Confirm The Work of Our Hands

As Though The Curtain Parted

2012-01-29T08:55:00.004-07:00

Last week, as I read my devotions (I have been fairly disciplined in that so far this year), I came across a couple of sentences that really spoke to me. They said:

Don't waste energy regretting the way things are or thinking about what might have been. Start at the present moment - accepting things exactly as they are - and search for My way in the midst of those circumstances.*

When I read those words, it was as though the curtain parted and I could now see what I couldn't before.

For several years now, I've often thought and wished that I still had those same feelings of wonder and excitement that often accompanies a Christian when s/he first accept Jesus as Saviour. It's the time when you feel invincible, that nothing and no one can deflate the swelling of your heart as it fills to overflowing with desire to be like Jesus, to make Him proud of who you are, and the fire burns bright and strong.

I wish I could say that I know the exact moment or time when the fire diminished,but I can't. Along the dimly lit path I walked, I was aware of becoming tired and worn out. I wondered if I was actually following the Lord's leading, or if I was setting off down the road and leading myself.

I grew weary. I held back. And instead of calling out for support from the One who leads, it seems as though I let Him go on ahead while I sat to catch my breath. Now, I know that He does not go off ahead and leave us behind; He stays with us and waits. He's there to help carry us, to guide us, to lead us. But my problem is, I don't think I ever accepted His help in that matter. I never asked. And it felt like He left me on my own.

I think what I did was to try and carry on my way on my own merits. I didn't stop to say, "Hey, I'm a little winded here. Can you help me along?" or "Carry me until I catch my breath again." Think of a little child walking beside her father. She's tired from the journey so he reaches down, picks her up, and carries her until she gets her strength back. That's how I felt...only I tried to keep up the pace without being carried. It didn't work very well. And, there are still times in my life when I feel that way - tired and weary on this path.

In the last couple of years I have often thought, ""If only I felt the way I did in the beginning; If only I had the fire I had back then." And that's really the crux of my situation.

I shouldn't be thinking about what it was like then. That's the past and there is nothing I can do about it. If I'm living in the past, I'm certainly not living in the here and now - and certainly not putting my focus on what I could/can be doing for the Kingdom.

As the devotion says, "things are they way they are now" and I need to seek the Lord in my current situation and take it from there. Start fresh and anew. I can't get the past back, and I certainly won't get the fire ignited again if I don't tend to it.

I need to discipline myself into not thinking/worrying about the past, and put my focus on today. God can do great things in and through me if I'd only let Him. And by focusing on the past, I'm not allowing Him to work in my life.

Do you focus on the past, present or future?

* Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, page 23

His Selfless Act Touched My Heart

2012-01-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday.

When my students found out a week and a half ago that my birthday was coming up, a couple of them asked if we could have a party for it. I said, "Sure, why not." Then the planning began.

"What kind of cake do you like?" One of my grade four girls asked.

"Chocolate, vanilla, or marble." I replied.

The following week I was asked if it was OK if cupcakes were made instead of a cake, because the cake wouldn't be big enough for everyone in the class to get a slice. So, I agreed that cupcakes would be the better choice.

Fast forward to yesterday. A few of my students walked in, wished me a happy birthday and gave me some gifts. Two of them said I'd get my gift from them at the end of the day. Things progressed normally, but during the last class of the day, I received my surprise.

I had taken the 4s up to the computer room (it was our scheduled computer class) to help them get a feel for what the computer portion of their upcoming test was going to be like. When we came back to the class (which would be normally the time for the 3s to go up, as all the students can't be in the class at the same time or the computers don't seem to work), the kids ran ahead of me and I warned them about not running in the halls...again.

As I rounded the corner to my class, I could hear one of them shout, "She's coming!" and someone else requested for others to hide. When I walked in the classroom, they all jumped out (though I could see one of them crouching behind a desk and another trying to hide in a floor level cupboard) and shouted, "Surprise! Happy Birthday!"

The girls "in charge" had been disciplined enough for a week and a half to organize and prepare to give me a little party. They got together to make cupcakes, had some people bring in treats/snacks, and they came up with a very sweet present for me.

These girls (the ones in charge of making the cupcakes) disappeared to the school kitchen to get them, where they had been hid from my view all day, and delivered a specially decorated one for me...and everyone else got one as well. There were a few left over so they took them up to the principal and a couple of others. They also handed me a heart-shaped box in which they had placed birthday messages they had written for me.

It was all very touching, and they certainly spoiled me!

One of my grade 4 boys handed me a homemade card he had been working on during the week. When I opened it, it said to me, "Do you know what I wanted to put in the card? I asked my mom, but she said no because I am saving for a dirt bike." So, I asked him what he wanted to put in it. "I wanted to put $5 in your card because you are saving for a car."

How touching is that! The day before, he had stayed after school to get some extra help with math and we had talked some. He told me he was saving to buy a dirt bike, and I told him I wanted to start saving so I could get a car (since I don't have one here and it's very annoying to not have one).

What a generous boy! He wanted to take some money from his dirt bike savings to help me save for a car. "You don't have to give me your money." I said.

"But I wanted to." He grin was a mile long.

This nine year old boy's selfless act really touched my heart. In a world that seems to be filled with kids always wanting for themselves (not all are like that, but there are many...and adults too), this boy wanted to take $5 from his dirt bike savings and help me. As I said, it was a very touching thought.

Have you ever been surprised for your birthday?

Doing It All At Once

2012-01-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking, lately, about my One Word 365 word - discipline.

You see, I tend to be a perfectionist in many aspects of my life and since deciding to take part in One Word 365, I had this overwhelming urge to apply it to every single part of my life...all at once.

Talk about setting myself up for failure!

There is no way that I can be disciplined in every single thing in my life all at once. If I do that, then I won't fully apply the discipline I need. Basically, it would only be done in a half-hearted manner, or I would only do it for a short time before moving on to something else. In the end, I wouldn't really be disciplined at all.

So, right now I am trying to focus on becoming disciplined in a few areas at a time. The first area is in my Bible reading and devotions. As I've mentioned, that hadn't been going too well for me for some time. However, since January 1st when I started OW365, I've read my Bible and a devotion each day. That's 15 days. It's not much, I know, but it's a start.

And that's the important thing - to start. You have to start somewhere, and you're not going to become an "expert" at anything if you don't take those first steps and start whatever it is you are trying to discipline yourself with/at.

Once you start, you need to keep going. Don't give up. Keep doing it until it becomes second nature. If you mess up and miss a day or two, don't give up - start over.

As I mentioned above, I'm not going to work on everything I want to discipline myself at all at once. If I do that, I know I will give up after a short while. Why? Because If I'm not "perfect" at everything from the get-go, then I'll end up feeling like a failure and just stopping everything. I'm only human, and I can only do so much at once.

Now, with some of the areas in my life at which I want to be better disciplined, I can do more than one thing at a time (such as with the Bible readings and devotions...I can work on other things while doing that as well since it doesn't consume every waking moment of my life -gasp!). So, I am also working at becoming more disciplined in my classroom - staying later and doing my work there rather than bringing it home and maybe not getting everything done that I should for the next day (or waiting to finish it up the next day). I can tell you that by doing this (staying later), I feel much more confident in my next day's lessons and I don't feel as stressed out because I can relax once I get home - even if I am now staying until 5:30 each day (school gets out at 3:00). There are some things that I will still have to do at home even after staying for 2 1/2 hours after work, but at least those things don't stress me out.

I can also work at disciplining myself to eat healthier and get some exercise while working on other things. So, I've been taking little steps with this area. I'm trying to consciously eat more fruit and vegetables and less processed foods (so far this hasn't been working as well as I had hoped, but I'm not totally disciplined in this area yet - it's something to continually work on), and walk more - which is a lot easier since I don't have a car now (not my choice, since where I now live it is not very easy to get around without a vehicle...something to save/work for).

Like I said, I'm taking little steps and not trying to do everything all at once. I'm making a list of things that I want to accomplish, things at/in which I want to be more disciplined and not trying to tackle it all at once - after all, there are still 350 days left in the year (or is this a leap year?)!

How are things going with your One Word 365 so far this year?

And They Thought I Was Cool

2012-01-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today in Bible class (I teach grade 3/4 in a Christian school), we began a series of lessons on Jesus' miracles. Following the suggestion in the teacher's guide for the curriculum, I conducted an object lesson to talk about this subject.

What I did was take a glass jar with a smallish opening and place some shredded paper (not a lot) inside. Next, I lit a match and placed it inside the jar and placed a hard boiled egg on top of the opening (the jar opening is smaller than the egg). Within moments, the egg was sucked inside the jar! The kids were totally amazed and in awe of what happened. I told them that I had performed a miracle. And they thought I was cool.

Once the actual lesson began, we talked about Jesus and his miracle of turning the water into wine (His first miracle). We talked about how the egg experiment is not actually a miracle because it can be explained with science. You see, fire needs oxygen to burn, and with the egg on top of the bottle opening, it soon prevents oxygen from entering the bottle, and the flame goes out. And, due to the vacuum effect produced in the process, the egg is sucked into the bottle.

The thing with Jesus' miracles, however, is that they can NOT be explained with science. A miracle is a supernatural occurrence, and there is nothing that can explain how they occur. How can you explain water turning into wine? How can you explain spitting in dirt, applying that to a blind man's eyes, which causes him to be able to see?

You can't. That's why it's a miracle.

After my explanation at the end of class, I highly doubt the kids thought I was cool since I hadn't actually performed a miracle for them. I'm sure if I could perform miracles, the kids would probably ask for no school and no homework forever (or something similar). Poor kids, they'll just have to suffer with having to go to school - and having homework.

Have you ever witnessed a miracle? Have you performed a miracle? If so, what was it?

True Dependence

2012-01-05T06:05:00.000-07:00

I read something interesting this morning in my new devotional that I wanted to share. It said, "True dependence is not simply asking me to bless what you have decided to do. It is coming to me with an open mind and heart, inviting me to plant my desires within you." (page 6 of Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

So often we (and I include myself in this) decide to do something or work at/on something. We begin working away and then pray and ask God to bless it. Quite often we don't pray and seek what God wants us to do, what He desires for us; instead, we take the plunge first and ask for blessing after. That is totally backwards for us Christians.

We need to seek the Lord first, find out what what He wants us to do, where He wants us to go, etc. After all, it's not about us, about what we want. It's about what He wants. God wants us to do His work, obey His will for our lives. When we set out to do our own fill and fulfill our own desires and then seek God in the matter, we are not depending on Him.

I'm not saying that God won't necessarily bless the things we do, even if we don't seek His will at first, but know that when we are in His will, when we are fulfilling the dreams and desires God has planted in us, He will definitely bless that. If you seek God's will, follow the dreams/desires He has given you, it shows that you are depending on Him and not yourself.

I know I am guilty of putting the cart before the horse, running off ahead and then asking Jesus to catch up, or asking for God to bless my desires rather than what He desires for me. I want to be more disciplined in seeking God's will first, following His desires for me over my own. I'm not even always sure if what I desire is what He desires for me, but that is something I need pray about, something I need to work at.

Do you truly depend on God, or are you like me and tend to run off ahead and then ask for His blessings?

Is It A Habit?

2012-01-03T20:27:00.001-07:00

They (whoever they are) say it takes 30 days to make something a habit. I wonder if making yourself disciplined in one or more areas in your life is the same...or maybe discipline is just really another habit?

If creating discipline is like creating a habit, then I've only got 27 more days to go! It's day 3 and I am feeling drained tonight. But that might just be because I only got about five hours of sleep, started back to work today (after the Christmas break) and left at 5:30.

I've got a couple more lesson plans to do up tonight, for tomorrow, but I'm feeling like I might need to go to bed early. I want to be prepared for tomorrow, so I think the best thing to do is just work at the lesson plans and come up with something - and pray for the energy, clarity of mind and the perseverance and discipline to finish it up before going to bed.

I Looked Up The Meaning

2012-01-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

I decided that I would start off my One Word 365 by looking up the meaning of my chosen word, discipline.

According to dictionary.com, one of the meanings of this word is: to bring a state of order and obedience by training and control. This meaning is more suited to what I was thinking of accomplishing this year through One Word 365, though there are 11 other meanings that could apply as well.

Shortly before Christmas, I purchased a new devotional. It's called "Jesus Calling" and it's written by Sarah Young. My first act of discipline is in creating quiet time with the Lord - something I had gotten away from.

My life verse, since back in 2002 when I obeyed the Lord's calling to become a teacher, has been Jeremiah 29:11-13 (though I added verses 12 and 13 a few years later). Since graduating with my B.Ed. in 2009 and throughout my struggles in trying to find a full time teaching job, I have tried to cling to these verses, to the hope and plans God has for my life. It hasn't always been easy, and I'll admit that there were times I doubted. So, I had to smile as I read the devotion for January 1st. Yup, you guessed it. It was based on Jeremiah 29:11 (the other verse used is Romans 12:2, which is also fitting for my One Word 365). The devotion speaks of not clinging to old ways and renewing your mind. As I said, this is very fitting for me right now (and always).

Today's devotion speaks of putting the focus back on Jesus, especially when your mind wanders when spending time with Him. I definitely struggle with this - trying to pray or spend time with the Lord and within moments, it seems, my mind is off wandering to the things I need to do, events of the day, etc. I know this is definitely an area in my walk where I need to be more disciplined. I want to hear Jesus when He talks to me; I need to get my mind off the distractions and focus on Him. It's hard though. But, I will pray that the Lord will help me in this area, and He will because He desires to have me spend time with Him.

In closing, I would like to add that I'm not just using the devotional. I'm also reading my Bible and praying the Lord will speak to me through it, His Living Word.

Question of the day: Do you have a life verse? Is there a devotional you enjoy using in your quiet time with the Lord?

One Word 365

2012-01-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

After seeing several blogs last year (and some the year before) dedicated to "One Word 365," I've decided to give it a go myself this year.

So, after pondering which word to choose, I've decided to use "discipline" as my One Word. There are many areas in my life, and in my walk with the Lord, where I need to learn or improve discipline, so I think it's quite fitting.

Maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew with this endeavour...you know, not being overly disciplined in sticking to this sort of thing...but, at any rate, I'm going to give it a shot and see what I learn about myself and what I can find out about discipline in different areas in my life.

If you want to find out about more about this project, or even join in, check out the One Word 365 blog. If this is something you are taking part in, or plan on doing so, leave me a comment and let me know what your word is.

Quick Catch-Up

2012-01-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

As I awoke this morning, I thought it was still the middle of the night. It was still quite dark, not a sound could be heard. I looked at the clock and was 7:45am. In my neck of the woods at this time of year (as I am discovering), the sun doesn't rise until around 9:00...well, that's when it is visible above the horizon. You can watch as God paints the sky with beautiful shades of red, pink, and orange shortly after 8:00. At any rate, it still seemed like I had only been asleep for a short amount of time.

I'm still tired and will no doubt be napping throughout the day, and possibly going to bed early tonight. I am very thankful that I was able to get home for Christmas (up until a couple of days before I flew home, it was looking like I wouldn't be able to get back for the holiday), and I think I am still on the Atlantic Time Zone. I'm also quite tired from travelling - two flights (one for two hours, the other for four) and a car ride that lasted around twelve hours in total (we stopped for the night in one small town and headed back on our way yesterday morning) will definitely wear you out! But, as I said, I am very thankful that I was able to get back home to visit family and friends for just shy of two weeks (which, I might add, went by far too quickly!).

