This is my doing ... 1 Kings 12:24

from www.allposters.com

Streams in the Desert ... February 1st reading ... may it bless your heart, as it has blessed mine ...

This is my doing (1 Kings 12:24)

The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love. C.A. Fox

My child, I have a message for you today. Let me whisper it in your ear so any storm clouds that may arise will shine with glory, and the rough places you may have to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a pillow to rest your weary head. "This is my doing."

Have you ever realized that whatever concerns you concerns Me too? "For whoever touches you touches the apply of [my] eye" (Zech. 2?8). "You are precious and honored in my sight" (Isa. 43:4). Therefore it is My special delight to teach you.

I want you to learn when temptations attack you, and the enemy comes in "like a pent-up flood" (Isa. 59:19), that "this is my doing" and that your weakness needs My strength, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, never ask your opinion, and always push you aside? "This is my doing." I am the God of circumstances. You did not come to this place by accident - you are exactly where I meant for you to be.

Have you not asked Me to make you humble? Then see that I have placed you in the perfect school where this lesson is taught. Your circumstances and the people around you are only being used to accomplish My will.

Are you having problems with money, find it it hard to make needs meet? "This is my doing," for I am the One who keeps your finances, and I want you to learn to depend upon Me. My supply is limitless and I "will meet all your needs" (Phil. 4:19). I want you to prove My promises so no one may say, "You did not trust in the Lord your God" (Deut. 1:32).

Are you experiencing a time of sorrow? "This is my doing." I am "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isa. 53:3). I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you, so that by turning to Me you may receive "eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thess. 2:16). Have you longed to do some great work for Me but instead have been set aside on a bed of sickness and pain? "This is my doing." You were so busy i could not get your attention, and I wanted to teach you some of My deepest truths. "They also serve who only stand and wait." In fact, some of My greatest workers are those physically unable to serve, but who have learned to wield the powerful weapon of prayer.

Today I place a cup of holy oil in your hands. Use it freely, My child. Anoint with it every new circumstance, every word that hurts you, every interruption that makes you impatient, and every weakness you have. The pain will leave as you learn to see Me in all things.
~Laura A. Barter Snow

an update on maria ...

the way i will always picture maria

pic taken while babysitting her, years and years ago ...

a little maria update for my praying buds ...

we had another scare on tuesday ... the emergency dialysis tube they had put in her neck failed ... so she HAD to have surgery to put one in her heart ... the procedure was a success and her dialysis has continued ...

my mom was visiting with her yesterday and was so thrilled to see maria's chin again!!!! the bloating from failed organs is not a pretty sight, and maria's neck had been so thick with built up fluids, plus side effects from the meds she is on - that her chin just disappeared in there somewhere! ...

my sister who lives in the city noted that the puffiness around maria's eyes has gone down ... in fact, her eyes are more than mere slits now ...

of course all of this is making her so very tired ... but her will to live is strong ... and so far, God is allowing her to stay here for a while longer ...

thank you again for praying for maria's comfort and God's will that surrounds her life ... and all of our lives ... blessings on you ...

thinking about eternity ...

i scanned this beautiful picture from the latest Decision magazine ... then this morning i read these verses:

Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the day of his return will soon be here. Romans 13:11-13a

it made me think about Noah's day ... when he was building that ark ... his neighbours came to gawk ... to laugh ... and to taunt him about this flood that he was always talking about ... and the crazy boat he was building on dry land ... but he kept on being faithful ... imploring them to think about what he was saying ... to board that boat with him, that boat which would save them, before it was too late ... but they were too busy in their day to day lives ... too busy, except for the moments when they would indulge in some "how dumb is he? how smart are we?" type of talking ...

