she applied for social assistance.
A routinely required DNA testing revealed that while her boyfriend was indeed the father of her four children she was not the biological mother.
Even though her doctor vouched for the fact that he had indeed delivered her four children, his testimony could not stand against what was considered unarguable proof -- her DNA, which could not lie, did not match her children's.

Anxious two years passed with Lydia fearing her children would be taken from her.

Then, finally a breakthrough.

Her lawyer in his desperate search for some explanatory clues, discovered the information he was looking for.
What he learned was this. There are people in the world known as Chimeras. They are rare - only 40 known cases in the whole world.
A Chimera is a person who is literally two people.
In the womb life begins as fraternal twins, but for some unknown reason very early in their development they blend together and continue their development as one person. Interestingly, however, the original two DNA's do not blend.

Except where the DNA becomes an issue, as with Lydia, a Chimera would never know that they were really their own twin!

In Lydia, when extensive DNA testing was done, her hair and skin and internal organs were found to be of one DNA, but her reproductive system carried a second DNA - hence, her children had the second DNA. Routine DNA samples would never be taken from this part of her body.

Finally, in hearing the new evidence, the courts acquiesced, ruling that Lydia Fairchild was indeed the biological mother of her children.
Lydia's nightmare was over!
**
In hearing about this story on a TV documentary, and considering the facts, I realized that there was a spiritual significance in this story. Science confirmed or clarified something that in our natural understanding is difficult to understand.

God has truly put knowledge of Himself and His truth in His creation, as we are told in Rom. 1:20 "For since the Creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made....."

Christians accept by faith the statement that Jesus is declared by scripture to be wholly God and wholly man. For all of Jesus' thirty-three years of sojourning on this earth, He was regarded as a man. Nothing about Him attracted undo attention or set Him apart from other human beings - not until the 'God' part of Him began to be revealed in His ministry. Even then only those willing to see it ... saw it! The others hated him as a trouble maker and called for His death .. something they would never have done if they had seen Him as a 'supernatural' God !

We struggle to grasp intellectually the fact that Jesus was God yet was man at the same time. Yet, when presented with the fact that science has proven that one person can carry two completely separate DNA codes, something believed to be impossible - does that not suddenly make it easier for us the grasp that Jesus could indeed be TWO in one physical body?

Is it not altogether believable that two separate 'codes' defined who Jesus was ?

*****

A Bed of Roses

2011-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

photo credit to Jerome G. Rosen Jr. - as appearing in National Geogrophic magazing (Dec. 2010)

You have heard it said, "Life is not a bed a roses!"
It appears that is not always true - at times life quite literally IS a bed of flower petals.

I found a little piece in the December (2010) National Geographic that reports on a very fascinating discovery.
There is a species of bee found in the mountain slopes of Turkey and Iran whose unusual nest construction was recently observed by researchers.

The female Osmia avosetta bee responding to an inner clock knows it is time to build her nest . She begins by digging a shallow, two inch tunnel in the soft soil preparing for two or three chambers.

She then lines these chambers with flower petals that she meticulously separates with her teeth from the flowers growing in nearby fields. Petal by petal she carries them back to her construction site, gluing two or three layers together.
When satisfied with her petal nursery, she deposits an ample supply of food and lays a single egg at the mouth of the nest. Carefully, she folds an inner petal for a blanket over the egg, seals the door and folds over one last petal.
The whole process takes about two days.
When the nest hardens, it is weather and predator resistant and provides a warm and moist environment in which the larvae thrives.
It is regrettable that the beauty of its bed is lost on the larvae bee, since it develops in the dark and at that stage is without eyes to see!

How amazing this little bee is !

What single minded focus, what talent and ‘know-how’ to build such a perfect nest for its young! What wisdom is filed into its minuscule brain!
Throughout its life this tiny creature has no distractions from what she desires to do. She experiences no sense of drudgery. No anxiety over what may or may not be, disturbs her rest. There is no lack of supply to fulfil the purpose that drives her. She has no disquieting thoughts that perhaps her work might be in vain!
Her life is enviable.
What is it that makes her life so perfect that we of much greater intelligence stand in admiration and awe?

The answer is simple, is it not? This little creature lives her entire life perfectly following the wisdom and direction of the One who created her. She knows nothing of deviating from that wisdom and following her own pursuits or self-desires.

Does she not make us look foolish? Man, given free choice, seems rather unable - or unwilling- to single mindedly choose to follow the wisdom of God. We so easily gravitate to the age-old default “every man doing that which is right in his own eyes”.
Over and over God reveals His unfailing wisdom in His creation. Every flower is beautifully dressed. Every little creature is fed and cared for.
Do we have any reason to think that God would do less for us?
Yet, we doubt, we fear, we worry, we question. How foolish we are!

What greater honor can we give our heavenly Father than to trust Him completely, to look to Him for wisdom and direction for our daily lives, believing that every promise in the Book is true !!

“Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God , the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.

There is no searching of His understanding !” Is. 40:28 NKJV

A Focus for the New Year - are you Hungry?

2011-01-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

We have just enjoyed the season of the year where celebration and food have been a focal point. And so it should be. God ordained that the table be a place of joyous fellowship!

But....

Have you ever stopped to think how much of our life is focused on FOOD?
It is a rare day that we think of it the minimum three times – breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Even when we aren’t actually eating - ‘food’ is never far from our consciousness
Have you ever measured the greatest distance between you and food at any point in your day? Or how long you can hold a conversation before there is a reference to food or drink?
We talk about ‘treats’ and food flashes into our minds.
We plan a celebration and food is the top of our to-do list.
We shop it, we cook it, we preserve it and prepare it - we work to pay for it!
We actually do very little that doesn’t sooner or later involve food or some process connected with it.

Have you ever thought about how much time we would have freed up in our daily lives if we suddenly had no need or desire for food?
From the day we were born, food has been an important all-consuming focus in our life. And the amazing thing is that we never tire of it!!
Have you ever heard anyone - unless they were very nauseous - express the wish that they would never have to eat again?
Probably not ... more often than not the focus is on trying to curb our eating .. not force ourselves to eat.

What is my point? I do have one!!!

God uses our insatiable need and desire for physical food as a picture of how we are to long for the things of God.
John 6:27 says in Jesus’ words, “Do not labour for the food that perishes but for the food which endures for everlasting life!”

If you think back over your day yesterday, what is the time ratio between the time you spent on physical food and the time you spent on spiritual food?
How much time did you spend,
Thinking about God,
Reading your bible,
Talking to God,
Talking about God in your conversations,
Learning about the things of God,
Working for the things of His Kingdom.

When you were last ‘hungry’, was it the pleasure of physical food that you thought of or was it spiritual food you yearned for to satisfy your hunger?

I would like to challenge us today to just think about the new year facing us …2011.
How important a place will God have in our activities and plans? How much time will we spend on our spiritual well-being?
This coming year when we daily enjoy the food that God has given us to so richly, both to enjoy and to sustain physical life … may we let it remind us that we do “not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matt. 4:4 NKJV

May you be blessed this New Year with all the blessings of God’s Life and Goodness and Truth! "

May you taste and see that God is GOOD! " Ps.34:8
**

Fourth Advent -- Love

2010-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

(photo - morning view of the fog-covered valley from my patio)

For God so loved ..... LOVE is the reason for the season. Because God so loved you and me He sent His only begotton Son that we might have eternal life!

I am reminded of the year my granddaughter was a four years old in pre-school. In her class was a little girl who could only be described as a bully. My granddaughter had determined that she must have a broken spirit and needed a friend. She would be that friend.

She tried and tried ..... sharing her lunch treats, inviting her to play with her, drawing her special pictures. My granddaughter even asked her Mom to take her shopping so she could buy her a very special gift that would certainly convince this girl of her love.

Nothing ever changed. While my granddaughter readily acknowledged that this little girl "was mean", she never referred to her meaness in a personal way - always it was with sadness that this girl did not know how to be nice.

So many times my little granddaughter asked me to pray for this girl, that her spirit would not be broken any more.

I wondered at the little girl that she could for a whole school year resist such persistent love and sincere offer of friendship.

While my heart ached to see my granddaughter's love so rejected, I thought of how it is a picture of us and God. We were hardly 'lovely' that God should have reason to love us ! It was "while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us !" Rom 5:8

And yet. even though we rejected His sacrifice, resisted His offering of Love and turned away from His incredible gift ... He loved us still.

Patiently He wooed us until we turned and recognizing His love let it melt our hard hearts.

Then we could say with the apostle John....
"We love him, because he first loved us." 1Jn 4:19

"Lord, when we see how great your love for us is , our hearts are filled with thanksgiving. As we celebrate this Christmas season with family and friends, may we remember that it is because of Your self-less gift that we are so blessed. May hope, peace, joy and love reign in our hearts and homes. Amen"

Third Advent - Joy

2010-12-12T08:19:00.001-08:00

Joy ... What is Joy ?

A dictionary defines it this way ... "The emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires -- delight"

I think that definition falls short of true joy!

I would like to define Joy as inspired by the little chipmunk in my photo !

* Joy comes from above.
* Joy is a gift that this world cannot offer. It offers fleeting moments of bliss, happiness, elation, delight -- but not lasting Joy !
* Joy must be received. God has offered us joy -- life in Him -- but we must reach out to take it!
* Joy is a focus. Not much can detract from real Joy. When Joy is the anchor of our life, we overcome our fears and distractions fade !

When I was looking through my photos to find a picture that depicted joy, I was not thinking about chipmunks but when I looked at the above photo I realized again how often God tucks a 'sermon' into His creation.

God wants us to filled with joy ! -- to live our lives out of a joy rooted deep into our hearts. A joy that is undisturbed, undistracted by the sorrows, difficulties, disappointments and frustrations of this world. Not that we don't feel those things -- but always we can be aware of the foundation of joy our hearts are grounded in.
Jesus said ... "These things I have spoken to you , that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full!" (John 15:11)

The little chipmunk in my object lesson knew very quickly where the 'joy peanuts' were coming from and ran to me for more!
When we recognize that our Joy comes from God - from Jesus the Saviour of this world, how easy is it to run to Him continually for all that we need. It is His Presence in us that fills us with Joy and the knowledge that in Him we can abide in Joy.

The angels proclaimed .. "Joy to the World!" That is God wish for us -- to be filled with Joy -- and how much reason we have to be joyful.... especially this Christmas season as we remember the great gift that came down from heaven to reconcile us to our heavenly Father -- if only we put our trust in Him.

May Joy fill your heart today and always !!
"Rejoice, and again I say Rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4)
**

Second Advent - Peace

2010-12-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

When the angels came to proclaim Jesus' birth , they sang. "Glory to God in the highest and on earth PEACE, good will toward men." (Luke 2:14 NKJV)
*

Peace on earth ? After 2,000 years, I don't see it , do you ?

We turn on the TV news every morning to hear about the lack of peace encircling our globe. We have computers and internet that link every part of the world with every other part - there is no place to hide! Wars and rumours of war so commonplace they barely raise an eyebrow. Violence is the repetative ingredient in TV shows, movies, video games.

Even our streets are not safe -- our homes , our vehicles , our possessions need to be guarded. Thieves lurk. We go for a walk in our local park... our lives are at risk. We watch over our children - it is not safe for them to walk home alone from school. Even school is not safe for them - we have bullies and school shootings.

Our families are shattered - divorce leaves children hurt and vulnerable. Suicides are at all time high.

So where is this peace that was promised ?

Is the desire for peace not the longing of every heart ? I believe that it is... but man has forgotten how to find it.

Peace will never be found in the world around us. It can only be found where Jesus promised it. In HIS Kingdom.

And where is His kingdom ?

It is a kingdom of hearts. Jesus came not to bring a superficial peace that the world looks for but a peace that permeates the hearts of His followers and flows out through them. It is a peace that cannot be touched by the turbulent events of a world tossed to and fro. It is a peace that fills our hearts birthed of trust in a God who is in control. We have a God whose promises are true - a God whose Word stills every storm and quiets every heart.

Real Peace comes from knowing God ( I Peter 1:2)

Jesus is our King of peace. Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts - a deep peace that man cannot steal or destroy.

How often did Jesus say to His disciples, "Peace to unto you... "

The same words He still speaks to your heart and to mine!

That is why Jesus came - to bring us peace. Listen to the words of Zacharias prophecy about the Messiah in Luke 1:79.

"Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

In a dark and troubled world may our feet be guided in the way of peace -- in our own hearts -- and may the Light of Peace shine through us.

"Dear Father, I pray this morning, that you would speak 'Peace' to every person whose eyes fall upon these words. May their hearts be stilled knowing that you are God - the same yesterday , today and forever.

May we all hide in you, and be blessed in your kingdom where Peace rules! Amen"

First Advent

2010-11-28T02:19:00.000-08:00

I stepped out on our kitchen patio one morning this week to take the above photo.

The valley was blanketed under a thick fog but the snow capped mountains rose up above it glistening in the morning sun.

As I stood gazing at the view I thought about a scripture in Col. 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."

How easy it is to become 'blanketed' by the cares of this earthly life - to allow the disappointments, the worries, the endless duties to completely hide from our heart-view the glory of the things above.

The people of the valley had no idea of the beauty above them that awed my heart.

Where I saw blue sky and snow capped peaks, they saw only fogged shadows.

Where I saw the promise of the rising sun, they sat in shrouded uncertainty.

