be strong ... let not your heart be discouraged ...

we all have weeks that can be trying ... i'm a caregiver ... my husband is the one who deals with chronic pain ... and at times we both get tired ... on those days i need a word ...  i mean A WORD from Him who's Words are bread to the starving soul ... encouragement to the downcast ... a lifeline to the drowning man  ...

the Word that i got was from Ephesians 6:12 ...
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

i was reminded once again, that life here on earth is temporary and fleeting! ... if JESUS is our Saviour, then we are struggling with His enemy and ours, satan ... who loves to see the children of the Most High God discouraged ... but Jesus has already defeated this foe, Victory IS ours in HIM who redeemed us for Himself ... we just need to remain vigilant against attacks that are baseless and keep our spirits resting in GOD ...

yesterday morning, out of the blue, i quoted Ephesians 6:12 to leo as i was giving him his meds ... and this morning, Ephesians 6:12 was quoted in my devotional "daily light" ... coincidence?  nope - since there are no coincidences with God ... i think He gives a heads up on what really goes on during those extra tough days we may experience  ... 

may you find a Word of encouragement for your day ... i  know God has prepared one for you ... 

hold fast ...

may we all say like Job of old - that we have kept God's way and not turned aside ...

 

i've been having problems with posting pics again -  everytime i sat down to do a post - blogger would not cooperate!  so this morning, i just asked the Lord to give me a bit of wisdom - or fix whatever it was!!!  the answer may have been a combination of wisdom/fixing - 'cause i went to options, changed the html setting - and viola, i was able to download this latest poster creation ... i love when my little requests to God get that instant, "not a problem" answer ... it's something i need to remember - even tho' i may not see an instant response all the time -  my job is to stay on the right path - and  God will deal with the obstacles ...

 

blessings on your sunday!

the place of safety ...

choose joy

i've just started reading a book entitled "Choose Joy" by kay warren ... i'm sort of chuckling to myself, because it is a very appropriate read at this moment ... winter is hanging on, temperatures are way below normal and for seasonally affected folks like me - well it can be rather IKKY ...  however, joy is a choice (as i've known for a while now) - but to continually practise it can be challenging ... so i'm gonna be stretching those "choose joy" muscles in the next week ... yup yup ... the weatherman is not my friend at the moment!

EASTER VICTORY!!!!

the first Easter ... it started out sad - but ended in VICTORY!

 

thank you JESUS!

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.
¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
John 3:15-21

thoughts from church

leo and i watch "tv church" ... leo isn't able to go sit in a pew for a service, so we get our fellowship where we can! ... charles price, from people's church in toronto, is our tv pastor ... just thought i would share a few quotes from today's message ...

You see, sometimes the very thing the devil would use to destroy you, IS the VERY thing God uses to build you and bless you.

Do what is right ... God will make it possible ...

The state of the worker is more important to God, than the state of the work ....

it's about time!

 

it's absolutely about time i wrote something!!!!  my poor neglected blog, eh ...

actually i've had problems posting pictures ... a few times i was going to write something but i cldn't get blogger to cooperate with a visual ... so i thought i would try posting from the laptop - and look at this - it worked!  my "big" computer is just not jiving  with blogger ... ? ... but i don't mind working around a problem - if that is doable ... just a life lesson -  sometimes you go around the mountain, if you can't go through or over it ... *grin*

check out this sunrise from a few weeks back ... i was sitting on the couch just amazed at God's workmanship ... it seems so personal when no one else is stirring and i seem to be the only one  who is seeing the beauty of the morning ... i sit and smile and talk to my Heavenly Father ... feeling so blessed, even though life on earth can have it's hard spots - yet God reminds me that the best is yet to be ... i will enjoy my time here, share what i've learned and leave everything else in the Hands of HIM who was there in the beginning and will be there always!

birthday reflections ...

another birthday has come and gone!!!!  i can't believe how fast the years have flown ...  it was a good birthday - i felt the love through notes, emails, phone calls from friends and family ... there were even visits (though the weather was not cooperating!!!) ...  GOD is so gracious in His dealing with me, i could cry because i KNOW i'm undeserving - but "in the Beloved" i am redeemed! ... and so thankful!

this morning as i was reflecting on life, and lessons learned through the years ... God's patience in teaching and re-teaching things ... i thought about the day yet to come ... there will be no more lessons ... no more time to learn truths here on earth ... no more testing of our faith ... because one day (soon?) God will say "put your pencils down - times up!" ... and off we will go - eternity beckons ...

The Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)

5 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ² For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

¹¹ Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

worry

i want it to become more natural for me to have faith

- than worry about anything in life ...

it is possible - we just need to practise it daily ...

for we walk by faith ... can i get an amen? !!!

bit of whimsy ...

 

i looked out the window and saw these random tire tracks in the neighbours' driveway - only they didn't look so random - they looked like hearts ... of course i snapped a pic, smiling to myself, thinking how cool ... i imagined God drawing in the snow ...

choices ...

 

there is always a choice ...

january in middle canada ...

our big heavy saturday paper didn't quite make it to our door, it had snowed last night!!!  so i swept my way to it ... notice the orange bag ... so it's not lost in the whiteness!!!

