While I was working on my next planned post …. I thought of an analogy that I must share !! So come back tomorrow for the beginning of my ‘story’.
******
When we approached the border at 1:00 am. with our Mississippi friends, we were all rather nervous. They had never left their country before. Would they be allowed into Canada with a minimal of difficulty?
We did not know.
How long would it take to check their baggage which was light because the airlines had lost everything except their carry on bags.
We stopped at the customs officer window and Vic rolled down his , waiting for the officer’s instructions.
We all had our identification papers in hand….birth certificates and driver’s licences . No visas since none of us needed them to cross on land between the USA and Canada.
The officer looked into our vehicle and asked for our ID.
Then instead of asking us to go inside to declare luggage or belongings, instead of asking whether we were carrying any weapons or prohibited substances or even what we were planning to do in Canada --- he was interested in only one thing.
How did we know each other.
We tried to avoid admitting that we had not met in person until less than an hour earlier. We told the officer we were friends….but that did not satisfy him and we were forced into admitting we had met on line.
That brought fresh questions of how long ago….and why….. what had linked us ? common hobbies? Interests?
In the end, nothing else was important and when he was satisfied that our relationship was honourable he waved us through.
I realized that this is a perfect picture of what it will be like on judgment day .. when each of us must appear before the Great Judge -- God Himself. He is the one who will determine whether or not we will be allowed to cross the border into His eternal kingdom.
Will He be interested in our baggage? No ! In fact most of it will be lost in our earthly travels. We will appear before His judgement throne with only what we have in our hand.
On that Day, He will be interested in only one thing. Our relationship with Jesus !
How did we meet? And why ? What have we done together? Did we share common interests?
Nothing we have focused our attention on in this earthly life will prepare us for entry into the eternal City – Nothing! except how we know Jesus.
Do you know Him? Will your explanation satisfy God when the question is asked of you how and when you met Jesus?
Joh 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own."
1Jn 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A Few Photos of Our Vacation Time
It was a sad, teary moment as I watched the plane turn on the runway ready for take off carrying our friends back to far away Mississippi. Two short weeks earlier we had not yet met in person... now we were family. Benji, Tammie and their daughter McKenzie had spent two perfect weeks with us. The weather was wonderful, both the week we spent in Whistler and the week we were at our home.What a whirlwind two weeks we enjoyed together .... yet at the same time the most relaxed enjoyable vacation I have ever had.
What a privilege it was to show off our beautiful province of British Columbia to people who were in Canada for the first time in their lives.
We showed them the contrasts in our backyard.. ...... snowy peaks......
pleasant green forest trails.....
and the ocean viewed from the ferry to Victoria.
Of course we ate together.... We celebrated Mother's day lunch after church .....
Tammie's birthday.........
and loved the Gelato Ice-cream at a Vancouver shop..... only 218 flavors.
We saw lots of wild life...... including 5 bears.... we photographed the baby bear below, hoping his mother wasn't lurking near by.
and we laughed .... and laughed.......
Benji realized his life long dream of meeting the Sasquatch !!
We laughed at the man carrying a whole pig down a Vancouver street ....
and we saw this white dog in a white convertible when we came out of a Whistler Market Place. He was a beautiful dog but ohhh... how he made us laugh. He refused to acknowledge that we were even there ... his whole demeanor communicated his wish that we simply be gone. "If I don't look at you , I can convince myself that you don't exist!"
This Sniffle Station made us laugh... but what a thoughtful idea !! Strategically placed to accommodate that unavoidable runny nose in cold weather.....
We also made time to serve. After Benji and Tammie planned their 25th Wedding Anniversary year with a trip to BC, doors opened for ministry. I will tell more in the story I am saving for my next post .... but here are a couple of photos depicting opportunities God gave them.
