Stranded on the River of Life

Our pastor, on Sunday morning, told of his experience this past week. He and his wife had gone out for a day’s excursion down a beautiful local river with their motor boat and kayaks along with some friends who brought their speed boat.
Late afternoon they pulled into a pretty spot along the river bank. They stayed too long, the fall sunset comes early and they realized they would probably not make it back before dark.
They travelled together for a time, then their friends in the speed boat declared that since it was a school night they needed to get back and with a quick farewell , stepped on the gas pedal and roared out of sight.
Not two minutes later, our pastor’s boat stalled and refused to start. Were they out of fuel? Or the boat not in good repair? To make their predicament more serious, their cell phone showed no reception. It was now dark. What could they do, other than spend an uncomfortable night camped on the shore? They thought fast and came up with the plan that if the pastor’s wife and the friend that was with them tied the two kayaks to the boat they might be able to pull the boat with the pastor helping to row . This they did and after struggling a short distance down the river found that they now had cell phone connection.

It was short lived, however; only long enough to shout, “We are stranded, send help!” Did the message get through? They did not know.

Finally, a couple of hours later, they saw the welcome sight of Search and Rescue coming toward them. Helping them into the rescue boat, the officers reminded them to put on their life jackets. Ignoring safety rules, they had not been wearing them and the pastor’s life jacket was no where to be found, along with one of the kayaks.
They were brought to safety, their river trip a little more exciting than they had anticipated !

As I thought about their experience, I realized it lent itself as a perfect analogy of the Christian’s life .

Christians travel down the river of life toward their eternal destination – home with Jesus.
As they travel along, their attention is at times diverted by the things of this world lining the banks of the river.
At times they head for shore and pull up their boat to enjoy the pleasures the world has to offer.
Sometimes they stay too long and find that darkness is overtaking them. Some have speed boats and they rush back to safety.
But others have not been so diligent in keeping themselves ‘fuelled up’ or their ‘boat’ in good repair, and suddenly they find that they are stranded – their boat dead in the water. Have they ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit in their lives? Are they ‘empty’ of His power ?

Fearful of the danger they find themselves in, they call out to the Lord. But their ‘connection’ is not good… they have also neglected their times of fellowship with the Lord and now when they are in need of it, connection cannot be found.

Now, suddenly they make the effort, willing themselves back into a place where they can find the Lord. For a minute, they see heaven open and they cry out! But then darkness again closes around their soul and they wonder. Was it enough? Had He heard? Would He answer?
The darkness around them is frightening, they long for the comfort of the assurance that they are not alone, that the Lord is with them. Then, they see in the distance that help is on its way. God did hear and God heard and sent ‘search and rescue’ to find them. But where are their life jackets? God’s Word left lying unopened in the bottom of the 'boat'? Or worse – lost somewhere?
What relief floods their soul… what gratitude to the Lord for His care. Will it make them more careful next time to avoid the dangers of the ‘river journey’ ?

Jud 1:21 "keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

“Dear Lord, we thank you for the river of life that you have placed us on with the sure hope of our destination. Thank you for the safely of the ‘boat’ of your love. May we remember to stay full of the Holy Spirit that ‘fuels’ us and keeps us moving forward. May we keep ourselves in prayer and in Your Word to keep us safe and strong! May we not be distracted by the worldly pleasures that pull us away from you. May we keep our eyes on You and on our goal! Amen”

*****

Do You Need to Refocus?

Sometimes our lives are not fulfilling or satisfying because we are focusing our attention on the wrong things.
That is the foundation on which Marcus Buckingham built his teaching.
When I first picked up his book, “ Find your Strongest Life” , I had two thoughts… one – what does a man know about how a woman works? And two … maybe I’m at the wrong end of my life to get anything out of this book.
By the time I finished the book I was ready to concede that maybe my initial reserve was perhaps - at least somewhat - premature.

While Buckingham does slant his book toward women, the principles he expounds are not gender specific except in the examples he uses. And while it is not a ‘Christian’ book I found it easy to parallel many of his thoughts and arguments on biblical principles.

