imagine ... only one more sleep ...

photo by sisko

the sale of our cottage, finding the rental and now, finally, the much prayed for condo - all these moments i have shared with you ...

tonight is the last sleep before we get the keys to answered prayer - imagine!

if you have the time, take a journey with me into my archives ... to see how the Lord directed our path to arrive where we are today ...

the cottage we had lived in for 14 years, sold dec 2, 2005 ... we felt so strongly that God was in it ... click here

next came the realization we didn't have anywhere to move! click here

then the Lord gave me verses to cling to, through a scary time click here that started the long list of "no" answers to places we wanted to buy click here

even finding a rental seemed to be extremely difficult click here, though God was up for the task! click here

my anxieties continued, until i had to "fire" the hardworking saija, and let God deal with everything ... click here

after much searching and prayer ... God just "dropped" the condo into our laps! click here

He HAS given me the desire of my heart ... but in the end - it is only God - not possessions or people or places ... that IS the DESIRE of my HEART...

to HIM be the Glory ... now and forever more ...

yup yup ... only one more sleep ... *grin*

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God ..."
Isaiah 61:10a

now there are 2 sleeps left!

just in case you are wondering ... 2 sleeps ... count 'em ... 2 sleeps! then we get the keys to our new home ...

my method of packing has been to find a box, see what i had written on it from our first move - at the beginning of this year - then go pack those items in it! rather haphazard, but fun ... :o)

i don't have anything profound at all to write ... the Lord makes my heart sing, in the night seasons and in these mountain top experiences too!!!!

2 sleeps, 2 sleeps, 2 sleeps ... *grin*

3 more sleeps

we had a foot of snow fall today ... it is really getting us into the Christmas mode ... leo and i, of course, feel like the Lord has already given us the perfect gift - a place to unpack & call home! so it was a lovely day of planning, sorting and just enjoying the moment ... *smile* ...

3 more sleeps until we get the keys ...

Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!

For He has done marvelous things;

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

The LORD has made known His salvation;

Psalm 98: 1&2

counting down ... condo time ...

4 sleeps before we get the keys ... this whole process of finding the condo and buying the condo, will have taken less than 2 weeks ... isn't God just awesome?!!!!!

mrs grumpy pants

confession time ... i am STILL learning about patience!

you'd think that after an 11 month wait for a condo - my patience with the trivial would be a little better refined! sigh ... well, i was surprised to learn - 'tis not so!

friday, before leaving for a quick trip to the city - i read joe stowell's devotional entitled "life in the waiting room" ... here is part of it:

When life or people don’t measure up to our expectations, being patient can be quite a challenge. But it’s clear that God wants us to develop this character trait. After all, patience is more than a virtue—it’s a fruit of the Spirit. It reflects His very presence in our lives, for He is a patient God. If He weren’t, we all would have been annihilated long ago.

So what’s our problem?

There’s a good probability that our struggle with patience has been unsuccessful because we’ve been trying to focus on our own agendas and timelines and not trusting that, for reasons best known to Him, God may have a whole different schedule for us. Our propensity to live with a short fuse is all about forgetting that God puts us in His waiting room on purpose, because He is often doing something behind the scenes while we wait.

now before i tell you about my little experience, let me just say that when i get tired (excitement over condo = 3 nights of very little sleep), i have great difficulties being "mrs. christian nice lady" ...

sooooooo, now the story ... i drove into the city yesterday, over ice covered roads, to do some very necessary banking re our condo purchase ... i also made arrangements to have lunch with some folks who were in the city for only a few days (out of province) ...

i had already set my mind to the "they will be late" mode, i told myself not to get upset over this ... you see, i am an EXACT and extreme opposite - i have being on time down to an artform!

i was at the appointed place, at the appointed time ... and only 20 minutes had elapsed (which isn't bad), when i saw one of the ladies come through the restaurant doors ... only she was coming to pull me out of my comfy seat - to trek to another restaurant ... sigh ... ok ... i left, but i felt the "i'm not happy" bug start to bite ...

it was a short drive to this other eatery - through friday afternoon traffic ... a wait for our seats met me at the door of this noisy place, plus after we were seated - the next chore was to line up, fill your plate - and stand in line so that they could stir fry your food ...

i just had a soup and a sandwich and went to sit at our table - the ladies waited for their stir fry in a line that snaked itself around the chefs cooking it ... another 20 minutes ...

i became "mrs grumpy pants" as i ate lunch by myself - but i needed the time to pray for inner peace and forgiveness for my small mindedness and total non-enjoyment of this visit ... i felt this overwhelming urge to just sit there and bawl - it was then that i realized it must be the lack of sleep and the excitement of the condo plus the long list of stuff needing to be done in a short period - which was taking it's toll ...

i prayed that i would "get over it!" ... and the shorter version of lunch, with the ladies and their spicy stir fry, worked out nicely ...

my sweet aunt, who is a kindred spirit and was at lunch as well, reminded me to read over the joe stowell devotional that i had e-mailed her ...

when i got home - i did just that - and the words rang MORE true after my lack of patience in a trivial setting ...

i wanted to share, 'cause in my blogging world i don't want to puff myself up - and seem like "mrs nice christian lady" all the time ... there can be a grumpy ole soul that wants to make an appearance and shoot holes in the "nice nice" at the oddest times ... i have my struggles with those "little things" that can ruin whole days, if i let them.