Where I saw the heavens , they saw only the earth beneath them.

Hope - the theme of the First Advent. No matter how deep our dispair, no matter how heavy our burdens or our doubt.. there is always HOPE.

Hope that is real ! Hope that will not disappoint any one who puts their faith in Jesus.. the promised Messiah.

Jesus, the Light shining into a dark world, melting the fog of doubt and fear!

Whatever earthly thing weighs you down, shine God's hope upon it and view it from above!

"Now may the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in HOPE! " Rom. 15:13
**

A Little Child

2010-11-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

I love the tender heart of God .
We see it in so many places. It is reflected in the delicate beauty of a Mandevilla bloom and the gently falling snow flakes I'm watching outside my window.

I also see God's tender heart in the story of Jonah. While Jonah wished judgment on the people of Ninevah and destruction of their city, God's tenderness reached out in mercy to the little children and even the animals.

Perhaps you have seen the video of the little girl telling the story of Jonah, but if you haven't, the link is here .... http://vimeo.com/16404771 . She recites the narrative so well... and her childlike innocence catches the heart of the story. Being able to memorize it all is one thing , to tell it with such natural expression is another!

One of my favorite verses is in Luke 10:21 - the words of Jesus - "I praise You Father, Lord of heaven and earth that You have hidden these things from the wise and prodent and revealed them to babes. Even so Father, for so it seemed good to Your sight."
*****

A Song in the Night

2010-11-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago, I lay unable to sleep.

Searching for a way to turn off my mind, I tried to think of a song.

While I love music and have a fairly good memory, I am not like some who can remember songs and lyrics with ease.

In fact, when I tried to remember a song well enough to sing it to myself, my mind remained blank!

I let my mind drift back to my childhood and immediately "Blessed Assurance" flashed across my memory - a hymn I have not sung or heard in years.

The words and melody drifted through my mind and I was so surprised that I remembered the lyrics. The beauty of the song in my heart carried me into a restful sleep.

Before I share the beautiful words with you ... let me tell you about the author in case you have forgotten or perhaps never heard of her.

Her name was Fanny Crosby -- She was born in America in 1820 and died in 1915.

She is known for her poetic lyrics - she wrote over 8,000 hymns in her lifetime. The words flowed from the bubbling over love in her heart for her Savior.

But Fanny's life was not 'perfect'. Some time after she was born, her parents were forced to face a parent's heartbreak. Their beloved baby girl was born blind!

She must have had very wise parents because she did not spend her life feeling sorry for herself and what she missed.

A preacher once sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you."

She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?"

"Why?" asked the surprised clergyman.

"Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"

***

Are your troubles really as big as you think they are? Have you given them to the one who offered to carry all our burdens ? Have you considered that what you view as your greatest obstacle could actually be a gift in disguise?

Read the lyrics of 'Blessed Assurance' and let the depth and meaning and beauty of the words sink deep into your heart. May they encourage and bless you today !!

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

*********

Something Fishy about that Face

2010-10-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

My husband and son-in-love had gone fishing and thanks to my SIL's generosity this 28" Coho was waiting in my kitchen sink to be fileted.

My first thought when I looked down at the fish was .. ."There is definitely something fishy about that face!"

I'm often curious about how expressions get started and so I googled my question regarding why we refer to things we mistrust as 'fishy'.

I found this explanation to be of interest... The meaning of 'there's something fishy' is something of doubtful character or of some shady deal where the motives are suspected. The term 'fishy' is thought to have arisen from the notion "as slippery as a fish" or as an allusion to meat with a "fishy" taste, an indication that the meat is bad. A simpler explanation is that old fish (not good to eat) smells fishy with bad odour caused by a chemical named trimethylamine which is released when fish begins to break down. (from ttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic…)

How naturally we are drawn or repelled by the sensitivity of our noses .
A stench or a sweet smell invoke such opposite responses.

What God has put into our physical world so often has a spiritual lesson.

I wonder how often a Christian invokes the "something's fishy" response from the world that is watching them.

When the world blasphemes God, He places the blame on His children. (Rom 2:24)
Is it because Christians are too often guilty of something in their life giving off a foul smell ?

What 'chemical' released within them would give off a 'fishy' smell ?
Would it not be the chemical called 'sin' ?
When we walk in disobedience, when we indulge our fleshly lusts or pleasures, when we do not walk in the light nor in love one to another .. when we harbour unforgiveness, or selfishness or discontent, we give off a bad odour .

As believers we are gifted to give off a sweet fragrance, the fragrance of Christ in us.
2Co 2:14 "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. " 2Co 2:14 NKJV

We are admonished in II Cor. 13:5 to "Examine yourselves..." I think that means ...'Do the sniff test!' ... Is there something about you that smells fishy or are you a diffuser of the fragrance of Christ?
*****

A Quote, a Deer, a Flower and Morgan

2010-10-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

I read a quote the other day that grabbed me.
It is found in the Talmud, credited to Abba Arika -- he said .. "On the day of reckoning man will have to give an account of every good which his eyes beheld and which he did not enjoy!"

I immediately thought of the verse in I Tim 6:17 ... which says that God "gives us richly all things to enjoy!"
How often do we rush past something 'good' because we are in too big of a hurry to stop and enjoy it. Or so engrossed in our thoughts that we scarcely notice.

Perhaps it is easy to enjoy the detailed beauty of a helenium bloom or take time to capture a photo of coloured leaves against a blue sky or a curious deer peering through the brush.

But what about the 'good' our "eyes behold and we don't stop long enough to see it.

Like Morgan.

I met him when I was waiting in the doctor's office for my husband. I looked up from my book when a mother walked into the office with her 'special' son. His eyes were glazed but when he turned and saw I was looking at him , his face lit up with a smile and he pointed his finger at me and exclaimed "Merry Christmas!"

I smiled and returned the greeting.

He sat down across from me in the chair his mom indicated but his eyes stayed on me, continuing to happily wish me a "Merry Christmas!"

I wished him a Happy New Year, Happy Birthday and several other holidays which he happily repeated but returned to his favorite .. "Merry Christmas!"

I asked him for his name. "Morgan!" was his reply. "Merry Christmas!"

"That's a nice name, Morgan. How old are you?"

He giggled his answer .. "Eight!"

"No, silly!" corrected his mother. "How old are you!"

"Fifteen!" Closer but still not quite right. Sixteen was the right answer.

Conversation was not possible with him .. but communication was.

When he left the office he gave me another happy "Merry Christmas !" and I heard his happy giggle fading into the distance.

But the 'good' of his happy voice and cheerful greeting has stayed with me. It reminds me to look for the good around me and take the time to enjoy it !

We all know the scripture ...

Jas 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

All things 'good' come from God as gifts to us. 'Good' fills our day, crosses our path, speaks to us through the voices of loved ones and strangers. It peeks out from behind the 'trouble' we would happily turn away from. It waits for us to notice on the other side of tears.

Do we watch for the good that surrounds us , look for it?

To not enjoy the good things things God has provided for us , is it not the acting out of selfish unthankfulness?

I know how much I enjoy watching my granddaughters enjoy the things I give them or do for them. Would God's heart not also be blessed to see His children enjoy the things He has so liberally provided ?

If we walk through our day looking for the 'good' to be thankful for and take the time to enjoy it, would our lives have room for petty unhappiness or discontent or aggravation ?

"Merry Christmas, everyone!!" smile

Life Lessons Gleaned from Joffre Lakes Hike

2010-10-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

On the week-end my husband Vic and I with our friends drove 4 hours from home to do the Joffre Lakes Hike that Vic considered an easy enough hike for me to manage.

Thinking about the day later, I realized it lent itself to several life analogies.

When we arrived at the trail head, the sky was blue and the day stretched before us, full of promise. We were anticipating a rewarding day of enjoying the beauty of nature.

The trail begins just behind our friend taking a photo.
The trail is hidden in the shadows, just as the events of our lives are hidden in the shadows of the future we cannot see. Would we walk so confidently into the future if we could see what it held?
An easy five minute stroll revealed a stunning view of the first of the three Joffre lakes.

Life is good , isn't it, when we plan, we anticipate, our expectations are met and our desires fulfilled.

As we travel through life there are times we need to rest -- maybe a quick break is enough but at other times we feel so stressed, overwhelmed with worries/concerns , burdened and discouraged that we need some "rehabilitation".

God provides places of rest for us doesn't He? A 'bench' just when we need it!

A place to regain our strength.

Sign "Rehabilitation area - please stay off"
Pro 24:33 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest.

I stopped to admire the little things along the trail, just as in my life it is often the unexpected moments that give me the most pleasure.

The trail is made easier by the bridges that carry us over the difficult areas.

So also in our lives God carries us over the rough spots to bring us once again to a secure place.

Walking across a bridge that has no railing can be a challenge .... but that is what faith is all about , isn't it ? Walking where you have nothing to hold to but God.

The easy path began to be a little more difficult, and we could not see around the bend just up ahead, but we carefully placed our feet one step at a time on a solid place.

Psa 17:5 "Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip."

There were many hikers on the trail that day -- some on their way up like us but some already on their way back down.
After we had been hiking a good hour past the first lake we asked some hikers how much farther to the second lake. "Ohh" they replied, " about 20 minutes." We were surprised we were that close but it sounded good!
We hiked a good half hour and again inquired of a couple how much farther.
They replied , "Oh, about 40 minutes."
We kept going and then some time later asked a third time, "How much farther to the second lake?" The answer came back "Oh a good hour!"
Three opinions ... three contrary pieces of information. Who to believe? Who was right ? We had no way of knowing.
As we travel through life we often hear contrary advice, sincere people offering very different opinions - how do we know which one is right ?

I'm so thankful we have God's Word to give us the solid answers of which is the right way to go - and how to discern between truth and error.
****
Suddenly the path turned and we passed over a long area where there was no trail. We had to pick our way over and around and between large rocks and boulders that had spilled down the mountainside. The boulders were slippery and I found it hard to climb over them. I have RA and it hurts to place my feet in such a way that twists my ankles. Vic was helping me concerned that I not hurt myself.
We thought we had finished traversing the large boulders but some hikers on their way down informed us that the trail did not get better around the next bend as we expected. Since it was getting later in the day and because the boulders were slippery, making them treacherous for everyone, we decided we would turn back.
No sooner had we turned than Vic lost his footing on the boulder he was standing on and he slipped smashing his hip against the rock and then fell down to the rocks below. His right arm was thrust in between two boulders. I was sure that he was seriously hurt; he fell hard.
He slowly got up .. and everything seemed to be intact and moving.
His hips were very sore and his thumb was badly sliced in half and bleeding profusely.
He managed to limp down the mountain to the car -- then we drove the 40 minutes to the Whister Medical Center where the care was excellent. We spent about three hours there.
He was checked out, given a tetanus shot, his thumb stitched and bandaged and care instructions given .

As I was looking through our photos later I was surprised that neither Vic nor I had any photos of the rough part of the trail where he fell.
As I thought about it... I realized how fitting it was that we did not.
I thought about the fact that we do not have memory of pain.
We can bring up the feelings that accompany memories of grief or sadness or joy or fear, but we cannot relive pain once it is past - only remember that we had it.
Is it not a compassionate God that would create us in such a way that pain cannot be remembered WITH the feeling ?

We were very thankful that God kept Vic from more serious injury, that He provided the care he needed and that even though the day was not the day we had planned it was a day that filled us up with the love of friends and the assurance that no matter what befalls us we have a God that cares for us and goes ahead to provide the things we will have need of.
*****

Do All Roads Lead to God and Heaven?

2010-09-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Recently someone in conversation with me raised the question if it wasn't possible that there could be more than one way to find God. Since God is a God of love and wants everyone to be in heaven with Him why could He not accept people who take a different religious path than the Christian one?

I lay awake that night thinking about it and I realized that the pat answer of "Jesus said there is only one way - a narrow one" answers the question for most Christians but everyone considers their religion to be the true path to God. Also over recent years, the teaching of Universalism is being considered by more and more people.. even evangelical Christians.

As I thought about the question, I wondered if thinking outside the 'religious box' would give me an interesting perspective. It did... and I would share my night time reasonings here.

*****

If all roads lead to heaven …. Then …
1. there can be no absolute truth about God - Every ‘path’, every religion has its own definition of God and if all paths are valid then so also are each of their defining boundaries and statements of belief. If what each path says about ‘God’ is valid then the only authority is self-authority -- God’s ‘truth’ is moulded to fit the image of what is acceptable to the adherents of each path or religion.

If all roads lead to heaven … Then…
2. there are can be no definition of sin. A definition of ‘sin’ is based on an accepted or commonly recognized standard of right and wrong. If there are many paths to God, then there can not be a determined set of rules that govern right and wrong definitions because each ‘path’ will develop or evolve its own standard of what would, within that path, be considered ‘sin’. To have an objective and conclusively authoritative law governing what is ‘sin’ , all paths would have to hold to the same standard, which removes the freedom to determine one’s own path to heaven.

If all roads lead to heaven …. Then…
3. there can be no One Person in authority - Without doubt, the stability or worth of a company will be judged by how well that company operates according to the vision or authority of the owner/President of the company. If the owner is either an absentee boss or one who is easily swayed by the opinions or inclinations of his workers the company will soon be in chaos. For the company to be successful and respected there must be a good strong ‘leader’. And a good strong leader will uphold and insist on things being done according to his vision and purpose for the company, as well as his own benefit! If a company for any length of time leaves its employees to their own inclinations and self-employment , the ‘owner’ will soon be completely out of the picture as the recognized President of the company and probably the company itself will ultimately self-destruct.