Benjy singing in our church.
and in Gateway church the next Sunday. (I was thrilled to hold this little Sudanese baby. The girl standing beside me is the baby's mother's cousin. She arrived in Canada only two or three weeks ago. )
Everywhere we went we were surrounded by the beauty created by God's hand. We were thrilled looking up to see the awesome mountain views but didn't miss the little things we had to bend down to enjoy. Tammie was especially impressed by the buttons and the huge tulips.
We enjoyed the wild beauty of the Othello Tunnels. We did not know until we spoke with a Chinese tourist looking for the Tunnels that Rambo was filmed there.
We also saw amazing architecture built by man. The Parliament Buildings in Victoria, the famous Empress Hotel as well as innovative designs of homes in Whistler.
We loved the water falls.
Bridal Falls.
Shannon Falls
Brandywine Falls
Nairn Falls
On the last Saturday we wanted to take them boating on Lightning Lake in Manning Park. To our surprise that was hardly possible. The lake was still frozen solid and snow patches still on the ground. The ground squirrels were out but must have been surprised that many of their tunnel entrances were still covered by snow. McKenzie enjoyed feeding them... they were sooo hungry!
The day was warm, (26' at the Lake and 34' a short distance away) warm enough to be out in shorts and t-shirts and to get a burn. We all did something new ..... had a picnic beside a frozen lake and snow a couple of feet from our picnic table.
The memories we have .... depicted by some 1,300 photos between us ..... will be processing for some time. We are all so aware of God having orchestrated every detail of our time together and we are so thankful for the gift He gave us.
and in Gateway church the next Sunday. (I was thrilled to hold this little Sudanese baby. The girl standing beside me is the baby's mother's cousin. She arrived in Canada only two or three weeks ago. )
Everywhere we went we were surrounded by the beauty created by God's hand. We were thrilled looking up to see the awesome mountain views but didn't miss the little things we had to bend down to enjoy. Tammie was especially impressed by the buttons and the huge tulips.
We enjoyed the wild beauty of the Othello Tunnels. We did not know until we spoke with a Chinese tourist looking for the Tunnels that Rambo was filmed there.
We also saw amazing architecture built by man. The Parliament Buildings in Victoria, the famous Empress Hotel as well as innovative designs of homes in Whistler.
We loved the water falls.
Bridal Falls.
Shannon Falls
Brandywine Falls
Nairn Falls
On the last Saturday we wanted to take them boating on Lightning Lake in Manning Park. To our surprise that was hardly possible. The lake was still frozen solid and snow patches still on the ground. The ground squirrels were out but must have been surprised that many of their tunnel entrances were still covered by snow. McKenzie enjoyed feeding them... they were sooo hungry!
The day was warm, (26' at the Lake and 34' a short distance away) warm enough to be out in shorts and t-shirts and to get a burn. We all did something new ..... had a picnic beside a frozen lake and snow a couple of feet from our picnic table.
The memories we have .... depicted by some 1,300 photos between us ..... will be processing for some time. We are all so aware of God having orchestrated every detail of our time together and we are so thankful for the gift He gave us.
It is hard to come back down to our normal day to day routine. Our two weeks were an experience we could easily have become accustomed to !
But mountain peaks are not places you can live .... we can only enjoy the high for a time and let the deposit of the experience give strength for the ordinary days.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Divine Protection
Greetings to you my blog friends !! Thank you for your sweet comments, I appreciated every one of them ...... and yes, I do recognize you, Anonymous! Your voice gave you away ! smile
I am back from my vacation time ! I had a wonderful time and am sorting out the things I am eager to share with you. I have a busy day today but I will post some photos in the next couple of days and tell a story of God’s thread of plan and purpose.
The past two weeks we have spent holidaying with our Mississippi friends, Benji and Tammie and their daughter McKenzie. God was sooo present in and among us every day.
Today, I want to give God glory for His protective Hand. Truly He gives His angels power to protect His own.
Psa 91:11 "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
We experienced the practical truth of this scripture last week two days in a row.