Since my last post, I found myself quite busy with work - and yes, I definitely felt worn down and out as well. I had to do up report cards (21 kids in my class), and two days of parent/teacher interviews. The first day we went from 2:30 until 8:00, and the next day my schedule started at 2:15 and went until 5:00. It was quite draining, but I survived.

Not long after that, we began the process of practicing for the Christmas concert. My class played two songs on the recorder, sang a song with the grade 2 class, and performed their own (rap) song with tumbling moves (cart wheels, front and back flips, some breakdancing, etc). Rehersals were typically disappointing as the kids didn't want to co-operate, wouldn't stop talking when they needed to listen, focused too much on what the "tumblers" were doing that they wouldn't do their own parts, etc.

I was working with the music teacher on this, and we both got frustrated a lot. But, we gave it to the Lord, prayed, and in the end the kids gave a FANTASTIC performance during the concert! They pulled it off without a hitch (and we had thought that our best tumbler would be out because two days before the concert he bruised his collar bone, which had been broken during the summer...thankfully he recovered and was able to take part)! I am so proud of my class!

School starts again on January 3rd, and I'm actually looking forward to going back. I'm praying that things will go well this semester and that I've finally got my head above the water (the first semester of a first year of teaching is difficult - actually the first three years, or so I've been told by many, are the most difficult of the teaching profession. I am praying that I will be a ~~little~~ LOT more organized and that I am better able to manage the time and not get behind on lessons. There is so much that I hope and pray for this semester, and only with Jesus' help will I be able accomplish this.

So, now it's your turn to update me on yourself. How was your Christmas? What was the best thing that happened to you, the best gift you received or gave? Let me know in the comment section!

Mishmash

2011-11-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

We had our first taste of winter the other day (aside from a few cold, windy days here and there). I woke up Thursday to a little snow on the ground - not sure how much, but it wasn't a whole lot. I had to go buy a pair of mittens that evening as I forgot to bring mine with me when I moved. I was looking for a scarf and hat as well, but didn't see any I liked. I'd make these items myself, but in all honesty, the yarn selection here isn't the best.

I'm finding lately that by the time Friday comes, I'm quite tired. I suppose it's because I'm not used to having a full time job and also because of all the work involved in being a teacher, getting used to the class and the kids. We've been in school now for three months (well, as of tomorrow) and I still don't think I'm as organized as I'd like to be (or should be). Setting up a classroom for your first ever teaching job is definitely a challenge - particularly when you don't have all the supplies you need/want, and you can't get them all for one reason or another. Most teachers I know have accumulated things for their classes over a number of years.

I've been feeling somewhat stressed lately, but that's normal for being in the situation I am in - at least I think it is. Maybe it isn't, and everyone else has it "all together" and I don't. Or, maybe they just know how to "fake it" and make it look like everything is running well for them and they aren't stressed at all. Either way, I've got to find a way to not make myself be stressed (because I think in a lot of cases, I'm the one causing the stress for myself by making things harder than I need to). I guess it's one of those things that happen until you get everything in order...and hopefully when that happens, I won't feel as stressed as I do at times.

I suppose bouts of loneliness and homesickness don't help make things better either. This usually happens on the weekends when I'm not as "on the go" with school as I am during the week. And, it doesn't happen all the time either, but it does happen. All my family live on the east coast. I came out here by myself, alone, for my job and I often wonder at these times, would I feel this way if I was married and came out here with a husband and/or family?

At these times, I try to turn to God and lean on Him and allow Him to comfort me. But, in all honesty, I don't always feel comforted. I also have to wonder if I'm under a big spiritual attack. I'm sure that factors in at times, but it certainly feels like it happens quite often - I left everyone and everything I know back home to come to a place where I know no one, trusting God to provide the way and the job (at a Christian school no less), even all the way back to 2002 when I quite the job I had then to pursue what I really felt was God calling me to be a teacher. As I said, I'm sure there are spiritual attacks aimed at me at times, but I just don't know when it is that or when it is just me creating stress (or whatever) in my life.

I've so many jumbled thoughts in my head at the moment - thoughts about work, stress, my walk with the Lord, family, etc. that I can't seem to write anything - other than random thoughts - or make things connect. So, I'll sign off for now and just ask your continued prayer for any of the above things I've mentioned.

Blessings.

Sadly, There Is No Swiss Chalet...

2011-10-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly two months that I've been teaching up here in the north. There are many challenges, but overall things are going well.

Last week we (the teachers and administration) travelled to Calgary, Alberta for three days. We attended a teachers conference for teachers at Christian schools in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan for two of the three days (the other was spent travelling). It was a pretty good conference, and it was also the first time I've been to Calgary (though there was no real time to see the sights or to shop).

I must say, things here are a little different than from what I'm used to. The city is a lot smaller than the one I am from, and there aren't as many stores and restaurants that we have back home. There are some, though, like Boston Pizza. Sadly, there is no Swiss Chalet - which happens to be my favourite restaurant. I guess it just takes a matter of getting used to the new area.

I also don't have a car here (or access to one), and that's been difficult to get used to. I don't mind taking the bus, but there are times when I would just like to have a car to go for a drive...or even for those times when I get a little too much at the grocery store and can barely carry it home because it's too heavy. Thankfully, I'm not very far from the grocery store.

Overall, I think I'm adjusting pretty well. I am usually tired in the evenings after working all day. My class is split with both grade 3 (eight students) and grade 4 (13 students). As I mentioned earlier, there are definitely some challenges (mostly because I'm a new teacher and am learning the ropes and trying to establish a routine), but all in all, they are a great bunch of kids.

Well, I'm just going to keep this somewhat short as I am feeling quite tired again tonight (and it's only 8:30 pm). I think I'll head to bed in the not too distant future.

So, since I've been absent from the blogging world for the last couple of months, let me know what you've been up to (in the comment section) and catch me up on the news!

God bless!

It Was Only Loose

2011-10-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Whew, it's been awhile since I last posted!

I've moved across the country and have been working at my new job for a couple of months now. A couple of days after moving into my apartment, my computer stopped working! I had to wait for a few days to get internet, and before that happened, I was getting a message on my computer that the hard drive wasn't being recognized. I thought maybe the hard drive (which I replaced back in January) had gone again and only today was I able to get it fixed.

It turns out, what was wrong was simply that whomever had put the hard drive in didn't have a screw in one of the spots and all that was needed was that screw! The hard drive was just loose (or something like that) and the computer guy at work just tightened it and now it works!

I'm so glad to have my computer back and working - and the internet connection working! I was really going crazy only being able to use the one at school (and limited to what I could do on it).

I'll try to update soon, but for now, I have a lot of work to do up and I should go do it. I promise to be back soon!

Eight Days and Counting...

2011-08-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

So, I've had some big news for a few weeks now. Some of you know it, some don't. I was actually waiting for confirmation of some paperwork that is needed, but since there is only eight days, I will mention my news anyway.

I got a job!!

I am moving to the other side of Canada (west coast) because I will be teaching in a Christian school - what I've wanted to do since I originally went back to university back in 2002!

Although school only starts on September 6 (the same as it does here), I do have to be there for August 31 because there is new teacher orientation that day and the next. From what I'm told, there are five of us new teachers who will be there (me, two from Alberta, one from Ontario, and one from Southern BC). I wanted to go about a week early so that I can get settled and have a chance to get to know my way around. I also need to take care of things like getting my drivers license changed over, setting up a bank account, etc.

I am trusting God in the details, and even though I haven't had confirmation of the paperwork (a BC teaching license), I took a step of faith and bought my plane ticket and have contacted a rental place about an apartment I've seen online (yes, there were some pics of the interior and exterior). I am hoping and praying that I get the license without having to take some courses to upgrade to what they want (if it's not the same as here), or at least permission to teach if I do need to take some courses. Like I said though, I'm trusting God with all the details.

This all happened quite quickly. I applied for the job on a Friday afternoon. I had applied for a couple of other jobs in another province (at Christian schools), but hadn't heard anything from them so I thought I'd give it a shot (I had debated on applying for this job for a week before I actually applied). I thought I would never know if this is what God wants for me if I don't even try - it's not like the school would come looking for me...anyway, the following Monday I got a call to say the position I had applied for (grade 1-2 split class) had been filled, but they had a position for a grade 3-4 split class with the possibility of it becoming straight grade 4, and asked if I'd be interested in that. I said yes, and was then asked if they could call me back an hour later to interview me on the phone!

By Tuesday afternoon, I had the job and officially accepted it Wednesday!

So, in eight days I will begin a new chapter in my life. There is a lot to do between now and then, but I'm not worried. I'm trying to go through some things to decide whether or not to take them (mostly clothes) as I'll have to end up getting most everything else (household items) when I get there. We figure it would be cheaper in the long run to do that than to hire a moving van and take everything out to the opposite end of the country.

Well, that's my news! Praise God for answered prayer!

A Few Weeks Later...

2011-08-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post. I've been meaning to sit down and write something, but time got away from me, and there were also times when I just didn't feel like writing anything.

A couple of weeksends ago, I went to Halifax area and visited Peggy's Cove. There were some really awsome waves (must more powerful than I've seen on my first two visits last year), though I'm told they get even more powerful, especially during storms. I took some photos, but unfortunately, most of them didn't turn out (I only thought when I got home that I should have set the camera to underexpose)...I think because of the bright sun shining on the white foam of the waves.

I also went horseback riding for the first time (though I did go on a horse when I was 4 or 5...the kind where you sit on it and someone leads the horse around a circle a couple of times). I went with my BFF and her 11 year old daughter to Broadleaf Guest Ranch and took an hour long ride through the marshland. There were about 11 of us riders, and 2 leaders/guides. Along the way, we saw a fox (thankfully it didn't spook the horses!) and rode through a herd of cows who were lazing around.

At one point, we came to a little dip in the ground, not quite a stream but there was water in it from a recent rain. All the horses slowly stepped into it and out the other side (it really was quite small...maybe a foot wide), well, all the horses except for one - my BFF's daughter's horse! This was the second (maybe third) time on a horse, and when the horse jumped over, she did very well! In fact, she was quite excited that her horse did this (she ♥s horses). She'd said one of her friends from school had been on that same horse (she knew that because of the horse's name), but he hadn't jumped for her friend. I told her she'd have to be sure to tell her friend that Fly (the horse) jumped with her on it.

The ride is quite easy, actually. The horses know the route taken very well, and the leaders/guides are there as well. We mostly walked (it was an hour long ride) the horses, but twice they got the horses to trot. The first time, my horse (Shyloh) didn't trot so when they were going to do it again, I asked if there was anything I had to do to get him to trot. I was told to kick him hard with my heels (normally the horses just followed one another and did what the others did). So, I did that and he trotted. At first, I'll admit it, I giggled like a little girl. But then, it hurt and I stopped giggling.

I enjoyed it though, and wouldn't mind going horseback riding again.

Aside from that, I've been busy running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to accomplish stuff I need to get done in a short amount of time. I'll reveal more at a later date, but I would definitely appreciate your prayers. I'm trying to remind myself that God is in the details, and trying to give him this whole situation and not worry about it myself - because my worrying isn't going to do anything. It's out of my hands, and God is in control!

What is something new that you've done or tried lately?

More Awesomeness

2011-07-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Photo taken from here

On Saturday, I went with a few friends to Fredericton (the provincial capital) for the day. It's about two and a half hours from where I live. We left shortly after lunch and made a stop to pick of the two year old nephew of the couple taking us.

Once we got into Fredericton, we stopped to pick up the brother and cousin of one memeber of the couple and then headed to the "beach". It's not a real beach along the ocean, but it's a man made beach (the sand is quite gravely instead of sandy) along a man made lake. It's quite nice actually.

The weather was weird - it couldn't make up its mind what to do. It was a little sunny with lots of clouds and then dark, heavy, grey/black clouds moved in and it rained a few times. There was a coolish breeze blowing, which would have made me quite cold if I'd gone in swimming like I originally planned. My BFF and I decided to not go swimming as we figured it just wasn't hot enough for us to go in. We said if it warmed up and the wind stopped blowing we would go and change. However, we ended up not going in afterall - which is fine.

K and I decided to go for a walk along the trail that surrounds the lake, instead of going swimming. The trail is in amongst the trees and was really nice. K brought her camera and took several photos along the way. I didn't bring mine as I thought it would be too bothersome to have to be running to and from the car (especially since it wasn't my car) to get it and put it away. Let's just say my camera isn't the little point and shoot kind.

I looked online and found that the trail is 4.4 km long. I'm not even sure how long it took us to walk it as I didn't look at my watch. We weren't walking fast, and as I said, we stopped lots so K could take pictures. It really was a nice trail and I enjoyed the walk.

When we got back from our walk, we packed up to leave and get something to eat. The couple who drove had some wedding invitations to drop off at various relatives homes so they dropped K and I off at the mall while they did that (and also drove home the brother and cousin who came with us to the lake).

The couple's nephew was fast asleep before we left Fredericton, but he woke up probably an hour into the drive and started crying. I think he was just confused as to where he was, and he also wasn't totally awake at that point either. We pulled off along the edge of the highway, and they got out to take care of the little guy. I had to get out as well because he was sitting in the seat behind me (a seven passenger minivan type of vehicle) and they had to have access to him. After trying for about five minutes to settle him down, I suggested they put his DVD player on and let him watch that. He did that on the way down and fell asleep, so I said that might work again. They got it set up and we were on our way again. It didn't take long before he fell back asleep, so the movie helped a lot.

Now, in the title of my post, I mention more awesomeness. What I am referring to is the point at when we were stopped while they were trying to get the little guy settled down again.

I was standing along the highway, close to the ditch to keep safe (though the lanes and shoulder of the road were wide and we had enough room). It was dark and I glanced into the grassy area of the ditch. It rose into a little hill that eventually would lead to some trees and fields. That's when I saw them - fireflies! I have not seen fireflies in ages! They are such a unique little bug. It reminded me again of God's awesome creativity. And, it reminded me of when I was a child and would see them and try to catch them (never was successful at that).

Also, while I was standing there, some clouds had moved in (prior to this the sky had been quite clear, and the moon was big and orange and just past being full. I watched as the clouds covered the moon and as the moon drew nearer to the edge of the cloud cover, I could see just how beautiful it was - the edges of the clouds were silvery-white, illuminated from the light of the moon, while the rest of the cover was dark. Also, there were several moonbeams shining out at various points, much like the sun beams do when they poke through the clouds. It was so beautiful.

I was (and am) still thankful for that opportunity, to witness that awesomeness, that I wouldn't have probably noticed (especially the fireflies) if a two year old boy hadn't woken up crying and caused us to stop the car.

I love how God has showed me beauty and creativeness in simple, ordinary, everyday things this weekend. It was a great reminder of just how great and awesome He is!

When was the last time you saw fireflies? Did you ever try to catch them as a child?

It Might Not Seem Like Much...

2011-07-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

Northern Flicker

...but yesterday I felt thankful over something quite simple.

Around noon, when I was getting a little lunch, I noticed a bird sitting on the corner post of our patio. I've never seen a bird that looks like this, so I went and got my camera, hurring before it flew away (that's why the pics aren't the best - wrong setting as I just wanted to get the photos quickly, and also it was through the window).

I posted the few pics on my facebook page as one of the elderly ladies who goes to my church is interested in birding. She goes bird watching and whatnot, so I thought maybe she would know.

She informed me that this bird is a Northern Flicker and is not too common in this area. It's also generally found in wooded areas. We live not overly far from a walking park which is in a wooded area, so it could have flown up from there. I tried looking online, myself, to find out what it was call, but thankfully that lady from church knew!