If all roads lead to heaven …. Then
4. There can be no utopia of peace and harmony – i.e. no ‘heaven” . There is a basic misconception that lies at the bottom of the opinion that there could be many ways to heaven. The underlying belief is that ‘heaven’ is simply a destination and just like any earthly destination can have many roads leading to the same place, so also heaven. It is simply the destination that is important. But an earthly destination, such as the city of Vancouver might be, is ever changing based on the desires and inclinations and personalities and beliefs of the people who arrive there and make it their home. Vancouver today is very different than it was 50 years ago… and is filled with the varied kinds of people who make it their destination. When they arrive in Vancouver they bring to the city their own flavour of personality and beliefs and they work toward having their own goals realized. If they were a criminal entering the city, they continue to be a criminal and influence the city’s standard of life. If there is not a strong leader with high ideals for the city that are consistently enforced then the city will go down to the standard of its lowest citizens. So if ‘heaven’ is simply a destination to which all roads are equal , then heaven cannot be the utopia that the word ‘heaven’ brings to mind. For heaven to be an eternal utopia, there must be strict rules of entry and obedience to the conditions set by the King of that Kingdom, otherwise its utopia will be a myth.

If all roads lead to heaven … Then …
5. there is no inspired writing - no communication directly from God If we consider all roads and all religions being valid paths then the conflicting writings of the different paths cannot all come from One Person or One God - unless He was being purposefully confusing. We would find it hard to conceive of a country or company’s President who sent out totally conflicting memoirs or instructions or directives. He would never have the people’s confidence nor their respect.

So if we are willing to follow the above reasoning logic and realize that to believe many paths lead to ‘heaven’ is self-defeating then we have one more question to settle.

If there is indeed only one way to heaven, then how do we know which path is the right one?
While each person will have to determine their own choice…. Here are several reasons why I believe that the Bible is indeed God’s inspired truth and that it alone reveals the one path that leads to eternal life in ‘heaven’ !

1. Of all the books in the world the Bible is the oldest, containing the earliest written records of history. Even though it is thousands of years old, it is still the number one best seller in the world.. In fact, it has for so long been the best seller of all books that you no longer see it topping the best sellers lists. It is simply a given!
2. The Bible contains the historical path of the oldest religion. All other paths came later.
3. No other ancient book of religion contains so much historical and scientific and medical information , none of which has ever been proven to be false.
4. Even though the Bible has been translated and passed on from generation to generation, when the Dead Sea scrolls were found in 1948 with original manuscripts they proved to be virtually identical to the modern translations of the bible.
5. The Bible is the only religious book that is filled with prophetic predictions of what was to come many years.. sometimes thousands, in the future. Every prophecy is perfectly fulfilled … except for the few that are yet future.
6. The Bible is the only book written by about 40 men over a period of 4000 years, most of whom never met each other and yet none of their words conflict or contradict each other… but all hold to a consistent message. Ask any judge to see how hard it it to get three people who witnessed the same accident to agree on the details. And yet the bible writers agree in all details. That can only prove that they were inspired by One Divine Author.
7. Only the Bible correctly predicts a Savior, the Messiah who would come… and only the Bible tells the story of a ‘God-man’ that conquered death and was resurrected -- with historical proof.

If we settle once and for all in our mind that there is indeed only one way to God and one path that leads to heaven, would we not then , with utmost diligence, strive to make sure that we are on that path and make the Bible the most read/studied book in our hand ?

****

How Will You Be Remembered? - book review for "Out Live Your Life"

2010-09-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

Max Lucado begins his book with a fable.
The story takes place in a little village that is thriving in ways that are astonishing. A guest asks how all this has been accomplished and the response is that it is all Father Abraham’s doing. When the guest asks to see where Father Abraham lives , he is taken to the wonderfully stocked and staffed medical clinic and to the fishponds to see the extensive canals that connect the ponds to the ocean bringing the fish in through the gates at high tide for harvest. The guest is taken to a chapel high on the mountain and told that Father Abraham has taught them about God.
When the guest asks if Father Abraham lives in the chapel and can he see him , he is told that is not possible since he died many years ago. The confused guest is told that he had not asked to see Father Abraham but had asked to see where he lived and they had showed him.

The theme of Out Live Your Life seems to be a popular one in today’s literary world… -that we CAN make a difference in our world, a difference that will outlive us and continue to bless others even after we are gone.

Each of us is given a life that has never nor ever will be ever given to anyone else. It is our life alone. Do we do our part to make a difference in our world or do we simply turn away from opportunities or challenges, pretending not to see.

The author takes the reader through the chapters that each deal with a different aspect of changing your world , such as how a simple act can have far reaching effects, finding the work that you feel most comfortable doing , the importance of teamwork, seeing the need- then doing our small part and God doing the big part, doing good quietly – not with ulterior motives or self-glory, staying humble - “we can rise too high but can never stoop too low” , the importance of prayer. He addresses the fact that often we feel we are not qualified but he gives examples of how the least qualified have often made the biggest differences in their world – differences that long outlived their physical lives.

At the end of the book is a discussion guide making this book applicable for a group study.

I always enjoy Max Lucado’s gift with words, using them in his unique picturesque style which makes reading his books a pleasure.

Living the Butterfly Effect

2010-09-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

The gift book “The Butterfly Effect” is just that .. a gift book. It is beautifully and artistically put together – the kind of book that is visually appealing.

The word content left me somewhat disappointed. It left me wishing the author had fleshed out his good ideas into a fuller text where the thoughts and stories were more developed. Perhaps that was not the intent of the book.

The Butterfly Effect is based on Edward Lorenz’s hypothesis that if a butterfly flaps his wings, setting molecules of air in motion, it would eventually result in a hurricane on the other side of the earth.
Andrews takes this idea and applies it to the idea that each of our actions have that kind of effect. None of us can say that we are not important or that our life does not matter. We affect others by our words and actions in ways we cannot see.

In the book, the author uses real life stories to demonstrate how a seemingly isolated or simple act/decision of one person changed the course of history.

Not one of us is created without purpose, not one of us is expendable in the eyes of God and we have within us the potential to make a difference in the world in which we live.

This book, like all of Andy Andrews books, is thought provoking in its unique presentation.

A Long Tailed Black Bear

2010-09-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

Last week my husband and I went for a Sunday drive. Not far from our home we came across this bear beside the road snooping around a farmer's corn field.
We of course stopped and got out of the car for some photos.
It was not until we downloaded our photos that my husband called me to show me this shot of the black bear from behind that revealed a long tail !
Impossible we declared ! but there it was, the photo had captured it .
We showed my daughter who exclaimed her surprise, my neighbour lady was also impressed and asked for the photo to show her husband.
Then we showed it our son-in-law who looked and asked "Is it photo shopped?"
We told him not at all, that was how we took the photo.
"Weird!" he exclaimed. He stared at the photo, handed it back and then asked for it again. Looking more intently, he suddenly started to laugh and pointed out that it was simply a green plant that divided his hind leg in two and made it appear like a tail.

We had all been fooled !
While we laughed in embarressment, it made me realize the power of suggestion and the ease with which the eye was tricked into seeing something that wasn't there.

The bible warns us not to be deceived and of course none of us want to be or intend to let ourselves be drawn into deception. But it happens easier than we care to admit.
How do we guard ourselves from deception ?

My husband and I knew that black bears do not have long tails. But we allowed our eyes to convince us to over rule what we knew to be true and find reason to believe something contrary. Maybe this was a strange freak of nature !

Satan is on the prowl tricking us to see things contrary to what we know to be true from God's Word.
We know God's commandments but how easy is it to justify the reasons the commandments don't apply in our situation.
We know God's Word but often science offering contrary evidence is easier to believe - even though we know that science is constantly updating its discoveries while the bible has remained unchanged for thousands of years and has yet to be proven to be in error.
Sometimes it is easier to trust someone else's research/opinions than to do our own homework and find the truth for ourselves.

Do we think that we can play with sin and escape the consequences?
Gal 6:7 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

Do we think we can fill our minds with the images/thinking/language of the world and keep company with those who delight in the things done in darkness and not be affected ?
1Co 15:33 "Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

Do we think that men wise in the eyes of the world have advice superior to God's words?
2Co 11:3 "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. "

Do we think we can live according to our fleshly pleasures or weaknesses and keep our place in God's Kingdom ?
1Co 6:9 "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived."

Do we believe that there are many ways and paths to God rather than only one way of truth?
Luk 21:8 "And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them."

Do we believe that in our enlightened society deception is less prevelent ?
2Ti 3:13 "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."

In the end it will be God who is right and every contrary opinion found to be a lie.
Jas 1:16 "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren."

"Let us watch and be on guard... keeping ourselves in the light of God's Word where we are safe from deception !"

Addiction - For Good?

2010-08-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

I caught this Pileated Woodpecker just outside my computer window. I think he is addicted to headaches. I get one just watching !!
But in reality he is simply addicted to the grubs he finds in stumps or dead trees.
Addiction......
I was listening to the news today and there was a segment reporting on addiction to video games that got me thinking about addiction.
What exactly is 'addiction' ?
One definition says this... "the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. "

Addiction is recognized as a negative force that hinders or destroys one's natural enjoyment of life.
Man as created by God is 'good' - God said so ! That means our desires, our characteristics, our traits, our emotions , our natural tendencies all have their roots in something good.
However, because of Adam's sin, the knowledge of good and evil entered the consciousness of man . Man now had the power to choose. Sin and self-ishness can turn something intended for good to something harmful or bad.
But addiction ? How could an addiction ever be good ? The definition above talks about "habit forming ... to the extend that cessation causes severe trauma". Should we not be so 'addicted' to loving and serving God that to turn away would cause severe 'trauma' ?

I watched the Pileated Woodpecker to day, I watch the birds and the squirrels -- each of them is 'addicted' to their daily activity. They repeat the same actions over and over again ... not to their hurt , but rather to their enjoyment of life!

I thought of our 'future' to come when we will be living on the New Earth! Will our God-given tendency toward 'addiction' then not meet its holy intended purpose?
Then we will so love and enjoy perfection, righteousness and the glory of God's Presence that there will be nothing in us that will ever yearn for anything other than what IS !!

May we look forward to that time, preparing ourselves in this life by being 'addicted ' in our love for God and in our desire to walk in obedience before Him.

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deu 6:5 KJV
***

Recognized

2010-07-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

We recognize things and people by their outward visual characteristics. We do that so automatically -- an Iris is distinct from other flowers because of its unique form of petal.

While we also recognize people by outward features we judge them by another standard -- their inward characteristics displayed outwardly in their words and actions.
For Christians, who represent to the world the 'image' or reflection of Jesus, this becomes very important.
Often we are the only gospel people read and what they 'read' in us is the basis of what they believe about God.
I think we tend to forget this as we go about our daily duties.

I read something in the Jewish Talmud the other day that sharply reminded me.
Here is the quote that caught my attention....
"Therefore a distinction was made between a wrong done to a Gentile and to a co-religionist on that ground. “More serious is the defrauding of a non-Jew than the defrauding of a brother Israelite on account of the proclamation of the Name’ "

It immediately brought to mind the verse... Rom 2:24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU." (Rom. 2:24)

In the Talmud quote above... I considered why they would say it was a worse crime to defraud a non-jewish person than a jewish one and I realized that their thinking was this - If they wronged a fellow Jewish person the offense remained between the two of them but if they wronged a Gentile the offense would reflect back on God and cause the Gentile to think less or evil of God Himself.

Do we consider what people, because of watching us , believe about God?
Before we react.. before we speak... do we ever stop to think -- how will this reflect back on God?

We have evidence in scripture that God is concerned about how He is represented to those who do not yet believe in Him... His name is important to protect -- His reputation is at stake!

Even to David, the prophet came with this admonition ,
"However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die." (II Sam. 12:14)

Does God care what the non-Christian world thinks of Him? Yes.. He does!!! and it is up to us to uphold the honor and integrity of His name and character.

Look at Rahab words to Joshua and Caleb when they came to spy out Jericho. She said.. "And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." (Joshua 2:11)
Rahab had listened and watched God revealed through His people and she changed her life accordingly.

"Dear Father, help us to be the kind of witness that will cause people to turn to you as Rahab did and not be the cause of people turning away from you in anger, thinking evil of Your holy Name!"

Excellent Reads

2010-07-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for some good books to read this summer, I just read a couple that I would highly recommend !

On is "The Torn Veil" by Gulshan Esther. Gulshan was born into a rich and highly revered Pakistan family. Her family being deeply religious, she too closely followed the Islam religion. She did not have many distractions in her pursuit of pleasing Allah, since she was a cripple and needed help with the simplest tasks.

When she was 19 her whole life changed! In seeking Allah for healing, it was Jesus she met. But I won't give away the story -- the book is very moving, inspirational and encouraging to your own faith. After I read it, and read it aloud to my husband he went out and bought several more copies and we have been passing them out.

I have also read the sequel, "Beyond the Veil" which is also good.