On Thursday we were driving speed limit along the highway when the car behind us pulled out to pass. The young man at the wheel was holding a cell phone to his ear.
There was an oncoming car approaching fast – and we slowed seeing the collision about to happen!
At the last possible second the passing car pulled back into our lane. The oncoming car was struggling to maintain control from having slammed on his brakes to avoid a head on crash. We were all shaken ….but the cell phone driver didn’t miss a beat – it was like he was oblivious to how close he came to having his life suspended.
Then on Friday morning we were once again on route to enjoy our day’s planned activities. Our granddaughters had a day off school so they were with us.
We had switched vehicles with my daughter – their van for our car so that we could all ride together. Vic was driving with Benji in the front passenger seat. Tammie and I were sitting in the middle seats, in front of our three girls.
Tammie and I were looking back, listening to my granddaughter tell a story.
The two lane freeway traffic in front of us suddenly slowed to a stop with bumper to bumper stalled vehicles as far as we could see.
Tammie and I were still listening to my granddaughter’s story when I was startled by a sudden blue flash up against my granddaughter’s head and I screamed. I am not a screamer but the sudden shock of the moment unnerved me.
When the moment had passed we pieced together the details.
The car behind us was not paying attention to the road but the elderly driver and his wife were either looking to see if they could exit the free way to avoid the traffic stall or were just focused on the scenery. By the time the driver looked back there was no time to stop – he was travelling way too fast.
Vic watched him in his rear view mirror …. He said he SAW the accident happen .. there was simply no way to avoid it.
Tammie was sitting in such a way that she too saw it coming and knew he was going to hit us.
The flash of blue I saw ( probably the car’s windows , since the car color was maroon) was him swerving past our van with maybe a thread’s width to spare. I screamed, and then heard Tammie repeat… “thank you , Jesus !”
Facilitating the miracle was that for some unknown reason there was a car length space beside us. We were the last car to stop in our lane but the lane beside us stretched a few cars behind us. Bumper to bumper traffic and a space beside us? The maroon car swerved into that space and them swung back in front of us. I think an angel had hold of the wheel because in hind sight it seems impossible for him to do what he did. There just wasn’t enough space …and he would have had to be some kind of expert behind the wheel.
As long as we followed the maroon car, the driver’s wife sat with her head in her hands obviously suffering from shock.
May God speak into their hearts convicting them of their need to know Him - life is too fragile to risk living without God.
After we knew we had escaped a serious accident, my granddaughter,Elise, lightened the moment by her remark. “I wondered what I had said that suddenly had everyone soo excited!” Even there we saw the tender heart of God – He thought to hold His hand over the girls’ emotions that they were spared any memory of fear.
It took all of us a long time to settle down…. Over and over we thanked God for His protection – for putting His hand in between us and imminent danger.
We serve a great God and to be His child is a great privilege. Our deep appreciation and gratitude to Him covered our day …. And the memory is tucked into all of our hearts as a reminder of the love and protection God exercises over us everyday, whether we are aware of it or not !
I share this experience because I believe it can also strengthen your faith to KNOW how real God’s protection is over you. What God does for one of His children… He does for all ! He is no respecter of persons. What a perfect, loving Father He is !!!!
I am back from my vacation time ! I had a wonderful time and am sorting out the things I am eager to share with you. I have a busy day today but I will post some photos in the next couple of days and tell a story of God’s thread of plan and purpose.
The past two weeks we have spent holidaying with our Mississippi friends, Benji and Tammie and their daughter McKenzie. God was sooo present in and among us every day.
Today, I want to give God glory for His protective Hand. Truly He gives His angels power to protect His own.
Psa 91:11 "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
We experienced the practical truth of this scripture last week two days in a row.
On Thursday we were driving speed limit along the highway when the car behind us pulled out to pass. The young man at the wheel was holding a cell phone to his ear.
There was an oncoming car approaching fast – and we slowed seeing the collision about to happen!