As I said, this is the first time I've ever seen a Northern Flicker. Last night, while praying, I thanked God for allowing me to see this bird - not just once, but twice. It came back to our patio again at supper time. Like I said, it might not seem like much to be thankful for or feel blessed about, but that is definitely how I felt yesterday/last night - and even today.

Northern Flicker - possibly a female

God is certainly creative with his creations! How many different types of bird are there? They're all birds, but they are different - some big, some small, the males are always the more colourful ones (females are duller in colour, I believe, to help when nesting and not attracting prey to the nest and babies), some have fancy "designs" in their feathers, some are just plain...but God created them all!

And, God deserves our praise and thanks for what He's created!

Le Pays De La Sagouine - In English

2011-07-12T10:35:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday evening, I had the opportunity to go to a dinner theatre. Normally, it' a little expensive - more than I would pay - but a friend scored some free tickets and he asked me if I would like to go.

We drove about half an hour, or so, to the town of Bouctouche where the performance is held, and went to Le Pays De La Sagouine, a French one-woman play. However, this year they have added a few English performances, and that's what we went to...otherwise I wouldn't have understood it a bit. Their website is in French and English if you are interested in reading about it. You can also "Google it".

Going into it, I was unsure what to expect. Since it's Acadian themed, I figured it might be about the history and/or deportation of the Acadians from up this way (the Acadians made their way to Louisiana, and I believe the became the Cajuns...but I'm not totally sure on that last fact). It wasn't. The star of the show, La Sagouine (which I'm told loosely translates to the washerwoman) is played by a woman in her early 80s. She basically tells some stories from the life of the character. This woman is so awesome - her facial expressions at times were enough for laughter to erupt. And, of course, the stories she told were all humorous as well.

There was a little swearing in the show, and she took the Lord's name in vain a few times - and that I didn't like. But overall, the show was good and I'm glad I went.

I've never been to a dinner theatre before so I didn't know if we would be eating while she performed or not. The menu was good - well, if you liked the kind of food they offered. We started off with a salad of mixed greens, some red onions, cucumbers and a strawberry (I think) vinaigrette dressing. There were 3 main courses to choose from - salmon with a lobster sauce (which I don't care for...the salmon or the lobster), rice and veggies; chicken with mushroom sauce (I despise mushrooms), mashed potatoes and veggies; or a mix of different Acadian foods - which I don't like either. I ordered the chicken and asked if it was possible to not have any sauce on it, and thankfully they were able to do so. We ate this before the performance started, then about half an hour into the performance, there was a 20 minute intermission and dessert was served - a yummy strawberry shortcake. I don't think I heard any complaints from anyone about the food - or the performance for that matter.

All in all, I'm glad I went. It was a new experience for me, and I don't think I'd mind going to another dinner theatre sometime - depending on what the show is about, of course.

An Ear To Hear

2011-07-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking lately.

I've been thinking about how it doesn't seem like God is speaking to me, like He's not listening to me or my prayers, and how it certainly seems like my prayers aren't being answered.

I've been thinking about possible reasons why.

What I've come up with is that I don't seem to be spending quality time with Him. Sure, I'll pray and read my Bible, but am I taking the time to sit and actually listen? Am I taking the time to let God speak to me, or answer my questions? Am I meditating on what the Word says, or am I simply reading it in order to say I've read my Bible for today?

When I pray, my mind can't always seem to focus. Sure, I might start out focused, but pretty soon my mind is off following a bunny trail down to some other thought, thinking of some other want/desire, thinking about what happened at some other point in my life (or what I'd like to happen). Then, I find it very difficult to get back into focus.

I've thought back to when I was new to the faith, new in my walk, and how my prayer life seemed to go so well (regarding focus and praying well), how when I read my Bible I would search more into it with commentaries, how I could apply it more to my life or create little devotionals from passages or verses I'd read.

The only thing that I can think that has changed, is me. It's certainly not God who has changed. For a number of years now, I've had difficulty with my walk - difficulty in focusing, trusting, hoping - and I've realized that I have changed. I don't spend quality time with the Lord as I once did. I rush through my prayers (and Bible reading) and don't give Him a chance to speak - or I'll give a time limit, like requiring God to "speak" to me by the time I finish reading a chapter or by the time I finish praying (without allowing quiet time to listen to Him).

How can I expect to build a quality relationship with the Lord if I'm not investing in it, if I'm being to focused on me and my wants and not allowing Him to speak. How can I expect Him to be my best friend if I don't let Him into this relationship?

I've been thinking that I need to take more time and invest it wisely in the Lord. And, I need to start ASAP.

Who is your BFF, and what do you like to do with him/her?

Happy Canada Day

2011-07-01T13:02:00.001-07:00

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

I would like to wish all my fellow Canadians a Happy Canada Day! I'm proud to be Canadian!

God's Awesome Power

2011-06-29T10:59:00.006-07:00

Jason, over at Mustard Seed Year has been keeping this blog since the beginning of 2011. Here's what he had to say about why he started Mustard Seed Year:

When I started to pray about 2011, I felt God tell me it was time to take that idea to a new level. That’s why this blog exists. Instead of just a word for the year, I’ve taken my hopes, dreams and passions and laid them all at God’s feet on January 1, 2011. I told Him then to take those dreams & take me to do whatever He wanted to do for His glory.
I felt Him tell me to chronicle every day what happens over the course of this year. The highs, the lows, the joys, the pain, the triumph and the struggle.
Be as transparent as I could be about what happens.

I've been following Jason's journey on his Mustard Seed Year, and while I haven't read every post he's made, I've certainly read many. Through his ups and downs, Jason has chronicled everything - the good, the bad, the ugly. He's been honest and direct in his posts. And he has certainly been an encouragement to not only me, but I feel rather certain he has also been an encouragement to so many others.

In a recent post, Jason talks about how he sensed God telling him to have his friends pray until Friday (not sure if that is this coming Friday or not). He even asked his online friends to pray as well. What is being prayed about? That God show Himself and/or His power in their lives - and then share about it.

I came into that a little late, however, Jason encouraged me to start praying anyway. And so, beginning Monday (I think), I started praying and asking God to reveal His power in my life.

As of now, I don't think I've seen anything. However, the thought occurred to me (and I shared with Jason) that maybe I'm not praying "right". Maybe, I am just asking God to reveal Himself and/or show His power in my life in the way that I want Him to, instead of the way He wants to. Or, maybe He has revealed Himself/His power and I've just failed to notice it.

At any rate, I am still on the lookout, still praying. I know that our God is an Awesome God, and His power is equally powerful. But in all honesty, I don't know if He is showing/revealing His power in my life. I'm not giving up, though. I'm still going to pray!

If you haven't visited Jason over at his Mustard Year Blog, I encourage you to do so. Why not stop there AFTER leaving me a comment ;o).

How has God revealed Himself to you today?

I Still Haven't Found...

2011-06-26T19:11:00.002-07:00

Tinker Belle

This is my cat. Her name is Tinker Belle. I've had her since she was 2 months old; she's now almost 13 1/2.

Tinker Belle's days are pretty easy. She starts her day off by eating some breakfast - if her dish hasn't been emptied over night - followed by a little nap until someone wakes up. Then when someone gets up, she meows a little welcome song (sometimes with lots of words), and comes running. Usually she follows us into the bathroom to get a drink - from a drip from the bathtub faucet. From there, she might get a treat or a bit more food if the dish is empty. This is all usually followed up by another nap.

Morning routing for Tinker Belle is pretty much the same - sleep, eat, drink some water, maybe get a treat, sleep...there's actually lots of sleep.

And then, there are scratches around the ears, on her head, her back. And she likes to play with little fuzzy mice and the laser pointer at night. And lots of purring. All in all, she is a contented little kitty. She doesn't ask for much, and she's satisfied with what she has.

The Bible talks about being content:

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. (Philippians 4:11)

My cat is pretty content. Now, me on the other hand - not so much. I still haven't found contentment, or learned to be content in whatever circumstances in which I happen to be. Mind you, there are times when I am rather quite content - but there are lots where I'm not. I guess there are times I'm almost afraid to be content because that might mean the situation I'm in might not change. So, I'm definitely "not there" yet with regards to being content.

Do you find it easy to be content in your circumstances?

Father's Day

2011-06-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! I hope you had a wonderful time with your families.

My father died nearly three years ago. I haven't attended a Father's Day service at church since he died - it's just too sad. I'm sure I'll attend a Father's Day service again in the future, but for now it's too difficult.

This afternoon, I went to the cemetery and visited my dad's grave. I had bought a white rose to lay on the headstone (at this cemetery all the headstones are laid into the ground), but there is no little "vase" thing to pull out and put flowers into. My grandparents have one on their headstone, but Dad and Mom didn't bother getting one on theirs. Anyway, it was quite windy out as we were having a bit of a thunderstorm off and on all day. I figured if I left the rose it would just blow away. If I'd have had some tape, I could have taped it on, but since I didn't have any, that was out of the question. So, I decided to bring it home instead.

I miss my dad, and I'm not ashamed to say that while I was at the cemetery, I cried - and continued to do so on the way home as well. I didn't expect to cry, really. Yes, I had expected to feel sad, but I didn't think the tears would come.

I started writing a poem today, for my dad, but I haven't finished it. When I do, I will post it. I was hoping to have had it finished to include in my Father's Day post, but it will have to wait for another day.

So, what did you do for Father's Day today?

Needed Prayers

2011-06-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was the final day that our senior pastor was officially our senior pastor. He and his family will, after the summer I believe, head to Hawaii where he will be their senior pastor. He was actually born into the church he'll be leading, and his father had also been, at one time, the senior pastor at that church. In the meantime, we have someone who is filling in until we can find someone to replace Pastor J, and we still have the pastor of family ministries and a new minister of music to help.

I'm not sure if the search committee has started looking for a new senior pastor or not, but at any rate, they and our church could definitely use some prayer!

In other news, I can also use prayer. Yesterday was our church family picnic, and I got a little too much sun. Not fun...the sunburn that is. The picnic was really great.

Also, I have an interview on the 22nd for the school district. From my understanding of people who've had interviews in the past, it is to put names on the long-term supply list. It's rare that a full-time job would result from these interviews, because they would choose those people from the long-term supply list. Basically, I think this interview is the first step to becoming a full-time teacher. And that's if I get on the long-term supply list. I've been told my a teacher that his school has recommended a couple of others in the past (several times, actually), and these supplies have had a number of interviews but have never been put on the list.

I also need to do up a 15 minute presentation for this interview - 10 minutes dealing with how balanced literacy will look in my classroom, and the last 5 minutes dealing with numeracy. After that, there is a 10 minute session where they will ask me questions. I'm really nervous about this, so would also like prayer for this.

Well, just wanted to give a little update on how things are going. Hope you are having a Christ-filled day!

Jesus Juked By the Man Himself

2011-06-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I was having a quiet moment before bed. Usually this is just me listening to music (mostly Christian, but occasionally secular). It was no different last night.

I sat in my rocking chair, my ipod plugged into my ears, and I listened. While the music played, and the singers sang, I listened to the words to some of the songs and thought they were so poetic, so brilliant. I even admit that I wished I had written them; but, I didn't so there's nothing I can do about that except write my own words (i.e. poems, stories...I'm not a song writer).

After a few moments, I thought it would be a good time to pray. The house was quiet, and I was the only one awake. I changed my listening habits from being those of simply enjoying the music, to using it to praise and worship God (silently through the headphones of my ipod, and the praise/worship coming from my heart rather than my mouth).

Then, I prayed.

I started by confessing sins to God and asked for forgiveness of them. I won't go into all the details, but I will say that I told God that I know He has a plan for my life and I know it is probably not the way I think it will be or expect. I told Him how I used to cling to Jeremiah 29:11-13 (written below)when I was in university and how I'm still trying to cling to that promise (even though at one point I had someone tell me that the promise in those verses was for the Israelites, and not us...yeah.).

11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (NASB)

Now, to be honest, I have verse 11 memorized, and verse 13. I stumble over trying to quote the middle verse. So, while talking to God, I mostly focused on the verse 11, briefly mentioned that I am calling upon Him, but I just don't feel like He is listening to me.

That's when it struck me. And I'm sure it was God's nudge.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I have been searching, seeking, talking, asking, etc. but, I haven't been doing this with all my heart. Ouch.

Is it fair to say that I have been Jesus juked by the Man Himself?

I think, the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me that the reason I haven't been hearing Him for awhile now, or feeling as though He had abandoned me (which I know He didn't do), was because when I have been seeking Him, when I have been calling on Him, when I have been searching for Him, I wasn't doing it with all my heart. I was letting thoughts, feelings, things of the world get in the way!

So, now as I seek the Lord with regard to my walk - which path to take, and seek His will for my life (present and future), I know the enemy is going to bombard me and try to get my focus put back on things that will block me from hearing the Lord, from finding Him and know what it is He wants me to do. Please remember me in your prayers that the Lord will protect me and not let the enemy get to me. Pray that now that I am aware that I need to come to Him with all of my heart, that I will do just that - and not let things or thoughts or feelings get in the way and hinder me. And, pray that the Lord will reveal to me the path I need to take.

The Sun Is Peeking Through - Somewhat

2011-06-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

My last post was written when I'd been having a few "bad" days. Today, and the previous two as well, things have felt much better, more positive.

I don't have everything all worked out. Life did not suddenly get perfect. But, I am slowly starting to see the sun shine again.

I talked with my BFF, and she actually helped me get over this hurdle - or speed bump - somewhat. We are both so much alike, it's scary. She's also encouraging, and that might be because very soon she's going to be in the same boat as I am in some areas, so she can understand what I'm going through.

I had a great day visiting with her on Wednesday, and even though life's problems didn't all get solved, we had a good discussion and came up with some possibilities.

And now, I need to take the next step - which is scary.

On a side note, my BFF's daughter (she's 11) made a good point while I was visiting. At some point I mentioned how I want a real job, and she said, "Well, technically being a supply teacher is a real job. And, it's a hard job, probably harder than a regular teacher, but it's a real job." I had to laugh. She's right, though. I told her what I meant by "real job" was a full time one, teaching every day in my own classroom. She knew what I meant, but just wanted to be technical I guess, lol. She's just like her mom!

Want Some Cheese With That Whine?

2011-05-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

The darkness hangs thicker than the night, clinging to whatever it can latch onto. No pinpoints of starry light can be seen; no illumination of any sort is visible to help light the path.

Sometimes, in the rarest of moments, the darkness seems as though it is changing to grey - growing lighter, thinner and creating a twinkle of hope. Just as quickly, the black returns and envelops everything again.

In the chill of despondency, the fog rises and lines the darkness as a slip lines the underside of a dress. Fear rises, adding to the uncertainty. The ground becomes rocky and uneven, and steps become unsteady.

Dare I move forward? Dare I take a step? The edge of the cliff seems so close, but I don't know where it is. I don't want to move and end up falling.

The paths become jumbled, giving no real direction, with no destination in sight.

Where are you? Why did you leave my side? You stopped whispering; stopped guiding. I don't know where to turn, what way to go. I feel lost. I feel damaged. I feel alone.

I followed you from the beginning of this so-called adventure. I trusted. But somewhere, sometime, I sensed your abandonment - or are you simply hiding and watching from a distance?

I'm lost and I'm afraid to move, afraid I will plunge over the edge - afraid you won't catch me if I do.

******

For the longest while now, I've felt like God has abandoned me. I know He hasn't because His word tells me that He will never leave me, nor forsake me. I try to find comfort in His word, but in all honesty, it doesn't seem to be helping.

