in the will of God ... our faith journey

our journey of faith has hills, valleys and obstacles too ... 
keep going pilgrim ... the destination will be worth it.

JOY!

the JOY of the Season is what I am experiencing today.  For the "joy set before Him" … Jesus came … and if remembering His birth gives everyone joy, kindness and such peace - what will eternity with HIM be like? … happy thought … 

Joyous Christmas greetings ... HE came!

Jesus is the light … the most joyous place to be, is in HIM … 

be gracious ...

heard this little nugget during a sermon … sharing … 

some things take time

the quote is from my devotional … so appropriate for our day and age where everything has to be instant … some things just aren't and never will be … they just take time … 

the goodness of God

the picture taken after a rain/wind storm … I was walking across a footbridge and the stuck on leaves caught my eye … and Psalms are ALWAYS full of note worthy sayings … relatable, even after thousands of years … God uses the everyday to get my attention … 

repost ... answered prayer ...

this was a post I wrote after we were able to find a condo in the tight real estate market in our small community … we had been praying for a year … this post is 13 years old yet the praise for answered prayer is still on our lips!  GOD is good!

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

Psalms gives comfort

this was a sunset in Ontario, Canada … a year ago … God colours the sky, using it as His canvas … I have been reading Psalms/Proverbs daily for the past 3 months - and I see God's hand on the written page as well … God gives comfort to His children, in so many ways … be blessed.

we always need God's help

I wouldn't last a day in the earthly wilderness of confusion, without Jesus.

who's plan are you following?

isn't that the truth … 

thankful ...

we had our thanksgiving weekend here in Canada … feeling blessed … it was quiet, just leo and me - but so nice ... 

Jesus words ... the red letters from Mark 5

  Jesus gave Comfort, still gives comfort, and is our Comfort. ♡

God says, "Ask Me."

the One who made it all, invites us into a conversation … a dialogue … and to just ask Him .... WOW!

living word ....

This morning I was looking through a collection of quotes that I had written down from years of tv sermons  …  this one by Charles Price from People's Church, Toronto - really jumped out at me … because it is true … how do we know what GOD wants us to do … how do we KNOW how God wants us to behave … unless we read HIS Word … study His word … then we can apply His word to our lives … things like "take up your cross and follow me. ~ Jesus" … the WORD is alive and life changing … read it - you will see what I mean … 

That's how this poster came to be … 

Be patient, yet be diligent ...

 " … take time to consider the promises of God.  Write them out.  Memorize them.  Ponder them in your heart.  Claim them. Pray them back to the Lord.  Remember what a magnificent God we serve.  And then act on what you know, because time is fleeting.  A new heaven and earth are just around the corner."

~ excerpt from the Jeremiah Study Bible

where have you put your trust?

this delicate woodland flower was given to me by a 3 year old charmer … the verse was from my morning readings … a reminder to myself of the keeping power of my Creator & Saviour … 

in this world we live in, it is a comfort to know - GOD has our back … always.

wide open prairies

I feel the vastness of GOD when driving in the prairies … 

NASA, 50 years ago today

my husband asked me to put his devotional from this morning, in poster format and then share it … the result is below ... it was from an old Billy Graham booklet, which is still very applicable today ... and as always, right to the crux of the matter of eternity and where we will spend it ...

our life is like a vapour ...

the thought of life as a morning fog … or vapour … which vanishes so quickly … has been a reoccurring theme in the past days …

yesterday I was taking in our local farmers' market, when I bumped into old friends I hadn't seen in awhile … we chatted and they shared that they were on their way to a celebration of life … when I found out who it was for, I was floored … I had not heard about his passing … it was sudden, he was in good health and the next moment he was gone.  His wife had found him, dead when she arrived home from work.

the service was close by so I quickly headed that way as well.

it was very well attended, with standing room only … He was a much loved member of our community and had been a fair and compassionate person … as well as my former boss …

the pastor quoted the verse on the poster I just made …reminding  everyone we could be gone in a blink of an eye.  he also gave the way of salvation (which was most welcome to hear, as I did not expect it at this gathering) … I have been praying for so many of the people who were in attendance (my neighbours and friends) … and once again, GOD plainly spoke at this gathering - JESUS is the only Way and we need to choose forgiveness through Him - before our time on earth is done.  He is the Way, the Truth, the Life.

the time on earth was over for my friend, it happened suddenly … the same is true for us ... our next breath is not guaranteed … we need to "make sure" of our eternal destination … "Anyone who calls upon the LORD will be saved" … call on Jesus today.

keep praying ...

listen ...

love is an exotic plant ...

a thought from Charles H Spurgeon … 

you only have today ... make it count for eternity.