Another book I thoroughly enjoyed is "Flight to Heaven" by Capt. Dale Black. It is not your usual NDE testimony ... and again I don't want to give away the book. There is one section that gives the account of his experience in heaven. It is the most believable, beautiful description I have even heard or read.

I know you will enjoy these books ... and if you read them, come back and tell me what you thought of them!

It was Good !

2010-07-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

My neighbour friend rang the door bell tonight to bring me some Bing cherries from the Okanagen. They were perfect and delicious!!

My patio baskets are blooming. I marvelled today at the delicate petals arranged in endless variety.

My husband came across this video tonight - a slideshow of an amazing array of God's artistic creativity in bugs that are rarely seen.

How different from each other were my three reminders today of God's wondrous creation. Yet each one conveyed the same message -- Our God is indeed a God that inspires awe in our hearts as we observe His amazing handiwork.
It IS indeed GOOD, even as He said when He created all things.

I believe in the six day creation --- because it is what God said He did.

Exo 20:11 "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. "

The cherries, the flowers, the bugs all need very specific conditions to grow, to bloom or to reproduce. If any of the conditions are not met, there will be no cherries or flowers or bugs.

I understand atheists clinging to evolution because it is their only alternative to believing in a creator. But I do not understand Christians who try to find some middle ground by believing that God created all things but allowing that He used evolution or millions of years to do it in. The days of creation, they say, are not twenty-four hour days.

If each creation day is perhaps a million years and since each day is made of up day and night... was the earth alternately dark and light in 500,000 year cycles? And what vegetation would survive in 500,000 years of darkness? And when did the very long days finally become the 24 hour length we have today?

We recently listened to someone who believed that the Genesis creation days were not literal 24 hours but rather much longer. In the same conversation he showed a video of a hummingbird that could only survive if it had access to one particular flower. And this flower could only survive if this same hummingbird pollinated it. Since the flower and hummingbird were not made on the same creation day , they were separated by perhaps millions of years. How did the flower survive all that time waiting for the hummingbird to come pollinate it?

More and more scientists are admitting that the evolution model does not work. In
The Origin of Species, Darwin writes: “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” He believed that the basic cell, the building block of life, was 'simple' and on this supposed fact based his theories. Science has proven the cell to be anything but simple; it is unbelievably complex. That pulls the rug out from under Darwin's feet.

There is no reason to doubt God's Word. What is so hard about believing that a God who is all powerful and wise created a world in six days? If He didn't do it in six days, would He not have told us ? I like what someone said in answer to someone who stated that a scripture passage did not mean what it said. They retorted ..."If God didn't mean what He said, then why didn't He say what He meant?" I believe God said exactly what He meant.

A God who could create all that we see in the minutest detail of complexity and order, could easily have done it in LESS than six days had He so chosen .

" He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen." Deu 10:21

Life out of Death

2010-06-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

I am someone who is reluctant to throw anything out that has sentimental value to me. Nor do I quickly throw out a plant even though it appears to be dead . I need to be absolutely sure.
Last year we bought a gorgeous Mandevilla plant. Being a tropical plant it must be kept as a patio plant and brought inside to wait out winter in a semi-dormant stage.
I brought it in before the frost last year and hovered over it all winter willing it not to die. But the leaves turned yellow and fell off. The stems lost their green color and turned dead brown.
But I hoped.
In spring we put it back on the patio and I watched... searching every day for some sign of life. I saw none. After a couple of months we broke down and went to the nursery to buy a replacement plant -- but they did not have the variety we wanted, Moonlight Parfait.
I continued to examine my plant daily until one morning , I called excitedly to my husband. "Look, look, I think that tiny bump is a little bit green!" My husband bent down for a closer look but he saw nothing that looked like life.
I watched ... day after day ... until there was no doubt that indeed my Mandevilla was growing, There is definitely life and fresh growth, as my above photo proves. I will enjoy the incredible blooms again this summer, and my joy will be heightened because I thought the plant was dead.

I thought of the parable that Jesus told in Luke 13:6-9
A man had a fig tree in his vineyard, that for some reason was not healthy. It bore no fruit when it was expected. He had been patient with the tree long enough.
He said to his gardener, "Look, enough is enough .. for three years this tree has born no fruit. Cut it down, it is taking up space that could be given to a more fruitful tree!"

But I identify with the gardener who pleaded, "Please, wait a little longer.. just one more year. I will dig around it and fertilize it and if it then bears fruit , wonderful!! If it fails again .. then you can cut it down."

Jesus told the story to reveal that He Himself has the heart of the gardener. He is reluctant to give up even if there is no sign of life. He will wait, patiently looking for that tiny spark. He will do all He can do, in whatever way He can to encourage life to flourish once more. He will guard carefully that nothing hurt or hinder the fruitful life He seeks.
We all have had times in our life where we have died or almost died. Times where we were so discouraged or downcast that we could barely hang on to life, bearing fruit was beyond our strength. Times where circumstances were such that death seemed imminent. Yet the Gardener was waiting, "digging around us and fertilizing" - perhaps we were not even aware until we could look back with hindsight.
We are not told, in the parable, whether the tree bore fruit the next year - it was up to the tree to respond to the care it was given.
So also we must respond to God's Spirit -- with whatever strength we have , it will be enough.

Did you notice the last detail in the story?
The Gardener's heart is so tender toward the tree that even though the vineyard owner told HIM to cut down the useless tree, the Gardener responds that if the tree does not bear fruit in spite of all my care , YOU cut it down."

Such is the loving heart of the One who calls us His own.
**

The Heart Mender - book review

2010-06-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

Someone once said that there is no work of fiction that was not somewhere rooted in fact.

The author of 'The Heart Mender' insists that his story is true and I believe that it is. But unless you believe in a Master Weaver of life and its events, Andy Andrews' story seems incredulous.

It all starts with the death of a tree. A necessary and common occurrence in nature and yet this tree hid a secret that would never have been uncovered except the tree died and needed to be cut down.

Forgiveness and second chances and the wisdom of those the world considers 'less than' are the themes of this book's pages.

The story is masterfully told and , even though the suspicions arise early in the reader's mind as to the outcome of the story, the suspense holds to the last pages.

"Except you forgive... " Jesus taught the importance of forgiveness. While we all find reasons not to forgive the most hurtful offences committed against us, the fact remains that unforgiveness in a cancer that destroys from the inside out. To forgive is a choice, a decision that sets the captive free - free to enjoy the best that God has waiting.

I don't want to give the story away .... but encourage you to read it for yourself.

Itsy Bitsy Spider with a Message

2010-05-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Walking out onto my patio the other morning , I noticed a little clump hanging in mid air against my railing. It was a group of tiny creatures, so tiny I could not see what they were.

I ran for my camera
They were not as asleep , not as oblivious to the world around them as they first appeared. The movement of my camera lens spooked them and they scattered -- each held securely by the web invisible to my eyes.

With the help of zoom technology I was able to magnify the tiny creatures to see what they looked like. Google helped me identify them as baby Garden Spiders - also called the Yellow Orb Spider.
Now curious about them .. I did a little research. (NOT that I'm fond of spiders!)

I quickly learned the grown Garden Spiders have no desire to come into the house and they eat flying insects that harm plants. Ok.. those bits of info saved their lives -- for now and from me

I did, however, find out something VERY mysterious about the Garden Spider - and recognized a lesson tucked into the pages of God's creation.

I learned there is a mystery surrounding the life of these Garden Spiders - a mystery unsolved by science.

No one knows what happens in the life cycle of the Garden Spider between the stage I captured in my photos and the full grown spider in its two foot web. They just seem to disappear one day while they are still babies until one morning there is the adult spider resplendent in its spun web.

(and yes... I watched my 'orb' of spiders for several days. They never moved from their place, until one morning they were gone, leaving not a trace behind except for the almost invisible web! )

I thought about how they portray mysterious spiritual truths.

There are spiritual mysteries that can only be understood by faith because we do not see and therefore cannot explain how it can be.

Do we understand how someone can be 'born again' into God's family?
One minute we see a sinner, and the next a child of God !! What happened in the in between process ??
The work of the Holy Spirit is mysterious , working what we cannot see.

Joh 3:8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

We all love weddings -- we wait for the moment when the bride and groom will be declared to be husband and wife.
Again, what a beautiful mystery .. One man and one woman who become one.

Mar 10:8 "AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh."

We believe it -- but do we see the process ? no!

We see someone alive in their physical body .... and then suddenly the body is only a shell , the person has flown away.
We believe that they are still alive - in another dimension, in another place with s spiritual body.
But did we see the process in between? no .. it happens outside our physical realm.

2Co 5:7,8 "For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. "

I love how God has tucked into His creation examples that inspire us with renewed faith - to help us -through physical things - to believe the invisible things of God's kingdom.

"In Pleasant Places"

2010-05-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Lupin are in bloom here on our mountain and I love them!

Not only are they beautiful but they are unwavering in their determination to bloom at any cost. You can mow them down but a few days later they are up and blooming again.

They remind me of God's love.

I have recently been overwhelmed with a new sense of how deep God's love for us is.
God IS Love and love by definition requires for its completion an object to pour itself out on. Wonder of wonders, you and I are the ones God so loves.
Think of a perfect Father with pure love, unlimited wisdom and unlimited resources and all the time in the world and you have a glimmer of understanding of the power of the love of God.

Man, created in God's image, makes much of love but society in its selfish pursuit of it, has taken a mind attitude of "its all about me" and has come to adopt a standard of entitlement rather than responsibility.
God's love and grace may be 'all about us' but there is a fine line between joyfully basking in the love that God pours out upon us and an inappropriate response.

We cannot bask in God's love outside of obedience to His commandments.
Disobedience is a totally unacceptable response to perfect love.
There should be the the response of the wild abandonment of an open heart desiring to please Him, obey Him , walk in the perfect paths He has laid before us -- paths designed with us in mind -- our well-being, our happiness, our safety and our eternal destiny!

Our human default is to rebel against commandments. We tend to think of God's laws and commandments, especially Old Testament ones, as impossible to follow and restrictive to our freedom ... but take a closer look. God's laws were lovingly laid out with His people in mind - as the rules of any parent are intended to be for the good of their precious child.

In Duet. 30:11-16 God speaks about His commandments to Israel saying,

"It is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascent into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' nor is it beyond the sea that you should say , 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart that you many do it, See? I have set before you today life and good -- death and evil..... that you may live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless you .... "

We have the echo of this verse in the New Testament defining God's laws as doable - in I John 5:3... "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments... and His commandments are not burdensome."

The commandments of God were/are instructions to set up the boundaries that define where people will be safe and HAPPY !

To obey someone - who out of love is deeply concerned for our happiness is easy - what is 'burdensome' is to rebel against that love and wallow in the mire of self-inflicted consequences.

Look at a few examples how easy God's commandments are... yet man, not recognizing the love of God in them, disobeys.

Consider the commandments of God to Adam and Eve -- ONE commandment, "You may eat of all the many trees.. just not this one."
They disobeyed and paid the consequences of their choice.

In the wilderness, God instructed His people to gather the manna every day of the week -except for ONE day! How hard was that to obey ? "I'm giving you a day of rest - a day off!"
They disobeyed and went out to gather Manna anyway - and found nothing.

God said.. "Gather only what you need for each day. Do not save any for the next day." How hard was that to obey? They disobeyed and found the leftovers rotten and sticking and full of worms.

Obeying God's commandments keeps us in the circle of His love and care. It keeps us from wandering under the fence bordering His Kingdom. If our disobedience takes us to the other side of the fence our life will take on the stench and heartbreak and consequences of our sin .

Yet, even then , God's love reaches out to bring us back.
We see in the Old Testament sacrifices for sin, God shows His tender love. He demanded as the 'trespass offering' for sin a lamb or a kid BUT if someone was too poor to bring a lamb he could bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. Even under the OT law, God wanted to make it easy for people to find His forgiveness.

God miraculously took His people out of Egypt and He showered them with love and tender care . All the years in the wilderness - which were a PUNISHMENT for their sin of not trusting Him to lead them into the land He had promised them... He cared for them "as a Father carries His son" , (Deut. 1:31) Their clothes and their shoes did not wear out. He provided food and water and protected them with a cloud from the heat of day and a pillar of fire for warmth and light in the dark of night.

Neh 9:21 "Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell."

Is this not the same God who watches over His people today ?
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us , that we should be called the children of God!" (I John 3:1)

With what thanksgiving, with what love should we respond to Him? With what desire should we obey Him ?

With what loathing should we turn from the things of this world and all its deceptive enticements?

If we make God our single heart focus, we will rejoice with the Psalmist who said in Psalm 16, that because he has set the Lord always before him .... "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant (delightful) places , Yes.. I have a good inheritance!" He declares that his heart is glad and his glory rejoices; he is at rest! He follows in the paths the Lord shows him, and he lives in the fullness of joy in His presence and experiences the pleasures at His right hand forevermore!

That is where God wants His people to be and He gave His laws and commandments to lead us into His joy!!

What an incredible God that has called us into relationship with Him!

"Oh Lord, your love is beyond comprehension .... may we allow Your love to permeate our very being ... filling us with wonder at who You are... May our thoughts never be far from you, may we ever walk in obedience to the gentle instructions you have given us. May we never be drawn away from Your perfect Word but may we meditate thereon night and day! May we be perfected by your truth and be a vessel pouring out Your love to others. How we love you, Father! Amen"

***Note
God brought a timely book across my path as I was considering God's love. It is called “Flight to Heaven” by Dale Black. It is a book that I highly recommend. There is a description of heaven in it that is the best I have ever read.