* * * * * *
on a happy note ... we visited our condo again ... and now it's only 5 sleeps until we get the keys ... :o) .... i am patiently waiting ...

well placed trust ...

He who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain. Isaiah 57:13

Snowy evergreens pay homage to El Capitan as sunlight bejewels the majestic mountain's crown. Millennia ago, wise men paid homage to a heavenly King who set aside the majesty of heaven to willingly wear a crown of thorns in our behalf.

quote and picture from RBC calendar

Happy Thanksgiving to my American buds ...
there is so much to be thankful for!

this was the sunrise at our place 2 days ago ... i just added the verse to it ... just for you! click on the picture to see it full screen ...

I will praise YOU, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1, 2

big news!!

it is 1:28 a.m. ... and i can't sleep! so i thought i would check to see if blogger would allow me to post ... yay, i'm in!

so here's my story that i wanted to share:

well it happened today ... just like that ... snap ... done deal!

we bought a condo!!!!!

and it’s the bungalow type we really hoped to get ...

can anyone say "Praise the Lord!!!" ... and say it with real heart & feeling? well i sure can!

the day started like any other, with me drinking coffee and watching the Lord paint the morning sky ...

when leo got up, we had our devotions and prayer time ... and we prayed for a condo, like we always do ...

w-e-l-l ... today we got a call from an acquaintance ... one who wasn’t even sure of my name ... and she asked if we’re still looking for a condo ... i said yes ... she gave me the particulars ... what followed was fast paced, steady chain of events .... i went and looked at the place ... then told the people we’d take it ...

later in the evening, i came back with leo to sign the papers ...

if the paper work can hurry through, the condo is ours as of December 1st ... next week friday ...

can you believe that? when God gets something going, well it GOES ...

and can you see the HUGE grin on my face? and the praise in my heart? and the joy in leo’s eyes? cause that is what the rest of the evening was all about!

we are absolutely thrilled to bits and saying "thank you Lord" with every breath ...

end of story ... now maybe i can go get some shut-eye!

thoughts from Mrs. Charles E. Cowan

 

"They shall mount up with wings as eagles." (Isaiah 40:31) Those who wait upon the Lord shall obtain a marvelous addition to their resources: they shall obtain wings! They become endowed with power to rise above things. Men who do not soar always have small views of things. Wings are required for breadth of view. The wing-life is characterized by a sense of proportion. To see things aright we must get away from them. An affliction looked at from the lowlands may be stupendous; looked at from the heights, it may appear little or nothing. This "light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." What a breadth of view! And here is another great quotation: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." This is a bird's-eye view. It sees life as a whole. How mighty the bird from which the picture is taken! "As eagles!" What strength of wing! Such is to be ours if we wait upon the Lord. We shall be able to soar above disappointment - no matter how great - and to wing our way into the very presence of God. Let us live the wing-life! taken from Springs in the Valley by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman ... page 164

beauty around us ...

this was the scene outside my window ... taken just a few moments ago ... before the sun burned the icy hoar frost away ...

isn't God's handiwork, which swirls all around us, just amazingly beautiful? ... doesn't it take your breath away?

and this is just an ordinary morning - but when a few seconds of it are captured and preserved, we see that there is nothing ordinary about the morning!

may you see the every day beauty - that is around you - this weekend ... and may it warm your heart and lift your spirits to know - God put that beauty there, just for you to see ... because HE is there, even though at times we don't SEE ....

"The simple act of stopping and looking at the beauty around us can be prayer." Patricia Barrett

do you not know?

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth

does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.

Isaiah 40:28

random thoughts

i came across this amazing pic just now ... it's entitled "sunset at the north pole" ... it looks like a huge smile ... kind of, smiling from the top of the world ...

* * * * * * * *

David Fisher has started another blog ... one filled with encouragement ... called the Barnabas Blog ... it's quite delightful ...

* * * * * * * *

i was going to post a picture of me at niagara falls ... one where much of my hair was standing straight up! ... but i looked too goofy ... my family thought it was hilarious ... seems my hair was the only one doing that???? could it have been the excitement of seeing the falls?

