more than droplets

i have FINALLY (meaning just now) figured out what being overly busy does to my spiritual life ... it is like getting a few droplets of water to keep the dust off, yet seeing the plenty which is available to me and not being able to totally wash in it ... the busy seasons of life are inevitable ... but once they pass, i so appreciate a quieter lifestyle ... when "God time" is hours, not minutes ... hmmmm, as you may have sensed - i am re-evaluating what is important and what is not in this walk of mine ...

this year, 2 items of prayer for myself have been to ask for wisdom and patience ... but ... dear Lord i would so like to go for that complete swim ...

how do you define SUCCESS?

God’s Purpose or Mine?

He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark 6:45

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea" ( Mark 6:49 ). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

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i was going to blog about counting the blessings in our lives ... but this devotional by Oswald Chambers insisted on opening and presenting itself to me to be read ... i read it, and it spoke to me - in fact it spoke volumes ...

how do you define success?

If only . . .

If only i could get in there, it’s so cold out here and it must be toasty warm in there . . . i'm feeling so bloated from my last meal, i hope there wasn’t rodent poison in it ...

If only i could get out there, it’s too stuffy in here ... i want some fresh air and that plump critter for supper ... i hate those canned foods they’ve been feeding me ... i need a change ...

the "If only’s" of life might not really be the answer to our discontent ... do you think?

justifying to whom?

Mel Trotter, the evangelist, was conducting a prayer meeting, and everybody had prayed except one man. He said he couldn't pray. "Get down on your knees and confess your sins," Mel ordered. "I can't think of any," the man replied. "Get down on your knees and guess at it, "Mel answered. Later, the evangelist said, "He guessed it the very first time." We know what is wrong, but we like to justify ourselves.

from ... A Treasury of Vance Havner

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which makes me wonder why i want to explain to the Lord why i did something that i shouldn't have? ... silly me, eh! He knows my heart and all my intentions, doesn't He ... and the best part is, that He loves me anyway!

feeling the years

i must admit to feeling my years tonight ... i got home from work and took a nap after supper ... then called to see how some of the family were feeling ... after which i took another nap ... now i think i will go to bed ... ? ...

i wanted to go for a stroll ... or to read a chapter or 2 from the Word ... maybe even click on one of your blogs which so bless my heart ... but ... uh, no ... i'm going to sleep in about 10 minutes!

tonight is my friday ... and i don't have to get up early tomorrow ... ya hoo to that ...

Lord bless your week ...

the climb

One of the marks of spiritual maturity is the quiet confidence that God is in control ... without the need to understand why He does what He does.

Charles R. Swindoll

and let me add to that thought ... let's keep on climbing, regardless of how steep or rough the road may get!

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Leo sends his warm thanks for all the sweet birthday greetings ... he did have a good day ... *smile*

my sweetie's birthday

here’s a pic of Leo at 29 ... he was on his way to a fastball tournament he was pitching in ... life was pretty wonderful ...

that was his last healthy summer ...

then the back surgeries started ... the pain increased and hasn’t gone away to this day ... tomorrow is his 52 birthday ... just like that ...

of course there have been many highs and lows in between there and now ... with the Lord’s help, we have weathered them ... and today we celebrated his birthday early ... the reason being, i work tomorrow and companies coming ...

besides, celebrating is sure different these days ...

we had a quiet day together ... i gave Leo a haircut ... we chatted like the old friends we are ... had some snacking type of supper treats ... and Leo’s resting now ...

after all these years of watching Leo cope with his 24/7 pain ... i honestly don’t know how he handles it ... if he didn’t have his faith in Jesus and also a faith in a healthy body waiting for him in Glory ... well i think life would be terribly discouraging for us both ...

i pray that the Lord gives Leo a birthday that is full of happy surprises, peaceful and maybe even some relief from the constant nausea ...

Happy Birthday Sweetheart ...

joyful fields

Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.

Psalm 96:12

The songwriter has compared the rolling hills to the "footprints of a mighty God" and the "ripples of a coming storm." Those who fear and reverence the Almighty need fear nothing else. The One who fashioned the endless hills with a wave of His hand loves and cares for His own.

(taken from RBC calendar ... which encourages my heart everytime i look at their selections!)

how's your reception?

the wind in the willows has a new meaning at our place ... the willows love the rain and the hot temps we’ve had ... they love it so much that they grow at least 10 feet right before our eyes ... unfortunately our little satellite dish doesn’t like the protection they try to give it ... in fact, the dish hates it so much that it refuses to beam that old picture down into our tv ...

uh, did i ever mention that Leo loves his sports? on tv? .... hmmm ... there was a slight problem this weekend ... only CNN came in strong ... the rest kind of fizzled on the screen ...

so today (after the torrential rains and 110 km winds we had on the weekend) ... Leo spent some painstaking time snipping away at the upward growing shoots ... thankfully his back didn’t give out on him ... when i got home, i took over the cutting job and voila, there is a baseball game on the tube once again!

doesn’t that just remind you of our own hearts? ... we have our spiritual satellite dish tuned into God’s signal, yet the reception is fuzzy ... earthly woes and cares block the signal ... we have a distorted image in our hearts and minds ... we just aren’t getting the whole picture!!!! when we allow the Lord to clear the pathway to our hearts and minds, then and only then do we get 100% reception ....