Ask not Why but What

2010-05-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

I love the innocence of a child. I love her curious seeking to understand her world. There is no backward paralyzing introspection of the 'why-s' of her existence or the circumstances of her life.
That to her is an unchangeable given. Her desire is to know the 'what-s' . What is this ? What does this do ? Where does this go? How does this work ? What can I do here?
And so the beginning of her journey through life is a joyful stepping stone from discovery and growing until , sadly like the adults before her, she is old enough to ask the unanswerable 'why-s' .

Have you ever wondered what it is that makes a stream of running water feel so peaceful?
There is something deeply soothing about the rippling musical sound of water moving to it's predetermined goal - the ocean that ultimately embraces all streams and rivers.
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Still water stagnates --- and so does our soul when we cling to the question 'Why??'
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Asking 'what' -- "what do I do now?" "what is the next step?" moves us forward, like the stream to the end that God has already pre-determined -- of good and not of evil.
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I thought about how the quote "ask not why but what" would look laid alongside scripture.
I considered some examples of bible characters that could well have asked "why?" but instead asked "what?" and thereby found the God-answers that satisfied them.

Job
Job's agonizing experience was so horrendous we still today use him today as a standard against which to measure our tragedies .
God never answered the why questions. WE know the why, but Job didn't.
If God had told him the 'why' Job would have missed the goal.
When Job finally came to the place where he stopped listening to the people around him seeking the 'why' and was willing to ask 'what' .... he moved forward to the goal God had intended all along ... "I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, But NOW my eye sees you...." (Job 42:5) and he flowed into the ocean of God's multiplied blessings.
Job's friends considered ONLY the 'why?' of Job's tragedy and in the seeking of 'why' made the mistake that is so commonly made by all who get stuck crying 'why?' They, like Job's friends, speak of God what is not right! (Job 42:7)

The Shunammite Woman
The Shunammite woman who provided for Elisha an upper room for his comfort and rest, had lived her life with the stigma and heartbreak of being childless. She had come to the place where she felt it was better to live with her buried pain than to risk a vulnerable heart -- opened to the bliss of loving a child only to lose it. That was something beyond what she thought she would be able to bear. (see II Kings 16,28)
We know the story how God DOES open her heart and lays a son in her bosom but her greatest fear comes to pass.
The son is still tender in years when he dies in her arms.
Does she wail in grief , refusing to be comforted? Call her husband and household around her to cry the 'why's' with her?
No ... she knows only one question .. "what now?" -- She moves.
One person comes to her mind - Elisha. She puts her 'what now' into action.
Camly, she asks her husband for a donkey and an escort to go visit the prophet. The husband sees no sign of grief or distress in his wife's face -- he is only curious why she should want to see the prophet. She does not tell him.
The only urgency we see in her is the fact that she tells the young man to drive as fast as he can!
Elisha comes and raises the boy from the dead and restores him to his mother's waiting arms. The ultimate 'what now? ' is that God used this 'tragedy' to restore to the woman her property after her husband dies without which she and her son would have been destitute. (II Kings 8)
Had the woman stagnated on the 'why' .... and not moved with the 'what now' , we would not have her life story to encourage and teach us by example today.

Jesus' Disciples
When their beloved leader was crucified, the disciples were devastated in their bewildering wilderness of 'why'. Jesus was buried, gone from among them , nothing made sense. Numb, they just gave up and said .. "we might as well go back to fishing."
UNTIL ... the 'what now?' took hold of them, and changed the rest of their lives. They caught the vision!!
What now?? oh yes ! because of Jesus' sacrificial death, we have new life ! We have a ministry of reconciliation ... a message of hope to bring to a dying world.
What now ?? oh yes.. we can move through this life with purpose toward an 'ocean' of eternity - forever to live with our Lord and God !
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"Oh Lord, may we have that child-like attitude to ask 'what now?' May we never give in to the discouragement or grief that threatens to overwhelm us in the bog mire of 'why' but may we look up to you and know that you will never forsake us and that you have already gone before and laid out every 'what now' path. May we put our hand in yours, and with unwavering trust walk where you lead us. Amen"
****

A Very Blessed Mother's Day to you all ....

2010-05-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

A prayerful wish for a "Blessed Mother's Day" to each of you who visit this page...

********

and to my only daughter, this poem that so expresses how I feel about you!!

Daughter of My Heart
You turned out even betterThan I often dreamed you’d be;

You’re more than I had hoped for;

You’re a sweet reward to me.
You grew up to be a motherFull of wisdom, warmth and love,

A good and fine role model,

A blessing from above.
I couldn’t be any prouderThan I am today of you;

You’re my daughter and my friend,

And a wonderful person, too.
You have my love forever;

I adored you from the start;

It’s a privilege to be your mother,

Dear daughter of my heart.

By Joanna Fuchs

^^^^^^

Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) Fourth Question

2010-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Prayer

It is lilac season and to me there is no flower more fragrant than lilacs. I have always loved,

not only their scent but also the way their fragrance fills the air.

In the last book of the bible we read...

"And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand." (Rev.8:4 NKJV)

Incense was an important part of the priestly service in the Old Testament tabernacle and here in this verse we see that our prayers are wafted up to heaven on the wings of fragrance.

Yesterday my little granddaughter gave me a hug and said, "Oh Nanna, you smell nice!"

Do our prayers 'smell' nice to God ??

******

Continuing my thoughts inspired by Sadhu Sundar Singh's vision of conversation with Jesus.... I want to share some insights on prayer.

The purpose of prayer is not begging.
Does God withhold the things we have need of if we don't ask for them in prayer? No, God provides for all of His creation the things necessary for life --- and He makes His "sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:45 NKJV)

The flowers of the field are clothed, the birds of the air are fed, and God says..

"Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matt.6:30)

Prayer is about relationship

To pray is to be on speaking terms with God. By means of prayer, the believer abides in communion with God , partakes of His Nature and is formed in the image of Christ.

Prayer keeps us alive

In the ocean there are many marine animals who thrive in the deepest water. They are able to sustain their life because they continually rise to the surface in order to fill their lungs with life-giving air.

The world we live in is like an ocean of deep water -- it threatens to drown us in selfish thoughts, pride of life, temptations, unholy habits, pursuit of worldly goods.

It is only through prayer that we are able to continually rise up from this world and gulp in the life-giving breath of the Spirit. Prayer fills us with His Life that keeps us alive in a world that does not know Him.

The fish who spend their whole life in salt water do not become salty. Jesus came into this world of sin , but He Himself had no sin. Through prayer, we keep ourselves free of the salt of sin in this world - though we are in this world we are not of it.

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 17:16)

Prayer keeps us under the care of the 'Gardener'

Just as a tree or shrub is not taken care of , it will return to its wild state .. so also a believer , through the neglect of prayer will cease to abide in Jesus and slip back into his old sinful ways.
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." (John 15:4)

How do we know how to pray?
Just as a baby does not need to be taught where and how to find his food, so also those born of the Spirit know by a spiritual instinct how to pray and obtain spiritual food.

A baby responds to his natural hunger and thirst to cause him to cry out for the drink he needs. God created our bodies with hunger and thirst so that we would constantly be reminded that we need the care of the One who created us - not just physically but also spiritually.

By prayer we stay in fellowship with Him -- we in Him and he in us - and we find contentment and joy because all our needs are met.

Through Prayer we have Victory over the enemy
It is no great thing for men to tame wild beasts or understand the powers of nature - lightning, wind or light .... but it IS a great thing to have rule over the world and Satan and self.
The believer who maintains a life of prayer is given the power to overcome the might of the enemy and to be seated in heavenly places .

To those who are tied to the things of this world it is a constant struggle against self and the enemy, but those who have found the wings of prayer can at will experience the freedom of living where the enemy cannot reach them.

Prayer Makes the Impossible Possible
If we desire to obtain from God the blessings of a spiritual life, we must practice a life of obedience. Our desire must be to please Him, in everything He asks of us.
The deeper the prayer life of a believer the more he learns to know the will of God and the more he knows to ask for the things that God is pleased to give him. Then whatever he asks for he will receive.
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (IJohn 5:14)

"Lord, may we ever remember to rise up in prayer to breath deep of your life-giving Spirit!"

Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) Third Question

2010-04-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

The Question of the Origin of Sin

Living in a world where it is not hard to find beauty or perfection, we have all wondered and asked the questions ... "Why is there sin? Why did God allow it? What IS sin?"

Sadhu Sundar Singh also asked the questions of Jesus and Jesus answered him.

WHAT is Sin ??
Sin is not something that is created, it is simply a state or condition- a delusive and destructive state of being.
A good Creator could not create sin, it would be against His nature, and there is no Creator but God. Therefore Satan, being himself a created being, cannot create, he can only spoil what has already been created.
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Light has existence but darkness not having existence in itself , is only a state of the absence of light.
So also sin or evil is simply the absence of good -- and good is always defined by God's character

Jesus defined sin this way, "Sin is to cast aside the will of God and to live according to one's own will."

Isa 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one to his own way."

Jesus, in His answer to Sandu, explained an interesting insight that I had not thought of in that way.
He stated that sin comes out of man's driving desire for happiness.

To desire happiness is not sin, because that is God's will for His creatures - that they enjoy true happiness! But when man tries to find happiness by seeking to fulfill his own will or desires, happiness becomes illusive -- neither does he attain it nor enjoy true pleasure.
Not only does he in the end not possess happiness but in his selfish grasping, sins, because he has chosen disobedience. He has chosen his own way, instead of God's.

How did this state of Sin come to be?
Sin came to be because first Satan and then man after him, sought to carry out their own desires.

Satan did not know pride existed until he found himself in that state of sin and was thrown out of heaven because of it.
Adam and Eve then fell prey to Satan's wiles because they did not know about such things as lies and deceit.

The question is often asked, "why would God create man with the ability to fall into the state of sin?"
The answer from an all wise God is that if He had created man like a machine that is limited in its doing to do only what it had been designed to do .... then man would never be able to reach the height of happiness that can only be achieved through action in accordance with one's own choice. And God desires the ultimate happiness for His children.

Therefore, He has given the state of sin a new aspect so that even from it He has brought forth the noblest results.
ONE -- It is because of the state of sin that God's boundless love was made manifest to man through the incarnation and redemption accomplished by Jesus.
Except for 'the state of sin' we would never have known the depths God's love would go to save us.

TWO--Because man has tasted the bitterness of sin , he will more richly enjoy the happiness of heaven. How easily we take take things for granted until we experience the lack of them.
Jesus said to Sadhu,
"In heaven they sin no more, but in meekness and obedient love they serve their Father God and abide with Him in joy for evermore."

I think this thought of relationship between suffering and capacity for joy, is aptly expressed in this verse,
1Pe 4:12.13 "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you ...... but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

What causes the Callousness of Man toward Sin ?
While some people are so sensitive to quickly turn from or repent from a committed sin, others appear to be completely unfeeling and callous to the fact that sin is present in their lives.

Jesus used the example of a leper, whose disease has made him completely insensitive to the things that are destroying his body. So also the heart and mind of man, by reason of unconfessed sin, become dull and unconscious of the disgust and pain sin awareness should bring him.

Jesus expressed a warning to Sandu. He pointed out that it is not necessary that every part of the body become weak or useless before death occurs. A blow on the head can suffice to cause death even though the rest of the body is in perfect health.
So also one sin can have such a poisonous effect on the mind and heart of man that it can ruin his spiritual life.

The Allure of Sin
Why is it that we struggle so hard against the temptation of sin?

Jesus used the example of a moth.
We have all watched a moth, fascinated by the brilliancy of a flame fly straight into it and die. It did not think or consider the burning and destructive power of the flame.
So man is like the moth. He too disregards the destructive poison of sin and feeling only its alluring power rushes in to his eternal destruction.

In contrast, Jesus, the Light of this world, desires to rescue the sinner who comes to His Light and to bestow upon him life and enduring happiness.

Does a loving God throw men into hell?
Jesus spoke of animals who have been removed from their natural kind and who become familiar with the man who has taken them into their home.
If at some point they are returned to their own kind, they are not accepted. They no longer fit in, their habits and ways have been irreparably changed.

Jesus explained that in the same way, men who have accepted the ways of this world and become comfortable living intimately with wicked men would never be accepted in heaven, nor would they themselves wish to be there. If they were uncomfortable associating with righteous men on earth how could they be happy in their company for all eternity ?

It is never God that turns anyone out of heaven and casts them into hell. It is rather the foul life of the sinner that brings him to hell. As he walks through his given time on earth he chooses either eternal heaven or eternal hell, according to the good or evil nature of his heart.

God's heart and desire for every man is that he choose life and not death ... that he may forever dwell in happiness with his Lord and Master.

2Pe 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. "
**

next - Sadhu's Question - What is the Purpose of Prayer?
**

Sadhu Sundar Singh - (cont'd) The Second Question

2010-04-28T00:27:00.000-07:00

I know that you have , as I so often have.... prayed for unsaved loved ones. We have asked that God reveal Himself to them in some tangible way so that they will know without a doubt that He is real.

And we wait... and watch... and feel disappointment when nothing seems to change.

