grace ...

lovely lilies ... i took this picture at city park on monday ... i was touring a friend around winnipeg and we just enjoyed the lovely fall weather!  if only the seasons could be bottled up and the preferred ones taken out as needed!!!  *smile* ...

blessings on ya ...

amy carmichael

 

i'm reading a book about amy carmichael ... it's called "A Chance To Die", author:  elisabeth elliot ... amy was an amazing woman who loved Jesus over all else ...  i've always known about her, but this biography really shares (through letters, articles, etc) how difficult her life was - yet how amy willingly and gladly forsook all to share Christ with those who didn't even want to hear the message!  she had such a burden for the lost ...

that's my "light, summer reading" ... ????!!!!  blessings on ya!

If God ....

i took this picture while in BC ...then i found this quote yesterday - i thought they blended together well ... the quote says it all, doesn't it?

the nights are getting cooler here in manitoba ... though we didn't pay the weather much attention these past 2 weeks - we were watching the olympics ...  i think london was really showcased well during the marathon runs and other events that were out in the streets of the city - really beautiful ... i would love to visit those areas "one day" ... *smile* ...

the early bird ...

after some hot and humid days, we got some rain last night ... i caught mr. robin enjoying this little puddle - he was having his morning bath !!!!  made me smile ... we were on the same page - praising the LORD for rain!!!

C.S. Lewis quote

i took this sunrise picture on 08-08-08 and this C.S. Lewis quote caught my eye today ... so i merged them together ... though the people i want to reach with this quote, are the ones who most likely won't get it ... sigh ... how blind are those who refuse to see ...

consider the lilies

                                                               poster by saija

i took this picture the other day of some of my lilies ...

don't they make you smile ...

Consider The Lilies - Joyful Singers 

Consider the lilies
They don't toil or spin
And there's not a king
With more splendor than them
Consider the sparrow
They don't plant or sow
But they're fed by the master
Who watches him grow

We have a heavenly father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when
Your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies
And then you will know

May I introduce you
To this friend of mine
Who hangs out the stars
And tells the sun when to shine
He kisses the flowers
Each morning with dew
But He's not too busy
To love me and you

We have a heavenly father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when
Your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies
And then you will know.

                 ~ anon

canada day pics

today we are 145 years old as a nation ... happy canada day to us!!!  here are a few pics of life over the past few days!!!    and happy upcoming 4th of july to my american buds ...

here's my cousin's puppy ... we were trying to get her to go swimming, but it seems she just didn't want to - no matter how we enticed her!

my lilies ... there are 6 different varieties of them in my garden ... they are something that the previous owners planted, and i've enjoyed ... thank you Lord!!!

this is my front deck hanging plant, the one i see as i sit here typing ... i love these colours ... they make me smile ...

last night leo and i enjoyed the town fireworks ... we can see them very well from our deck ... the town is just hopping with summer people and visitors from all over ...

today the canada day parade walked by our door ... i love small towns for the simple sweetness of occasions like this!!

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  That every man may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God.

 ~ Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

posters and books

i made another poster ... i am slowly learning more about my photoshop program ... and mostly enjoying the process! 

i've also been reading gracia burnham's 2nd book, to fly again ... gracia is the new tribes missionary, who along with her husband martin,  was kidnapped by muslim extremists in manila in 2001 ... martin was unfortunately killed during their rescue  and gracia was shot in the leg ... i read her first book, in the presence of my enemies, detailing their year in the jungle ... and now this second book talks about her life back in the states and without her husband ... she learned so many lessons along the way ... talk about baptism in fire!

the other busy activity here in middle earth, is the celebration of my uncles 90th birthday, my aunts 85th birthday and their 67th wedding anniversary ... my cousins are holding an open house on saturday and we've all been doing our part to help get things ready ... happy occasion ... *smile* ...

blessings on  you ...

abiding ...

i took this picture on vancouver island ... and i bumped into this verse this morning ... so i thought i'd put them together ... to remind myself to ABIDE in HIM - so that i can WALK just as HE walked ... our walk is our proof of the love we have for JESUS ... it's not a works thing i speak of - but a love thing for our Saviour ...

i do like that word ABIDE ...

and here is a picture of my first rose of the season ... isn't it perfect?!!!   it makes me smile - and just be grateful for all i have, and the blessings i enjoy ... for which i THANK HIM for ...

my little post of praise for this day ... blessings on you ...

quotables

the flowers pictured above were taken in april while i was in BC ... the flowers here in middle earth are just opening up ... i feel like i have enjoyed a lovely lllooonnnngggg springtime - watching buds burst with colour all over north america ... quite cool ...

my poor blog is suffering ... i do compose posts ... but only in my head ... and i do wonder how my blog buds are doing, then life happens and i don't go check ... *frown*

i was at my eye specialist yesterday ... he put me on the glaucoma eye drops ... i have to learn how to put them in at bedtime ... hopefully they will make the eye pressure go down ... a new phase in life ...

just a short post ... i wanted to end with some quotes that my heart responded too ... blessings on all!!