He starts off his book by debunking 10 myths about women.
A couple of them really caught my attention.
How often do we hear that women are great at multitasking while men do one thing at a time. Buckingham says that it is simply not true. He says neither women nor men can multitask and still maintain a high level of productivity. Multitasking is working on the level you would if you had gone without a night’s sleep. Plain and simple – multitasking is ‘divided attention’ and not only that, scientific research has proven that when we attempt to give our attention to several things at the same time the part of our brain that controls memory and learning actually shuts down.
Another myth was that women are happier with more choices available to them. With growing equality in the work force and increasing options available in balancing home and career, women expected to finally be ‘happy’. But what research has shown is that women are much more unhappy today than they were in the 60’s. What is wrong?
Buckingham contends that with so many choices open to women they simply shut down, or continually question the choices they have made.

The fact that women are unhappy is what inspired Buckingham to write his book advising how we can find that illusive ‘satisfaction’ missing from our lives.

He contends that our default is to attempt to fix what is wrong, but he points the reader in the opposite direction . Find out what is RIGHT and build on that. Find the ‘strengths’ that you have, discern the ‘moments’ that give you a sense of joy and then find ways of taking every area of your life and making your decisions based on what is uniquely YOUR strength.

A couple of criticisms. The book started off slow and took too long to grab my full attention. Then , secondly, the book leans toward the ‘driven’ woman, especially in the personal life examples given. This could leave you feeling the book is not for you. However, if you separate the principles from the author's application, it is a worthwhile read that gives you something to grow on, principles that can lead you to a ‘stronger life’ no matter where you find yourself today!
******

In Honour of Evelyn

Yesterday was a very special day ! One of those days that will be recorded in my memory, on that page dedicated to special people.

But my story didn't start yesterday.

Earlier this summer, I was at House of James buying books to take on vacation with me. As I gazed over the many books in their used books section, one title stood out to me, "In the Wake of Martyrs".

It turned out to be one of those rare books that moves you deeply and doesn't leave when you put the book down.

The author, missionary Albert Brant, recorded his life among the Ethiopians whom he and his wife Evelyn served for 35 years. Reading the fascinating story, I also saw Albert's heart. He was truly a humble man abandoned to God, - a man of prayer who spent hours on his knees. Through his eyes, I fell in love with the Ethiopian people.

It was when I finished the book that I realized it was published posthumously by Albert Brant's widow, Evelyn. She wrote a Postlude, that she ended by quoting Rev 7:9 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands"

and then she penned the words that melted my heart...... "You will find my beloved husband among the Ethiopians."

Reluctant to just close the book and put it on my book shelf, I noticed that the book had been published in Langley, not far from where I live. I googled Evelyn's name and a site came up connecting her with a church I was familiar with. I wanted to thank her for the years she and her husband had dedicated to bringing the gospel to their beloved people. Contacting the church, I was given Evelyn's e-mail address. I was so excited to learn that she lived in Abbotsford about 1/2 hour away from me. I sent her an e-mail and received a very sweet reply.

Today, I met her for lunch and then we sat in her lovely apartment and talked all afternoon! What a joy it was to spend those hours with her. Evelyn is a beautiful woman, 89 years young, with the most interesting stories to tell.

She told me about her introduction to the computer many years ago. When they had mastered the difficult language enough to translate the scriptures, they needed to have the New Testament printed.

It was Evelyn who drew the characters for the computer software and also designed the keys to facilitate the over 200 characters that comprise the alphabet. Then she typed out the New Testament into the computer so it could be sent to the printers. I held one of those bibles in my hand yesterday. I opened it at random and asked her to read me a portion. She smiled and read John 3:16.

A trained nurse, Evelyn cared for the people's medical needs. Her first 'clinic' was outside under a sycamore tree. The people quickly learned to trust her and came from far and wide for her attention. Later a building was constructed that became their hospital. She learned to do eye surgery and delivered difficult births.

But always their focus was on the reason they were there .. to preach the good news of Jesus. The believers grew in number and maturity. At the time of Albert's death there were 50,000 believers who called him their father in the faith.

Albert and Evelyn had only one child, a son, Howie. The greatest pain of Evelyn's life is that she was so often separated from Howie. Even today, she is separated from him . He is still in Africa.. his three grown children also serving the Lord, one in Jordon, one in Germany and one in the United States.

