Every year, we have been reminded repeatedly to... Make room for Christ at Christmas!..Don't forget the real meaning of Christmas!....Remember it's not about the presents or food or partying!
I know all that... so I have determined this year, to JUST DO WHAT I KNOW to bring meaning into our celebrations and enjoy each and every activity to the max. I have been so blessed by the wonderful music of this season.... The outpouring of love from friends and family... The experience of working together with great people to present a drama for Christmas Eve...The beauty of the snow and lights and I don't care if my freezer isn't full of wonderful home baking.
Most of all, reflecting on the incredible fact, that God was willing to come to this crazy world to bring hope, love, joy and peace for someone like me, is Absolutely Amazing!
It's been one of the best.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Busy, Busy
Sometimes I chuckle when I hear myself and others, either bragging or complaining about how busy we are. (how silly) This last weeks snowfall was so beautiful, bright and quiet. Usually, we can hear fast traffic, but for just a short time the sound of an approaching car was slow, muffled, barely audible and q-u-i-e-t.
As I stood amid the snow with shovel in hand, it reminded me to take moments to reflect and be quiet in my spirit and whisper to God my praise, thoughts and feelings.
I love Christmas and I am determined to keep it that way. My own busy schedule is of my own doing, so I will not complain or brag about it, but enjoy each activity and event to the fullest.
As I stood amid the snow with shovel in hand, it reminded me to take moments to reflect and be quiet in my spirit and whisper to God my praise, thoughts and feelings.
I love Christmas and I am determined to keep it that way. My own busy schedule is of my own doing, so I will not complain or brag about it, but enjoy each activity and event to the fullest.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Hardwood vs. Lino
The lino in my house has several nicks in it. The pattern has little indentations that trap dirt and the only way to really clean it is with a brush on my hands and knees. I want to rip it out and replace it with hardwood. The cost would be a couple of thousand dollars. (This seems to be the trend these days) Afterall, the house is 13 years old and it's time for a new look, right? The practical side of me says, I could walk on this lino till the house falls down and it would still be OK.
Speaking of renovating.....
We have been discussing the upgrading of our church building with new office space, relocating the reception area for security reasons, moving the library, expanding the foyer, etc.
Of course there are various viewpoints on the subject.
When I read Exodus 25....instructions from God as to what should be used to construct the tabernacle, and I Kings 6-7 details of Solomon's temple, I wonder why the incredible cost, show & pomp.
There were tapestries, linens, onyx gems, imported cedar and acacia wood, gold overlays, bronze, silver, massive pillars, all fashioned by the finest of craftsmen. Unbelievable!
My wildest decorating imagination cannot envision, rationalize or warrant this kind of affluence. I'm sure there were needy widows, orphans, and poor people living nearby. So why such extravagance? Could it be that God deserved the very best?
Now, I certainly would not advocate this kind of over-the-top, lavish spending on our church building, yet we upgrade, change and maintain our homes with the latest decor to suit our whims or needs, but somehow consider it unnecessary in our (almost 30 year old) church facility.
Could we call this a double standard?
Speaking of renovating.....
We have been discussing the upgrading of our church building with new office space, relocating the reception area for security reasons, moving the library, expanding the foyer, etc.
Of course there are various viewpoints on the subject.
When I read Exodus 25....instructions from God as to what should be used to construct the tabernacle, and I Kings 6-7 details of Solomon's temple, I wonder why the incredible cost, show & pomp.
There were tapestries, linens, onyx gems, imported cedar and acacia wood, gold overlays, bronze, silver, massive pillars, all fashioned by the finest of craftsmen. Unbelievable!
My wildest decorating imagination cannot envision, rationalize or warrant this kind of affluence. I'm sure there were needy widows, orphans, and poor people living nearby. So why such extravagance? Could it be that God deserved the very best?
Now, I certainly would not advocate this kind of over-the-top, lavish spending on our church building, yet we upgrade, change and maintain our homes with the latest decor to suit our whims or needs, but somehow consider it unnecessary in our (almost 30 year old) church facility.
Could we call this a double standard?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
In the Still of the Night
It is 3:40 a.m. and my mind is on "rewind" over past events & racing with a list of things that I should do in the coming day, or should have done yesterday. Frustrating!