 

and as i was out there, enjoying the sparkling world - i noticed how the bushes at either side of the steps looked like unpicked cotton!  i guess i'm having arizona thoughts, since i won't be going there this winter ...

 

the cold makes sun mirages ... or sun dogs ... sometimes they look like ice rainbows ...

 

all that pristeen beauty - yet with a bitter cold edge ... a typical january day on the prairies ...

to grow ... we need to know God's word

God's answers ...

as i was driving home from the city today, i was thinking of how God answers prayer ... i was concentrating on the patch of road i could see, the wind was gusting and the snow was  making driving difficult at times ... leo had prayed that i would have "clear sailing" coming home - and it WAS clear sailing ... just not in the way we thought ... God gave me travel mercies by granting me peace, safety and the absence of fear ... i am a very fearful winter driver (7 accidents in the snow have left a mark!), so the calm i felt as i navigated the dreaded winter white out conditions, was a very real answer to the prayers of others ... instead of changing the situation - God changed my heart ...

thank you JESUS ...

2013 prayer ...

 

this watchman nee quote was from my devotional reading this morning ... it went along so well with a scripture verse from another devotional - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) ... it reminded me to be pro-active in my faith - instead of being lazy in areas of study, it's time to dive into scripture more ... spend time in things that glorify the God i love and strive to serve ... my prayer is that 2013 is a banner year for those who love JESUS - may we learn more of Him and pray more to Him - so that HE can transform us into shining lights, so others may come to KNOW HIM too ...

 

blessings on you all in 2013 ...

waiting ...

 

 our house is prepared for Christmas ... our hearts are waiting for the LORD ...

 

"For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven,

which is yet to come."  Hebrews 13:14

devotionals

if you are looking for devotionals for 2013 - i thought i would put in a good word for the two devotionals i've used in 2012 ... which have blessed me and stretched my faith outside the box i inadvertently want to keep it in!

A Table in the Wilderness, by Watchman Nee (martyred for his faith in 1972, China) ... and ...  Daily Light for Every Day, scripture compiled by Samuel Bagster (1794) ...

here is a partial reading from A Table in the Wilderness:

"... He never asks us to do anything we can do.  He asks us to live a life we can never live and to do a work we can never do.  Yet by His grace we are living it and doing it.  The life we live is the life of Christ lived in the power of God, and the work we do is the work of Christ carried on through us by His Spirit whom we obey."

remembering ...

 

i put some lights up the other day ... to keep the dark days at bay ... next task - some Christmas decorations ...

today marks 6 years since we got the keys to our condo ... the full story i shared 6 years ago on this post: http://saija.blogspot.ca/2006/11/imagine-only-one-more-sleep.html ... 

 we were so thankful for God's grace in providing this particular condo for us ... we are still daily thankful for it ... home is important - we've lived in teenie tiny attic type places - and larger, open airy ones too - it seems that each place was perfect for that particular time in our lives ...

one day - our heavenly home welcome us, our "forever home" that we long for ... in the meantime, we thank GOD for daily blessings on this little blue planet - and the GRACE found in JESUS ...

blessings on your 1st of december 2012!!!!

sunday morning

 

good morning ... this was supposed to be yesterday's post, but i was having those blogger issues with pictures again ... but this morning, when i'm not quite awake or ready to post - LOL - it worked!!!

i wanted to thank those of you who left comments to my anniversary post ... they were sweet and encouraging - and i was even surprised by "new blog buds" ... thank you again ...

the pic i posted was of yesterday's sunrise, here in middle canada ... it was so lovely to just walk to the town beach and wonder at God's creation ... it seemed to be just the Lord and i out there ... blessed my heart ...

now it's sunday morning ... leo and i will have our tv church soon ... leo has turned into a 90% shut-in, as he is so uncomfortable with the chronic pain - if he goes anywhere ... but my heart is glad in Jesus my Saviour ... what more can i ask for, He has given me everything that eternity can hold ... may you be blessed too!

8 years of blogging

 pic taken on my walk yesterday

 

Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.    I Corinthians 13:9, 12

 

i've been blogging for 8 years now ... in the early days, i posted several times a week ... but lately i'm doing good if i get  2 or 3 posts a month done!  yet, my blogging experience - and the people i've "met" through it - has blessed me MUCH ...

 

i first started blogging because i felt isolated during those cold/snowy days of winter - plus i wanted to share experiences with other caregivers or those living in chronic pain ... then my blog became a place to post photos with scripture - which i hoped would encourage those who stopped by ... it's also a place where i can share how our Almighty GOD has taken care of leo and me ... when i look back, i am reminded of Jesus' love during harder days ...

 

i've thought of giving up this space ... but i don't think that is what God wants me to do yet ... so i will continue to "work at it" during the increasing times when i want to just hibernate and not talk to anyone ... this blog is still my little lifeline to my faith family online ... i'm thankful there are still those out there who view me in the same way ...

 

Be patient, we don't need to know everything right now. In this life we won't be able to resolve every question, solve every problem or understand every situation.

We don't need to fret over God's timetable. We will inherit all the promises of God through faith and patience.

~ Roy Lessin