When I first entered Evelyn's apartment yesterday afternoon , my attention was immediately drawn to a large framed picture hanging on her wall. I asked her about it, and she told me the story.

(here is a photo of the picture)

The little child in the foreground, wearing the hat, is three year old Howie. The Brants had been in Ethiopia about 6 months - the year 1946 - and one day Albert and Evelyn saw little Howie talking to a group of people around him. He was 'preaching' , telling them the story of Jonah in their language. Albert got his camera and slipped around from behind and snapped the priceless photo. "A little child shall lead them" (Is.11:6)

I asked Evelyn yesterday what , other than the fact that she missed Howie so much when they were separated, was the most difficult thing she had to deal with in Ethiopia. She thought for a long minute, and then answered that there really wasn't anything difficult. She loved the people and loved the privilege of living among them. Ethiopia was her home.

I admire Evelyn, and I am humbled by the self-less love with which she and Albert walked alongside the Ethiopian people. True love does not notice sacrifices and that is what marks Evelyn apart from the crowd. She is not aware of her life being a sacrifice, only a privilege.

I am so thankful that she was faithful to the call of God. She has served Him well and I know that her reward awaits her.

I am so pleased to call her my friend.

***

Honesty Pays

It all began with me stealing a Corning ware baking dish !

Well, OK, it didn't quite begin there. It began with me taking the dish 'on an accident' as my daughter used to say when she was little.

It was only after I realized I had taken it that I would have been guilty of stealing - if I had kept it !
People often think the Old Testament Law was harsh and without mercy but that is not true. God is always righteous in His judgement and He made provision for the fact that people could on occasion sin unknowingly.
The Law stated that if a man sinned unintentionally he was held responsible only after it came to his knowledge and then he had to make restitution. (Lev.4:27,28)

When our recent vacation in Tofino was ending and we were packing up , my daughter asked, "This is your dish,Mom, isn't it?" I glanced up and said yes!
It was only after we got home that I realized mine was in the cupboard and I now had two identical Corningware dishes !

I told my husband what had happened and told him I would call the resort the next day to pay for the dish.
He smiled and said, "Why don't we rather deliver it ?" I stared at him, incredulously .. "Are you serious?" It would be ever so much cheaper to pay for the dish!

He was serious and said we might as well stay one night since it was a 6 hour trip each way. I didn't think we could get accommodations on that short notice and when I checked the internet saw that the resort was indeed fully booked into October.
I browsed through their website for a few minutes looking at their different accommodation options and saw that they had a ground floor, ocean front studio for two. Perfect for one night, I thought.
I called the next morning on the chance that maybe the internet's information was not up to date, but the desk girl informed me that they were solidly booked. I was about to hang up when on impulse I asked if she would call me if they suddenly had a cancellation. She said yes she would be happy to.

I thought... if the Lord wants us to stay He can provide accommodations.

Not five minutes after I hung up, the phone rang.
It was the girl from the resort and she said they had just had a cancellation. I asked, "What suite?" thinking it would probably be the expensive three bedroom villa. But she told me it was the beach front studio for two that I had picked out the night before !
I could not believe my ears ! and of course I reserved it thinking that the Lord must have something special in mind.

He did !

Vic and I had the most amazing two days together, not the least of which was the perfect blue-sky weather and the fact that the ocean gave us the most spectacular water show we had ever seen! I could not resist posting a couple of my favorites to share with you !
Honesty DOES pay.... doing things God's way is NEVER a mistake !!! - even if you are not immediately rewarded as we were this time.
*****
Here are a few randomly selected photos from the three cards-full that we shot while we were there. Having been to Tofino several times before , the weather conditions we experieced are rare.

Early morning shot of the emply bench overlooking the ocean.

A ballerina practicing her moves on the rocks since she and her brother were taken out of school to vacation with their parents at Tofino. (We also saw a bride and groom having their wedding pictures taken on the beach!)

The waves were high and wild, curling then unfurling as they crashed against the rocky shore sending sprays of white pearl droplets into the air! I could have sat and watched all day!

Sunset Point at Pacific Sands Beach Resort in Tofino.