* * * * * * * * * * *

"To hold on to the plough while wiping our tears - that is christianity."
~ Watchman Nee, martyred for his faith in 1972 china

"God never abandons us when life becomes difficult.  He is always with us and wants to help us, even when things seem to be going wrong."
~ Billy Graham

"We must live so close to God, that we become restless until God's will is accomplished through us."
~ life application bible commentary

home again ...

i had such a blessed and joyful experience on the westcoast ... it was GREAT to visit with my sister & her hubby and also with my brother ... yay!!!!  leo missed me ... he was fine at home and i talked to him a couple of times a day ... thank you alexander graham bell for that little telephone invention!!!!

i took TONS of pictures ... i mean my camera overfloweth!!! ... i probably have atleast one picture of every flower on the island!!!!  and the beach was an amazing place to get interesting shots ...  i just made the poster below - the Lord WAS faithful all during the trip, i felt very much at peace ...

i have to admit that i was GLAD to get back to our sunny and expansive sky here in middle earth! ...will share more later ... blessings on ya!

was it a morning like this ...

this song is powerful and uplifting ... it made me smile and say "thank you Lord!" ... wow, i love Easter mornings - as a saved sinner, i really feel redeemed!!!  HE conquered death, so that we can live ...

Easter ... it makes me think of being ready ...

i'm reading/studying the gospel of matthew in my devotions ... at the moment, i'm in the week before the crucifixion ... those poor disciples, with their expectations of an earthly kingdom, boy were they disappointed and confused when Jesus died!!   but praise God for miracles!! ... their disappointment fled when the incredible happened - Jesus actually rose from the dead!   just like He said He would ... they were shocked ... just as shocked as we will be when Jesus returns again - just like He said ... i mean, i believe it as a future event - but what if this is the year it actually happens?  i will be so surprised!!  because it is something way out of my normal expectations for a day - to be transformed in the twinkling of an eye - so, as i think of this Easter time, i also wonder ... is He coming back soon?

record setting day in the prairies ...

guess what i did today?

washed windows!!!!

earliest ever ...

it was 20C ... so i went for a walk afterwards ... talk about smiling faces everywhere ... and bikes ... and mom’s pushing strollers ... and t-shirts instead of parkas ... ? ... manitoba? in march? ? ? ?

we even set a record yesterday for the earliest day the thermometer reached 20C/68F in the 140 years that records have been kept in this area ...

tomorrow the forecast is for 26C ...

 

had to share!!! wa hooooo!!!

 

 

"... my heart exulteth in the Lord."  1 Samuel 2:1

He thrills me ...

i went for my walk today ... and it seemed that the snow was melting at a faster pace than my walking!!!  truly a beautiful day here ... 12C or 54F ... i mean really amazing weather for the prairies in march ... and it is forecast for the same highs (or dare i even say it outloud - HIGHER temps!!!) ... wow ... it's these little things that make me happy ... sunshine, health to walk ... reading the bible with my husband ... having family and friends to email, phone and visit with ... God's blessings are boundless and on a daily basis ... i thrill to be HIS child, basking in HIS Sonshine ...

i've finally been feeling better the last few days ... the cold that followed me back to canada made me a very lazy girl!!!  i was tired all the time - it was nice to have an excuse, anyway!!!!

i made a fresh poster from one of my AZ pics ... i'm glad that i dwell in GOD and can take JOY in HIS will ...

blessings on your sunday ....

winter vacation

leo is sending me away for a winter vacation - again ... i feel like the most spoiled of women sometimes ... he assures me that he will manage - and we do have all our 'helps' in place ...

so i shall once again be a very scarce blog bud ... blessings on you guys, as i go in search of palm trees and desert flowers ...

where to find comfort ...

when the going gets tough

... the tough read the bible.

strength for the day ...

i was listening to a sermon by david jeremiah (author of Slaying the Giants in your Life) ...  his message was the inspiration for the above poster ... 

the thought he left at the end of his message on worry was: “Don’t worry about anything, Pray about everything” ...

by God’s grace, we can try to do that daily ... especially since we serve the God who is “I AM” ... He’s not “I WAS” – tomorrow is finished ... or “I WILL BE” – that is the future – but I AM, as in the present – so He gives us the strength for today ...