Jesus said that it would be like the days of Noah ... in those last days before He returned ... life would be going along in a normal way ... people would be concerned about getting ahead in life ... getting married ... socializing ... and not that these things are wrong - they are "normal" ... but they would forget about their spiritual side ... they would laugh at the "religious folks" who thought that Jesus would return again ... "i mean, come on! where was Jesus? it's been a long long time and He hasn't returned yet! such silly folklore ... some people would believe anything ... second coming indeed "...

i believe that Jesus is coming again ... He is my Saviour ... my sweet Lord ... i don't know the hour or day of His return ... but the signs of the end are posted everywhere ... in nature ... in government ... in the persecution of the saints all over the world ... i don't want to ignore that ... and i don't want to deny what i believe ... because if truth be told, i am longing for His return ... this world doesn't hold a candle to it's Creator God ... this world is not all that there is to LIFE ... LIFE is in Jesus ... and one day it will be Eternal - to those that have believed in Him, who trust Him for the forgiveness of their sins ... it will indeed be Heaven ...

this day my heart is thinking about eternal things ... this day my tears are shed in joy because i see that Heavenly City in my mind ... this day i pray - even so, Lord Jesus, Come!

aroma therapy ...

have you ever read a familiar passage in the bible and had it POP in your brain ... seemingly new ... a life application ...

that happened to me today ... it was the scripture passage that RBC used:

"But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume." 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (italics mine)

i pictured this Christ-like fragrance ... coming through, being noticed - wherever we go ... even if we say nothing, just our very actions and demeanor should be a life-giving perfume ... or to those without Christ, a desire to have what we have ...

when you enter a coffee shop ... you know it's a coffee shop by the smell of coffee brewing ... with donuts thrown into the mix ... you want to sit and enjoy a cup ...

when you walk into a florist ... you know it's a flower shop by the exquisite fragrance of the many different blends of flowers ... intoxicating ... there is no mistaking where you are ...

when you walk by a garbage dump ... well you get the aroma picture ... you know what that is too!

the passage in Corinthians reminded me that as believers, there should be no doubt Who's children we are ... there may not always be opportunities to share our faith with words ... therefore, our daily actions and attitudes should be the Christ-like fragrance that pleases God and blesses man ...

an update ...

the Lord wants to carry ALL our burdens, doesn't He? i am so thankful for the promises that are mine, in God's word ... it just encourages my heart daily ... and keeps me from fretting ...

thank you again for praying for my sister maria ... her health continues to be a matter of much daily prayer ... she had to have emergency dialysis yesterday ... she was so uncomfortable and i think her kidneys were on the verge of totally shutting down ... diabetes is such a mean disease ... i keep praying that she is comfortable ... and during this time, i hope she will experience the nearness of Jesus - who loves her so much ...

picture copied from 'net

may God Bless all of my american blog buds - as you experience another peaceful change of presidents ... may you truly be ONE Nation Under God ...

He goes before ...

nothing can touch us - before it goes through God first ...

we are hedged around by His protection ...

the things that are allowed in our lives are for a purpose ... for our spiritual maturity and growth ...

i write these words from a point of grace ... most of my readings this week have all touched on the sovereignty of God ... and it truly does comfort my heart ...

though here on earth, there is always something to pray earnestly about ... case in point, my sister maria was hospitalized again on tuesday ... we knew she had been discharged too soon ... but at least she is once again getting the type of care she needs ... for that we are grateful ...

we don't have to worry and fret - because we are not like those without hope ... in Christ we are ever hopeful and confident that He hears our prayer ... that all things will work out in the manner our Heavenly Father thinks is best ...

Matthew 10:28-31 (New Living Translation)

28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

watch for that jam ...

in this day of safe guarding ones privacy, it seems everyone has a shredder ... they are so handy ... until they get jammed!

and sometimes that jam isn't always easy to fix ...

our cheap walmart shredder had been doing it's job just fine ... until something got into one of those little chambers and just didn't want to come out ... it got a first class jam happening ...

after unplugging (duh! of course you say ... *smile* ) ... i took a knitting needle and tried to clear all the spots ...

the knitting needle was fine for the easy to get pieces, but for one little stubborn chamber it was just too large ...

so next came the straightened out paper clip ...

