... 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

today ... faith enough for today ...

i thought this was such a timely and spot-on reading from Springs in the Valley ... so i'm sharing with you guys ...

September 30

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" (Psalm 43:5)

The other evening I found myself staggering alone under a load that was heavy enough to crush half a dozen strong men. Out of sheer exhaustion I put it down and had a good look at it. I found that it was all borrowed: part of it belonged to the following day; part of it belonged to the following week - and here was I borrowing it that it might crush me now! It is a very stupid, but a very ancient blunder.
- F.W. Boreham.

You and I are to take our trials, our black Fridays, our lone and long nights, and we are to come to Him and say, "Manage these, Thou Wondrous Friend, Who canst turn the very night into the morning; manage these for me!"

Sparrow, He guardeth thee;
Never a flight but thy wings He
upholdeth;
Never a night but thy nest He
enfoldeth;
Safely He guardeth thee.

Lily, He robeth thee;
Though thou must fade, by the Summer
bemoaned,
Thou art arrayed fair as monarch
enthroned;
Spotless He robeth thee.

Hear, thou of little faith;
Sparrow and lily are soulless and dying;
Deathless art thou; will He slight
thy faint crying?
Trust, thou of little faith!
- R.G.W.

time time time ...

yikes ... the time has really flown by these past few days ... i have barely been online!

on monday, i took scooter in to be fixed ... poor little guy didn't know what was going on ... but he has certainly bounced back quickly! we hope that he quits his aggressive biting soon ... otherwise, he can be a sweet little guy ...

then on wednesday, we went to see leo's doc ... this is the new doc since april ... he will be moving to another town, but i think that we will stay put ... the clinic is only 2 streets away, and there should be someone there to take care of leo ... hope hope hope!!!!

today was our condo assoc meeting (of which i am secretary) ...

there just seems to be something happening all the time ... plus i have been really pooped out lately? fighting a cold, maybe? or is it fighting old age? *laughing* ...

a quick FYI for those of my blog buds who wonder what's up with me! hope to visit y'all soon!

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think,

all the walks I want to take,

all the books I want to read

and all the friends I want to see.

~John Burroughs

Psalm 27:13

that's what i love about the bible ...
it always gives us something to hope for!

blessings on your sunday!

chit chat

i was feeling restless yesterday ... the fall weather always brings that out in me ... so i decided to take a drive to our old neighbourhood ...

it is only 10 minutes from our town, yet when i drove over the narrow bridge - it felt like a different world ...

i had plans of visiting old neighbours ... we do keep in touch with them and enjoy their sweet friendship ... but no one was at home ... nor was anyone home at our former cottage (they live in the city and just come out on the occasional weekend) ...
so i parked the car on the road, and did a little walk about on that piece of land that had once been so familiar to us ... one which we had lovingly called home for over a decade ...

the trees we had planted were huge, making the yard feel quite private ... a secluded, mature property ...

and it truly felt odd to be in such a familiar spot - because it felt unfamiliar too ... it had once been a well loved spot, with much of our hard work still on display ... yet - it was definitely NOT home anymore ...

maybe when we get to heaven ... our real destination and our forever home, we will look back at our life on earth and feel the same way ... it was once a place we called home - but not anymore!

just sharing and thinking outloud ...

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.
Aim at earth and you get neither.
~C. S. Lewis

fears vs security

Let not your heart be troubled ... Jesus said that some 2000 years ago ... and we still need to be reassured in todays' climate of uncertainty ...

words of comfort are needed more and more as our world encounters upheavel on a daily basis ... i especially feel for our neighbours to the south - bank failures and natural disasters seem to be the norm rather than the exception...

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also ... again, Jesus reminds us of what is truly important ... our spiritual lives aren't temporary ... they are eternal ...

did you know?

the whole world is aware of the up coming election in the States ... the headlines and controversies are daily news ... it's all so addictive to watch ... i admit that - really fascinating drama ... plus, since we are neighbours, we pray that whoever is elected president - keeps our borders friendly ...

now i have to ask my american blog buds this question - did you know that we here in canada will also be going to the polls? to elect a new prime minister?

yup ...

tho' our process is quite different and much shorter ...

prime minister harper called an election last sunday (sept 7) ... we go to the polls on october 14th ... of this same year ... that means a little over 5 weeks of politicking ... we'd all be comatose if it lasted much longer!

we already know how we'll vote ... according to the polls, so do 3/4's of the folks contacted ...

just an FYI post for my non-canadian buds! ...

blessings on your weekend!

september 11th ...