I'm trying to cling to Jesus, to put my hope in Him and remember that, ultimately, God is the one in control. He does have a plan for me - even if He doesn't reveal it. I know all that, but still...I see everyone around me being blessed, having prayers answered, etc. - even those who don't follow the Lord, those who aren't His children.

And it hurts. Big time. It feels like He cares about everyone except me (and yes, I am quite aware that He does care about me).

What I wrote above, at the beginning of this post, is how I've been feeling for a long time now. I put on a brave front, because I don't think people would really understand the extent or depth of how I'm really feeling. I hate when I do talk about things like this, and I get the ever popular "Christian platitudes" - they do not help in the least. I get sick of people telling me that I'm a good person, that I'm sweet and kind, and that God has a plan for me and I shouldn't give up hope, that God will reveal Himself in His timing, etc. I KNOW all of that. I've heard it many times (and have probably been guilty of saying some of them at times myself). It doesn't help, quite frankly, it feels like they are belittling my feelings, etc. - like I don't really matter and they are just saying those things because that is what a good little Christian should say.

I haven't given up my beliefs, my hopes, etc. I'm not turning away from the Lord, or denying Him or anything like that. I'm in a valley, and I feel like everything I've done, everything I've worked for has been for nothing - that I'm a complete and utter failure at everything I've done or tried to do. I've been praying and asking for wisdom for what to do in my situation, wisdom to know the direction God wants me to take, etc. And I just don't hear Him answering me.

Ok, enough ranting and whining now. I've probably driven off any readers I may have had.

What do you do when you are in the valley and all seems cloaked under clouds and fog and darkness, and you can't see to find your way out?

You Don't Need To Be Perfect

2011-05-19T16:05:00.001-07:00

I remember when we (my dad, brothers, and I...my mom and grandmother didn't go) started attending church after moving to the city were I now live. I was 10 1/2 (and yes, the 1/2 was very important at the time), and in grade 6. I was still quite shy, so I didn't talk to many people at the time.

One of the little old ladies - or at least she seemed that way to me at 10 1/2 - came over to me, bent down so she was at my level, smiled sweetly at me and asked "Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?"

Gulp! I'd better tell her 'yes' or I won't be allowed to come back here. I like it here, and I don't want them to kick me out of church because I haven't asked Jesus into my heart! I thought. My answer came quickly, and I told her, yes.

I lied. In church. Guilt immediately overwhelmed me and I quickly prayed a silent prayer: "Jesus please come into my heart!" I only said it so that I wouldn't feel guilty, and that it might somehow erase this whole situation as being a lie. And, I don't think I really meant it. Major fail on my part!

When I began attending my current church (I stopped going to the other one at 12 years old, and didn't go back to church until I was almost 31), I was afraid to go. I was afraid to sit down in the pew, to talk to others, to tell them about myself. I was afraid that if they knew what I was like, what I had done, etc., they would kick me out and not let me attend (even though I really wanted to be there). I would look around the sanctuary at the people sitting in the pews and think they were near perfect, that there was no way they sinned, no way they are as bad of a person as I was. And I once again thought that I would get asked to leave because I wasn't perfect like they were.

Really though, where do we get those thoughts from? I'm certain it's the enemy trying to keep us away from God! The thought that you have to be perfect to attend church is a lie from the devil.

Now that I'm older (and hopefully a little wiser) I know that I wouldn't have gotten kicked out of church. They wouldn't have stopped me from attending. In all honesty, it's where I belong. The church is full of sinners, full of people who have said and done horrible things - some even more horrible than anything I have done in my life. Church is were I belong, and it's where you belong...no matter what you've said or done in your life.

If you are reading this and have shied away from going to church because you think you aren't good enough, or you've done some pretty horrible things in your past, please don't stay away. Everyone has been through some sort of circumstance that makes them less than "perfect". In fact, no one is perfect - even people who go to church!

Remember, Jesus is the only one who is perfect, and it is through Him that we find forgiveness of our sins and eternal life.

Remember, you don't have to be perfect to go to church. You don't even have to have accepted Jesus into your heart in order to attend, so please don't let those thoughts pervent you from attending. Give it a try; go to church - you will be (or should be) accepted with open and loving arms.

Three Times in 24 Hours

2011-05-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a day or couple of days when you hear something specific several times - like certain song lyrics or a Bible verse, something that you feel might hold meaning for you? I had one of those days on Saturday.

Friday night, after I created my previous post I had to (yes, had to) go to itunes to buy and download "Days of Elijah". While there, I downloaded five or six other songs as well. I listened to them all later that night. One of these songs was "Everlasting God" by Lincoln Brewster. I love this song, and so I listened to it a few times before I went to bed. Keep in mind I listened to several other songs after listening to "Everlasting God," so it wasn't on my mind at all when I went to sleep.

The next morning, I got up with only the chorus of that song in my head as I went through my morning routine and went to spend some time with God. During this time, after I read my Bible, I read the reading of the day from Our Daily Bread. At the end of the reading, a quote from Isaiah 40:31 is given:

Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

Later that evening as I was checking out my facebook, I scrolled through my news feed. Somone on my friends list had posted this very quote on his wall (though to be honest, he did have an error and put "...with wings like angels" instead of eagles)! There was the verse/lyrics again!

Three times in the course of 24 hours. Is that enough to call it a "God thing"? I don't believe in coincidences.

I have no idea if God was trying to tell me something or not. But, I do find it curious/interesting. This sort of thing doesn't happen to me very often, so I did take note of it, but have no idea if it means anything. I've been mulling it over since then, but haven't come to any conclusions. Maybe I should pray about it...

Have you ever had an experience where a particular Bible verse popped up for you several times in a short period of time - in a way that felt like God was trying to tell you something or reassure you?

Singing For Jesus

2011-05-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

I was in university when I first heard the song, “Days of Elijah” during worship chapel. I loved it, and it quickly became one of my favourites. Soon, one of the worship teams at church began to play the song as well – though they didn’t seem to play it quite as fast as they did at school.

Not long after I declared “Days of Elijah” to be my song, I had a dream. It was dark in my dream, and I was with several people inside a church basement. We seemed to be a choir, and we were practicing singing “Days of Elijah” because we were expecting a guest of honor – Jesus!

I was so excited that I was going to get to sing this song for Jesus! I could hardly contain myself. I don’t remember how many others were waiting with me, but it wasn’t very many – maybe six or eight of us.

We began our wait. And we waited and waited. I wondered when Jesus was going to come and hear us sing for Him. At one point, I walked over to the window to look outside and see if I could see Him. I looked up into the black sky, pinpointed with stars. I was looking for the clouds that He would arrive on. Nothing.

I craned my neck, still looking at the sky. It was then that I noticed it. Flying past, quickly, was a UFO – one like the Great Gazoo used in the Flintstones cartoon. I don’t remember if I could see anything inside, or just the UFO. However, the thought that ran through my mind, in the dream, was: “Where on earth did that come from? Doesn’t he know he doesn’t exist?” I gave my head a shake, and went to join the others.

By this point, I was starting to feel disappointed and let down because Jesus hadn’t arrived yet. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to sing my song for Him, and I really wanted to – I wanted Him to hear me sing “Days of Elijah” just for Him!

I woke up with that sad, disappointed feeling that Jesus didn’t show up, and I wasn’t going to be able to sing for Him. I really felt these emotions (in real life). I mean, I’m not a good singer, at all, but I wanted so badly to stand in front of Jesus and sing for Him – and I knew He would like it. I knew that even though I can’t sing, He would still be honored that I was singing FOR Him.

What came to mind after that dream was that maybe Jesus didn’t show up (in my dream) because we were expecting Him - we seemed to "know" that He was supposed to return that night. In reality, we don’t know when Jesus is coming again. No one does (and I don't care who you are, you do NOT know when Jesus will return. Only the Father knows). But, we do need to be prepared anyway, because He could come back at any time – today, tomorrow, later this month or year, or 100 years from now. The point is, we need to be like a boy/girl scout and "be prepared" for when Jesus does return.

How do we become prepared? We need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and invite Him into our heart. We need to ask for forgiveness for our sins. If you haven't done this yet and you would like to know more, or talk about this, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment on this post. I would be more than happy to help you.

Have you had any dreams with Jesus in them? I'd love to hear about them!

Rocking Chairs, Baby Dolls, and Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

When I was little, I used to have this one particular doll. Her body was sort of a cylinder shape with soft arms and soft legs sticking out. Her neck and the middle of her body had sand or something similar in it so that she would gradually fall over if she was sitting up. The eyes in her soft plastic head closed. When she would "fall" over, her eyes would close and she would "go to sleep". She wasn't a particular favourite, but I liked the fact that she could close her eyes, and she was small - like a little baby.

Also, ever since I was little I have loved rocking chairs. My mom used to rock me (and my brothers) to sleep. Even to this day, I will choose to sit in a rocking chair if there is one available. I find them to be very relaxing. I heart rocking chairs.

One of the"rituals" I had when I was little, was to get ready for bed at least an hour before I would actually go to bed, sit in my rocking chair (to help me relax and get sleepy), put my little blanket over my lap, and cradle my doll as if she were my baby. Since her eyes closed, it seemed more like I was rocking her to sleep. It was like she was my baby, and I was her mother.

Today is Mother's Day. I have always found this to be difficult - well, for at least twenty years anyway. I'm more than happy, on this day, to celebrate all that my mom is, because she is AWESOME...but, it's bittersweet for me.

I have no kids (other than a 4 legged furry baby). I'm 42 years old and I'm not married, and I have no kids. Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to be a wife and mother. It's been a huge desire, probably all my life. And it hasn't happened. Will it? I have no idea. And, it hurts when people try to tell me that it will happen one day - in all honesty, unless they are God, they don't.

Usually this doesn't bother me a lot. I try to deal with it, and not let it affect me, but there are other times when it hurts to the very core of my being - like Mother's Day. Like I said, it's not something that bothers me all the time; usually there is something that triggers the pain - someone getting engaged or married, especially if these are people I've watched grow up and are years younger than me; or someone having a baby (doesn't matter if it's a first or sixth baby). And that can be difficult to deal with - and accept.

So, as I hold back my pain and hurt (because, really, it's not about me), and try to turn it over to God, I would like to wish all the awesome mother's out there a very blessed and happy Mother's Day!

I've Been Writing Again...

2011-05-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

I've been working on another poem lately. It's not the best, I'm certainly no professional poet - if that even exists. But, I figure I have to start somewhere and learn and grow in the process. I figure, you can't learn to write poetry unless you actually write it. It's one thing to do research and study how to write poetry (or anything for that matter), and another thing to write it.

This new poem doesn't rhyme, and I didn't want it to. I don't know how well it turned out because I've never really tried to write non-rhyming poems before. But, hey, I've got to start somewhere!

If you'd like to read the poem (and I hope you do), head on over to my blog, Ink Scrawls, and check it out. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

To The Cross I Go

2011-04-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

In the first part of the Easter story, Good Friday, we recognize the fact that Jesus was wrongly accused, He was mocked, He was brutally tortured (the cross was a Roman means of torture), and He died. Everyone who walked this earth from the beginning of time; everyone who is currently walking the earth, and those yet to be born, has put Jesus on the cross. Typically, Jesus' people are the ones blamed. They say, "The Jews put Jeus on the cross." But really we all did - because of our sins. We nailed Jesus to the cross.

Jesus suffered and died for us. Good Friday is when we remember Jesus voluntarily going to the cross for us. Three days later, the tomb (grave) was found empty. His body wasn't stolen. God raised Jesus from the dead, and He is now alive in Heaven on the right hand of God. This is what Easter is all about.

Jesus did this for you; and He did this for me. If you want to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus, then all you need to do is ask Jesus into your heart, ask Him to forgive your sins, believe Jesus is God's Son who died on the cross and was raised three days later, and is now alive in heaven - then, when you die, you will go to heaven and spend eternity with Him.

If you don't believe this, if you don't ask Him into your heart and ask for forgiveness of your sins...then you will go to Hell. You will be separated from God. Forever.

The choice is yours to make.

Since When...

2011-04-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

…does it become acceptable to ignore someone because they are a senior?

Not too long ago, I took my mom out to do some errands and we decided to go for lunch at a local restaurant. Although it was noon, we managed to arrive just in time to avoid the rush and any waiting line. We were seated at a table, given menus and told our server would be over in a few minutes.

Soon, the waitress did come and take our orders. I let Mom go first and then gave mine. We both got a turkey dinner, and I specifically asked for white meat. The norm for this restaurant is to give a bit of dark and white meat on the plate, unless you specifically ask for white (side note: I don’t care for the dark meat, unless it’s mixed up in something like a turkey/chicken pot pie). The waitress then looks at me and asks, “Does she (meaning my mom) want white meat too?” My mom spoke up for herself, “Dark meat is OK for me.”

We’ve actually run into that sort of situation often – drug stores, grocery stores, restaurants, department stores, etc. If I’m with my mom and the situation involves a third person (like a cashier or waiter/waitress), more often than not the third person will turn to me and tell me the needed information for Mom’s prescriptions, ask me if she wants cash back if she is using her debit card, or ask me if “she” wants white meat too.
When we get out of the situation, back into the car for instance, my mom will always turn to me and comment about the situation. I’m sure it makes her feel bad, and like an old lady who is incapable of speaking for herself.

Why do we do that? Why do we assume that just because a person who is in his/her later years is automatically hard of hearing or not capable of understanding instructions – or can’t speak for him/herself? Granted, there are some who do fall into those categories, but not every elderly person is deaf or hard of hearing. Not every elderly person is blind. Not every elderly person is incapable of taking care of him/herself.

I’m not going to tell you my mom’s age – she wouldn’t like it too much if I did! But my Mom is a senior. My mom is also highly capable of hearing, seeing, understanding what is said to her (and if she doesn’t understand, she asks questions), and taking care of herself.

We need to change our perspective on the elderly. Seniors deserve our respect; and they deserve their dignity.

A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

Ok, I'm getting off my soapbox now.

How do you treat seniors?

Jesus Glasses

2011-04-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

When I was young, I remember thinking it would be cool to wear glasses, after all, smart people wore glasses! If I wore glasses, then people would think I was smart – or maybe, somehow, the glasses would make me smart. But, I don't think I ever occured to me that there were nicknames, like "four eyes," that I might be called.

At some point in my first year of high school, way back when, my eyesight changed and at the end of the year I ended up needing glasses. By this time, I should add, I knew that glasses didn’t make a person smarter, but still, there was something about wearing glasses that intrigued me.

At first, I only needed to wear my glasses to see distances. I was supposed to wear them in class to help see the board. After several days of frequently putting them on and taking them off, I grew annoyed with having to wear my new glasses. Eventually I just kept them on all day, only taking them off and not wearing them at all when I was home. And, now, many years later, I need to wear them all the time (though I also now wear contacts), otherwise I can’t see anything – even up close.

Since I’ve become a Christian, my desire is to use a different pair of “glasses” to help me see. I want to see things the way the Lord sees them.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, and ask for forgiveness for our sins, He wipes them away and God then sees us through Jesus. He doesn’t see the sins we committed, but He sees His Son in our hearts. He sees us through "Jesus glasses".

I want to see others the way God sees them – through Jesus. I want to look past their mistakes, their bad choices, etc., and not hold it against them. I’m just as guilty as the next person for focusing on the negative aspects of people, especially if they’ve hurt me. But that’s not what I want to be like.