I have learned that the best antidote for this malady is to relax and take this time to allow God to speak to me in his still small voice....and read, worship and pray.
He reminds me of friends who need my prayers this very minute. So I lift up one who is crying out to God with constant pain, one who is wondering where God is, one who feels the loneliness after the death of his dearest, one who needs a job, one who is discouraged, one who is hoping for restored family relationships, one who needs discipline in studying, one who needs healing from past hurts, one who needs to come to faith in Christ, and one who is looking for that special man.
My spirit is calmed and I rest & sleep.
I have learned that the best antidote for this malady is to relax and take this time to allow God to speak to me in his still small voice....and read, worship and pray.
He reminds me of friends who need my prayers this very minute. So I lift up one who is crying out to God with constant pain, one who is wondering where God is, one who feels the loneliness after the death of his dearest, one who needs a job, one who is discouraged, one who is hoping for restored family relationships, one who needs discipline in studying, one who needs healing from past hurts, one who needs to come to faith in Christ, and one who is looking for that special man.
My spirit is calmed and I rest & sleep.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I Hate Halloween
I am so glad it is past again for another year. Several weeks before October 31st, I walked into my grocery store and was disgusted by this hideous figure of a life-sized man (marked down from $149.00 to $99.00) with an ashen-grey face, ugly teeth, in a long black cloak, leering at me with his vacant, sunken, evil eyes. Most stores were filled with all kinds of grotesque masks, axes, witches, devils, monster costumes, tombstones and countless other morbid items.
People were decorating their houses and front yards with a lot more than a few jack-o-lanterns. I had to drive by a house on my street that had several life-sized bodies hanging from the trees leading to the front door. Since I have gone through the agony of suicide in my family, believe me, that is not funny or appropriate. And this is supposed to be an event for children? There aught to be a law! Fireworks have been banned because of danger, and yet we are promoting something that is far worse..trivializing death, macabre activities and fear.
Halloween reeks of evil, dwells on death and yet it is the fastest growing holiday in North America. And people wonder why violence and killing is on the increase!
As Christians, we should have no part in this holiday and do our best to find wholesome alternatives for our children. God Help Us!
People were decorating their houses and front yards with a lot more than a few jack-o-lanterns. I had to drive by a house on my street that had several life-sized bodies hanging from the trees leading to the front door. Since I have gone through the agony of suicide in my family, believe me, that is not funny or appropriate. And this is supposed to be an event for children? There aught to be a law! Fireworks have been banned because of danger, and yet we are promoting something that is far worse..trivializing death, macabre activities and fear.
Halloween reeks of evil, dwells on death and yet it is the fastest growing holiday in North America. And people wonder why violence and killing is on the increase!
As Christians, we should have no part in this holiday and do our best to find wholesome alternatives for our children. God Help Us!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Water, Water, Everywhere
Marie's words were......
"I told my rebellious teen-aged son to move his stuff out of the basement because the Skeena River was threatening to flood its banks. He said, We have lived here for years, we've heard that before and it has never happened, and then he left the house. I moved as much as I could upstairs while friends came to sandbag, but it was no use. Helplessly, I watched the waters rise and seep into my basement and then rush in torrents under the door. What a hopeless feeling! "
"Days later I was finally allowed to approach my home by canoe. My basement was a mess of floating sewer back-up, water logged papers, mattresses, desk, clothing, etc." Despair.
MDS...Mennonite Disaster Service responded to this need. Teams of volunteers flew or drove to Terrace, B.C. to help the flood victims. John & I had just a tiny part in finishing the arduous job that had been done by many preceding volunteer groups, such as mucking out the soaked gyproc, carpets, wiring, plumbing, and walls, then reconstructing the framework, electrical, walls, doors, taping and mudding the new gyproc, then sanding and choking with dust.
My job consisted of filling nail holes, a bit of sanding and painting. Thanks to my encouraging friend, Dorothy, this task was actually enjoyable. John did some carpentry and finishing. He had to be quite creative in hanging doors into frames that had to be adjusted and fit into walls that were far from level or square.
Marie was so appreciative and pleased to see her basement finally finished, clean and new, after this long 5 months process. She could finally move down the displaced items that had been crowding her upstairs living space. She was so excited to do laundry again in her own home, after John & Peter connected her new washer & dryer.