Sadhu had this same concern for the lost... He said to the Lord..."If you would only manifest Yourself by special revelation to the world then men would not longer doubt the existence of God and all would believe and enter on the path of righteousness."

I know Jesus' answer will encourage you in your faith, as it did me.

His answer doesn't really say anything we don't know from scripture , we know God has promised to answer our prayers.

Joh 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

But the enemy is soo quick to plant seeds of doubt in our minds... maybe we aren't asking right, maybe we are not asking according to His will.

God reveals Himself personally to every man

Jesus answered Sadhu assuring him that yes, indeed, there is no better way to bring people into the path of righteous than by a manifestation of Himself. Man was created that he might know God. A God who is not terrible and foreign but a God that is full of love and like him, for man was truly made in God's image.

Jesus explained that He is intimately acquainted with and understands the inner heart of every man, and to every man He makes Himself known according to his personal needs.

What will melt one person's heart will not melt another ... how precious of God to personally draw each person according to his personality or his life situation.

When we pray for God to reveal Himself to someone so they will know He is real... it is already His will to do so ! We can know without a shadow of a doubt that He will answer our prayer.

God has Revealed Himself to the World

While God manifests Himself to every man in a personal way ... .. He has revealed Himself to the world so that every man can find Him.

1< The Father is manifested in Jesus --- The Father cannot be seen so Jesus came to dwell among us , in the form of man so that we could see and understand Him. He said .."If you have seen Me , you have seen the Father."

2< God is manifested to man through love --- God is love and to all His creatures, especially man, He has given the faculty of love. It is as we love God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves that we allow ourselves to be melted and moulded in the fire of love ... and so be established in the Kingdom of God.

3>God has manifested Himself through nature -- His attributes are clearly seen in the things He has made.

4< God is manifested to man through His Word -- To those who seek Him with a sincere heart He gives the Holy Spirit through whom the spiritual language of His word is understood.

Does Doubt stand in the Way of Faith?

This statement is often made... "If only this or that doubt of mine could be removed, I would be ready to believe!"

Is doubt really a deterrent to faith ? Jesus explained that every man has been endowed with faith. It is man's choice who he fastens this faith to. If it is not fixed on God, it will be shattered by the shock of sin and transformed into doubt.
To ask to have the doubt removed is like someone with a broken arm asking the doctor to take away the pain before he sets the limb. The pain comes from the breaking of the limb and when that is set the pain will of itself go away.
Sin causes the breaking of man's tie with God and doubts are the resulting spiritual pains.
For the spiritual pain of doubts to disappear, union with God must first be renewed.

Just as the chick in the shell can not understand or believe the wonders of life outside its shell, even if it were told it, so also many people are uncertain about the future life or the existence of God because they cannot see beyond this shell-like body of flesh.
All the chick need do is receive life-giving warmth from the mother hen until it hatches from its shell.
So also we, if we receive by faith the life-giving warmth of the Holy Spirit, we will one day put off this body shell to enjoy eternal life.
Jesus said about those who believe on Him .. "I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand." John 10:28
**
tomorrow.... Sadhu asks..."what is sin , and how did sin come to be?"
**

Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) First Question

2010-04-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

As Sadhu sat at Jesus' feet, he asked ..."Why do you hide yourself, O Master, from those that love you and long to see you?"

Is that not a question we have asked, sometimes envying the Old Testament saints who had such visual evidences of God and the people who lived when Jesus physically walked this earth?

Here is how Jesus answered Sadhu's question.

He said, "True happiness does not depend on physical sight, but rather on spiritual vision and depends on the heart."

He went on to speak of those who looked upon Him the years He lived among men but they did not all receive Him and gain happiness. Simply seeing Him with physical eyes is not enough, we must see Him with our spiritual eyes because God is a spiritual Being. We cannot see our own spirits, so how do we think we can see the Creator of them?

Jesus asked, "Do you think those who saw me in Palestine all had their spiritual eyes opened, or did I Myself become mortal?
The answer , of course, is that I took on a mortal body so that in it I might give a ranson for the sins of the world. When the work of salvation was completed for sinners then that of me that was immortal tranfigured what was mortal into glory! Therefore, after the resurrection only those who had received spiritual sight could see me."

Act 10:40,41 "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. "

Jesus spoke of how many people only know about Him but do not have a relationship with Him, do not know Him as their Lord and Savior.
You can talk to a blind man about colors. Tell him all about red and blue and yellow, yet he has no concept of the colours charm and beauty. His eyes being blind, he attaches no value to them.
In the same way, no matter how learned a man may be , until his spiritual eyes are opened he cannot know Jesus, he cannot behold His glory nor can he comprehend that He is God Incarnate.

To be aware of Jesus presence is not dependant on physical sight.
When the physical eye is clouded, medicene can be dropped into the eye , the eye does not see it but the presence of the medicene is felt cleansing the inner eye and promoting the power of sight.

"So also people cannot see the peace that I bring into the hearts of those who are born of Me, but they feel it and become happy in it. It is the same with the tongue and sweet food.
The sense of taste in the tongue and the sweet flavor in the food are both invisible yet they give pleasure.
In the same way I give of the hidden manna, which the world cannot see, to My children and give them life and joy!"

Rev 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

When we are sick, often our sense of taste is interfered with, and we lose our enjoyment of food. The food may be ever so tasty but the sick person has lost his appetite for it and turns away.
In the same way sin interferes with the taste for spiritual things. God's Word and presence lose their attraction to us and instead of profiting by them , we begin to argue about them and criticize.

Take a piece of charcoal and try to wash it. Scrub as hard as you can but it will never lose its 'blackness'. However, if you allow fire to enter it, the dark color vanishes.
So also the Holy Spirit in the hearts of God's children does His work and all the blackness of sin is driven away, and we are made lights to the world.
"As the fire in the charcoal, so I abide in My children and they in Me and through them I make Myself visible to the world."

Mat 3:11 " ...... He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
********
tomorrow - Sadhu's request/question ... "If you would only manifest yourself by special revelation to the world then men would no longer doubt the existence of God and all would believe and enter on the path of righteousness."
***

Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) A Vision of Jesus

2010-04-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Early in Sandu Sundar Singh's Christian life, he developed a habit of walking into the forest after a long day at work. There he would sit on a favorite rock and spend time in prayer.

Sometimes he would see visions.

One day after work, when he was sitting on his 'prayer rock', a being appeared before him. At first Sadhu's impression was that this being was a revered and devoted servant of God .... but when he spoke he seemed to breathe an odour of hell.

This being addressed him ... "Holy and Honoured Sir, pardon me for interrupting your prayers......... " He went on to sympathize with him that he had not successfully influenced more than a few thousand Christians. He suggested that if only he would become a Hindu or a Mussulman he could become a great leader. People were looking for such a spiritual leader and if Sandu would accept this being's suggestion, he promised him hundreds of millions of followers who would render him reverent homage.

Sadhu recognizing the being, was quick with his answer... " You, Satan ! get away from me! I knew immediately you were a wolf in sheep's clothing. You desire me to give up the narrow road in exchange for the broad way that leads to death.... My Master is my lot and my portion -- He gave His life for me and I can but give my life for Him. Get yourself gone for I have nothing to do with you !"

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The being left growling with rage.
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Sadhu, dissolved into tears and poured his heart out to God in prayer. Finally, he rose from his prayer and looking up saw a glowing Being arrayed in light and beauty standing before him. Such love flowed from this Being it filled his heart and bathed his soul. He knew it was none other than his beloved Savior.
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Jesus seated Himself on the very rock that Sadhu had just risen from, and with Sadhu seated at His feet, Jesus began to teach him.
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We know from scripture that the apostle Paul after his conversion was taught not by "flesh and blood" but by "revelation of Jesus Christ". (Gal.1:11-16) Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and taught him . If Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever .... then we should not be surprised if He still appears to people many years later.
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Although Sadhu echoed the words of Paul that heavenly things revealed to him were difficult to be explained in earthly tongues, he, being pressured by his friends set some of Jesus' teachings down on paper. His writings have been preserved for us today.
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Reading through his little book, I found nothing that contradicted or took away from the scriptures by which all other words must stand or fall. There is no other truth. But I found his teaching to be confirming and clarifying.
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Sadhu said, "When the truths set forth in this book were revealed to me by the Master they deeply affected my life and I used them in my sermons and addresses in Europe, America, Africa, Australia and Asia."
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His prayer was that "As God by His grace and mercy has blessed me by these truths, so also they may be a blessing to every reader."
******

In the next several devotionals I want to share some of what he recorded as the words of Jesus to him. Because he writes in old English, which I know for many of you may to be difficult to follow, I will take the liberty of expressing in my own words the teaching he received.
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tomorrow- Jesus answers Sadhu's question ... "Why do you hide yourself, O Master, from those that love you and long to see you?"
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A Hero of Spiritual Proportions

2010-04-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

There is a need within us to admire. It is a God-given incentive to move us to worship Him.

But as man's inclination is not toward God but to himself, the human trend is to choose as heroes those who have attained to some level that is enviable. Often heroes are idolized in proportion to how much of this world's goods they possess.

I prefer to choose as my heroes those who have attained an enviable level in God's Kingdom. Men/women who have lived their lives worthy of the One to whom they have given their all.

I read of one such man recently. His name is probably not one you are familiar with -- Sandu Sundar Singh who was born in 1889.

He was a godly man, sold out to the heavenly Kingdom and his story reads as though it was lifted from the pages of scripture.

Here is his life story .....

Sundar Singh was born into a wealthy family in India in 1889.

His mother trained him from birth to become a Sikh holy man, and by age seven he could quote by heart vast portions of Hindu holy books.

Seeing his intelligence, his mother eventually sent him to a Presbyterian school for a one-year’s course in English. There Sundar, forced to read the New Testament, rebelled, his hot-blooded heart raging against his missionary teachers.
Being tall, good-looking, and muscular, he quickly became the leader of the anti-Christian students, on one occasion burning a Bible page by page before them.
But Sundar’s white-hot emotions couldn’t absorb the tragic death of his mother, and he found himself at age fifteen overcome with despair. On Sunday night, December 17, 1904, he went to bed planning to commit suicide before breakfast. He rose according to plan at three a.m., took a ceremonial cold bath in keeping with Hindu custom, and prepared to cast himself in front of the five a.m. express train speeding by his house.
But as Sundar prayed, a light suddenly illumined the room, shining so brightly that he thought the house ablaze. A strong, serene figure seemed to appear in a vaporous white cloud and in perfect Hindustani spoke these words: “Why do you persecute me? Remember that I gave My life for you upon the cross.”
Sundar was instantly converted to Christ.

When he later shared the news with his family, they were appalled, and failing to dissuade him, they tried to poison him.

But Sundar, not to be denied, was baptized on his sixteenth birthday.

He sought theological training, and soon put on the yellow robe and turban of a sadhu, a wandering holy man, to go forth preaching the gospel.
Through the mountain passes and over the rugged hills of northern India he journeyed, braving hardship and persecution.

He was imprisoned. He was stoned. He was tortured.

He was thrown into wells, naked, to die.

His travels were so rigorous that he was called the “Apostle of the Bleeding Feet.”

The Indian Christian Sundar Singh once ventured into the forbidden land of Nepal on the borders of Tibet to preach Jesus.

In a village there, as he distributed copies of Mark’s Gospel, one of his listeners ripped the Gospel apart and hurried to notify town officials.

Sundar was promptly thrown into jail, but he used the time to witness to his fellow prisoners.
When the jailer forbade him from evangelizing, Sundar, sounding much like Peter, replied, “I must obey my Master and preach His gospel, regardless of threats and sufferings.”
The jailer ordered the prisoners not to listen, but they replied, “This man tells us how we can become better, which is what we need.”
Sundar was taken from the cell to a filthy cattle shed. The jailer stripped off his clothing, tied him down hand and foot, and threw upon him a swarm of leeches that had been collected from the jungle. The loathsome creatures latched onto his body and began sucking his blood.

But, in his words, "I lifted up my heart to God in prayer, and He sent such heavenly peace into my soul that I soon began to sing His praises."
After he had grown weak from loss of blood, the authorities released him and returned his clothes.

Sundar was soon seen again in the center of town, preaching the gospel and telling the people.

He said , "It is a joy to suffer for my Savior. In bearing my cross, I hope to direct men to His cross with its offer of peace and pardon. In the cross of Christ alone I will ever glory."

Yet his dark, shining eyes, full beard, and graceful poise reminded people of the Savior, and many believed he looked expressly like Jesus.

Great crowds gathered to hear him, and his fame spread throughout the Orient, then around the world. In the years that followed, he preached in some of the greatest pulpits of Asia, Europe, and America. Biographies of him were written and stories about him printed. His face was known everywhere.
Then he disappeared.

Being a missionary at heart, Sandu longed to take the gospel into the mysterious and forbidden land of Tibet.

In April, 1929, spurning the advice of friends, he set out into the Himalayan foothills, heading upward and inward, disappearing from sight.

He was never seen again.
*******

Early in Sundar's walk with the Lord, he had a very supernatural encounter with Jesus. In an open vision, Jesus sat with him, answered his questions and taught him.

Over the next couple of weeks, in mini devotionals, I would like to share with you his experience. So, I invite you to come back!

***

Judging by My Own Default

2010-04-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

I love hummingbirds and have a hummingbird feeder hanging where I can easily see it from my kitchen patio door.