7 years ago i was on my way to thunder bay ... to visit my dad who was dieing of cancer ... it was to be the last time i saw him ...

my cousin had offered to ride along - to keep me company for the 8 hour road trip ...

as we tuned into the radio morning news - the events of september 11th unfolded ... we listened in shock and horror ... even contemplated turning around and going home ... after all, thunder bay was so close the U.S. border ... and the U.S. was under attack ...

however, we decided to continue on ... i felt better after calling leo (cell phones are wonderful creations!) ...

such sadness and fear were created on that day ... 7 years ago ...

but days like 9/11 also bring our beliefs to the forefront and strengthen our faith in the One who never changes ... and is Eternal ... regardless of what happens here on earth ...

today my cousin and i will take a shorter road trip ... into the city ... i know we will be talking about that other trip ... and remembering ...

yes ... remembering ....

patio is full of ... flowers!

in july i shared a little picture of a lone petunia, blooming in the crack of our little patio ... now it's september ... see what the lone petunia started? ... it grew all on it's own ... and others followed suit ... i didn't plant a single flower that you see in the posted picture (i mean who would plant flowers in the cracks of a patio?) ... they just popped up! bright splashes of colour ... enough to cheer any heart ...

nature encourages me ... especially since i know the One who created it all ... He does very good work indeed! ...

and even though in life "stuff happens" - like leo's newest doctor, moving on and making us decide whether to follow him - or look for a 3rd new doctor - in 2 years . . . ? ? ? ? ... there is still a rhyme and reason to our lives, if we trust the Gardener ...

even though it looks odd to flower in unconventional areas - i think God loves placing bright colours in otherwise gray spots ... it encourages others to bloom ... maybe turn those gray areas into flower gardens ... flower gardens that God designed ...

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,
through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.
~George Washington Carver

fragile

life has been busier in my little world ... we have had some company - folks we haven't seen for a long time ... old friends from leo's healthier days ... and even from my high school years ... it was so much fun to touch base ... i so enjoyed cooking and baking for friends ...

we used to have quite a bit of company ... i miss that ...

but mostly i have been in a "non-mood" lately ... quite lethargic and lacking in motivation to do much of anything ... i have been reading good books - as always ... but i haven't had the concentration to pray as i did earlier in the summer ... life seems more fragile ... so there should be more urgency to pray - yet i'm in a cocoon ... or fog ... ? ... do you ever get like that? ...

for those of my blog buds who have asked me how i am ... i really am "fine" ... just trying to shake the "nothings" ... and claim God's promises to lift the fog ...

rest ...

picture taken in the laneway where i walk ...

loved ...

"Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." John 11:5

Jesus does not want all His loved ones to be of one mould or color. He does not seek uniformity. He will not remove our individuality; He only seeks to glorify it. He loved "Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."

"Jesus loved Martha." Martha is our Biblical example of a practical woman; "Martha served." In that place is enshrined her character.

"And her sister." Mary was contemplative, spending long hours in deep communion with the unseen. We need the Marys as well as the Marthas - the deep contemplative souls, whose spirits shed a fragrant restfulness over the hard and busy streets. We need the souls who sit at Jesus' feet and listen to His word, and then interpret the sweet gospels to a tired and weary world.

"And Lazarus." What do we know about him? Nothing! Lazarus seems to have been undistinguished and commonplace. Yet Jesus loved him. What a huge multitude come under the category of "nobodies"! Their names are on the register of births, and on the register of deaths, and the space between is a great obscurity. Thank God for the common place people! They turn our houses into homes; they make life restful and sweet. Jesus loves the common place. Here then is a great, comforting thought: we are all loved - the brilliant and the common place, the dreamy and the practical.

"Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."

- Rev. J.H. Howett, D.D.

"Does the wildflower bloom less carefully and are the tints less perfect because it rises beside the fallen tree in the thick woods where mankind never enters? Let us not bemoan the fact that we are not great, and that the eyes of the world are not upon us."

page 244 from August 28th's Springs in the Valley ...

* * * * * * * * * *

i loved the reading this morning ... i loved it because i needed to be reminded that God loves me - me, who lives a quiet life ... unknown ... simple ... yet, my life IS the Lord's ... to do with what He wants ... and if He chooses to mould me in this way - so that i can bloom for His eyes only ... then i rest in that ... there are many like me ... and each one IS beloved to the Lord ...

you know the saying "they broke the mould when they made you" ... well, i think that God broke the mould when He made me ... He broke the mould when He made you ... after each of us was made - the mould was broken ... so our lives may be "common place", but there is nothing common place about the child of God - we are well loved by our Father ...

Psalm 91:1

photo copied from web

scooter

we were outside, saying goodbye to our overnight company ... and look who was peeking through the screendoor, feeling all left out! ... he didn't cry, just stood at the door - probably making sure that they actually did leave!! ... scooter really got scrappy with the teenage son of my girlfriend ... you should have heard all the growling from this itty bitty critter!

after i changed the beds, we lost scooter for about 5 hours ... turns out he had hauled his weary little body under the covers and snoozed away the hours!

tonight he is playing with all his toys ... probably making sure that they are all accounted for! i think scooter is definitely starting to act like a spoiled only child ... yikes! we are creating a monster! ... but what a cute little munchkin type monster he is!