* * * * * * *

did anyone notice that Amazing Race was in Finland last sunday? and will be again, this coming episode ... i thought that was neat, though i wished they would have shown some of the prettier spots from the land of my birth - rather then a muddy field and a mine!!!! sheesh, eh!

* * * * * * *
just a few random thoughts - to break in the mid-week for ya!

enjoyable week

it was another week of settling into the rental ... i thought i would share with you the way my computer area looked at the beginning of the week (cramped and makeshift), and the way it looks today (quite functional and grown-up!) ...

we were so sure that the condo we wanted was just around the corner ... unpacking seemed to be pointless ... so we left many things in boxes ...

i also wanted to put off buying a new computer desk until after the move ... but plans have a way of changing!

the above pic is how my world looked for the past 10 months ... it was doable, but ? ? ?

since winter is closing in fast, i wanted to spread out and be more comfortable in my computer world ... i wanted to live today - rather then wait for a future date! afterall, in this world - all we have is the present ...

this is how my computer area looks now ... *big grin* ...

the Lord gave us strength and wisdom as we assembled this "desk on wheels" ... every little piece of it! ... we had some Christmas carols playing in the background and worked together in such a spirit of friendship and love - it was the best cooperative effort we've experienced in our 30+ years of marriage! ...

physically, leo got quite bent over, and had to use his cane for a few days afterwards ... but the sweetness he displayed spiritually, while in obvious discomfort, was definitely a witness of God's grace and work in his life ... and a blessing to me!

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you ...

Psalm 36: 7-10

Lest we forget ...

i have lived over a half a century ... war has swirled around me, in other countries ... and vets have shared their stories with me, most likely sparing me from the more gruesome ones ... i have been fortunate to live all these years in a peaceful land ...

that is one blessing i NEVER want to take for granted ...

lest we forget ...

Corrie ten Boom, words of wisdom

Don't worry about what you do not understand of the Bible.

Worry about what you do understand, but do not live by.

To get the most from your Bible, read it with your ears open.

The health department of a country does its utmost to protect the people against germs and infections. What do we do to protect ourselves and others against moral germs and infections?

Let God's promises shine on your problems.

good morning

here i am ... up early ... and waiting for the sunrise ...

i love sunrises ... there is promise and hope in them, heralding a new beginning ...

the picture i posted was taken by an unknown camper at the park where i work ... this was his view one morning ... i captioned it with a quote from Guideposts magazine ...

but i must return to my window seat now ... i don't want to miss God's "good morning" to His waking world ...

jaako's story cheered my heart ...

have you been saddened by the news lately? i'm thinking specifically about a christian leader who thought he could take a walk on the dark side, without anyone knowing ... it is a sobering lesson for us all, how easy it can be to let go of God's hand and step off the narrow pathway - then ... fall ... fall ... fall ... God's grace will forgive a repentent heart, yet there will be a cost to the sinner - which will change the course of his life ...

on sunday i received an e-mail from a friend that helped to cheer my spirits considerably ... in fact, i grinned when i read the story of jaako ... AGAIN i saw the mystery of how God can use anyone - no matter the age - to further HIS love for the ones that have "no voice" at all in this world we live in ...

i've posted jaako's story for you, as told by kellie ... hope it blesses your heart too with a young boy's vision! p.s. i know jaako's grandmother and his great-aunt, so this is indeed a true story ...

Thursday, November 02, 2006
What can a child accomplish?

Well I'll tell you. In a few months Jaako Polkki, 9 y/o friend of mine, has electrified all those he encounters with his mission to help needy children in Malawi.

In May God told Jaako to go to Africa while sitting in a church meeting. He told his mother. She thought that was nice. Jaako explained that he would need an absent note to take to school because he would be gone for more than two weeks. Jaako's mother became concerned.

After much discussion Jaako's parents, Andrew and Sue, chose to take his passion to go seriously. They saw this was truly the call of God on his life. But Africa is a big place, there are so many in need. How could he chose? Jaako knew what to do. Sue began to read a list of country's. When she said Malawi Jaako said, "That's where I want to go."

To make a long, long story short Jaako has already raised $10,000 through Sunday morning bake sales, a large yard sale and a Malawi feast and silent auction. Local radio and CBC radio have interviewed him, CBC radio has agreed to advertise all the fund raising functions. The local paper ran a front page story. There's a story about him on Breaking Christian News. Elementary schools are putting together Bags of Hope (ziploc bags with school supplies, toiletries and other goodies to give to children) But that is just the beginning, a small beginning. God has told Jaako that he is to raise $800,000. At the rate he is going he should be set for Malawi in a few years.