i went in there from every angle, considered getting a tweezer to pull out the concrete like jam ... but eventually (after forward/reverse ... more poking ... more forward/reverse) ... it gave way!

i couldn't believe how just one itty bitty chamber could cause the rest of the chambers to fail ... you'd think that the majority, would release the gunk in that lone minority ...

it got me thinking about the so called itty bitty sins in my life ... how something that i think is "nothing much" ... or "just human"... can still make the rest of my spiritual life stall and sputter and jam up ...

there is no such thing as a small sin ... sin is sin ... and we need to confess it ... and walk away from it ... to clean out the hidden crevices, so that our hearts and minds filter everything that comes through correctly ...

yup, a little inner paper jam - can create havoc ... until we clear it out with the paperclip of confession ...

may your day be jam free!

If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
1 John 1:8-10 the Message

open paths ...

my daily readings from Streams in the Desert (by L.B. Cowman) have been so timely ...

here is a portion of yesterdays devotional:

When you pass through the waters . . . they will not sweep over you.
(Isaiah 43:2)

God does not open paths for us before we come to them, or provide help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are at our point of need, God's hand is outstretched.

Many people forget this truth and continually worry about difficulties they envision in the future. They expect God to open and clear many miles of road before them, but He promises to do it step by step, only as their need arises. J.R.M.

leo had an appointment today ... with a new doctor ... we had believed and prayed that it would be all right ... yet beforehand, there were still those bits of apprehension ... "Lord, not again! this is stressful!" ...

but it went well ... he was compassionate ... open and friendly ... and willing to take leo on as a patient ...

God prepared the way ... and we are ever so grateful!

and even better news ...

i just got home from work, checked my e-mail and read a really encouraging note from my mom ... in fact, i could hardly believe it!

they had taken maria's breathing tube out ... she is once again breathing on her own! and she was was ABLE to STAND ...

unbelievable good news ...

she is still a sick girl - but so far - it is amazingly great news! :o)

we call her our energizer bunny!

thank you , SO MUCH, for praying! i am ashamed to admit that i didn't want to bother you all - but it seems i should have done this last week already ... shame on me ... and blessings on you!

maria update

maria had a good day today ...

she still has the breathing tube in, but they are giving her some meds that they hope will make the lungs function better ... even tho' maria couldn't talk, she wrote little notes to her husband ...

that was all good news ... :o)

it sounds like she's not in distress ... she even had the restraints on her hands removed - but when she got tired and was ready for a snooze, she had motioned for the nurse to put them back on (she tends to pick on the tubes/iv's/etc. in her sleep) ...

thank you so much for praying ... maria still has many hurdles to overcome ... but this has been the best day since she went in ... and for that we are thankful!

a concern

i'm sorry that my first post of 2009 is a sad one ... i have such a concern for my sister maria ... i just had to share, my heart is really heavy regarding her health, which has been very poor the last year (or two ... or three!) ...

she is still so young ... 11 years my junior ... the first child from my mother's second marriage ... i was the "little mother" to her during those early years ...

if you want to read more about maria: click here

the concern is that she is in the hospital again ... this is her second stay in 3 weeks ... we thought that the early december, emergency stay, was just the "tune up" she needed ... we all hoped that she'd be "fine" for a while ... not so this time ... she was rushed back in, during the early hours of december 26th ... she has water in her lungs and has had that uncomfortable tube in her throat for quite a few days now ... she is in and out of reality ... she is only 43 ...

there are many other complications that her 40 years of diabetes has inflicted on her ... she truly has a brave heart within that ravaged body ...

we keep praying that she will be comfortable ... i personally pray that she won't be in any emotional distress ...

can she bounce back again? she's done it so many other times ... we'd think she was at death's door ... and the next thing you know, she's at home - bumping into furniture because her eyesight is so poor!

if you could pray for maria ... as the Lord brings her to your mind ... i would be very grateful ... thank you ...

just a thought for the new year ...