I watch the tiny birds come flitting in , land on the feeder, take a drink and with whirring wings fly off to find the next source of sweet nectar.

I think .... silly bird.... working so hard to get enough to eat. If it was smart it would just make its nest and night time perch in the trees close to my feeder and enjoy a life of ease. My feeder would provide abundantly all its needs. It wouldn't have to look any further.

But I suddenly realized that I was judging the little creature by my own human default.

It is such a natural thing for us to look for a comfortable place to 'stay' and we hold onto it, protect it and pitch our tent.

Remember the story of the disciples who climbed the mountain with Jesus?
I'm sure they thought it was just a hike to a quiet place to pray as they had done countless times before. But when they reach their destination, they were tired and fell into a slumber.
Suddenly, they awakened to the supernatural world breaking into their natural world and they saw Jesus transfigured , talking to Elijah and Moses.
What an amazing experience that left them stunned and overwhelmed with emotion.

Their reaction ? "Oh, lets build tents and stay here .. this is a holy place, a good place to live!!"
But what was Jesus response to them ? He took them back down to the valley below.

I had to admit that the little hummingbird is not foolish after all but wise.
If it depended entirely on my feeder -abundant as its supply may be- there could come a day where I was away on vacation and couldn't replenish it. Then what would the little bird do ? It would be lost not knowing where else to go .

But in not ever becoming dependant on just one source ... but rather flitting here and there , from feeder to flower ... its trust remains in its Creator to provide its nourishment. Never is its trust misplaced in man's provisions.

We could learn a good lesson from this tiniest of birds.
What if we let go of our 'comfort' zones, our securities that this world offers, and just trusted in God to provide for us? What if it no longer mattered to us where we lived , what the stock market was doing, whether our job was secure, if we had enough money stashed away for a rainy day, if our day/life was going the way we planned or wished it to go.
I'm talking about attitude. The bible admonishes us to work and provide for our families, but what it we let go of all the worry that we mix in with it -- the stress of thinking it will not be enough.

What if we, like the hummingbird, simply believed that God would provide and we allowed ourselves to fly free without a care in the world?

Mat 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "

Mat 6:30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"
^^

You Don't Belong

2010-04-11T04:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when my husband and I were driving through New Westminster , we passed the city junk yard where a back hoe was crushing and piling scrap metal. Absentmindedly, I gazed at the unattractive pile of twisted rubble.
I saw no reason to take a photo until we passed the back corner of the junk yard.
Something red caught my eye. "Stop, stop!" I cried, scrambling for my camera.
Miraculously , at that very moment the light turned red and I was given the gift of time.
Was it what I thought it was ?

Yes, it was ! Perched on top of the scrap heap remains of long-ago valuables was boy's dream of a 'sit-in' truck.

I wondered at it being doomed for destruction. I could understand the boy-owner outgrowing his toy car .... but surely there were many other little boys whose eyes would have gleamed with delight at the thought of rushing to a pretend blaze in that shiny red Fire Fighter.

Obviously, no one cared enough to find one such little boy, and the 'dream toy' was about to be crushed indiscriminately with the scrap metal. Soon it would be unrecognizable.

I stared at the pretty truck -- it just didn't belong.
If I could have , I would have gone and rescued it. But, even though regret gripped my heart, I knew it was too late!
***

Milena ago, before time on earth began, heaven was a perfectly divine place. There was no stain of sin , no evil intent to lurk in nonexistent darkness.
Angels created for beauty and glory, worshipped and fulfilled God-designed purposes.

Then the unthinkable happened. The highest, most beautiful angel of all by the name of Lucifer, fanned to flame a flicker of pride in his heart. Once inflamed, pride determined its own destruction and took Lucifer and one third of God's angels with it.
God condemned them to everlasting punishment, in the place He created for them --
Hell !
A place of twisted brokenness, darkness and gloom and worthlessness. A place of crushing destruction and torment.

Though Satan, alias Lucifer, and his demons may deserve their punishment, there will be those ending up in the scrap heap of hell who 'do not belong'.

Mankind was not meant to go to hell. God desired every human being ever born to be saved and live in God's Presence -- forever delighted by untold wonders of the New Earth created just for him. Blessed is the man who opens his heart to receive God's free gift.

Sadly, not all do.

Man is so protective of his God-given right to free choice and is so quick to exercise it - to his own hurt.

Some flippantly refuse God's loving invitation, others outgrow their need of Him, others curse Him to His face, others just put off seeking God until it is too late.

Every single person who walked on this earth has come to the day that was his last -- and has faced the eternity he choose. There are only two choices -- heaven or hell.

God says He 'has no pleasure in the death of the wicked'. (Ez.33:11)
Does His heart constrict with regret for the human soul, the one He longed to embrace in His love, tossed onto the scrap heap of hell's fury?

I believe He would so gladly give those who 'do not belong' in hell another chance, if it were only not too late!

"It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgement". (Heb.9:27)

If you know Jesus as your Savior , if your sins are forgiven and you walk daily with your Lord -- you need have no fear of death, but a joyous awaiting of eternity.

But if you do not know Jesus, if you have never confessed your sins and forsaken your sinful ways.... please , my friend, seek God today. He will not turn you away, His heart yearns to change you, inside out, and give you a new life and a new hope.

He never intended hell for you, please - choose God's love revealed in His Son who died for you. The price is paid....but you must accept it. Make God Lord of your heart and soul today. It will be the best thing you ever did !

God's Word tells us all we need to know.
Love it, read it, know it, believe it ! It will lead you in the way that you should go - lead you to God and show you how to avoid the place where
'you do not belong'.
****

I Needed an Earthworm

2010-04-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

(and found one!)
There are some interesting, little referred to, verses about the worm in scripture.

I love that God is a God of infinite detail in all truth. That makes Him past finding out, every layer of detail leading but to a deeper layer.

When God says that we can learn things about Him and His ways by studying the things He created... He meant just that. So there is really nothing in our earth that does not hold some kind of lesson for us to learn if we just take the time to look and consider.

Take for example the earthworm.
Who as a child has not been fascinated with the earthworm? What little country boy has not looked for them to put them on his fishing hook?
But most of us never consider that this little wiggly thing might have something to teach us.

I recently read about the earthworm... not on purpose... but I stumbled upon the information by accident.

I was interested - immediately seeing the lesson.

Though it is hardly a comparison we are attracted to ... man to a worm... it is a fact in scripture that the comparison is made.
Job 25:6 "How much less ... a son of man , who is a worm."
Psalm 22;6 "But I am a worm, and no man...."
Isaiah 41:14 "Fear not, you worm Jacob.."

Why would God choose to compare man to a worm?

Perhaps for the following reasons.
The earthworm has no eyes and no ears, yet it has an inherent attraction to the darkness. Put an earthworm in the light and it is not long before it disappears into the darkness of the earth. It has a love for the darkness even though it is blind to the light.

The carnal man is not so very different , is he ?

The natural man, is spiritually blind to the light, and yet has an inherent desire for the darkness. He seeks the darkness that hides his deeds, to hide who he really is. John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

How natural this tendency is - we see it in our young children, who go hide when they have done something forbidden. Just as children think they can hide from their parents, man thinks he can hide from God.
The 'darkness' is a false security - a lie from the enemy. Of course God can see everywhere and 'will bring to light the hidden things of darkness' (I Cor. 4:5)

Does this 'bent' toward the darkness disappear when our 'spiritual eyes' have been opened and we have been "delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of his love" and have been "made partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light"?

We have been delivered from the 'power' of darkness and yet our flesh still tempts us to draw back into it. The kingdom of light is governed by 'love' ... the 'darkness' is governed by 'hate'. How easily we think less than 'loving' thoughts toward someone who has slighted or wronged us. Yet the scripture warns.....
I John 2:11 "He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."

There was one other thing I learned about the earthworm . His brain is so small that if it is removed, he doesn't notice -- he simply carries on.

This reminded me of what God says about people who deny His existence. "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." (Ps. 14:1)
A fool is someone who does not use his mental ability, but prefers to just carry on with what comes naturally.
He is someone "lacking in common powers of understanding" , according to Webster.

Who would have thought that we could learn something from the simple earthworm.
But his example is an example to be avoided.
Someone once wisely said... "We do not learn best from our own mistakes, we learn best from other's mistakes".
Maybe we could rephrase that to say ... "The wise man avoids the 'teaching' of the earthworm"

"A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise council." (Prov. 1:5)

The Shroud of Turin

2010-04-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

It is again that time of year when we think of the event that changed the world.
A death.... but not just any death. The death of the perfect Lamb of God. Put to death, not for His own sins, but for yours and mine.
He was laid in a tomb, but the tomb could not hold Him. Angels rolled away the stone so that those who came to the tomb could see that the tomb was empty.
Jesus had risen from the dead.

Some time around 1353-1357 historical records show that there began to be talk about a Shroud , a Shroud that bore an imprint of a crucified man. Whether this was the Shroud of Turin is debated but without controversy The Shroud of Turin can be traced back to the middle of the 16th century.
It has been said that it is the most important religious artifact and the fascination with it has not died down over the centuries.
That it is mysterious and unexplainable by science, even with today's technology and advanced knowledge, is undeniable.

Christians have long been intrigued with the idea that Jesus' burial cloth could supernaturally hold His image, created by the power of His resurrected body.
Books, films, documentaries have been written and distributed. Even You Tube offers visual proof of the enhanced image using new techniques.
The History Channel showed a new documentary this week ... "The Face of Jesus" , keeping the interest of people in the Shroud alive --- whether they are Christian or not.

But, I ask the question ... is it or is it not the burial cloth of Jesus? Can we know?

Really the answer is amazingly simple. A very obvious detail is overlooked by those who argue that the Shroud of Turin does indeed bear the image of Jesus and was His burial cloth.

We have in the gospel of John the account of Jesus' burial.

Joh 19:38-42
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

We see from this account that Jesus was not buried in a one-piece-Shroud. Jesus' body was bound with STRIPS of linen.

We also know that Jesus' had a separate cloth for His head...

Joh 20:7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

It is noted in our John passage that Jesus was buried according to the Jewish customs. I did a bit of research to see what the customs were.

A body was wrapped with alternate layers of spices and strips of cloth. To use 100 pounds of spices meant many layers of wrapping . The head was not 'embalmed' with these strips of cloth and spices but the head was wrapped separately, and the face was usually left uncovered.

Our conclusions can be none other but that the Shroud of Turin is not the burial cloth of Jesus and therefore the image is of another crucified man.

Does it matter to our faith if the Shroud would or would not be Jesus' burial clothes? No, because we have scripture that we base our faith on.

What concerns me is how easily we are taken in by myths or speculation or deception. It is soo tempting to reach for the offered physical proof of our faith.

I have seen another circulating e-mail that claims a secret message was left by Jesus in the folding of His burial head napkin. The message is based on Jewish table customs at the time... that a folded napkin meant the person was coming back to the table - and the servant boy knew not to clear away his plate.

So when Jesus folded His napkin , He was leaving a secret message to His followers.. He was coming back. The secret message idea appeals to our love of intrigue and delights our senses. But here again , those who accept this speculative story as true ignore a very obvious fact.

Table napkins were not used until the middle ages... There was no ancient Jewish table custom that involved personal napkins - they used water.

I did find one article that described modern napkin etiquette. If a person wishes to leave the table and is coming back, he leaves his napkin on his chair. If he is finished eating and will not be returning he folds it loosely beside his plate. Perhaps this custom inspired the e-mail version .

This is a sobering/joyous week for us Christians. Jesus, our Messiah, the perfect God/Man came to earth to be The Way , The Truth and The Life. He was buried and He rose again to offer us eternal life in Him. We do not need His burial cloths, we do not need a secret message that indicates He is coming back.

We have the record... the angels said...

Act 1:11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

and Jesus said so in His own words...

Rev 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

***

The Perfectionist

2010-03-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

When we hear someone described as a 'perfectionist', we all have an image of someone dedicated to details.

If the perfectionist is working FOR us ... we are delighted at the quality we can count on ... but if we are being compared to a perfectionist we quickly feel inferior and defensive, knowing we do not measure up.

While we love the idea of 'perfect', there is a tension in us... the longing for it yet the reality that it is always beyond our grasp.

Only God is truly Perfect and Jesus the God/Man is the only true Perfectionist who ever walked our earthly soil. He came dedicated to fulfilling every detail of the Old Testament. Every detail ? yes... in His own words every jot and tittle. (Matt.5:28)

We are familiar with the obvious prophecies that speak of Him....and are aware that some of the OT characters are types foreshadowing Him, but what about the details that fall into 'jot and tittle' category - the ones that maybe you have to look for; the ones that only a Perfectionist would fulfill.

I found one of these today tucked into the following Old Testament story. (found in I Sam.21:1-7)

David, and the men with him, were fleeing from the wrath of Saul. Being on the move, any food they had with them was quickly consumed .

Three days had passed and the men were hungry.

The men were under David's command; he felt responsible for their needs. What could he do? An idea came to him.... he must have dismissed it at first because it was something against the law. But his men were hungry. He put them first.

David slipped into the temple and said to the priest named Abimelech, "Now therefore what is under your hand? Give me five loaves of bread in mine hand or what there is present."

Overturning the law, the priest gave the hallowed loaves to David... bread that had been dedicated to God. It cost him his life.

Fast forward a thousand years.... and we have two similar stories

One is in Matt. 6.

