think on these things ...

i was just listening to a max lucado talk ... i can't really call it a sermon, it was just one of those informal types of encouraging chitchats he is known for ...  max was pondering about a hall of fame for scripture verses ... powerful ones like:  john 3:16, the Lord's prayer, Psalm 23 ... 

he wanted to add another to that illustrious list ... he nominated Philippians 4:4-8  ... he calls those verses the cure for anxiety ... 

my ears perked up and i took a good look at those verses again ... you see i have been bumping into them almost daily - and then some ... in fact, the above poster is one i used on my homemade calendar for February (homemade poster too!) !! ... 

i have had a heavy heart for a few months ... life hands out its fair share of sucker punches ... BUT GOD - knows all that ... in fact HE has prepared a word for any and every season in life we are going through ... 

i felt compelled to write in my blog ... to declare that the bible is more than a book ... it is a living Word, tailor made for those of us who long for the Presence of God to be with us through the hard times .... and through the sweet moments ... in fact through every moment in our lives ... 

read Max's nomination - Philippians 4: 4-8 ... and ... think on these things ... 

feeling thankful ...

i woke up - FEELING THANKFUL ... i gotta testify, GOD has been so good to me ... through it all, i would have no other - but Jesus ... my peace depends on HIM alone, not my circumstances ... to be saved, is to have it all ... 

drifting ...

Hebrews 2:1 says: "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it." ...

drift away ... it sounds relaxing, non-violent ... non-committal, an easy option ... it is also a real danger to any believer ... making the follower of Jesus blend in with the world ... 

our world is a world of compromise ... a world where having strong Christian values are viewed as being close minded, old fashioned and no fun ...

drift away ...

BE CAREFUL!...

does  your anchor hold?

What is love?

how can something written 2000 years ago, still ring so true today?  i think it's because God was the author of it - even though he used a man named Paul to pen it ... no one has yet to come up with a better description of what we imagine love to be ... what we dare hope it to be ... what Jesus came to show to us - It Is In Him!

trouble ...

it's the day of trouble that teaches me the most about the way i should live ... and if in that day of trouble, Jesus is my Lord  and i am committed to that fact ... then He will give me an underlying peace that helps me to endure ... until that trouble no longer troubles ...  

the GOD Who sees ...

God sees ... truly SEES ... our hearts, our actions ... HE knows the future, and sees our past ... HE is in our present ... why, oh children, do we fear or fret ... the wicked will one day get their reward and the down trodden will one day be lifted up ... HOPE in the God Who Sees ... the help of man is futile ... 

in quietness and confidence ...

reflections ... last week of january ... the quiet month ... asking God to be my confidence and strength as i journey on ... 

the battle is WON!

this verse speaks to me ... sometimes we are in situations where there is nothing we can do about it ... if people refuse to believe us, forgive us, or love us ... there is really nothing we can do to change their already made up minds ... BUT if Jesus lives within us ... He is the ONE who has won every battle for us - already!  He sits on the Father's right hand ... mission accomplished ... 

if you are a battle weary soul ... feeling at a loss because everyone has deserted you ... remember - stand still and see the salvation of the Lord ... because we do not need to fight in this battle if we are positioned in Him ... watch and pray, for your redemption draws near ... 

the Word is never chained ...

the WORD of  God is not chained, said  the Apostle Paul ... he penned those words while in prison ... irony of irony's ... though Paul was physically chained ... the living Word of God wasn't ... 

evil men thought to stamp out God's living, eternal Word ... how foolish ... 

and the world that neglects so great a salvation is still foolish ... 

read the Word - it has the power to transform your life!

january, the month that needs a bit of tweaking!

december is a month filled with hope, endless possibilities and good will towards others ... 

then january arrives ... 

reality looks bleak, life seems routine and if you live in middle canada - the weather is bitterly cold!  that is when we need to walk by faith, not by sight ... and ignore any discontent or ikkiness inside us and offer to God the sacrifice of praise ... 

it is not always easy to be grateful (even when we should be) or to give Jesus praise (even tho' HE is worthy) ... on those days the fragrance of a thankful word may be all that much sweeter to a God who is always attentive to us ... offer to Him the sacrifice of praise ...  this is what proclaims our allgiance to the only ONE worthy of that praise ... 