"... God's grace is not only sufficient - it is inexhaustible. Remember the story Roy Gustafson told of the little fish who said, "I am so thirsty but I must not drink too much . The ocean might run dry." Or the little mouse in the granaries of Egypt who said, "I am so hungry. But I must not eat too much. The grain might not last." Or the little swallow, soaring and dipping through the sky, thinking, "I must not breathe too deeply; I might use up all the air."

Whatever the need, whatever the situation, "he giveth more grace"
(James 4:6). ..."

taken from Legacy of a Pack Rat by Ruth Bell Graham ...


to you my dear blog buds ... i wish a new year that is so full of God's grace - for every and all situations - that your cup will continually run over ... so you may glorify HIM, who redeemed us ... that the world will know we are different and children of the Most High ...

O Lord, you are my lamp.

The Lord lights up my darkness.

2 Samuel 22:29

snowy walk

i took these pics a few days ago ... but the walk i had today was very similar ... a light snow ... and milder temperatures ... very tranquil ... *smile*

it was a picture postcard type scene everywhere ...

kids were out with their new sleds ... and the older kids were out on snowmobiles!

it was a great walk ... until i wiped out! ... owie!!!! just checking out my almost 55 year old bones! ... my feet just flew out from under me and i landed on my hip ... i know i'll be sporting a bruise ... i shoulda worn my walking boots ...

we had a quiet Christmas eve ... Christmas day ... and boxing day ... leo and i watched some Christmas movies ... visited via phone with family ... and just enjoyed the lights of home ...

I wish we could put up

some of the Christmas spirit in jars

and open a jar of it every month.

~Harlan Miller

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

He who has not
Christmas in his heart
will never find it
under a tree.
~Roy L. Smith

“Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”
~ Napolean Bonaparte

40 below fashions ...

tips on how to dress for the elements ...

first you double or triple all the clothes you have on underneath your coat ...
add a vest over the layers, for a little extra ...
a touque on your head is a must ...
lastly, secure a scarf around your face - the mummy look ...

then with only eyes showing, you are ready to head out the door ... which is a bit frozen and you have to tug on for a while before it finally opens ...

this is how i have been dressing for the past few days ...

with the windchill, it is a bone chilling 40 below ... brrrrrrr ... and ho ho ho !!!!

Winter is the time for comfort,
for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand
and for a talk beside the fire:
it is the time for home.
~Edith Sitwell

i take, He undertakes!

if you are still wondering what to get someone for Christmas ... i strongly recommend "Springs in the Valley" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman ... even tho' it was first published over 50 years ago, the truths in it are timeless and timely!

here is yesterday's reading ... may you be blessed by it!


"He is faithful that promised." (Hebrews 10:23)

God's power will keep God's promises! Promises for the soul, promises for the body, promises for others, promises for our work, promises for our business, promises for time and for eternity: these are all ours! It is not your weakness that can defeat God's promise, nor your strength that can fulfill the promise: He that spoke the Word will Himself make it good. It is neither your business nor mine to keep God's promises: that is His grace.

The signed check is given us. How foolish if we fear to present it! Never yet has one single check been dishonoured! "He is faithful that promised."

I take; He undertakes!

We may pray much over a promise, and yet never obtain it. Asking is not taking. Beseeching is not claiming.

I clasp the hand of Love divine,

I claim the gracious promise mine,

And add to His my countersign.

I take, He undertakes.

I simply take Him at His Word;

I praise Him that my prayer is heard

And claim my answer from the Lord.

I take, He undertakes.

~Dr. A.B. Simpson

'tis the season for ... cookies!

look at the lovely homemade cookies my aunt gave me! i am just so blessed .... *smile* ... and now with my lower cholesterol readings, i can crunch away in true enjoyment - not fearing what the numbers will be!

then we received a package from my west coast sister ... there were all kinds of wrapped up gifts ... plus homemade surprises ... it made me smile ...

may the simple things in life - bless your heart today ...

I always believed that

the true spirit of Christmas

demands thought and effort

on the giver's part,

not just lavish spending.