Jesus, and the people with Him, had consumed the food they had brought with them. Time passed and the people were hungry. Jesus had been meeting all their needs, were they not also looking to Him to feed them?

Jesus asked, "what do you have?" The answer was 5 loaves and two fishes.

He looked up to His Father (Abimelech means "Father of the King") , 'hallowed' the bread to Him.... and passed it out. The 'hallowed' bread fed the multitude.

We are told of another time in Matt.15:32, when Jesus fed the multitude ... this time three days has passed and again the people were hungry. Once again Jesus hallowed the bread and God provided from heaven the provision needed. Jesus overturned natural law, Jesus fulfilled heavenly law.

To provide living bread cost Him His life.

You might ask, why is it important that we have this parallel of stories?

Perhaps at first glance, it is not important at all as it supplies no new information, nor does it add to any understanding of either the OT or NT stories.

But this is what it does do ; it gives to us the confirmation that God's Word is always true in every detail . We have the assurance that we can trust it.

God's Word is so tightly woven that its intrinsically connected details make it impossible for anyone other than God to have written the bible over a period of 4000 years.

The scriptures are indeed wondrously spoken forth. With what awe should we guard it, and obey its Words.

I Had a Dream

2010-03-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago I had a dream.

I was moving among and interacting with a crowd of people: talking sharing and observing. The crowd faded into the background as suddenly I saw before me, three men standing at attention dressed in uniforms. They looked identical.

There was a word attached to each man which I understood.

The dream ended and I awoke, but to my dismay I could not remember the three words. Try as I might, I could not bring them back.

I prayed asking the Lord to let me remember the words and what they meant.

I fell back asleep and dreamed again. Once more, I heard the words and what they meant.

When I awoke the second time, I remembered.

The words were 'whole-hearted', 'half-hearted' and 'hard-hearted'.

The three men who outwardly look identical in their uniforms, hid within them three different heart conditions.

We could look at the example of three kings in scripture. Three kings , who were loved and admired and followed but with three very different hearts.

King David was whole-hearted toward God. He had the love of his people but the important praise was God's.

Act 13:22 He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.'

King Saul was half-hearted. He, more than any other king, excited the emotion and admiration of the people. He was their first king, chosen by God. He was regally handsome. standing head and shoulders above the people.

But his half-heartedness was his downfall.... He turned away from following the Lord and ultimately became guilty of the unforgivable - consulting a medium.

Saul in his own words reveals his half-heartedness.
1Sa 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

Is that not where all half-heartedness begins? When we fear man? or love the things of this world and what it offers?

God will not share His temple, and we have record of God's judgment of half-hearted Saul.
1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Then we have Rehoboam, the hard-hearted king. He looked so promising. All the people wanted to crown Rehoboam , the son of Solomon, as their king. They expected great things.

But it was not to be. Rehoboam never sought the wisdom of God, he sought the wisdom of his peers, the young men he grew up with.

He outrightly rejected the counsel of godly men.
2Ch 10:8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

Rohoboam went down but he did not go down alone. He took Israel with him.

2Ch 12:1 Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him.

God's final word on Rohoboam's hard heartedness in found recorded for us in II Chron. 12:14. " And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD."

We have an incredible advantage looking at these three examples --it is called hindsight. With that hindsight we have God's recorded judgment of them.

When we observe the people in our lives that we look up to as leaders, guides, examples, heroes we do not have the advantage of hindsight, and often their true heart condition is not visible to us. From our outward observations they may all look alike. We have another disadvantage today in that many of the people we look up too are far removed from us..... our high tech media allows us to see 'the outward' uniform of many people on TV, on videos, in print. But we do not have the advantage of watching their daily walk, as we are told to do in this passage...

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Because we cannot always recognize a person's heart from the outside, we need to be careful and discerning . The best way to see some one's heart is not to look at the 'uniform' outside of their life or ministry but to watch how they do their daily life - their 'conversation'.

The ones who are the most deceiving are the half-hearted ones... which is why Jesus said to the Laodiceans in Rev. 3:16 "...because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth."

Let us be discerning believers, watching and judging with a righteous judgement... discerning the heart and not the uniform. But most of all let us guard our own heart that we follow Jesus whole heartedly which is the first commandment ...

Deu 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

At the End of the Day will it be My Best or God's Best

2010-02-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

My natural fascination with human interest stories influenced how I watched the Olympic games.

One story in particular grabbed me in how it demonstrated a life lesson we all need to grapple with in our own lives.

I have no desire or intent to pass judgement on the two girls involved in my story, and while the story details are in the public knowledge domain, I will use only their first names.

Julia and Lindsey, have long been rival competitors in their chosen sport of downhill skiing, never moving toward friendship though they train together.

Finally on the day of one of their Olympic events, the two girls waited their turn on the mountain top; Julia slotted to ski immediately following Lindsey.

The weather conditions made the run treacherous and Lindsy became one of the victims of the steep course, crashing into the protective fencing, the medics racing to her side.

Julia was signaled to start her run, but then partly down the course she was flagged to stop because they had not yet untangled Lindsey from the mesh fence.

There was no way for Julia to get back up to the starting gate other than finishing her descent and then be returned to the starting gate by snow mobile.

Julia was understandably upset -- her concentration had been broken, she had now lost her assigned position to ski her run. The hill conditions would change before she got to ski, her postion moved down 13 spots.

Waiting at the bottom for the snow mobile, she verbally cursed her misfortune and the skier who had literally thrown a stumbling block in her quest for a medal.

She did not try to hide her emotional upset.... her resentful attitude evidenced in tears and ranting over the events that she had no control over.

That she had been given an advantage seemed to not enter her narrow focus. All the skiers had to ski the run without a practice run.... except for Julia. She had the advantage of a full practice run down allowing her to get a feel for the course and the effect of the weather upon it.

Back up at the top , finally able to ski her run, her run time was well below what had been expected of her. She did not ski worthy to win a spot on the podium, and she withdrew from the other race she was scheduled to ski in.

As I watched the story unfold, I thought of how I was watching a scenario that plays itself over and over again in our personal lives.

How often do our plans get upset - something outside of our control jars our emotions, and we are thrown off track or diverted from our path entirely.

I wonder.... how often does our attitude toward the unexpected in our life determine whether or not we will attain to God's best plans for us? Does our negative attitude cause us to miss the advantage God intended through the unexpected or even 'undesired' circumstances/events ?

How do we react when things happen that push our emotional default buttons ? How often do we like Julia rage and blame others - how often are we critical, defensive and self-focused?

How often do we waste our emotions on what we think we have lost..... instead of focusing on how God can/will use the twists in our path to our advantage?

As believers we say that we trust God to lead and guide us. We say we believe that all things work together for good. We say that we love and seek the good of others before our own.

But do we ? How do we react when God lays a 'test' in front of us....do we pass? do we fail?

When we are inconvenienced, or side tracked or bumped by an uncomfortable road block,do we think of what it means for someone else? Do we calmly ask God for new directions? and then humbly accept what He lays before us?

I have learned that God trains us in the little details so that when the real test comes we are exercised to trust and obey and face with a humble heart an unexpected challenge.

Some wise person once said... "I am not in control of what happens to me, but I am in control of how I react."

How often is it that in the inconveniences or the frustrating circumstances or the hindered plans that we have the greatest opportunity to rise above the occasion and show that we are not victims of our circumstances but rather use them to glorify the God whose name we cheer and wear on our heart and sleeve!

My challenge - for me and for you -- to use the little inconveniences of each day to exercise our hearts and minds to look for God in the unexpected... eager for His purposes.... instead of allowing our self-default to dictate our reactions.

Let us all 'go for gold' !!

May we join in Paul's prayer, that we seek not our own righteousness, judging the circumstances of our life by our own standards but rather seek God's righteousness (right judging) in every annoying moment or distressing turn in our life path.

Phil. 3:7-10

"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ,

but indeed I also count all things loss

for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and count them as rubbish,

that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,

not having my own righteousness ,

which is from the law,

but that which is through faith in Christ

the righteousness which is from God by faith'

that I many know Him

and the power of His resurrection

and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death."

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A Look at Five Cities

2010-02-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

“You can’t see the forest for the trees”, is an old saying particularly true for anyone looking out at the world from his own point of time.
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In his book "5 Cities that Ruled the World", Douglas Wilson takes a step back and gives his reader an objective view of the tapestry woven by five cities and how they affected the course of history; the five cities being Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, New York.
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When looking back down the corridors of time there is only one viewing station that will give you an undistorted view, and that is from God's perspective ---- it is after all 'HIS-story'. All history has God's hand of direction and intervention in it...and we need to look for His fingerprints.
We see that without the spiritual component the story of Jerusalem makes no sense. It is a little piece of dessert that, thousands of years after God showed Abraham the promised land, still commands the attention of the world around it.
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One intriguing detail the author suggested about the city of Jerusalem was that when Nehemiah requested permission to rebuild the walls of the city it was Ahazarus and his queen Esther that is referred to in Nehemiah 2:6.
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I found it interesting how the author singled out each city for the one characteristic that most defined its influence upon the world. Jerusalem, spiritual – Athens, intellectual – Rome, law and justice and freedom and its costs – London, literature - New York, commerce , wealth and international trade.
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The one criticism or disappointment that I had in the book was that I expected the author to bring in more of God’s perspective . He started off doing a great job with the city of Jerusalem, but then by the time he got to the last city, New York, he seemed to have forgotten the God-focus altogether.
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If you have an interest in history and how each civilization influences the ones coming after, you will find this book an interesting read.
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review for Book Sneeze - Thomas Nelson publishers

Whose Image?

2010-02-18T12:15:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, we sat on the driveway of our friends, waiting for them to join us.

I looked out my passenger seat window and noticed the tree right beside me. I stared at it for awhile not quite believing what I was seeing, then pointed it out to my husband.

"Look, there is a perfect picture of a tree on the trunk of that tree!"

No one had tampered with it, no one etched it in, it was obviously there simply by how the tree formed in its bark a perfect image of itself.

I saw the object lesson of the tree.

Though each of us lives hidden away in our physical body, we project a perfect image of ourselves on the outside for people to see. We may try to 'pretend' , holding up a facade of what we wish we were, but we cannot hide for long who we really are.

By default each of us is born with a self-focus. We look out for number one. We want to be loved, noticed, stroked, fed, catered too. We think about getting before we think about giving. We are born with a self-preservation instinct that is God given, but we guard it in our own strength.

I had looked at the tree in my photo many times but never noticed the clearly visible self-portrait on its trunk. It obviously formed gradually over the life of the tree.

We are etching the lines of who we are over the years of our life, our thoughts , our deeds, our actions, reactions all taking hold of the brush that will paint what others see.

Many of us, at some point in our life look at our self-portrait and become wise to the fact that we are dissatisfied with what we see - 'self' isn't all that satisfying or fulfilling and we wish we could be something/someone else.

I recently read Edith's Schaeffer's book The Tapestry and something she said stayed with me. She spoke of how even in the most degenerate and miserable of human beings there remains buried within them a remnant of the original image of who they were meant to be.

Man was created in the image of God; that image was written into the code of our DNA and passed down to every human being.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

We have a choice... is it the image of 'self' that we will present for others to see? Or will we nurture that image of God that lies dormant within us until we allow God to join His Spirit to our faith and cause that image to be brought to the light. The Light that will shine in us until we become like God's own Son.

Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

It is a process, little by little we allow the character of Jesus to be formed in us until people looking at us will see - Christ's character instead of our fleshly 'self' !!!

First we put on the new man .... turning away from the demands of our own desires, and the thinking of the world around us.

Col 3:10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Then we throw away our 'self' mirror and look into the mirror of the Lord, into His face!
2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

I think about the obsession that our world has with outer beauty... the money spent on 'image' from make-up to cosmetic surgery... and in the end -- has much changed ?

How much better to let the change happen from the inside out - the beauty that neither time or eternity can mar or steal !

Sometimes I meet a stranger, who doesn't feel like a stranger at all.... I look at them and 'see' - the image of Christ - and I know they are a brother or sister in the Lord. My heart warms within me.

So the question presented to each one of us is this - whose image will we bear today? a 'self-image' or the image of the One who created us to be like Him, to reflect the beauty of His character.

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A Miracle !

2010-02-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

I heard an unbelievable story today .. unbelievable but true!
Maybe you heard it too on the evening news.

After being buried four weeks, trapped in the collapsed rice store in which he worked, the 28 year old man was found this afternoon.
He was dehydrated and starving but otherwise OK. He was taken to a hospital where he is recouperating. Aparently , he lost 30 pounds.

He was able to share some details of his ordeal.
He had heard the bulldozers working and had been afraid he would not be found in time.

When asked if he had had any water, he replied that a man in a white coat had periodically brought him water.
An angel ?? Ohh .. I think so !

The news reporters were quick to attribute his story to hallucinations.... but how then do they explain his survival without water for four weeks?

I love stories like this.

Why are we surprised to hear that an angel ministered to someone ?
Doesn't God's word tell us that is what they do ?

Heb. 1:14 "Are they are not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those that shall be heirs of salvation."

What an unbelievably amazing thing it is that a miracle working Creator is so interested in us... that He dispatched countless angels to minister on our behalf - whether we see them or not.

The only time I am aware that I may have met an angel, was a time I wrote about here.

Heb 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."
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