A group of local dignitaries suggested a "wrap-up" event. With cake and gifts in hand, they came to the camp we were staying at, where many tearfully expressed their gratitude for the help and encouragement they had received... from utter despair to hope and a brighter future.
Special new friendships and good memories are a bonus gift.
We are to be Jesus' hands and feet here on earth. I pray that the testimony all of us left behind would have reflected God's love.
"I told my rebellious teen-aged son to move his stuff out of the basement because the Skeena River was threatening to flood its banks. He said, We have lived here for years, we've heard that before and it has never happened, and then he left the house. I moved as much as I could upstairs while friends came to sandbag, but it was no use. Helplessly, I watched the waters rise and seep into my basement and then rush in torrents under the door. What a hopeless feeling! "
"Days later I was finally allowed to approach my home by canoe. My basement was a mess of floating sewer back-up, water logged papers, mattresses, desk, clothing, etc." Despair.
MDS...Mennonite Disaster Service responded to this need. Teams of volunteers flew or drove to Terrace, B.C. to help the flood victims. John & I had just a tiny part in finishing the arduous job that had been done by many preceding volunteer groups, such as mucking out the soaked gyproc, carpets, wiring, plumbing, and walls, then reconstructing the framework, electrical, walls, doors, taping and mudding the new gyproc, then sanding and choking with dust.
My job consisted of filling nail holes, a bit of sanding and painting. Thanks to my encouraging friend, Dorothy, this task was actually enjoyable. John did some carpentry and finishing. He had to be quite creative in hanging doors into frames that had to be adjusted and fit into walls that were far from level or square.
Marie was so appreciative and pleased to see her basement finally finished, clean and new, after this long 5 months process. She could finally move down the displaced items that had been crowding her upstairs living space. She was so excited to do laundry again in her own home, after John & Peter connected her new washer & dryer.
A group of local dignitaries suggested a "wrap-up" event. With cake and gifts in hand, they came to the camp we were staying at, where many tearfully expressed their gratitude for the help and encouragement they had received... from utter despair to hope and a brighter future.
Special new friendships and good memories are a bonus gift.
We are to be Jesus' hands and feet here on earth. I pray that the testimony all of us left behind would have reflected God's love.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Keep Your Eye on the Mark
Call me crazy, but I love cutting the lawn. The lines must be straight so when the job is finished the pattern should be even, perhaps criss crossed or diagonal or back and forth.
This brings to mind what my Dad told me... It was a mark of great pride for the early Saskatchewan farmers to plow a perfectly straight furrow across an immense section of land. This, being done while walking behind a temperamental team of horses and a rickety plow, was no small feat. The secret was to choose a marker in the distance, keep your eye on it and keep walking straight toward it.
(I wonder if the modern day farmers, in their air conditioned,stereo equipped,computerized John Deere tractors still have to do that, or is it just a matter of pushing "cruise-control")
Jesus uses this analogy in Luke 9:62..."No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Wow!
The apostle Paul reminds us also to keep going, keep focused.
Philippians 3:14...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward what is ahead, toward the goal .....
Hebrews 12:1 & 2 ...Let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us, and fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
We start on our journey with Christ, but get so easily distracted by things that cause us to lose sight of the goal and the finish line.
If we could see our "life-furrow" from the sky, I wonder what kind of pattern would emerge?
This brings to mind what my Dad told me... It was a mark of great pride for the early Saskatchewan farmers to plow a perfectly straight furrow across an immense section of land. This, being done while walking behind a temperamental team of horses and a rickety plow, was no small feat. The secret was to choose a marker in the distance, keep your eye on it and keep walking straight toward it.
(I wonder if the modern day farmers, in their air conditioned,stereo equipped,computerized John Deere tractors still have to do that, or is it just a matter of pushing "cruise-control")
Jesus uses this analogy in Luke 9:62..."No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Wow!
The apostle Paul reminds us also to keep going, keep focused.
Philippians 3:14...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward what is ahead, toward the goal .....
Hebrews 12:1 & 2 ...Let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us, and fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
We start on our journey with Christ, but get so easily distracted by things that cause us to lose sight of the goal and the finish line.
If we could see our "life-furrow" from the sky, I wonder what kind of pattern would emerge?
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