first post of the new year

well look at that ... it's the 11th already and all my thinking of posting haven't made it onto my blog ... i guess i better just tap tap away to remedy that ...

it's been a wonderfully mild start to the year ... today is the actual first wintery day ... it's blowing 'n snowing and just plain COLD out there ... we were due!!! 

yesterday when leo and i went to his doctor's appointment, i was wearing a light fall jacket and just so thankful that leo didn't have to venture out in below zero temps ... then to top off our 'good feelings' - when we walked into our small town clinic, the doctor was already there waiting for us - early - with leo's chart under his arm ... can you get any better than that???  i think not!

i hope that the new year has had a good start in your world too ... blessings on ya!!!

happy new year!

it really is true that as a person ages, the world spins faster and faster ... i just add my voice to everyone elses' and say 'i can't believe the year has ended' ...

my devotional reading for 2011 was Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest" ... each time i use that devotional - i am challenged in numerous ways to stretch and grow as a believer ... the devotional can be found on www.rbc.org as well ...

i'll close out my 2011 blog post with a shortened version of oswald chambers' last page of the devotional:

You shall not go out with haste, ... for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard"  (Isaiah 52:12)

Security from Yesterday.  God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.
Security for Tomorrow.  God's hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.
Security for Today.  Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him ...

blessings on my blog buds - old and new - in 2012 ... may Jesus be your security in all storms - and the centre of all your joys!

a new year approaches ...

i just finished watching the movie "soul surfer" ... wow!  i was so uplifted by the message that came through loud and clear ... it's amazing how the Lord turns adversity into opportunity ... sadness into joy ... and that He knows our load limit - and promises to limit the load!

blessings on you ...

the fullness of His time ...

nothing is ever by accident ...
           and everything is on time ...
                for those who wait on God's timetable ...

time of the year

this smiley snowman has a little bell on it's hat ... i love the way it makes a merry sound when i go out or come in ... very welcoming  ...

 i have this little reminder on my computer desk ... i look at it and smile ...

in the mornings, bits of light that i've hung around the windows give such a nice glow ... i drink my coffee and start the day with joyful (well usually!) anticipation ... i do like christmas time ... especially now that we have really simplified it ...

this year we plan on ordering chinese food for our celebration meal ... we used to go to my aunts but it's gotten too difficult for leo to do that and the smell of different foods cooking, really nauseates him - soooo we have changed our tradition to suit our current situation ...

besides, it's usually the little things in life that make a person glad ... example:  i washed the flannel sheets today and now i'm looking forwarding to crawling in between them ... these are sheets that i bought from costco recently - they were a good price and are soooo warm and comfy ...

Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. ~Augusta E. Rundel

christmas is still christmas ....

we have definitely downsized our life here at the condo ...  we also downsized our christmas decorating and even our christmas tree ... check out the baby one we have been using.

but don't feel too badly for us ... once upon a time we had over the top celebrations ... and over the top christmas trees - like this very first tree in the very first house we owned ... what fun we had trying to get the tree inside the house through the regular sized door!!!  there were pine needles all over the living room!!!  we called 2 of our burly neighbours over to help us lift it up ... we were able to nail supporting wires into the floor to keep it upright, since our flooring wasn't done yet ... our cats loved to lie under it's boughs and we were the most popular country home around for the kids!  they couldn't believe the size of the tree ... and indoors!

christmas's change ... and the size of our trees has changed too ... *smiling* ... but i can honestly say that each year my heart celebration grows and grows ... as long as i stay focused on the WORD that became flesh and  dwelt among us - my christmas spirit remains sweet ...

whatever stage you are at in your life ... i hope the JOY of this season ... and the wonder of it all ... brings that childlike excitement into your life!  Glory to God!

christmas past, christmas present

i miss christmas' past ... when we were able to gather with family - the noise, the children and wrapping paper strewn everywhere ... days that have gone by ...leaving only sweet memories and faded pictures as reminders ... 

these days, as christmas time quiets down for us, the stillness helps my cluttered brain settle on my heart celebration of Jesus'  ...  His redemptive visit to planet earth ... then i look to the future and think of His return visit ... thoughts that my earth bound mind has trouble visualizing  ... yet the spirit born within me, hums and thinks on these things ... angels singing, wise men bowing and lowly shepherds (that'd be me) kneeling with awe ... Jesus has come!

'tis the season ...

pic of our front door (taken last year - but as soon as i find the cute red elf from finland - it should look the same!) ... yup, 'tis the season ...

december brings so many rolling emotions into play ... happy, sad, excited and thankful ... there is that theme of thankfulness again ... though our celebrations are quiet now, compared to years past, somehow the child in me is always ready to come out - filled with joy and anticipation - and thankfulness that Jesus has given us the best reason to celebrate!!!!