My prayer is that I put on my “Jesus glasses” and see others through Him, see past the wrongdoings and see them with the love of Christ.

Have you ever wanted to wear glasses? Do you wear them now, and if so, were you ever called any nicknames because of them?

Dream A Little Dream

2011-04-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

The last two chapters I've read in my Bible (Genesis 40 and 41) in my daily reading involved Joseph interpreting dreams. In chapter 40, it was the dreams of Pharoah's cupbearer and baker; chapter 41 was Pharoah's own dreams.

I don't know if I have mentioned in this blog before, but I have been keeping a Dream Journal of sorts since the beginning of the year. At that time, in my small group (Bible study), we were discussing the book of Daniel. One of the leaders asked a question at the beginning of one session (a sort of ice breaker), if anyone could remember their dreams.

I had indicated that I used to dream vividly, and could remember all sorts of details - colours, people, descriptions, etc. It was then that Pastor J asked if I wrote down my dreams, and that if I didn't then I should. So, I began recording them. I don't always remember, and sometimes don't have time to record them, but I try to.

Can I interpret dreams? Nope, not at all. However, maybe someone can (or maybe God will gift me with the ability at some point). Pastor J said it's a good way to see any "trends" or "themes" in dreams, something that might help indicate that God is speaking to me through dreams - or something like that. I can't recall his exact words.

I've been seeing themes appear, but I don't know what any of the interpretations could be. Even if I never find out, this journal makes for somewhat interesting reading at times - I've had some pretty crazy dreams!

Do you dream? Do you record them? Can you interpret dreams?

A Week In Review - A Day Early

2011-03-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

I've been having quite a busy week so far! It's all good though.

Since the beginning of the school year in September, I haven't had a whole lot of work. I have been lucky to get a day, maybe two a week - mostly it would be one day. It hasn't been easy, that's for sure.

Well, this week has been excellent for work. I had a full day of work on Monday at a middle school, a half day at another middle school on Tuesday, a full day at an elementary school yesterday, and tomorrow I am scheduled to work until noon (another half day) at another elementary school. Tomorrow's class I'm supposed to be in is the one I supplied in last week and enjoyed. Those kids were awesome, good, and I had no problems with them. I am looking forward to teaching them again tomorrow.

One teacher I know (he goes to my church, and I often supply in his classroom) said I'm probably getting a lot of work this week due to the fact the flu is going around, and it is report card time (so some teachers are taking some time off - or at least working elsewhere in the school - to get them done on time). In all honesty, I don't care why they are taking the time off...I'm just glad I'm getting some work! Not sure if it will continue between now and the end of the year (which I hope it does). That remains to be seen.

And, I have been thanking God for the amount of work this week. He definitely deserves thanks!

Aside from work, I haven't been doing too much because I've been tired most days because I'm not used to working every day for a long time. I've managed to get some knitting and crocheting done on some items I'm sending to a friend in Australia for her first baby. I need to sew on a few buttons and then I can get things sent off. Hoping to do that this weekend. I'd do it tomorrow, but unfortuately we are getting what I hope is our last snow storm this winter. They are calling for 15-20 cm of snow starting around noon tomorrow, and I won't be going out in that!

What have you been up to this week?

Hi, My Name Is...

2011-03-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

When I was little, I hated my name. The other kids would rhyme my name with other words and laugh; they thought it was hilarious. It's one thing that contributed to my low self-esteem, mostly because I always felt like they were laughing at me, and not the little rhymes they created. In all honesty, I do think they were laughing at me - I was never popular and was always teased and whatnot, and we all know that kids can be cruel.

Occasionally, as an adult, I will still get someone rhyming my name. And while I don't think they're laughing at me or calling me names, I still don't like it - probably because it reminds me of my childhood.

I remember finding out (probably early in my teens, or a little earlier than that age), that adults can legally change their names - for a fee. I used to think that when I was old enough, I was going to legally change my name - to what, I don't know, but I was going to change it.

In the Bible, names reflected authority and character. Abram (exalted father) had his name changed by God, to Abraham (father of a multitude). His wife Sarai's name was changed to Sarah (princess). Jacob had his name changed to Israel, and even in the new Testament we see Simon becomes Peter (Cephas) and Saul was to be known as Paul. Name changes often happened when a person grew older and his or her character was more developed (though I am sure there were other reasons as well).

My parents used to have a baby book (from when I was born) which had lists of boys and girls names listed, along with their meanings. According to this book, my name meant "musical" (I am sooo not musical). However, going to one of the many websites on the internet, I have found that they all seem to agree that my name means "meadow on a ledge"... I think, though, that my parents chose my name because they liked it, not because of what it means.

As an adult, I'm still not musical, and I definitely am not any type of meadow - whether on a ledge or not. If I lived back in Biblical times and my name was to be changed, I really don't know what it would be changed to. I'm also curious what Jesus would change my name to, if that is something He would do (not everyone had their name changed).

Will I change my name now that I'm an adult (and have been for a long time)? Probably not. It's much cheaper to keep it as is. And besides, I'm kind of used to it now.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to, and why?

Open To Suggestions...

2011-03-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling lately with this blog - with the direction I want to take. I've been seeing so many links on Twitter to posts about how to get followers (which, doesn't seem to be happening for me...probably largely due to content), how to get people to comment or start conversations, how you should write your posts, what type of blog you should have, your writing style in blogging...and the list goes on and on.

I've visited lots of blogs (and left comments), and many of them are daily reads for me. I've seen some great ones that I'd like to "copy" their style, and I've also been told, and read, to just be myself in my blog. And that's hard, because it seems like just being myself isn't working...

I've read lots of awesome posts that deal with kids. In other words, the authors of those blogs use things their kids have said or done, or lessons they've taught their kids, and couple those with Bible passages. This produces great posts. I, however, have no kids. I'm also not married. I can't create posts about either of those things.

I've written posts that I thought were great, that I thought would get some comments, get some conversations generated, but mostly I get the big ol' goose egg beside the comment indicator. Though to be honest, I do get a few comments now and then.

I've thought about having guest bloggers, but then I wonder if anyone would want to post something on a blog which gets little to no comments, and little to no conversations happening. That's still up in the air though, so I might ask some people if they would mind doing a guest post...

So, I guess I'm open to suggestions...what I can do generate more conversations and comments (I think I have some readers according to my stats, but then I don't know if they are drive-bys or actually reading my blog). What types of posts I can write, topics, etc. Keep in mind that contests are out for now, as I'm not getting a lot of work and don't have much money to get prizes or even send them (though I would be open to that in the future at some point).

Let me know what you think, or even if you are willing to guest post!

You Know You're A Child Of God's When...

2011-03-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

You accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour.

I hear so many people (those who believe and those who don't) say that we are all God's children. That is a lie the devil wants you to believe.

We are not all God's children; but we are all God's creation.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

Of course, the Him being referred to is Jesus. Right before this, in verse 11, it tells us that He came to His own - the Jewish people - but they refused to believe that Jesus is the long-promised Messiah, and rejected Him.

Those who received Jesus were the Gentiles (non-Jewish people), though there were some Jewish people who did believe this (most didn't). Because of Jesus' own people rejecting Him, God allowed those of out outside their faith to be born into His family - to be adopted, so to speak. By inviting Jesus into your heart, asking Him to be your Saviour, you are spiritually born into God's family. You become one of His children! It's the only way.

Simply being a human being does not automatically make you a child of God, a part of His family. If that was the case, there would have been no reason for Him to send Jesus to be the attonment for our sins. There would have been no reason for Jesus to suffer on the cross, die and be risen from the dead three days later.

If you want to be included in God's family, you MUST ask Jesus into your heart (honestly), ask Him to forgive your sins and to be your Saviour. If you don't, then you aren't one of God's children, and your future is at stake, and in all honesty, you are on your way to Hell.

Are you one of God's children? If not I would love to talk more with you about Jesus, and help you secure your future in Christ and help you to know that you will be saved.

It Might Be Something Right Under Your Nose

2011-03-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today we began a new series at church, which is to help lead us to seeking God for the direction He wants us to take as a church this summer (it kind of falls on the heels of the series we just finished).

The sermon was on the passage of Mary and Martha, where Jesus and his disciples were invited to Martha's house. Martha was busy at work preparing for the guests, while Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him. Martha was ticked off (no doubt) and pointed out Mary's actions, or lack of, to Jesus. She wanted Him to tell her sister, Mary, to help her with the preparations. Jesus told Martha that Mary was actually doing the better thing.

Part of the new series is to have some people in the congregation become Marthas in which they (a deacon and pastor will also be there with the host) invite 12 or 13 people into their homes for "fireside chats"...which, I think will include Scripture, discussions, prayer and listening to Jesus guiding us in our lives, and the direction for the church to take. Pastor J didn't go too much into that just yet, as that is coming up in a few weeks and he will explain in better detail then. Pastor J also encouraged us to be Marys at this time, in that we sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He has to say.

Anyway, Pastor J encouraged people to linger after the service and pray and take a few minutes (how ever long they wanted) to just listen to Jesus, to listen for His voice.

I was waiting for a friend of mine (and not actually praying), who was talking to someone else, and Pastor J came over and sat down beside me - after talking and praying with several others. He asked me how I was doing, and offered to pray for me. He asked what I wanted to pray about.

I told him how I'd been praying about a couple of things (which I won't mention here), and he is aware of at least one of the things. I said that it seemed like I've been asking for so long, but I wasn't receiving - you know the verse, "ask and you shall receive". Pastor J said something that I had never thought of before. He said that maybe I wasn't "receiving" because God had something for me (or something for me to do) that is right under my nose, but because I've been focused on what I think it is God wants me to do, that I'm just not noticing what it is God actually wants me to do. His suggestion actually opened my mind, my thoughts - maybe he's right.

So, that is one of the things we prayed about, and it's something I'm going to continue to pray about. I would also appreciate if you could pray for this for me too - that I listen for God's voice, for what He wants me to do, what might be right under my nose that I'm failing to see. :o)

What can I pray about for you today?

Ash Wednesday/Lent

2011-03-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

I looked at the calendar the other day. I had just finished writing down the location, time, etc. for a half day of work. I noticed something was printed on the 9th, and glanced at it. It said "Ash Wednesday".

To be honest, I never really gave any thought to the meaning behind Ash Wednesday. Today, I decided to look it up (after reading this post from Pete Wilson) to learn more about it.

Ash Wednesday is the first day that marks a 40 day period, aka Lent, (not including Sundays) until Easter. Not all Christian denominations observe Lent, but for those that do, this period of time is when they will abstain from something (a certain food, habit, etc.) for the 40 days.

Lent is a time for fasting, using moderation, repenting, and observing spiritual discipline. I can remember growing up that it seemed to me only Catholics took part in Lent. That is because all of my friends who were Catholic would talk about what they were giving up for Lent. None of my other friends (who were not Catholic) ever talked about it. I know now, that Lent is not just for Catholics. In the past several years, I have become more aware (probably from reading different Christian blogs) of people in other denominations taking part in Lent.

I've never taken part in Lent (because I had always thought it was for Catholics, and I'm not a Catholic), and in all honesty, don't know if I will this year or not. It will have to be something I pray about today/tonight and figure out what I should abstain from for the next 40 days, beginning tomorrow. I am sure there are a lot of things I could give up (fast from) for Lent - computer time, watching TV, certain foods, bad habits...and when I'm craving those thing, use the time to pray and focus on Jesus instead.

I'm sure it would be a good thing to participate in Lent...but I don't know if I will.

Are you taking part in Lent? What are you giving up for this 40 day period before Easter?

In the Field

2011-03-05T08:21:00.001-07:00

Irises in a Field

The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.

Isaiah 40:8

They Say Spring Is Coming

2011-03-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

We have oh so much snow.

They say spring is coming, but I think the snow will be around for a little while. I'm not overly fond of snow - kind of odd for living in a country (or part of the country) that gets snow every winter...and in a case like this year, a little too much - OK, a LOT too much.

The Back Yard

Looking towards the front yard from the driveway

On a positive note, I am thankful that I do live in a country that has four seasons (including a snowy one). I am also thankful that I can count on God's promise:

While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

And cold and heat,

And summer and winter,

And day and night

Shall not cease.

(Genesis 8:22)

So, even though I'm not a big fan of winter, I can count on the fact that as long as this earth remains, the season of cold and fluffy white stuff will come about once a year. You'd think after spending my life in a country that has snow (there was even a little snow in South Korea when I lived there), I'd be used to it. And, I guess I am. But still...

They say spring is coming...and I'm really looking forward it!

What is your favourite season?

Is This Not The Fast Which I Choose?

2011-02-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's sermon was great, and it definitely spoke to me. The pastor even said that he can't ever read this without feeling convicted.

Pastor T (our pastor of family ministries) spoke on Isaiah 58. The chapter talks about how God's people would cry out loud to the Lord, they were being obedient in what they were doing:

Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know my ways,
As a nation that has done righteousness
And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight in the nearness of God.
(Isaiah 58:2)

The people fasted and humbled themselves, but they felt God was not listening to them, or seeing what they were doing.

So often, I think, we also feel that way. I know in my own life, especially these last few years, I have definitely felt like God has turned a blind eye, and ignores the things I do (or try to do) for Him.

There was one problem, however, with what the Israelites were doing. We read in verse 3 that, "...on the day of your fast you find your desire."

Basically, they were being selfish in fasting and in being humble (which, really, is a false humbleness or humility). They weren't helping others, and they put the focus all on themselves. They fasted and had food that they weren't eating, but they did not share it with those who did need it. They were doing these things (fasting, being humble, etc.) but yet were acting in an evil manner to others - "..you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist" (verse 4). That is totally not the way to behave!

God goes on, in verses 6 and 7 to tell his people:

Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?

Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

The people needed to be putting their focus on others, and not themselves. They needed to stop being wicked and evil, and to start sharing their food with those who had none (or very little), share their homes and their beds with those who were homeless, and give their clothing to those in need.

During my walk, for the last while, I have felt like God has been ignoring me (even though I know He hasn't). You see, I put the focus on why God has not done something for me, or answered prayers; but, in actuality, it is because of what I haven't been doing.

While Pastor T was speaking, it occurred to me that I have been acting the same way the Israelites were. For so long, it has been all about me - what I need, what I want. I definitely think it's time for a change in my actions! I need to start focusing on the needs of others.

I love what God promises (in verses 8 to 11) if we put our focus on others and not ourselves, and do as He says in the verses above:

Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am '
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.

And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Isn't God awesome?!

Are there any Bible verses that are speaking to you today? I'd love to hear what they are in the comment section!

Lately...

2011-02-25T10:15:00.001-07:00

These are some thoughts and feelings I've been going through lately. They are nicely summed up in these two videos by Matthew West...

These are currently two of my favourite songs. What are your favourite songs?

If I Was Meant To Have Patience...I'd Have Been A Doctor!

2011-02-22T08:29:00.002-07:00

I've always thought of myself has having patience. I somewhat taught myself to knit (couldn't quite remember the knit stitch and how to cast on that I learned when I was seven), though I did get a little help from one of the ladies at work when things didn't seem to be working out. Mind you, I used some tutorials as well, to get a little help. But, it wasn't an easy process - especially using the double pointed needles to make socks and mittens!

When I'm teaching someone how to knit, I have lots of patience. When I'm working with the kids at school, I have a good amount of patience. When I'm waiting for someone (unless I'm in a great hurry), I tend to have patience.