His banner over me is love ...

as we continue into the new year ... the unknown ... if God is  your Source of all things ... remember He is also the ONE who goes into this new year with you - already knowing what it holds for you ... the challenges, the joys, the trials and triumphs ... go with confidence knowing that HE will take care of you and always always always have your back ... HE is our High Tower ...

new years challenge

yes, please ... help me, Lord ...  may i be a woman who builds up, not tears down ... who praises more than she finds fault ... may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you Lord ... 

go with God ...

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'"

"And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.  That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.'"

~ King George VI on New Year's Eve 1939, the first months of WWII ..

O hush the noise ...

this quote from Edmund Sears sums up the season for me ... so much needless chatter about things that perish and that have no eternal value ... when will we ever learn to listen ... we need to still ourselves before the Lord and to hear the message that rang out clear from heaven 2000 years ago ... and still rings out ... the Saviour IS born!

God is not bound by time ...

In Jesus Christ, eternity embraced time ... 

so that those of us who are bound by time, 

may one day embrace eternity.  

~ David Jeremiah

light of the world ...

now is our opportunity to be a reflection of Jesus ... full of mercy, love, non-threatening, peaceful ... we cannot do anything about what people say or think ... our calling is to BE the light in our current darkness ... 

thank you Jesus ...

these are my poinsettias ... i've been enjoying them for 2 weeks now ... they remind me of Christ's sacrifice ... His blood shed for us ... yes, ESPECIALLY at this time of year - His atonement for my sins comes through all the tinsel, goodies and hype of the commercialism of what we  now call Christmas ... Jeremiah wrote "The Lord our righteousness" ... and immediately my own thoughts added:  has come ... 

thank  you Jesus for that GIFT of grace ... thank you that it is a universal gift ... thank you that YOU still speak to hearts, even though we wade neck deep in commercialism and unrealistic nostalgia ...

thank You for John 3:16 ...

reflection

i took this picture at our town beach this morning ... it reminded me that i want to reflect God like the calm waters reflect the morning sun ... may Jesus be seen in me ...

November share ... Max Lucado

for those of you, like me, who can be affected with seasonal sadness ... i want to share some uplifting thoughts from max lucado ... be blessed this month of november!

The most common word for “worry” is the Greek term: “merimnate.” The origin is “merimnao.” This is a compound of a verb and a noun. The verb is “divide.” The noun is “mind.” To be anxious, then, is to divide the mind. Anxiety chops up our attention, derails our purpose, and scatters our awareness in a dozen directions.

We worry about the past: what we said or did. We worry about the future: tomorrow’s assignments or the next decade’s developments. Anxiety takes our attention from the right now and directs it back then or up there.

The challenge is to keep our attention on the “right now.” Here is a resolve that I wrote and read often:

“Today, I will live today.
Yesterday is past.
Tomorrow is not yet.
I’m left with today.
So, today, I will live today.

Relive yesterday? No.
I will learn from it.
I will seek mercy for it.
I will take joy in it.
But I won’t live in it.
The sun has set on yesterday.

The sun has yet to rise on tomorrow.
Worry about the future? To what gain?
It deserves a glance, nothing more.
I can’t change tomorrow until tomorrow.

Today I will live today.
I will face today’s challenges with today’s strength.
I will dance today’s waltz with today’s music.
I will celebrate today’s opportunities with today’s hope.

Today.
May I laugh, listen, learn, and love today.
And, tomorrow, if it comes, may I do so again.”

Leave your problems with God. He does not need our help, counsel, or assistance. (Please repeat this phrase: I hereby resign as ruler of the universe.) When he is ready for us to re-engage, he will let us know.