~Inez Hogan

the good way

Ask where the

Good way is, and walk

in it, and you will find

rest for your souls.

- Jeremiah 6:16, NIV

talking about food ...

i got some good news last week ... my cholesterol is now perfectly NORMAL!!!!

YAY!

i was glad that a change of diet was all that was needed ... i was eating too many lean cuisine type meals ... leo doesn't eat normal at all - and the aroma of something cooking can actually make him nauseous - therefore i got lazy in preparing meals for myself ... the result - elevated cholesterol ...

now that i'm back on track, i can enjoy some Christmas treats ... not too many - but some!

YAY! thank you Lord!

Vegetables are a must on a diet.
I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
~Jim Davis

tis the season ... to get our hearts ready ...

pic copied off 'net

There had been no peace on earth since Adam fell. But, now, when the newborn King made His appearance, the swaddling band with which He was wrapped up was the white flag of peace. That manger was the place where the treaty was signed, whereby warfare should be stopped between man's conscience and Himself, man's conscience and his God.
~Charles Spurgeon

December 1st ...

i know it's not officially "winter" yet ... but with the outdoor reading at
-20C, it doesn't have to be "official" here in our little town - it's here!!

thought i'd just update you on leo's doctor situation ... in case you were wondering ... he has an appt. in january with yet another newbie physician ... this will be his 3rd NEW doctor in 2 years ... tho' i must give thanks on this point - each one has added something positive to leo's overall care ... we keep praying ... and the answers always seem to come in the oddest ways and means ... must be "God thing" ... His ways just aren't our ways!

blessings on you!

setting our minds on Christ ...

God is still in control ... despite upheavel in our old world ... and hate being manifest in all kinds of ugly ways ... yet there is still beauty in the soul who makes God their place of refuge ... the God Who has always been there ...

Happy Thanksgiving

Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.(NIV)

Isaiah 40:28

our God is good ... all the time ...

for proof, check out my post from 2 years ago: http://saija.blogspot.com/2006/11/big-news.html

it's still a matter of huge praise for us!

blessings on your weekend!

brrrrrr

i bet you can feel the coolness of the weather in our little town ... the snow was crunching underneath my boots and the water has started to think of freezing up!

there is a stark beauty in the scenery ... the colours are faded - yet appealing ...

today was the first event of the holiday season ... our christmas craft sale ... the town was full of folks looking at what the local artisans had made or baked ... my aunt and i spent a few hours taking it all in ... and finding a few treasures ... it was fun ... *smile* ...

God's timing for my reading material is always spot on!!! and as i was reading louie giglio's book, this particular passage - at this particular time - is so worth sharing with you too!

page 49:

After an eternity of being God, He shows no signs of wear and tear. He has no needs. His accounts are in the black. He's the owner, not to mention Creator, of all of the world's wealth and treasure. He made the gold and silver, and the trees we print our paper money on. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and all the hills the cows are standing on. He holds the patent on the skies above - not to mention the earth, the seas and their depths below, the breeze, the colors of the sunset and every flowering thing. They all are His invention. His design. His idea.

God does whatever He wants. His purposes are a sure thing. There's no stopping Him. No containing Him. No refuting Him. No cutting Him off at the pass. No short-circuiting His agenda. God is in control.

lest we forget . . .

"TAPS"

Day is done...
Gone the sun...
From the lake...
From the hills...
From the sky...
All is well...
Safely rest...
God is nigh.