But, when it comes to some things, I'm not patient at all. I want it now; I want it yesterday. And, my mantra of the day becomes "If I was meant to have patience (patients), I'd have been a doctor!" (Ok, so it sounds better than it looks written out...because you don't have to show the spellings of both words...)

This morning I was doing my Bible reading, like I try to do every morning. Once again, like I usuall do, I asked God to show me something, reveal something to me, help me get something out of my reading. I don't always get something, but I think I did today.

I started reading Genesis again the other day, and today's chapter was on the flood waters receeding, and the ark coming to rest on Mount Ararat (chapter 8). We are told that Noah, et. al., endured 40 days and 40 nights of rain; that "the water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days" (Gen. 7:24); that the waters came in the second month, and in the seventh month "the ark rested upon th emountains of Ararat" (8:4). The waters then "decreased steadily until the tenth month" (8:5) It was at this point when the tops of the mountain became visible.

So, quite a bit of time has gone by at this point. In verse 6, we read that it was another 40 days that Noah sent out the raven. After that he sent out the dove, which returned to him. He then waited seven days before sending out the dove again. This time it returned with the olive leaf. The inhabitants of the ark did not leave then; instead, they waited a further seven days.

All in all, it took a long time - "In the 600th year of Noah's life, in the second month on the 17th day, the rains began. (Gen. 7:11). When Noah was 601 (the first month on the first day), the water dried up from the earth. In the second month on the 27th day the earth was dry and Noah was told to leave the ark (Gen. 8:13-16). I'm sure it required a LOT of patience from the 8 members of the ark. Can you imagine the smell that came from the ark with all those animals and even the people, with no bathrooms??!!! I would think that situation would either help to create patience or drive you insane.

So, that got me to thinking about Abraham and Sarah having to wait a long time for a child; Hannah and Elizabeth also waited a long time to have children.

And, ultimately, the greatest test of patience - waiting for the arrival of the Messiah (Jesus)! And, now we wait patiently for Jesus to return.

God's timing is not our timing. What seems like a great deal of time to us may only be the blink of an eye for God. And that's where I tend to get frustrated.

In my own life, there are things I'm still waiting for, and though I don't know if I'll ever get them, I try to be patient. I try to tell myself that God's timing is perfect, and I just need to wait patiently. But, saying is a lot easier than doing! In all honesty, there are times when I feel like giving up. And, admittedly, I say at times that I am giving up on something, but then I find myself going back and starting the waiting process over again - just in case.

Patience can be something I struggle with, but I try to keep my focus on the Lord, and not me or whatever I am waiting on. Like I said though, it's not easy to do!

What is something you struggle with?

Friday Fill Ins

2011-02-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

1. New experiences and possibilities often scare me.

2. If you don't take an unexpected turn on a daily walk you might miss out on something beautiful.

3. I'm looking forward to the day I get my very own classroom - hopefully kindergarten to grade two or three...maybe four.

4. Unimaginative people never have imagined.

5. Try to find an end to the several feet of snow we've received in the last month or so.

6. I'd like to think I could find out just what exactly is what's extraordinary about me.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing some knitting, tomorrow my plans include more knitting, probably, and Sunday, I want to be able to hang out with my bestie, my BFF as we haven't been able to in about a month!

Happy Valentines Day...

2011-02-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Jesus,

Here is my Valentine's Day card to you:

Yes, Jesus, that's right. I choo choo choose you - not just as my Valentine, but as my Saviour!

Love,

Shelley
xox

With A Blogger Here and Blogger There

2011-02-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of a few pretty cool blogs I've discovered recently. Why not check them out:

1. Blessed Beyond Measure

2. Cycle Guy's Spin

3. Windows and Paper Walls

4. Ragamuffin Soul

5. Beta Christian

I'll post links to some others at another time, and as I come across them.

Question: What are some of your favourite blogs to visit? Why not leave a link in the comments for me to check out!

Storms May Come, And Storms May Go...

2011-02-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Snowstorm

The snowflakes started their quiet, gentle descent, drifting down from the grey skies overhead. Soon, they turned to fat, fluffy flakes that gathered quickly in a soft, white blanket on the ground. The evergreens and other trees reached out to collect their ‘no two alike’ treasures on their bows.

All around, it was peaceful; but it didn’t last. All too soon the flakes changed again, and within the hour the wind picked up, howling and whipping the snow every which way. At times, it was near impossible to see even a few feet into the distance – whiteout conditions ensued.

That snowy scene has taken place at regular intervals within the last six weeks in my city. We’ve had at least one snow storm each week in that amount of time, and it happened again late last night and only ended around noon today. We were expecting a further 30 cm (almost a foot) on top of the roughly 40 cm we already had. That’s over 2 feet of snow – and that’s not counting the drifts and banks from where snow has been shoveled or blown from roads, walkways, and driveways.

Thinking of all the storms we’ve been having (and not only in my city, but in many around the world) reminds me of the storms we face in our lives and how they often leave behind drifts and damage and debris. Sometimes we encounter unpleasant circumstances – pain, suffering, the death of a loved one, loss of a job, etc., that turn our worlds upside down and inside out.

It doesn’t matter, really, whether or not our storms are frequent or infrequent, or if our everyday trials pile up slowly or quickly, for there is Someone we can (and should) turn to, someone who can help us weather our storms.

That Someone is Jesus.

Jesus can help us through the darkest of nights, shining His light along the way. He can comfort us through the violent storms, and the rough waters. He is there for us and helps to bear our burdens:

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden (Psalm 68:19)

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you…(Psalm 55:22)

And, just like the snow, our troubles and problems will not last. They will melt away. But like the over 2 feet of snow we have here, it may take longer than we’d like for them to disappear. Don’t give up, however, hold on to Jesus, because the storms will pass away, the snow will melt and a season of rebirth, growth, and strength will follow.

Remember Egypt

2011-02-05T14:51:00.001-07:00

Looking towards a hazy Cairo from the pyramids

With all the recent events going on in Egypt, I began thinking of my trip there in February 2008 - 3 years ago!

I went to Egypt with three friends from when I was living and teaching in South Korea. The four of us spent a few days shy of a month in that country, travelling from Alexandria, to Cairo, to Luxor and Aswan, and places in between.

We visited many tombs, temples, and pyramids. We rode on camels (which was a lot of fun), walked around the busy streets, did lots of shopping, enjoying the sights and sounds of such a busy place, bought lots of souvenirs, and just took in the wonders of that ancient land.

Horses race past as we ride on camels to the pyramids

Egypt has its good points and its bad points, but overall I am so thankful I was able to go and experience the culture. I was afraid that I wouldn't like the food there, as I really didn't know what to expect; however, I ended up loving it! The people, for the most part, were friendly, though there is lots of begging due to the poor conditions/economy.

Egypt is in need of our prayers - prayers for what is happening, the safety of the people, the government, new leaders, direction, etc. To be honest, I don't even really know what to pray for exactly. I do pray for these things, but we are told in the Bible that even when we don't know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf (I can't find the passage right now, otherwise I'd post it here. Feel free to let me know where it's found in the comments).

I thought I'd post a few photos of when I was in Egypt. I think if you click on them they will enlargen. I have probably a thousand photos (or close to it) and can always show more in future posts.

On the deck before our Nile Dinner Cruise

Please join me in remembering Egypt when we pray.

Have I mentioned?

2011-02-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

I've gone through a couple boxes of Kleenex already. The nose spray is dwindling down. The Vicks VapoRub has been consitently slathered on. And, The cold pills and NeoCitrine have been ingested every four hours for the last several days.

My nose is running, though that seems a little more recent, I'm congested (that's starting to clear up a little), the sneezing is gale force when it happens, my ear has become somewhat "clogged" (though I can still hear), and I've now developed a raspy, barking cough.

I'm sick.

I hate being sick - mind you, I don't think I know of anyone who actually enjoys being sick, but I digress. I've been fairly lucky this winter season; this is the first cold I've had in awhile. Thankfully, I don't think it's the flu as I don't have any aches, pains, or fever. I've been dealing with this now since this past Saturday - five days. I hope this bug doesn't last much longer.

"If anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick..." (James 5:14-15)

While I don't expect you all to rush up here and anoint me with oil, I sure would appreciate your prayers, offered in faith, for my health to be restored. I hate to complain, so I'll stop here with my post.

Have I mentioned that I hate being sick?

Talent or Gift

2011-02-01T11:38:00.001-07:00

Hundreds of fingers flew over computer keyboards, the clickety-clacking echoing in the large office. My mind was racing, not particularly focusing on work. I had been thinking about a couple of evenings before, when I had been at Bible study.

“Ok, God.” I thought. “I have been thinking about this since the other day, trying to figure out how to use this gift for you. I can’t come up with anything. I really have no idea how or what to do, so you are going to have to tell me in no uncertain terms what to do.”

The prayer had barely left the confines of my brain when the answer appeared. “Crochet baby blankets.” It was more of a thought in my mind than an actual voice.

During that particular Bible study, we talked about spiritual gifts, and even took the “quiz” offered by my church. It was a typical spiritual gifts inventory in which you answer questions, add up the corresponding amounts beside each answer and then whichever has the highest totals is where you are gifted (you can also find these inventories online).

At the time, my highest total fell in the “craftsmanship” category. As I mentioned, I could not come up with a single idea of how to use that spiritual gift to glorify the Lord. But, I prayed and God answered me. I decided that after work that day I was heading to Wal-Mart to buy yarn and a crochet hook (I hadn’t crocheted in years). I wasn’t too worried about a pattern, because often times the band around the yarn has patterns printed on them.

My idea – with help from the Lord – was to crochet the baby blankets and donate them to the hospital or the local pregnancy resource center. I was so excited! The countdown until the end of the work day had begun, and it was just after lunch. I remember the afternoon dragged on and on as I waited anxiously to start this new endeavour.

That was about ten years ago. Since then I’ve expanded my skills to include knitting, which I mostly do now – mittens, socks, hats, scarves, etc. I typically put them on the mitten tree at church and they are given (free) to those in need. I haven’t actually made any baby blankets (knitted or crocheted) for about seven or eight years now.

Over the years, I’ve struggled with whether or not my knitting/crocheting can be considered a spiritual gift. Is it a talent given to me by God, yes; but an actual spiritual gift, I don’t know. You see, I after I had taken the inventory “quiz”, I had believed craftsmanship was a spiritual gift. Then, I took part in a discussion on a Christian forum about spiritual gifts. I had mentioned that craftsmanship was my biggest gifting, and was promptly told by some that it is not something listed in Corinthians or Romans or any other place in the Bible as being an actual spiritual gift. According to this person, only what was listed in those chapters (prophecy, tongues, interpretation, etc.) were actual spiritual gifts.

Do I lose sleep over this? Of course not. Even if it isn't a "real" spiritual gift, I can use it to glorify the Lord - and really, isn't that what counts?

So, my question to you is this: Are spiritual gifts only those that are listed in the New Testament, or can anything be considered one? What is the difference between a God-given talent and a spiritual gift?

Out My Front Door

2011-01-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today is a storm day. Again. Since the week between Christmas and New Year's, it seems as though we've had a snow storm at least once a week. One day a week ago, we also had a day of freezing rain, which also closed things down.

Schools are closed. Several business and work places are closed. Roads are bad.

I've seen the snow plow go down our street (and back up) once. The plow that also comes to do our driveway (and pretty well everyone else's on the street too) has been around once, just after the street plow came around. Since then, the wind has picked up and there is a great deal of blowing snow and poor visability.

This photo (above) is looking out my front door. It's part of the street (we are on a bend) looking up to another street. You can see the stop sign and the house on the other side of that street. What you can't see is the street. You can see the high snow banks from the previous storms where the plows have pushed the snow off the roads. The tree at the bottom is just a new one planted this fall, but the snow is up high on the trunk. To be fair, it's also at the road so a lot of the snow is from the snowbank.

The wind wasn't as strong at that point (it's picked up since I took the picture), but you can get the feeling from the photo that it is storming.

The photo to the right was taken at the same time, and looks over to the park beside the house. Still lots of snow and blowing snow. The graininess of the photo is actually snow.

I am thankful for snow days like this. I don't particularly care for the snow (or winter and cold in general) - which might seem odd since I live in Canada...

But, I am thankful that I have shelter from the storm. I am thankful to be in a house with heat to keep me warm from the storm.

I am thankful for the beauty in nature - the snow, when it is on the evergreen trees, looks so pretty.

I am thankful that I live in a part of the world that actually has four different seasons.

I am thankful that the country I live in is free, and I have freedom. I am thankful this freedom allows me to worship and praise the Lord in public, in my home, in the homes of others, in my church - and I don't have to worry and fear of being imprisoned or tortured or killed for my faith.

So, today is a day that I am going to try and focus on being thankful for what I have. What are you thankful for today?

And They Were All Filled With the Holy Spirit

2011-01-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me apologize for such a long absence. Just a day or so after my previous post I began experiencing problems with my computer. It turns out that the hard drive on my lap top decided to crash, or whatever it does. It took me nearly a month to get it fixed (had to get paid first). I was also having problems with our main computer, the one the modem and wireless router are hooked up to. For that problem, we discovered (after getting the electrician to come in for another issue and getting him to look at that plug/socket) the socket in which the computer and router were plugged into wasn't working. So, to make a long story short, everything seems to be in working order now.

Recently, I began reading the book of Acts, which I haven't done for some time. As I read, a thought/question popped into my mind - and it's still there, since I'm not sure if I can answer it, or if anyone can. Let me explain:

In the book of Acts, we read about how the apostles received the promised Holy Spirit. Acts 2:3-4 states:

And there appeard to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holly Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."

In chapter 3 we read about Peter and John healing the lame beggar, and chapter 12 tells the account of Peter's miraculous release from jail. I should note that I'm not finished reading Acts yet, so these are the only miracles I've included in this post.

Anyway, in today's society, it seems that there are no miracles taking place after people receive the Holy Spirit (i.e. the tongues of fire appearing upon receipt of the Holy Spirit, no speaking in tongues, no healings, etc.). It makes me wonder if these particular signs and wonders were only relevant in those days. Why don't we hear of more miracles happening that help lead others to Christ (as mentioned in Acts)? Was this something that needed to be done in the early days of the church? Are they no longer applicable to us today?

Do miracles (those mentioned in Acts) happen a great deal more than we realize or know, and we just have become so skeptical about them (due to those who perform false miracles and claim they are from the Lord, when in fact no miracle has actually taken place)? Or, are we just not as "in tune" with the Lord as we think we are?

Have we become complacent (if that's the right word) in our walk, or are these signs and wonders - these miracles - just not applicable to us? In other words, were these things only gifted to the apostles/disciples who walked with Jesus when He walked the earth?

The Bible tells us that every one of God's children has received spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12), but why does it seem as though they aren't being used? Are they (the gifts) only used to build up the church, only for those who have already accpeted Christ as Savior to see/hear? Why do we not hear of hundreds or thousands coming to Christ when someone speaks about Jesus, and that many signs and wonders/miracles being performed among them at these times?

I know, lots of questions. And, I'm not even sure if they make any sense. All I know was that as I read these chapters, I thought of how exciting it must have been, how awesome to be in a crowd where everyone was speaking in each others tongue (and even being accused of being drunk by others because of it), and having the others understand what was being said.

Yes, I know the gifts are for edifying the church/body of Christ, but it just seems to me that these amazing things just don't seem to happen when people receive the Holy Spirit now...or do they, and it just isn't mentioned?

So, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Have you had any experiences as is mentioned in the Book of Acts? Have you had similar questions that you've had answered by your pastor, and if so, how were they answered?