© Max Lucado
November 2015

God's promise ...

another blog anniversary rolls around ... it is 11 years since i first began sharing my life and faith in this manner ... i feel blessed by the friends i've made ... and  shared life experiences  ... God is good ...

i snapped the above picture 2 weeks ago, during a walk in the neighbourhood ... and the verse is from Isaiah ... indeed, our Heavenly Father would never forget His own ...

blessings on all who stop by ...

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving 2015

we've enjoyed a balmy thanksgiving weekend up til now ... today the winds are gusting to 80 clicks - so i'm thankful i took this photo yesterday when the leaves were still on the tree!  LOL!!!

thankfulness is something i try to practice daily ... and being thankful for God's grace through Jesus - is where it all starts.

blessings to all who may stop by!

be prepared ...

i'm so glad that we have eternity to look forward to ... we are a prepared people, for a prepared place ... i get so impressed with the sunrises that meet my eyes in the morning (this being one of them, pic taken this summer) ... and the God who created the sunrise, has also created a home for those in Jesus ... how absolutely cool is that?!!!!  David Jeremiah said that "the days of surface faith and cowardly christianity are soon coming to an end."  yet, even if there will be bumps  in the road, the destination will have us forgetting the hardships - and rejoicing in the realities of heaven ... be blessed ...

do not be discouraged ...

i think discouragement is a sneaky emotion and state of mind ... just when we think "yes, we ARE victors!" ... then negative thoughts sneak in and knock the rah rah out of our enthusiasm ... once again, we need to re-focus on HIM who is the only Victor in this earthly battle against sin and defeat ... and it is only IN HIM that we can truly lay hold of that victory  ... thank you Lord, for always picking me up, when emotions want to trump reality - the reality that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour right to the end of days.

and Jesus said, Come ....

our generous God ... offers life everlasting to all those who "COME" ... He never forces belief on anyone, it is a gift prepared for each - please unwrap ... drink deeply of the waters of life today ....

i wait for the Lord

every morning as i read HIS word, i expectantly wait for HIM ... wait for HIM to work through me ... wait for Jesus to walk with me ... wait for my life to be lived for HIM ... that is my prayer in the morning ... and at the end of the day ... i give HIM thanks ... because i know that i will again watch for the morning, as my soul waits for the LORD ... 

labour day ...

a tranquil scene from the bed and breakfast i stayed at a few weeks back ... in northern manitoba ... God has oasis' pockets all over this world, doesn't He!!!  of course i had to make a poster out of it!  blessings on ya!

Behold!

what a time we live in ... what a God we live for!!!

worry? why?

"pray and let God worry." ~ Martin Luther

Resting Calmly

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" ~ Jesus (recorded in Luke 12:25-26)

salvation to those who are waiting ...

how does this verse make you feel?  i find it a good spiritual barometer ... it helps me get in synch with the reality to come ... Jesus return!  

O Lord, do not put me to shame ..

teach us to number our days ... grow in us a heart of wisdom ... let our every thought be in line with  your Word ... may The Church be a sweet fragrance to you, O' Lord ...

AND ... even so, Come Lord Jesus ...

teach us to number our days ... that we may gain a heart of wisdom ...

this passage, though written by Moses - centuries ago ... applies to our hearts, at this time ... 

God's Word IS timeless ... with truth that resonates all throughout history ... 

Isaiah ...

this verse gives me comfort ... even tho' it was first spoken to Israel, i still feel a connection with the Words ... i am HIS ... always ...

grace that is sufficient ...

no one understands my heart like Jesus does ... lead me to the ROCK that is higher than i!

I know Whom i have believed in ...

this picture was taken while flying over the Canadian Rockies a few weeks ago ... i love to fly ... it is wonderful to think of how God has made all this beauty ... and even though we as humanity try to muck things up ... God will restore and remake it - One day ... until then, Jesus is our Mediator ... the One to Whom i run ...

Sunday blessings ....

Blessings on your sunday ... read up, pray up, so we can be the light of the world ... for Jesus ...