But that is not good enough for Jaako. His faith is not a small one. His faith wouldn't fit in the Sky Dome because Jaako is leaving for Malawi, with is mother, on January 14th, just a little over 2 months away. Impossible you say? Yes, it has been said. So what. I could quote scripture here. Suffice to say nothing is impossible with God and Jaako knows it.

And now we all do. The flame has been lit in Thunder Bay and is turning into a wildfire. It is about to over take us and spread throughout the world. It started with Jaako, Sue took up the cause, doing all she could. Now others are taking on the cause. Joy Prentice is just one of them. A women who has suffered with chronic pain for 13 years, Joy was just completely healed 2 weeks ago and has taken on the challenge. She is inspiring others to run with it. God told Joy the money will be raised through multiplication. Soon, very soon, there will be an email campaign, a website, on-line donation center, posters all over the city, a documentary in the works and much more coming. The internet is the key.

Keep up to date with Jaako's blog. I will be posting here. I will also be doing all I can spread the word. Link to Jaako's blog on your blog. Talk about it. Post about it. Get the word out.

A 9 y/o boy is bringing hope to the children of Malawi. Don't miss this bandwagon. It's a big one. The biggest one I've seen and I don't want to be left out of the joy of blessing those who really need it.

the recliner story

as we continue to pray about housing (i search the internet & newspapers daily for "the" place!) ... all we can do is wait for an answer to this specific prayer ... however, i don't want to leave the impression that we are discouraged ... nope ... maybe just a wee bit impatient ... *lopsided grin* ... the Lord, as always, continues to show His kindness towards us in so many other ways ... in the every day answers we've experienced to other prayers ...

an example from this past week ...

when leo isn't lying down in the bedroom ... he can be found reclining in his la-z-boy ... we hadn't even stopped to consider how this big ole chair (that we paid good $$'s for 8 years ago) means comfort and ease to him - until it b-r-o-k-e!! yup ... this oversized, made especially for big boys, chair collapsed on one side (the dowlings broke) ... no more useable recliner ...

while figuring out what to do, leo used my small leather recliner and footstool, which was not comfy for longer periods of time ... we live a good hour away from the city and repair people don't come out here to the boonies ... the material on the chair is still in GREAT shape, so it wasn't ready for the trash heap yet ... hmmmmm?????

we ended up calling the company, explaining the problem to the repair guy and asking for an estimate ... he said $75.00 .... ok - that isn't bad ...

now, how to get the chair there? my sweet cousin & her husband offered to be the delivery people (this was before we even asked for help!) ... they picked up the chair ... it was fixed while they spent the day in the city ... and we had it back that same night ... !!! WOW!

the problem of leo's chair was solved so quickly and effectively (the chair rocks and opens better now!) that we are calling it a blessing rather than a major headache ...

i love when that happens!



sunday night: leo wanted me to add this post script ... today we got a call from an old friend ... who happens to be in the furniture business ... he had plans of driving out here to fix the chair for us ... we were able to tell him it was already done ... but just the offer of help, cheered our hearts ... folks are truly kind! we see it as God's hands, which take the shape of a neighbour or friend ...

arachnoiditis and mortality

yesterday i did a search for arachnoiditis ... the condition leo was diagnosed with after his 2 failed back surgeries ... i wanted to see if any new bloggers had popped up since my last search a year ago ... i did find some ... i also found a young woman's blog who had just died due to complications arising from her arachnoiditis ... she passed away in july ... on leo's birthday ...

she had only been blogging for a few months ... her mom wrote the last post ...

this 30 year old woman's name was Kelli ... she testified, with joy, of her faith in Christ ... tho' sad to read - the posts were filled with sweetness midst the pain ...

here is her blog: http://kelli-larson.blogspot.com/

the good life ...

i just finished reading Charles Colson's book the Good Life ... it has been put on my "must share list", the one i tell friends about ... the list that i look at when i want to buy a good book for someone else ...

i learned so much during the time i spent in its' pages ... things i may have sub-consciously known about before, regarding our post modern area ... yet things that charles colson put into actual words for me ...

this is a book that opened my eyes to how the world around us is trying to make good, bad ... and bad, good ... of course we KNOW this already, but the good life peels away more of the layers to expose the spiralling effects ...

the good life makes it's point by telling "people stories" ... i love to read about the lives of others and chuck (sorry - i've always called charles colson, "chuck", so i must be true to myself!) has made this a very personal book by sharing some of his own experiences, with many famous people ...

the argument for God being Sovereign is so well made through it's pages ... i would LOVE to get this into the hands of anyone with doubts that ...

there is nothing boring or preachy about the Good Life, in fact - i had a hard time putting it down ...

i highly recommend it ... buy it for the sceptics in your life - those you love and want to share the good life with ...

for a more detailed review, click HERE