Thanks and praise...
For our days...
'Neath the sun...
'Neath the stars...
'Neath the sky...
As we go...
This we know...
God is nigh.

snow and ice make a manitoba autumn!

the streets here in our little town are icy and snow covered ... old man winter has arrived ... too early for my taste ... but i didn't get a say in it!

the snow does make me think about Christmas ... but it also makes me think of isolation ... i suffer a bit from that seasonal disorder, where i crave more sunshine and warmth ... it's a battle to remain positive at times ...

did you know that i've been blogging for 4 years now?

i started blogging just around the time when the seasonal sadness wanted to wipe the cheer from my heart ... blogging helped battle the blahs! ... the wonderful added bonus became YOU - my blogging buds ... at first i thought i'd be posting into cyber space ... a one way missile ... but i was blessed with "meeting" folks who have cheered my heart through the years ... encouraged me ... prayed for both leo and i ... recommended or even sent me encouraging books to read ... i mean the list has been endless ... endless eternal blessings ...

these past months my posts have been sketchy at best ... my visits to your blogs, haphazard ... i want to continue blogging, but one needs to have the desire to share ... i think i am going through a season of sadness ... now with winter weather arriving, the sadness is more melancholy ...

just keeping you in my loop ... which is sort of loop-ee at the moment! *smile* ...

blessings on your sunday ...

billy graham turns 90

billy graham's birthday is tomorrow - november 7th ... and he will be 90 ... if you want to leave a little "happy birthday" note, you can do that at http://www.billygraham.org/ ...

here is what dr. graham had to say about this birthday:

“I never expected to live this long, and it is hard to believe I have reached the age of 90,” says Mr. Graham. “Every day is a gift from God, no matter how old we are. I have discovered that just because we grow weaker physically as we age, it doesn’t mean that we must grow weaker spiritually. In fact, we ought to be growing stronger spiritually because our eyes ought to be on eternity and Heaven—on the things that really matter.”

i have been so blessed by the billy graham ministry over the years ... the decision magazines and books that they sent - i can truly say that God has used them in my life - to help me grow in grace ...

the world is a better place because of billy (and ruth - who has already entered into her reward)

may God bless billy graham ...

... and with Jesus

There is an infinite variety in the paths God makes, and He can make them anywhere! Think you not that He, who made the spider able to drop anywhere and to spin its own path as it goes, is not able to spin a path for you through every blank, or perplexity, or depression? God is never lost among our mysteries. He sees the road, "the end from the beginning."

Mystery and uncertainty are only to prepare us for deeper discipline. Had we no stormy sea we should remain weaklings to the end of our days. God takes us out into the deeps; but he knows the track! He knows the haven! and we shall arrive.

"and with Jesus

Through the trackless deep move on!"

copied from nov 2nd reading: Springs in the Valley

... pictures taken by my west coast sister ...

normal is nice ...

i had the best of days today ...

it was a lovely fall day weather wise ... 15C or 60F ... perfect for walking to town and doing some shopping (i found some bargains so cheap, it felt like a gift!) ... paying bills ... plus cashing my first pay cheque of the season ... *smile*

i finished cleaning out my flower beds ... it was so warm by the side of the house, i think i could have suntanned!

AND i got to go for a bike ride!!! that's an extremely rare event these days since it has cooled down considerably ... the picture i posted is from my usual biking route ...

i was in and out of the house ... but even so, i did manage to do the laundry and usual housework ... plus chat with leo and play with scooter ...

i mean it was a really lovely, normal type day ... which i am so thankful for ...

written down my day sounds as exciting as watching paint dry ... *grinning* ... but there is something to be said for paint drying - it refreshes everything ...

just sharing the sweetness ...

Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.

~Epicurus

when is a bird bigger than a mountain?

this mornings daily bread just spoke to my heart ... about our attitude ... about faith ... about how we perceive our problems ... just had to share with you guys ... blessings on your mid week!

READING: Isaiah 40:12-13,25-31

He . . . sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. —Isaiah 40:22Question: When is a bird bigger than a mountain? Answer: When the bird is closer than the mountain.

In reality, the bird is not bigger than the mountain, but it sure looks that way when the feathery fellow is perched on my window ledge and the mountain is far away in the distance.

Sometimes we perceive God this way in relationship to our problems. The troubles facing us seem huge because they are so close—like a big black bird with beady eyes and a sharp beak waiting for a smaller animal’s weariness to turn into helplessness so it can devour it. At such times, God seems as far away as a distant mountain, and we perceive Him as being small and unreachable.

