MY SUMMER PRAYER

Thank you God for the summertime. Thank you for good family camping interaction with the energy of youth and the laughter of children. Thank you for family reunions.

Thank you for the mix of sunny & rainy weather. Thank you for books written by inspiring writers, who opened my mind and imagination to new (aha) thoughts and transported me temporarily into another world. Thank you for reminding me of your never-ending forgiveness and love while reading "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. Thank you for special moments of meditation in your holy word. Thank you for the chance to worship in that tiny little country church at Grindrod. Thank you for reminding me to trust you more during scary moments, (which I'd rather not repeat, please). Thank you for breath-taking scenery of lakes, mountains, flora & fauna. I stand in awe of your greatness. Thank you for protection on the busy highways. I am so blessed and I thank you, thank you, Lord. Amen.

How is your "Weltanschauung"?

This German word, "Weltanschauung" (pronounced..Velt-an-show-unk) means a persons world view or outlook on life. We can choose to look at daily happenings from a positive or negative perspective.
We have been blessed with a daughter who sees the positive view point in almost every situation. Back in her teen years, she would come home from a party or a school function or youth meeting, and give me an animated rerun of the event, the fun things they had shared. Then when I spoke to other parents about the same events later, I would often hear negative comments and impressions. I remember thinking, "Are we speaking about the same thing?"
She is still that way, even though her life has not been an easy street.

Our attitude toward life determines the quality thereof, affecting our relationships, friendships, health, etc. etc. It is seen in how we work together with people, how we respond to authority, how we treat the property of others, how we respond to disappointments or setbacks , and I could go on and on.
Years ago I heard Lucy Swindoll speak. She stressed,"Experience the moment, enjoy the good, learn from the bad, because it will never happen exactly like this again. Look for the humor in situations. This is life, not a rehearsal for the real thing."
I am often amazed, blessed and encouraged by friends who have a positive, caring attitude even in the midst of their own pain and hardships.

I tend to see the negative side of things too often, but I am trying to remember what my daughter says...."Is your cup half empty, or is it half full!" It all depends on your "Weltanschauung".

I Lift My Hands?

If you pass me on the highway, and see me waving my arm in the air, I could be saying "Hi" or having my own private little worship party in my car.
I love to crank up the volume of a good song and lift my voice and hands in praise and prayer. Depending on the day, I could be smiling broadly or crying. This has prompted some very strange looks from other drivers.

When the heart overflows with emotions of gratitude, sadness or love, it is natural to respond in a physical way. Something special happens when I am physically engaged in the act of worship by clapping to the rythm, dancing to the music or raising my hands. It is wonderful and freeing. So why do I have a problem?

I grew up in a wonderful church where this kind of "show" was frowned upon, yet the singing was very hearty, awesome, worshipful & sincere. Once in a while we would hear a loud "Aaamen" in response to a good song or a particular point in the preacher's sermon that needed a little added emphasis.

Many wonderful, godly people who influenced my life would have been very offended by any physical activity during the service and I respected that.
There was a sense of awe and reverence which was beautiful and intimidating at the same time. Therefore, this is still a sensitive area for me in the corporate worship setting now.

Whether we kneel, fall flat on our face, sit, stand, remain motionless, clap, cry, dance, shout "hallelujah", or raise our hands...God sees the heart and he loves to see & hear the praises of his people. PTL

Oh Canada!

Every July 1st I think of my mother-in-law. She would say, "Canada is a wonderful country. Here they don't shoot people!" (in the sixties, shootings were still a rarity in their safe little Mennonite town of Clearbrook)

Stories of her younger years are etched in my mind. She told of the Bolshevik revolutionary army and Stalin's soldiers marauding through Russia's countryside, riding into villages on horses, taking whatever and whomever they pleased.
At the end of the one street in her village near the Dnieper river, was a meeting house. Word spread that a special preacher was holding evangelistic meetings there. She felt a tremendous compulsion and need to go. Against the permission of her parents she went, and was so convicted of her need to make a choice to follow God, that she yielded her life to him, no matter what the cost. Her mother was very angry with her, but she had found a peace and joy that nothing could erase.

Soon she would gather neighbourhood children together and tell them Bible Stories. While doing this one day, loud shouting warned her that soldiers were approaching. In fear she ran with the children and helped them hide in the bushes near the river, hushing them to keep silent, as they listened to wild horses and raucus men thundering through the village. Thankfully, they were not discovered. These soldiers often helped themselves to the little food they had left.