Relaxing Holiday

2010-12-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it's three days after Christmas, and all is well. We did get a white Christmas this year, though there wasn't much - maybe a few centimetres. That all changed yesterday. We ended up getting a snow storm - the very same one that moved up the eastern coast of the US.

It was still snowing today, though it had tapered off some yesterday, last night, and today (the snow was off and on). It was quite windy at times though, which caused drifting and blowing snow. I think there was a little rain mixed in as well, because when I was out cleaning the car off, I had to scrape and there was a little ice on the windshield.

The roads weren't too good today. I had to go to the grocery store for a few things, and then around supper time I had to drive my little nephew (he came to visit with us for awhile this afternoon) back over to his other grandparents, and the roads weren't plowed. There were bare tracks in places, but there was more snow than bareness. That was on the main road - the side streets didn't have bare patches or anything, so they were worse.

I haven't been doing a whole lot since Christmas - just relaxing and catching up on some knitting and reading. I'm going to hang out with my best friend tomorrow afternoon and evening. We're going to hang out, watch a movie, order pizza and do some crafty sorts of things (more than likely it will be knitting). She's went back to university for her bachelor of education, and the Christmas break will be the only time we will be able to really hang out, since during school she is super busy.

I had a good Christmas. It was quiet - only me, my mom, my older brother and his wife. My other brother and his family didn't get up this year, and we definitely missed them! I think one of the best things about Christmas that I enjoy is having family over.

What do you enjoy about Christmas?

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

I would like to take this time to wish each and every one of you a very peaceful, joyous and blessed Christmas.

Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season!

Do Not Swear...

2010-12-18T08:49:00.001-07:00

Several years ago, I accompanied my dad to the motor vehicle office with regard to giving him my car. I'm not exactly sure now what we had to do, but I do remember part of it involving the lady behind the counter pulling out a Bible and making us both place our hands on it and swearing (obviously not the vulgar swearing).

But above all, my brethern, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. (James 5:12)

I remember feeling guilty afterwards (yes, I repented of it as well) and wishing I had the strength to have told her that I would not put my hand on the Bible and swear, and then quote (and even show her) the above scripture. I don't know how that would have gone over though.

I often wonder about people in court, when they are made to place their hands on the Bible and swear or take an oath - what would happen, or what would be done, if the person refused to do so and then quoted James 5:12...would they get tossed out of court, would they get thrown in jail for causing problems, would they be forced to take the oath, or would the judge accept the denial and quote.

Have you ever refused to swear or take an oath by placing your hand on a Bible (as in situations above, or similar)? What has been the result? Or, are/were you like me and made the oath or swear and then feel guilty after?

Xmas?

2010-12-08T05:52:00.001-07:00

I was going to do a post on the whole Xmas thing, but I just read Jim's post, and he pretty much sums up my thoughts on the matter too. Why not head over there and check it out.

Would love you to come back and leave your thoughts on the matter (writing Xmas instead of Christmas) as well.

Just Accept It - That's All You Need To Do

2010-11-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

I remember when I visited Egypt. I spent the month of February, 2008, with three friends and we toured several places. I loved my time there, and it was such a surreal feeling to be standing in front of the pyramids, to visit the temples and tombs, and sail down the Nile.

One thing that is quite common over there, is the abundance of people (usually men) trying to sell you souvenirs, etc. The country is quite poor, so you can't fault them for trying to make a living. But, everywhere we went, someone was always shouting out for us to come and buy something from them. In several places, like at the pyramids, you would find men (and lots of times children as well), carrying around several items trying to sell them to make a pound (their currency is the Egyptian pound, but they also use and accept the American dollar).

While at the pyramids, one man approached us with cute little glass images (set of 3) of the pyramids - think paperweights. He approached T and said to her, "Here, it's a gift for you." She took it, thinking that is was really nice of him to offer her a gift for no reason. She started to walk on after thanking him, but he followed right along and tugged her arm. "It's a gift for you. Now you give me a gift. Maybe _____." (fill in the blank with a dollar amount). So, as it turns out, it really wasn't a gift. He was using that method to get the person to accept the item he wanted to sell, then once they had it in their possession, he would request to be paid for the item.

Thankfully, God is not like that. In Romans 6:23 we read, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (bold and italics are my addition).

Salvation is not earned. God has freely given it to us in the form of His Son - Jesus Christ. We don't have to pay (in actuality, we CAN'T do this) to be saved. All we need to do is believe and profess that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins (he sacrificed His life so we could live), and rose the third day.

God gives us His gift; He doesn't demand to be paid for it - not prior to giving it, not after giving it. All we need to do is accept His gift. He's not going to follow after us, tug at our arms and demand us to give him a "gift" in exchange for eternal life. The truth of the matter is, the price has already been paid in full - with Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross.

All you need to do, is just accept God's gift to you. That's it.

Angry Birds, Eh?

2010-11-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

I have a new addiction - thanks to Pete Wilson and others...

I've been playing this game since noonish. It's fun; it's cute, and I love it! So, thanks Pete and others who introduced me to this!

Biblical Humor

2010-11-15T13:30:00.001-07:00

Here's a little repost of one of my posts from my first year ever of blogging. Enjoy!

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?" "Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life." The child thought about this for a moment, then said, "So why is the groom wearing black?"

A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!" While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again. As she ran she once again began to pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late...But please don't shove me either!"

Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem. They give him $50."

The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song. They give him $100."

The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!"

An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no male pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, "They wouldn't take me out while I was alive, I don't want them to take me out when I'm dead.

A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem. A small child replied: "They couldn't get a baby sitter."

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat one little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."

At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, "Johnny, what is the matter?" Little Johnny responded, "I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife."

Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, "What do you think about all this Satan stuff?" The other boy replied, "Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It's probably just your Dad.

Lest We Forget

2010-11-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Painting of Flanders Fields taken from this blog, but I don't have any idea from where he got it.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

Poem taken from here: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/firstwar/vimy/vimy1a

Silence Is Golden

2010-11-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

This week in Sunday school, we discussed being silent before the Lord in order to hear His voice. This is something we might find difficult to do, depending on our situation - like if you have small children (or any children) or a job that takes up a lot of time.

We tried to do this for a brief amount of time in class, and some of us had a difficult time, while others didn't seem to mind at all. For me, it was difficult.

I find it difficult to turn off my mind or stop it from wandering. Usually one thought leads to another, and that one to another, and so on. Or, I'll hear a noise or talking or whatnot in the distance (in this case it was coming from the class next door to ours, and from the kids music program down the hall), and seem to focus on that - even if I pray and ask the Lord to help me refocus on Him. It's not an easy situation!

Here are some guidelines we discussed prior to doing this exercise in the class:

1. Prayer (5 minutes) - settling into quietness and stillness, trust God with "to-dos" or jot them down in a quick note.

2. Read through your Bible passage once (in our case we tried this exercise using Matthew 5:1-12), then read it again, this time more slowly.

3. Pay attention to verses that stand out to you.

4. In what ways are you feeling plessed?

5. In what ways have you experienced the truth of these verses lately?

6. How do these verses intersect with your life right now?

7. Are there ways in which these verses seem odd to you? (It is totally OK if they do)

8. Are there ways you sense God is telling you to change? How do you react to this?

9. What do the verses tell us about God?

As I said, I didn't find myself successful with the attempt of being silent before the Lord in class. Not only did I find the noise around me (from other classes) distracting, but I wasn't sitting in a comfortable chair either. To me, that is one of the big factors - the need to be comfortable before I can concentrate or focus. I'm the same way if I'm studying something too; I need a comfortable chair.

So, because this didn't work for me on Sunday, does that mean I won't try it again? Of course not! I will try this again and see how it works for me then - and of course, I'll make sure I have myself a nice, comfortable chair!

Have you tried being silent before the Lord? Have you heard him speak to you this way? I'd love to hear your experiences with it!

To Fast Or Not To Fast...

2010-11-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

Recently in Sunday school class, we discussed the topic of fasting.

Usually when we talk about fasting, it is from food and eating. According to dictionary.com, fasting means to cause to abstain entirely or limit food. However, there are many kinds of fasts that we can do, and not just from food.

In class, one woman talked about having an "addiction" to caffeinated beverages, so she had chosen to fast from those for a certain amount of time (I believe she decided to do this during Lent, even though it wasn't something practiced in our church). Another woman talked about fasting from electronics, particularly the computer. Other fasts you can do is to abstain from food and only drink water and/or fruit juice; another would be to fast from all meat and just eat fruits and vegetables. The list goes on, really.

The idea of fasting is to remove some form of comfort from our lives and use that time to focus more on spiritual things. It should be noted that when fasting, the enemy is going to do whatever he can to break the fast. For example, you fast from food and only drink water and/or fruit juice and, of course, you will get hungry. Your stomach will growl, and the enemy is right there helping to put thoughts in your mind, like, "Wouldn't a nice, juicy hambuger taste good right about now? Or how about going out to your favourite restaurant - it's Tuesday and they have that awesome special on..." However, when those hunger pangs do strike, you can use those as reminders to stop and pray and focus on the Lord.

The Bible is filled with verses on fasting - Daniel was on a sort of vegetable fast (he fasted from eating the king's food, and only ate fruits and vegetables), Jesus tells the disciples, who had inquired about not being able to drive out evil spirits from someone, that those spirits could only be removed through prayer and fasting.

I remember one time several years ago being in a Christian chat room and discussing this very topic with some people from around the world. A few of us had decided that evening that we were going to fast for a twelve hour period. Well, for one woman, the day was just beginning and she had eaten breakfast. She decided from that time she would fast for the next 12 hours. A man, who was about an hour behind my time (putting it about 10pm for him) decided that since he was going in to work on the night shift, he would fast during that time (and a few hours afterwards). That was great for them, but it was about 11pm for me and it was time for bed. They told me that didn't matter and that I could still fast and it would "count".

Now, to me, that is not fasting. I would be asleep and not able to focus on spiritual matters or pray - not exactly something you can do when you are sleeping. I told them my thoughts on this and that I would have to wait until the next day if I were to fast, but they were adament that my sleeping through the fast would still
count". However, as I said earlier on, fasting is designed to remove some of our comforts in order to focus on spiritual matters. Now, I could have fasted from sleep and spent the time praying and reading my Bible, but I didn't. I slept. And, I still believe that that sort of situation is not fasting.

To my recollection, I have only ever fasted once (for about 12 hours), and it was several years ago so I don't recall the outcome or how it was. I am thinking of trying a fast regarding a couple of thoughts/situations that I have been mulling over lately, but I have no current idea as to when I'll actually do it.

What are your thoughts on fasting? Have you ever fasted? I would love to hear your responses in the comment section.

Words Are Powerful. Try Journaling

2010-10-18T04:42:00.004-07:00

Yesterday in Sunday school, we talked about journaling, and how useful it is in our walk. We learned three basic ideas:

Writing is a record and a reminder.By keeping a journal, we are able to look back and see where we have been, where we have come from. It's also a good way to see just how God has worked in our lives - a nice little reminder for those times we are feeling down or feeling like God isn't or hasn't worked in our lives (you know those times, it's when the enemy gets hold of our thoughts and tells us that we are such a bad person and how can we call ourselves Christian because we've done such and such and if that's the case, why would God love us or work in our lives). In other words, journaling can help us grow in our walk.

Some people keep prayer journals. Back when I felt such fire for the Lord, felt passionate about my gifts and talents and what I wanted to do, back when I was in the first year of my first degree in university (way back in 2002), I kept a prayer journal. I would record the date, the person I was praying for and the situation. I would write a notation at the bottom such as "Answered: (insert date answered here). There were times I wasn't sure if a prayer had been answered, but I did my best to keep up with the journal and recording the dates they were answered.

I came across that journal a couple of months ago, and I had a quick glance through it. I remembered many of the situations I had prayed about, the people I had prayed for (several were people from school), and was able to see just how many answered prayers there were.

The type of journal I'm writing about today is more of a day to day (or if not daily, then frequently), journaling our thoughts, etc. of what we have read in our devotions or Bible reading.

Writing is a retreat - the secret places of our heart and mind (our ups and downs). We did a "practice" journal entry in class with a limited amount of time. When that time was up, many people agreed that the time seemed to go by quickly. It's a good way of voicing (in print) our thoughts, feelings, questions, etc. about our walk, about what the Lord may have revealed to us in the Word, how the reading applies to us, what we may fear.

I know some people have a difficult time talking with others about matters of their heart (with regard to their walk with the Lord). For me, there are times when I don't want to talk to someone because I know tears will be involved, and I don't like crying in front of people. Journaling gives an outlet to express our fears, thoughts, etc. in a safe environment. We can record the times we've failed, the times God has brought us out of the "depths of despair" (to borrow a phrase from Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables).

Several of the Psalms, Chronicles and Job examples of recordings of times when people have had ups and downs in their lives. We don't just want to focus on the good things (the ups), because we all know life is not made up of just good times. We will have struggles and troubles along the way, and it's also good to record those as well as the good times.

Connection with God. Journaling can connect us with God. It can be another form of prayer - written as opposed to spoken. Sometimes God will give us a revelation and we can record that in our journal. Look at Revelation 1:1, for example: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him (John)..." We can also see in the Old Testament that the revelations given to the prophets were recorded (2 Chronicles 33:19) "...all are written in the records of the seers".

So, you've decided you want to try journaling. Here is a good "formula" (for lack of a better word) when you sit down to write:

1. Always start with prayer
2. Use a passage or verse
3. Write it out
4. Summarize it
5. Write your responses to it (good, bad, questions, etc.)

If you haven't tried journaling, go ahead and try it. Let your thoughts and prayers go out through your fingers!

Have you journaled? What as your experience been? If you haven't, is this something you would be willing to try? Let me know in the comments section!

*** Edited to add: Seems I somehow lost a big paragraph I had before the questions (in green). Not sure what happened with that, but if I can remember what I wrote, I will go back and add it later.

Wake Up Call

2010-10-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here this morning, in the living room. I'm on the couch, and the cat is sleeping in the chair across the room, occassionally snoring (or what sounds like a snore). It's quiet except for the fishtank in the dining room.

I've been trying to come up with a something to write about here, but not much was coming to mind. I surfed some other blogs, reading and hoping to spark some ideas along the way.

I just finished reading Michael's post and had a thought. I has totally nothing to do with what he wrote about though.

If you've been reading this blog for the last while, you'll know that I've been in a valley with a lot aspects in my life (I'll spare you the details). While writing my comment for on Michael's post, something popped into my mind. Here's my thought process, however weird and jumbled it might be:

1. I need to learn to just "be" with God in those times, just "feel" His presence, and know that He's there - and then turn off my thoughts...or give them to Him. (this is part of my comment from Michael's post)

2. I seem to have been going through this valley for some time now. Why?

3. Maybe this is a test - I'm supposed to be learning how to rely on God, not myself or others to fill me up.

4. I think I might have a great photo to go with part of the verses I read in the Bible this morning. I should upload it in Elements and add the scripture to it ("As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer." Psalm 103:15-16).

5. My past is that flower in the field and the wind has passed over it. It's no more, and I'm at a point where I can start over again. At least that's how I feel. Everything I've learned and done (regarding my walk, my ministries, etc.) reached a point in time where it needed to rest, to learn to trust - to start over.

6. I need to start over. Sure things went well in the past, but that's just it. They are in the past, and I need to stop living there and let God take me into the future - and more importantly, the present. If I keep holding onto the past, onto what was, how can I experience the present and the future?