God's yellow pages

hope your Sunday is blessed...

for quick scripture verse references, check out this neat link ... CLICK HERE ... called God's yellow pages ...

 

prayer works wonders

"I awoke hungering and thirsting just to live a life of fellowship with God - With an immeasurable desire to be holy, acceptable to God, I opened my bible and while reading some words of Jesus - A heaven of Love came into my heart. My soul melted like wax before fire ... "
Samuel Logan Brengle (picture and quote copied from Decision Magazine)

blogging is a wonderful way to meet praying Saints of God ... i do thank you for taking time to pray for me ... the Lord gave me a good sleep last night ... then this morning i spent time in prayer and in the Word ... now i feel more optimistic ...

David quoted part of I Peter 5:10 to me in his comment ... so i took that chapter and also chapter 4 as a point of meditation this morning ... the sleep refreshed my body and God's word refreshed my heart ...

i asked His forgiveness for my rotten attitude too ... so today was my Sunday (tomorrow being the beginning of my work week) ... i had a day of rest, a day of worship and a day of fun! the fun part included a swim and sauna at my aunt's ... it was so relaxing ...

whenever we really get discouraged about our problems and life in general ... i guess we need to wait a day - things sometimes do get better ...

Extremes

HELP! i seem to be lost in a wilderness of anxiety and unrest ... funny (well, not a ha ha type funny) how these things can creep up on a person ... i need to be lead out of this maze, because i can't seem to find the right things to do to "make it better" ... sigh ...

i think the extremes of the the past 2 months have taken their toll ... so here is my little whine about it ...

first work started ... all was fine, a routine was established ...
then the rains came for the month of June and all kind of problems ... Leo's health took a toll as well ... now the extreme muggy heat has hit us, along with kingsize mosquitoes ... work is busy busy busy ... and we've had a fair bit of company ... Leo is still not feeling well ...

the last 2-3 days i've been weepy and totally disgruntled ... i hate when that happens ...

yes, i've been praying ... i know the answer is on it's way ... in the meantime i am just treading water to keep from going under ... another sigh ...

moderation in everything would be a good thing about now ...

i think i need more sleep ... hopefully when i wake up - poof - it'll be all better ... do you think?

resting ... tomorrow's another day

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes couarge is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow'.

Mary Ann Radmacher

a Rock above the storm

“You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then he is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm.”

—Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Ancestral Home

here is a picture i took while in Finland 2 years ago ... the lake is located within my ancestral home ... we lived there once upon a time ... and my dad's family still lives there ...

there is a lovely little wooden sauna tucked behind the trees ... also a large barbeque pit built within a gazebo ... the family farm is beyond the hills you see in the background ... it is a place that will always remain in my heart of hearts ...

my brother is there right now, even as i type this note! it is his turn to visit with dad's family ... tomorrow they will have a gathering of the clan on the shores of these waters ... a large tent will be erected ... all the cousins will bring food ... they will have a large bonfire and make pancakes on the outdoor grill ... visit and get reaquainted with a cousin who was only a name to some ... and yes - i wish i were there too - but now it is my brother's turn to experience this wonderful familial time ...

of course my mind goes to another homecoming ... the one set on the shores of eternity ... heaven's gathering will be even more glorious, when we finally arrive at our eternal home ... Jesus will have that banquet He promised us, all prepared ... a banquet for those who have accepted His gift of salvation ... that free love gift He offers to all ... forgiveness of our sins ...

as much as i long to be celebrating century old family ties in the land of my birth ... my heart yearns for my true Home - in heaven - the land of my rebirth ...

from Long Lake, Manitoba

made it

oops ... the bear pictures were taken here in Manitoba ... Long Lake Manitoba to be exact ... near a mining community called Bissett ... i had to correct my error from the previous post ... also to let you see that the bear did at least touch the bird feeder!

anyway ... at the moment it is "hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work i go ... " ... hum hum hum hum ... i hope to wake up before i start the drive tho' ... the Lord usually sends a guardian angel or two to help in that area .... *smile*

busy busy busy

still hanging around

just got back from the city ... and i still have company - though work and the park awaits me tomorrow ...

just had to share this photo from northwestern Ontario ... what an energetic bear!

hopefully this weekend will bring a few quieter evenings and some blogging chatter ...

blessings on you ...

the path

i was just thinking ...

even though the path i was orginially going to take gets waterlogged ... i should still have a little faith ... there is always another way around (notice the stones on the side - we used them to skip over the flooded part) ...

i think i may make my life more difficult then it needs to be!!! i just have to open my eyes - the answer to my problem might be close at hand ...

maybe it's the same for you ....

after the rain ...

i suppose the good thing about the rain, is the bloom of colour afterwards ...

i do have to confess that this bout of weather has been most trying ... Leo suffers through it ... i feel so badly for him and others with chronic health issues ...

this rain has been so steady and relentless that farmers have lost crops and roads have been flooded ... it wasn't a fun weather event by any means ... :o(

but there is always hope that the sun will continue to shine, as it has today ...

i thought i would post a praise picture ... to cheer my soggy old spirits!