Another graphic story I will never forget.....
She recalls an instance when ten men were ordered to stand in a line and the soldiers used them as shooting targets, killing them one by one. The last man was so frightened that he tried to run. One of the horsemen rode after him and with one fell swoop of the sword instantly decapitated him.

The soldiers raided again and again, tearing fathers & young boys from their families, raping women and young girls. Many were forced into hard labor in Siberia or thrown in prison, never to be seen again. Smallpox and tuberculosis were rampant, so death was a common occurence.
Imagine a young child witnessing such scenes and .. there was no such thing as trauma counselling. They just had to live with these kind of life-long horrific nightmares.

Many, many more stories of her escape from Russia are unbelievably amazing. Her trust in God was her strength.

She laughed as she recalled... while staying in a refugee camp, they were hesitant to eat macaroni for the first time because they looked like worms.

She told of the terrible, long sea voyage to Canada in a freighter, arriving in Montreal, seeing snow for the first time in Winnipeg and working as a maid for rich English folks, learning a new language and culture, then marrying a poor prairie widower with six children.

But here she had found a land of freedom. No wonder she loved Canada! She lived to the age of 100 years old.
So I raise my beautiful Canadian flag in thankfulness to God and in memory of her, I say, "Canada is a wonderful country!"

WHY??

Our three year old grandson and his mother were looking at a kids Bible Story book. He really wanted to know why people would do such an awful thing....kill Jesus. That started a conversation which explained that Jesus loved everybody in the world so much that he died to forgive all the bad things that they have done. In simple faith he asked Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart & life. :)

Matthew 18: 2-3 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said,"I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven."

The next day he was playing lego with Grandpa, and looked out of the window and said, "It's a beautiful world." He noticed the bright sunshine
(yes, indeed! we have seen the sun) the colors of the blue sky,
the fresh yellowy green leaves of the locust tree and the
red geraniums in the window box.
After a few moments he asked, "Why are there bad people in the world?" In his little mind the two things just didn't go together.

It's hard for me, as an adult, to comprehend why people find twisted pleasure in causing suffering and heartache, ruining and destroying such beauty and tranquility by their evil deeds & selfishness, all for a few moments of temporal power or wealth. Try to explain that "Why" to a deep-thinking, little three year old kid.

I've Had My Moments

A song by 'Emerson Drive' tells the story of a young man watching a homeless man crawl out of a cardboard box. The dirty, disheveled man shrinks from the look of disgust and pity, then turns to the young one and says,

"I haven't always been this way.
I've had my moments, I was second to none,
I've had my moments, my days in the sun.
Moments, when I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do,
Lookin' at me now you might not know it
But, I've had my moments."

Within each sad, disturbed person, there is a story we don't care to hear.

As I work and interact with residents at the Seniors Rest Home, they express frustration about not being able to remember things, walk, take a bath or find their own room.
They remind me, "I wasn't always this way. I was a farmer, a bus driver, a teacher, a mother of eleven children, a minister. I could do things!...I've had my moments. Please don't laugh at me. Please be patient with me."

Every person longs to be treated with dignity and respect. In God's eyes, their worth is no less than yours and mine.

The Waiting Room

Waiting is so hard, especially in our fast-paced style of life.

Line-ups at the checkout counter, at the traffic light, at the border crossing, in the airport, at the bank, in a doctor's office... all test our patience, as the saying goes, "Drive us Crazy".

Sadly, many people are waiting most of their life for something else or hopefully something better than the present.
A twelve year old can hardly wait to be sixteen. The student can hardly wait to graduate. The graduate is waiting for a call after a job interview. We're waiting for the perfect person to marry. A bride is waiting for the wedding day. Parents are waiting for the baby to arrive. Soon they are anxiously waiting for their teenager who is staying out way past the set curfew. Then they wait for grown children to leave the nest. Then they can hardly wait to retire.
Too late, we realize that we missed the NOW. We want to get on with life, but this is life.

A few days ago I visited my 95 year old Great Aunt Louise, a gracious, godly lady who has suffered for years with arthritis and osteoporosis. She is waiting to die and longing for heaven.
"I think God has forgotten about me." she said.

An email from my brother said that Check-ups showed that the Cancer has come back and he needs to go for more tests. He said, "We are in God's Waiting Room again."

If we had a choice, we would not choose this waiting room, but many lessons can be learned only in that room.

David, the Psalmist must have had "waiting room" experiences when he said, "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and set my feet on solid ground. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God."

There are many, many beautiful verses in the Bible about "waiting". How many can you find?