The prophet Isaiah changes our perspective by asking these rhetorical questions: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (40:12). The Lord “gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (v.29).

Just as a bird is never bigger than a mountain, no problem is ever bigger than God. It’s all a matter of changing our perspective. — Julie Ackerman Link

The problems that we face each day
Can seem too much to bear
Until we turn our eyes to Christ
And trust His tender care. —Sper


We worship a God who is greater than our greatest problem.

safe harbour

"The brightest souls which glory ever knew

Were rocked in storms and nursed when tempests blew."

~anon

Jesus is the Way Maker

this pic reminded me of a chorus we used to sing ... way back ... do you remember it too?

O here comes Jesus
see Him walking on the water
He'll lift you up
and help you to stand ...

O here comes Jesus
He's the Master of the waves that roll
O here comes Jesus
He'll save your soul ...

Jesus is the way-maker
Jesus is the way-maker
Jesus is the way-maker
He made way for me ...

Once the sun refused to shine
in this sinful heart of mine,
Jesus, He made a way for me ...

a gift ...

a little outing ...

park near our condo, pic taken today

i got leo out of the house today... yay!!!! ... it was almost 2 p.m. before we left home to vote, but leo was motivated to go ... on the way home, i asked him if he wanted to continue on for a little drive ... i could show him all the new houses that had gone up over the summer ... surprisingly - he said ok! so i leisurely drove the car on the same streets i ride my bike ... we chatted about all the new construction ... leo even asked if i would go around the block on the newest street -where most of the development was - he wanted a better look ...

i enjoyed having leo out somewhere with me ... somewhere other than a doctors' office ... i am on my own so much, that it thrills me when leo wants to come along!

that was my sweet moment of the day ...

just sharing ....

Love puts the fun in together,

the sad in apart,

and the joy in a heart.

~Author Unknown

thanksgiving in Canada

it's a long weekend here in canada! our thanksgiving, long weekend ... and i choose to be thankful! being thankful makes one happier ... feel less stressful ... and it is the only thing that can part the clouds on darker days ... a thankful heart ...

God has done so much for me ... Thank you Lord!!!!!!

faith vs fear

are you feeling some bits of fear trying to settle in the pit of your stomach?
the uncertainty of tomorrow?
the world we once trusted in - turned upside down? ...

these are the times when faith grows -
because what we can physically see and touch, has let us down ...

these are the times when our faith looks up -
because these are the times when our faith is all we have ...
YET ... faith is all we NEED ...

isn't that the truth of it?

when all is stripped away - it's our faith that will hold everything together ...

BE BLESSED ...

the zigzag path

We climbed the height by the zigzag path
And wondered why - until
We understood it was made zigzag
To break the force of the hill.

A road straight up would prove too steep
For the traveler's feet to tread;
The thought was kind in its wise design
of a zigzag path instead.

It is often so in our daily life;
We fail to understand
That the twisting way our feet must tread
by love alone was planned.

Then murmur not at the winding way,
It is our Father's will
To lead us Home by the zigzag path,
To break the force of the hill.
- anon

Simply following God is the true philosophy of life.

... politics!

while the U.S. vice presidential debate was on last night, we had our own debate on tv, here in canada ... the candidates for prime minister ... all 5 of them (4 men and one woman ... and just an FYI, we have already had a woman prime minister about 15 years ago) ... it was a round table format ... i checked out both debates ...

to be honest - i don't care for debates ... i guess because i don't like arguments ... i like discussions ...

then there are the spin masters afterwards ... twisting whatever was said to represent the view they want the masses (us) to believe ...

there really are no unbiased reporters out there ... lets face it, we ALL have our opinions ... which make it difficult to see clearly ... or report accurately ...

i will be so glad when our elections (14th) and our neighbours elections are done, then hopefully the solutions for pressing problems will be the #1 concern for our elected members ...

Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long,

has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.

~Richard Armour