5 years ago

would you believe that it's been five years since we became happy owners of our little condo?  it was answer to prayer and then some (here is the post with story http://saija.blogspot.com/2007/11/one-year-ago-today.html) ... i just look around me and KNOW that God does indeed answer  prayer and HE also gives us the desires of our heart ...

and before we even knew what our hearts' desired and needed ... God provided ... He gave us His own Son - so that if we believed in Him, we could become part of His forever family - i love the Christmas Season for reminders everywhere of God's love ... thank you Lord!!!!! 

a daily occurrence

in my life application bible this morning, one of the notes below psalm 61 asked:  "do you find something to praise God for each day?" ... what a good question ... what a good reminder ... do i?  i hope i do - maybe i will now make it a more conscious effort ...

our town beach ... with a blanket of snow - yet the water remains free from ice for the moment ... soon that will change and a freeze will occur - until springs warmth touches the land once more ...

our li'l buddy snoozing on the recliner, by leo's feet, while we watched tv church yesterday ... i'm glad he loves to snooze ... *smile*

thankfulness

happy thanksgiving to my american buds ... may God show you something special that you can be thankful for, something you may not have thought of before ...

i'm thankful for home and the land i call home ... canada is a real melting pot of different languages, races, ideas - yet somehow it is still working ... i pray that will continue ...

i was in the city on sunday/monday ... another appointment with the glaucoma specialist ... my eyes are still borderline high (re the pressure in them), but he says there is no damage and all looks well at the back ... he'll see me again in the spring and treat the eyes if the pressure changes ... this is all a new experience for me - yet i still feel thankful ... thankful for the doctor ... for my eyes, that they are still "fine" and thankful for my friends and family who provide a place for me to stay and also rides to the doctor (in case they dilate the eyes) ... i am continually humbled by the love, support and prayer on my behalf ...

sometimes thankfulness can be a sacrifice - like the psalm says, but if we make the sacrifice - i believe our God is pleased ...

be ye kind ...

poster from:  http://frankbroughton.us/blog/

11-11-11

we were just watching the rememberance day service from Ottawa ...

yes - we remember ...

and we thank the vets for allowing us the freedom to do so ...

may God bless them richly ...

same day pics

i don't usually have a sunrise

and a moon picture

for the same day ... it just worked out today - i happened to notice how lovely they each were ... just in different ways ...

i'm glad the Lord has set a definite span for each day ... if it's a good day, we want it to go on and on ... if it's a bad day, we are glad it's over ... then it all evens out for the many normal days inbetween ...  

the fall season continues to be a challenge for us ... i get a little of that seasonal sadness thing ... and leo gets more pain because it tends to be damp at this time of year ...

i was reading psalm 34 this morning and it encouraged me at the start of  the day ... "i will bless the Lord at ALL times .." ... and now at the end of the day... "the Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants; and none of them who TRUST in Him shall be desolate." ...

the safest place to be ... in God's Hands

in the poster making mode

it seems that everything i read ... and the pictures i have in my albums ... are coming together in a fun and hopefully blessed way these days ... :o)

just sharing with ya - once again!

p.s.  felisol asked if i took this photo ... yup, i did ... *smile* ... during my walk this week ... it was a peaceful, restful scene ...

pics of the past week ...

this was yesterdays' sunrise ... i always marvel at God's handiwork - His mercies are indeed new every morning ... if you look closer at the picture, you might notice the canada geese in the water ... they have been practising for their long trip south ... it has indeed gotten cooler - fall has arrived and snowbirds are flocking south ... my heart always says "take me, take me ... " ... winter is my least favourite month of the four ...

i made a new friend on thanksgiving ... this is my cousin's latest family member ... a cross between a brindle boxer and a lab ... she is only 7 weeks old, and mostly slept the day away while we all ohh'd and awwww'd over her!

more evidence of the arrival of fall ... our town beach, which had been full of kids and moms all summer, now stands empty ... it always looks so lonesome at this time of year ...

blessings on your sunday!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

²¹ And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
²² He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.

Daniel 2:21-22 (NKJV)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude produces more positive emotional energy

than any other attitude in life.

~ Hans Sely, father of stress studies.

Count your blessings, by Johnson Oatman Jr., pub. 1897

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   
   • Refrain:
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

we listened to People's Church in Toronto ... Pastor Charles Price had a terrific message on being thankful ... www.livingtruth.ca ... blessings on you all!