God's purpose ... ask HIM to fulfill it in you.

believing that GOD will fulfill HIS purpose in me … and why should HE do that?  because I have asked HIM to … and HE hears our righteous prayers … 

to follow GOD is always a choice ... choose wisely.

have you ever been in situations when you wanted something, someone, a way of life maybe … but you knew it would be a bad bad choice for you?  and you pray, Oh Lord - stop me, somehow stop me … but nothing happens and you continue walking towards a way that will hurt you in the end … those are the times when people get mad at God … like somehow it is His fault for our own poor choices and less than pure desires … …. I have come to believe that those are the times HE has tested us to see IF we really want Him … above all else … above anything and everything … to love Him more than the desires of our hearts/minds  … to make HIM our desire … our choice … our way of life … and if/when we have turned our faces towards the only LIGHT there is in this world - Jesus our Saviour - then GOD will take that "other" desire away … and we will wonder how we could have even compared anything to GOD … how we could have thought to love anything other than Jesus … there is always a choice, choose wisely … 

without GOD, the puzzle does not fit ...

the pieces only fit together when GOD is in the equation ...

fertile fields ...

i don't garden, but i love the end results of those who do! 

Good Friday 2019

faithfulness of GOD and how posters come about.

our generation probably has more "view from an airplane window" pics than any other!  the sun was setting as we approached Phoenix, and looked spectacular ... the next day i had a scary choking experience (thought i was going to die!), and words from the 23 Psalm comforted me ... that's how this poster came to be ...

this picture was a random photo i took while reading the bible ... for whatever reason, i liked the way it looked ... the quote was from a sermon we heard a few weeks back ... i like to think it's GOD that puts pictures and words together, to make posters through me ... hope it blesses those who stop by.

the choice is yours ...

I'm reading the book of Jeremiah at the moment ... the verse i used in the poster is from Jeremiah 6:16, the first part ... the rest of the verse says "and then you will find rest for your souls.  But they said, we will not walk in it."

Sadly, such a typical human response.  God says, "here is the good way." ... we say "not for me!"  in the end, it is always God who is right. and we lose so much by not listening.

Choose this day who you will follow ... but please, choose wisely - your eternity depends on it.

John 3:15-17
¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

and i said to myself, it's a wonderful world ...

our amazing world, created for us by our AMAZING GOD ... thank you Lord ... and soon we will celebrate the greatest gift of all ... JESUS sacrificial death on the cross, to save us from our sins and to present us faultless before Him ... to GOD be the GLORY.

Angels, unseen helpers ...

how many times have we been saved from dangerous situations?  we just don't know ... but i do believe that GOD has sent Angels to watch over His children ... it's just His way and His love for us.

come away with me ...

loved the quote by Blackaby ... pic taken 1st week of March near Fountain Hills, AZ ... oh beautiful desert!

from my morning devotional ... "Unshakeable" ... rings true, doesn't it.

Psalms in the morning

i usually get a glimpse of a beautiful sunrise when i open my drapes ... but lately there have been cloudy skies obstructing my view  ... the Psalms still declare the goodness & faithfulness of God and i have saved pics to post the words on ... life is good ... 

PRESS ON, because you are valuable to GOD.

 as i was reading the Word yesterday morning, i felt the need to make a quick poster on what it said:  PRESS ON! ... i found this pic i had taken some months back, and put the words on it (i do this to encourage myself ... and share to encourage others!) ... then i read from Christine Caine's devotional "Unshakeable" ... and it went along perfectly with the idea to keep on keeping on ... 

we need to daily live out our lives for JESUS, this world is straining under false assumptions and wrong desires ... if we DESIRE GOD above all else - then PRESS ON!  our redemption draws nigh.

what we can see ...

another variation of the photo ... with a different quote ...  and what a wonderful truth John Piper shares!  thank you LORD!

new moon arising

i took this pic through a double pane glass last night as i was waiting for the eclipse (i did catch the red Wolf moon later in the evening - yay!) ... i like the way it looks ... b&w is always interesting ... the signs and wonders all around us continue to amaze me ...

be unoffendable

picture taken at the Scarf Sister Reunion in the fall ... with my phone, and the poster was made on the phone was well ... i have fun with it ... :)

reading through the Psalms

i've started this new year by reading the Psalms ... i will try to read them in a month (5 Psalms a day) ... but sometimes it's impossible to read 5 because of the amazing "stuff" contained in them ... obviously there is some time warp things going on, but the human condition is still the same ... in need of a Saviour ... 

Happy New Year!