Easter Sunday, 2015

it is Resurrection Day ... thank you Jesus!!!  so very glad HE loved us ... that much ... WOW!

low in the grave He lay ... Jesus, my Saviour ...

it's that time again ... when those of us who are Jesus followers, think of His sacrifice ... and are humbled and grateful ...

Easter IS coming!

Jesus WON over death ... over sin ... over everything that drags down the  human spirit and doesn't allow us to worship GOD in truth and in deed ...

EASTER is coming!!!

imperfection and God's perfect plan ...

as i watched the sunrise this morning ... i was once again aware of my own fallible efforts ... the good that I want to do, and the good that gets done - are sometimes 2 different things ... then there is God's timing ... i smiled to myself as i read my morning devotions, as i was once again reminded, that God uses imperfection in His work ... as i live out my life in His grace and mercy ...

timelessness of GOD ...

words that are thousands of years old ... yet with a truth that is timeless ... 

one short hour ....

oh, this world we live in ... the wars, rumours of war ... where wrong is declared right and right is declared wrong ... we live to please ourselves and forget Who created us to please HIM ... i wonder when God will say, "ok, enough is enough - the end begins ... "

when the light shines, take notice ...

Thank God for His light ... that illuminates the way ... 

teach us to number our days ...

Psalm 90 is always an encouraging read ... this morning, verse 12 reminded me of the brevity of life ... so i made a poster, using a picture i took in 2012 of the sunrise at the town beach ... just sharing ...

what you put in the well, comes up in the bucket ...

we listened to an excellent message by Charles Stanley this morning ... he was talking about how our minds are the control tower of our thoughts and actions ... it reminded me of Philippians 4:8 ... we need to feed our minds and think on good things ... and also to filter our thoughts through God's Word ... it's the basics that i may forget from time to time ... a reminder to myself!

the fruit of the spirit is love ...

for such a time as this ... 
the message of Jesus is peaceful and full of love ...

warning ...

we are starting off January in the red ... as this screen capture of environment canada clearly shows  ... the extreme weather alerts cover the land ... it's good that these warnings are there ... otherwise, how will the traveler know to prepare? 

these warnings made me think of God's word ... the bible ... we have been able to read the warnings for humanity, if they don't turn to GOD ... the Father even sent His own Son, Jesus ... who gave us the way (John 3:16) to escape the extreme conditions that will hit the planet earth one day (soon?) ... yet many have not heard ... don't care ... won't believe ...  

just like the person who goes on a trip, gets caught in bad weather and says no one told them ... YES THEY DID ... but we all have to search out the information ... the warnings are everywhere ... everywhere ... and only the wise listen, then act upon it ...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:16-17

Happy New Year!

new year's a coming ...

greetings on a crisp, post Christmas day ... it went down to -29C last night, but warmed up to a more comfortable -22C ... though it could go up 10 more degrees and i wouldn't complain ... ha!  i had to put my whole winter garb on for my walk ... 

just getting dressed took me almost 10 minutes ... long johns, ski pants, columbia turtleneck, lace-up boots, hat, mitts ... then to take a picture meant i had to remove my warm mitts ... but it was all fun and manageable ... i counted my many blessings as i walked, ready to greet a new year soon ... 

so for those who may pop by this poor neglected blog, may God find you in 2015 ... and may you grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ... 

JESUS was born in the fullness of time ...

"fullness of time" ... i like that phrase ... to me it says that God has a plan in place ... He has always had things mapped out ... well thought out, well executed ... a plan that took 100's of years to bring to fruition ... He gave us hints through the pages of the old testament ... prophecies ... interspersed by centuries ... then it all fell into place ... no coincidences with God ... 

i am celebrating the birth of my Saviour ... and also looking for the return of Jesus, the One and Only ... searching through the pages of the new testament ... hoping it will happen in my lifetime, but knowing it will happen in God's perfect time ... life is interesting ... the bible makes it more so!

Joyous Christmas greetings ... for unto us is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour - who is Christ the Lord!

gift of God ...

reminder to self ... if i forget that it's all about Jesus, then i have forgotten the most important part of Christmas ...