At the last possible second the passing car pulled back into our lane. The oncoming car was struggling to maintain control from having slammed on his brakes to avoid a head on crash. We were all shaken ….but the cell phone driver didn’t miss a beat – it was like he was oblivious to how close he came to having his life suspended.
Then on Friday morning we were once again on route to enjoy our day’s planned activities. Our granddaughters had a day off school so they were with us.
We had switched vehicles with my daughter – their van for our car so that we could all ride together. Vic was driving with Benji in the front passenger seat. Tammie and I were sitting in the middle seats, in front of our three girls.
Tammie and I were looking back, listening to my granddaughter tell a story.
The two lane freeway traffic in front of us suddenly slowed to a stop with bumper to bumper stalled vehicles as far as we could see.
Tammie and I were still listening to my granddaughter’s story when I was startled by a sudden blue flash up against my granddaughter’s head and I screamed. I am not a screamer but the sudden shock of the moment unnerved me.
When the moment had passed we pieced together the details.
The car behind us was not paying attention to the road but the elderly driver and his wife were either looking to see if they could exit the free way to avoid the traffic stall or were just focused on the scenery. By the time the driver looked back there was no time to stop – he was travelling way too fast.
Vic watched him in his rear view mirror …. He said he SAW the accident happen .. there was simply no way to avoid it.
Tammie was sitting in such a way that she too saw it coming and knew he was going to hit us.
The flash of blue I saw ( probably the car’s windows , since the car color was maroon) was him swerving past our van with maybe a thread’s width to spare. I screamed, and then heard Tammie repeat… “thank you , Jesus !”
Facilitating the miracle was that for some unknown reason there was a car length space beside us. We were the last car to stop in our lane but the lane beside us stretched a few cars behind us. Bumper to bumper traffic and a space beside us? The maroon car swerved into that space and them swung back in front of us. I think an angel had hold of the wheel because in hind sight it seems impossible for him to do what he did. There just wasn’t enough space …and he would have had to be some kind of expert behind the wheel.
As long as we followed the maroon car, the driver’s wife sat with her head in her hands obviously suffering from shock.
May God speak into their hearts convicting them of their need to know Him - life is too fragile to risk living without God.
After we knew we had escaped a serious accident, my granddaughter,Elise, lightened the moment by her remark. “I wondered what I had said that suddenly had everyone soo excited!” Even there we saw the tender heart of God – He thought to hold His hand over the girls’ emotions that they were spared any memory of fear.
It took all of us a long time to settle down…. Over and over we thanked God for His protection – for putting His hand in between us and imminent danger.
We serve a great God and to be His child is a great privilege. Our deep appreciation and gratitude to Him covered our day …. And the memory is tucked into all of our hearts as a reminder of the love and protection God exercises over us everyday, whether we are aware of it or not !
I share this experience because I believe it can also strengthen your faith to KNOW how real God’s protection is over you. What God does for one of His children… He does for all ! He is no respecter of persons. What a perfect, loving Father He is !!!!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Sorry !
I am sorry, my dear friends, but I will be away from my computer for the next two weeks. We are on vacation and having house guests. When I come back I think I will have a story to tell!
I pray that every one whose eyes fall upon this note will be specially blessed !
May the duties of your day bring you joy and may the Lord's peace fill your heart as you walk in His love!
Aren't you glad that God doesn't go on vacation ? I am soo thankful that He is the "I AM" - the ever present God.
I am also thankful that He is never silent, His words continually go out seeking the heart that is listening.
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times. " Psalm 12:6
I pray that every one whose eyes fall upon this note will be specially blessed !
May the duties of your day bring you joy and may the Lord's peace fill your heart as you walk in His love!
Aren't you glad that God doesn't go on vacation ? I am soo thankful that He is the "I AM" - the ever present God.
I am also thankful that He is never silent, His words continually go out seeking the heart that is listening.
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times. " Psalm 12:6
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