The smallest feline is a masterpiece. - Leonardo Da Vinci

book reports

we are just finishing off this terrific book by greg laurie

here is a quote from page 216:

"How do we reach the goal of becoming more Christlike? The answer is found in 2 Peter 1:3: "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." If God says you can do it, you can do it. The calling of God is the enabling of God. These words are not written to a group of spiritual elitists. They aren't directed to a special little holy club out there somewhere. They are to all people who call themselves followers of Christ.

Everything we need is given to us in God's Word. He has put everything there for our use. We cannot add to it. It doesn't say He has given to us some things that pertain unto life and godliness. It's not Jesus Christ plus emotional experience. It's not Jesus Christ plus psychology. It's not Jesus Christ plus this or that. It's Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. Everything we need to live a godly life is found in Jesus Christ and is taught to us through His Word. We need go no further. We don't need to find some self-proclaimed prophet to tell us his latest revelation (for a fee, of course). We need to apply the Word of God and realize that God's Word and power are sufficient. When we fail to see that, we sell God short."

i highly recommend "the God of the second chance" ... it had leo and i nodding "amen!" ... also, while in the midst of reading this book, we heard that greg laurie lost his eldest son to a traffic accident in late july ... we went to greg's website (http://www.harvest.org/greg/) and heard him preach - he impressed us as a man who was living his faith in the most difficult place a parent could possible inhabit ...

* * * * * * * *

for fiction reading, william p. young's book, "the shack" was absolutely absorbing ... it was easy to see why eugene peterson thought this book has the potential to encourage our generation like john bunyan's pilgrim's progress encouraged his generation ... i read it in 3 days ... and afterwards, felt like God had given me a hug ... i can't compare this book to anything else, because it stands alone ...

to read more go to http://www.theshackbook.com/

* * * * * * *

now it's back to the olympics - we have 13 medals at this point ... *smile* ...

focus ...

i snapped this photo last week ... from the dining room window ... and today i stumbled on a perfect quote ... isn't it good advice? ... now, to just try and put it into practice! ... blessings on ya ...

olympic break ...

just hanging out ... watching the olympics ... hoping that canada will win at least one medal (we're better in the winter games)!!!! finland has won a gold & bronze so far ... :o) ... just saying "hi" ...

Sport is where an entire life can be compressed into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime can be felt on an acre or two of ground, where a person can suffer and die and rise again on six miles of trails through a New York City park. Sport is a theater where sinner can turn saint and a common man become an uncommon hero, where the past and the future can fuse with the present. Sport is singularly able to give us peak experiences where we feel completely one with the world and transcend all conflicts as we finally become our own potential. ~George A. Sheehan

singing in the rain

August 9th reading from Springs in the Valley:


"His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Psalm 34:1

"I heard a joyous strain -
A lark on a leafless bough
Sat singing in the rain."

I heard him singing early in the morning. It was hardly light! I could not understand that song; it was fairly a lilt of joy. It had been a portentous night for me, full of dreams that did disturb me. Old things that I had hoped to forget, and new things that I had prayed could never come, trooped through my dreams like grinning little bare-faced imps. Certainly I was in no humor to sing. What could possess that fellow out yonder to be telling the whole township how joyous he was? He was perched on the rail fence by the spring run. He was drenched. It had rained in the night and evidently he had been poorly housed. I pitied him. What comfort could he have had through that night bathed in the storm? He never thought of comfort. His song was not bought by any such duplicity. It was in his heart. Then I shook myself: The shame that a lark has finer poise than a man!
- Rev. G.A. Leichliter

"Nothing can break you as long as you sing."

the harvest ...

Why do you wait, dear brother?

The harvest is passing away;

Your Savior is longing to bless you,

There's danger and death in delay.

~ Root

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

~ John 4:34-38

a prayer request (an exciting one!) from billy graham assoc. ... here is the e-mail:

Follow Franklin Graham’s Footsteps through North Korea

Billygraham.org and FOX News covering developments

Touching ground this morning [july 31, 2008] for an historic four-day trip, Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan’s Purse, is now visiting Pyongyang, North Korea. He is being accompanied by Greta Van Susteren of FOX News.

In addition to meeting with government officials and church leaders, Graham will visit medical, dental, and development projects. He will preach Sunday at the newly constructed Protestant Church in the capital city of Pyongyang.

Be sure to visit www.billygraham.org throughout the weekend for the latest news and features. The projected air date for “On the Record” with Greta Van Susteren is Monday, Aug. 4. Check www.foxnews.com/ontherecord to verify the specific date and time.