7. I need to start over. I need to start from scratch (if that's possible) and relearn the basics. Maybe that's what I need to get me out of this valley. Start from the beginning, start with the cross.

So, that's where I am. I do know I need to put more focus on the Lord in my life. I guess I've let other things become more "important" than I should have. I guess I've replaced what is most important to me - and that is so sad. Hmm, maybe that is the source of my problem! I've created other gods (little 'g') in my life and gave them God's (big 'G') place. Unlike Daniel (from a couple posts ago), I have defiled myself by eating at the king's table (not the King of Kings)...

Wow, what a wake up call!

It's Canadian Thanksgiving

2010-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Myspace Easter Comments

We have so much to be thankful for. So many in the world go without the basics: food, shelter, clothing, clean water. Others live in awful conditions. Still, others don't have the things we have. And many in the world don't have Jesus. What are you giving thanks for?

Not Crossing The Line

2010-10-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

Monday night we had our weekly Bible study group, and we began delving into the book of Daniel. We started it briefly last week, and this week looked at verses 8 to 16.

One of the things we talked about was Daniel's resolve to not defile himself by eating the king's food, and drinking his wine. In order to be defiled, the act must be in regard to a moral situation - something that comes from God.

Since Daniel was a Jew, he would have followed laws with regard to they types of food he would eat, and the way it would have been prepared. Since Nebuchadnezzar was not Jewish, he would not have had the same requirements for eating or the preparations for meals.

In verse 9, we can see that God is at work in the situation - He granted Daniel favour and compassion in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar's chief official. Daniel asks to just be served only vegetables and water, but the official is scared of having his head cut off because he thinks Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah are going to wither away to nothing, compared to those who would be eating from the kings bounty.

Daniel asks for ten days, a trial period of sorts. At the end of that time, the four boys were actually in better health and appearance (my version says fatter), than the others who had been eating the kings' food.

Daniel trusted God. He held fast to his beliefs about not eating the king's food. That was simply a line he would not cross. We can also see that when Daniel was presented with the problem (of being fed the king's food and wine), he did not rebel against the situation - he didn't fight it, but merely asked permission to try it his way first. We can see the trust Daniel has for God in this situation; he doesn't even give a condition - there is no "let's try it this way first, and if it doesn't work I'll eat the king's food". Eating the king's food just wasn't an option for Daniel.

We are often faced with situations and temptations which can ultimately defile us, and we have a choice to make - give in to the temptation and defile ourselves, or not give in, not cross the line. We are called to be holy, to be set apart. As Christians, we are different from others, and that is OK. We are to be different in the way of Jesus - be in the world, but not of the world.

We need to be wise and make choices for the right reasons, to not rebel simply because we want to, but because we follow God. When we wisely stick to what is right in holiness and for the right reason (following God), we are not being different (or rebelling) simply because we want to. We are doing it because we follow God. Daniel didn't decide to not eat the kings food or drink his wine simply because he (Daniel) wanted to or felt like it, He resolved to do this because he followed God's laws. He wanted to be obedient to God.

Daniel was different from the others, and he stayed true to who he was by continuing to be obedient to God. He wouldn't cross the line, wouldn't give into the temptation, wouldn't defile himself. He stayed true to his beliefs.

How are you different from your non-Christian friends and co-workers, and what lines would you not cross when you are with them (even if it means you will be chastised for your beliefs)? What do you do in order to not defile yourself?

I Felt Free

2010-09-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

I went to church this morning. Not much different than the Sundays in the past. I had decided over the summer that I would take a break from teaching Sunday school this year - I felt I need to get myself back in tune, in touch, with learning again.

Last week, one of the teachers (from the class I had helped with last year) sent me a message on facebook to let me know she felt overwhelmed. There is another young lady in with her, helping to teach, but the class is bigger by about five or six kids. I told her that we would look into finding another adult to go into the class with them for "crowd control". I should insert here that I am the Sunday school coordinator for the elementary ages, under the head of the "main" Sunday school coordinator.

So, this morning, I went to the class with them to see how things went and to help with the kids. It didn't seem to bad to me, but then not everyone was there either. Both ladies did great - one teaches one week, and the next they switch so that they are not teaching 2 weeks in a row.

Things went well, but I said I'd still go in and help until we could find someone else to be the third person. I talked with the main coordinator before church this morning, and said that it might be a good idea to see if we could get a man in the classroom - someone to be the male influence. So often (at least in our church) it seems that women are the Sunday school teachers (though there is one man who helps his wife in one class). I thought of someone we might ask. The other coordinator approached this man, and he agreed to help. He will be in there just to help out and be the male influence - the girls will continue to teach.

During church, I must say that I felt great. It had been a long time since I sat in a church service and could focus on what was being said. It had been a long time since I "felt" like while I was singing, that I was actually worshiping. It had been a long time since I felt I "got anything" from the sermon. It had been a long time since I wasn't focusing on me and my problems during service.

Today, I enjoyed the sermon. Today, I felt like God was whispering to me, letting me subtly know that I've probably been feeling the way I have (with regard to my walk) because I am not spending enough time with Him! Sure, I read my Bible everyday (though some days I might forget or not get a chance), and I pray (but in all honesty, my prayers have been short and infrequent). But in all reality, I don't spend as much time with Jesus as I need to.

I have been focused so long on me. I have been worrying about my problems, my situations, my lack of things (i.e. husband, children, job, finances) and I haven't been focused on Jesus and following Him, or being like Him. If I want things to change in myself, I need to take the focus off ME and put it back on JESUS, where it belongs.

Today was a great day at church. I felt serenity. I felt some peace. Today, I felt free.

I Have A Bad Memory

2010-09-25T13:06:00.001-07:00

As you may know from a previous post, my Bible study/small group is working on memorizing Romans 12.

I had been under the assumption that we were just memorizing the first eight verses, but I guess it's the entire chapter! My pastor sent me an email yesterday (he's in the group), encouraging me and seeing how I was doing with memorizing Romans 12. Not Romans 12:1-8, but Romans 12.

After reading the e-mail, I checked the chapter, gulped and shivered. Ok, so it's not really that bad. There are only 21 verses in the chapter. It's not like it's Psalm 119, for Pete's sake! Mind you, it is a little intimidating to me. I know I'll definitely NOT have the entire chapter memorized for this Monday, but then I don't think we actually have to have it all by then. We just need to keep working on it with the goal to have it all memorized at some point. I guess the point is to keep working at it, and not give up.

My progress isn't the best (we have one man in the group who has it pretty much all memorized - and by last Saturday no less). I have the first two verses totally memorized, the third is pretty much memorized, but I forget a few words from time to time. I've added verses 4 and 5 to memorize since they go together (verse 4 ends in the middle of a sentence). Those two aren't sticking in my memory so much.

Seems like it's going to take forever to memorize scripture. It's not something that comes easy for me - no matter how long I spend with it. Granted, in all honesty, I'm not spending a lot of time with it, I do work at it for a short time each day (though I didn't look at it yesterday). I guess it all comes in time.

I'm not going to give up, though. I want to prove that I can memorize the chapter, but in all reality, it's not going to happen overnight. I need to persevere in this, and keep at it every day until I get it memorized.

Question: How are you with memorizing Scripture? Does it come easily for you, or do you struggle like I do? What "tricks" do you have, if any, to aid in memorizing? Let me know in the comments!

JusJesus

2010-09-19T17:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I travelled to Fredericton with a friend. Along the way, we were passed by several cars (I was doing the speed limit, or a tad bit over, and they were all going at least 15-20 km over). I had been a little tired as we were on the road early, and I hadn't slept too well the night before. Before leaving, a quick stop at the gas station to top up the tank was followed by the drive-thru for Tim Horton's. I needed coffee.

Probably about 45 minutes into the drive, one of the above cars (from out of province) passed me. My friend and I had spent a little time talking about God, faith, Christianity, and he mentioned some struggles/problems he's been going through lately. While it's not my place to go into details of his situation, I will say it has been hard on him. As for myself, I was thinking of my own situation, thoughts, feelings, and what I've been going through for awhile.

Recently, I read the five part series J.C. Wert had on his blog. He finished it a couple of days ago. The prologue can be reached by clicking here. You can continue reading about his adventures after that post, as he has them one after the other (with maybe one other post in between the 4th and 5th posts of the series). I wanted to have a similar drive as J.C. mentions. I wanted to hear God speak to me.

So, as we were driving along, I tried to keep my own thoughts on God, trying to see things in a new light, trying to listen for God to speak. In some lower areas, or off in a distant field, or even on some lakes and rivers, there was some fog hanging around. It reminded me of myself. I had seemed in a bit of a fog that morning. I had an unsettled feeling that I couldn't put my finger on. It might have been left over from a dream I'd had before waking yesterday morning, but I'm not entirely sure. I really wanted to get out of this "fog" I was in, and tried so hard not to let it affect what I said or thought.

As I mentioned, probably about 45 minutes into the nearly two hour drive, one of the many cars that passed me was from out of our province. About the same time my friend noticed, I had as well. The plate was one of those personalized kind. It said: "JusJesus".

It might have been nothing, but to me, the little reminder was nice. It really made my day - and brought me out of my fog.

The Return of Bible Study, aka Small Group

2010-09-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

It was so great to be able to start back up with Bible Study (aka Small Group) on Monday evening. We were a small group - only six - but one couple stayed home because of illness, one woman is now babysitting her grandaughter on Monday evenings, and one family (three people plus a baby) may now only be able to come every so often due to new jobs for two of them.

Since it's the beginning of a new "year", Pastor J (who is part of the group but not always leading us as several people take turns) decided that we should sit down and figure out what we wanted to do or accomplish as a group. We had some suggestions of topics to discuss, as well as what we can do in the community as a group (i.e. helping each other, helping seniors, helping out at a food bank or soup kitchen, etc.).

Not only did we look at the needs of others, but also the needs within the group. So often people are willing to help others, but find it difficult to accept help themselves. We took a few minutes to reflect on our lives and where we could use help - and it didn't matter what it was for. One couple decided that the man's garage could use some serious cleaning and organizing, so that's what we decided to do first. We decided, as a group, that we will take one evening per month and help others in the group or community.

Next Monday (unless it rains and then we'll do Bible study instead), we will spend the normal time from Bible study/small group and help them with the garage - and it doesn't matter how much we get done. We will be working together as a group, and helping someone in need.

Monday night, we also focused on Romans 12:1-8, and talked about how we can live it out. We are also aiming to memorize these verses. I have verse 1 memorized already, from about 8-10 years ago. The only "problem" is that it is from the NIV and I now use NASB. I figure I'll just keep verse 1 the way I have it momorized (so I won't get myself confused...which I can do so easily), and then use NASB for the rest of it. So far, I have the first 2 verses pretty much memorized, and will try to get one done per day for next week.

Question: Are you in a Bible study or small group? What are you doing with your group (topics or books of the Bible you might be studying, or working together in your community)? Leave a comment and let me know! We are always looking for new ideas.

More Beginnings

2010-09-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the kickoff to the new year of Sunday school at church. We've been on hiatus since the end of June when the programs typically end for summer vacation.

This year, I'm the co-ordinator for the elementary section of Sunday school (nursery to grade 5). I don't feel called to this position; I don't feel like it's my thing. But I agreed to the position anyway - mostly because I felt guilty. I will, however, be telling them soon that I won't continue this position in the New Year, and they'll have to find someone else. It's just not my gifting.

So, we had Rally Day yesterday, and that went well. The man who is the main co-ordinator for Sunday School was in charge of that, so I didn't have to worry about anything with regard to that. We also had a ministry fair yesterday, and I was in charge of setting up our booth.

The ministry fair is a time when all the different ministries in the church - everything from audio/visual, to greeters, to the kid's mid-week program, to the prayer chain, and lots more - set up little booths in the church gym and the congregation (and any visitors) go through to see what the different ministries are, and whether or not there is something there that they are interested in and would love to help with. We have the fair once a year.

There were a few people who stopped at the Sunday school booth, but no one signed up. They came and looked at the pictures on display, took a pamphlet that outlined the fall classes offered (from the nursery all the way up to seniors), took our candy...and left. Not one person signed up to help in some capacity. Oh well. The problem is, it seems to be the same people involved in all the ministries - lots of crossover. For example, there are several of our Sunday school teachers who are involved in the children's church program and/or the mid-week program. It makes it difficult when we all are trying to recruit people to help out. I know, for myself, I don't like asking others to help out if I know they are involved in other ministries...and those who aren't involved don't seem to want to help at all. It's tough. I suppose it's something that could be added to prayer requests for our church...

Tonight is the first night of Bible study, a.k.a. small group, and I'm looking forward to it. We stopped having it at some point in July because most people were going to be away or busy for the summer. So, we decided to wait until the fall to restart. We left off discussing the book of Revelation, and had got to about chapter 4 or 5...we had been discussing the letters to the churches. Not sure if we will continue with Revelation, or if we'll start something new. I guess I'll see tonight!

I've been realizing (though I think I've known all along, and just "overlooking" it), that my attitude about things - particularly church and God related. I'm praying that God will help me change my attitude, help me see things the way He does, and not the way the world does. Something definitely has to change, because I can't keep going on like this - I'm becoming jaded, angry, bitter, and I feel like I've lost my passion for doing His work, for what I felt called to do. It feels like the flame has died back to a little ember. And I want it back.

First Day of School and Other Stuff

2010-09-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday was the first day of school for the kids in our province. For me, however, the first day was yesterday. For a few days I was feeling nervous about going back - probably because of not having to teach over the summer. But, when I got into the class, there was no nervousness or anything. The class I was teaching was one that I had supplied in the previous spring when the kids were in the previous grade. They are a good bunch of kids, and I had no problems with them at all. I even had one little girl come up to me and say, "Ms. S., hi! It's so good to see you again!" Even though it had been about five or six months since she'd seen me, and even though it was once, she remembered me. That felt good.

I was rather tired when I got home after school. I hadn't had a lot of sleep the night before (it took me awhile to get to sleep, but once I did, I didn't wake up until the alarm went off), and I've also been having a hard time sleeping the last few weeks. Also, not being used to working for a few months (I didn't work over the summer at all), and being on my feet all day, more than likely contributed to the tiredness as well. Last night was a little bit of a struggle to get to sleep again, but I don't think I woke up until the alarm went off again this morning. I think I might have managed about five to five and a half hours of sleep. I'm a little tired as I sit here writing this as well...I think I'll need another cup of coffe this morning!

* * * * *

I've been giving thought, lately, to spiritual attacks again. I have to wonder if some of the problems or situations we face and "blame" on the enemy are really caused by him. I know there are some things that are the result of his attacks (or his minions), but some things are our own creation or consequences to our actions. I guess I've been trying to figure out how to determine if something is because of us (and we put the blame on the enemy because that's what we've been taught to do, or we don't want to take the blame ourselves), or if it's an actual spiritual attack. I'm not talking about the obvious attacks because we are doing God's work and the enemy is doing what he can to stop it. I'm talking about the more subtle things - doubting we can be used by God, feeling like we aren't good enough, fear..and the list goes on.

I've been feeling weary for a long time. I know - or at least I've been told - that when it feels like God isn't doing something or working in our lives, or we aren't getting our prayers answered, not to give up, not to stop doing what we've been doing...that we should keep on "trucking along" until God tells us otherwise. But quite honestly, I've really been feeling inadequate in so many areas of my life; I've been feeling like I'm not good enough, or just not good at something that I've been told for so long that I am good at (I guess more like self-doubt)...it's hard to explain. I feel like I've lost the fire, like I've lost my passion for so much...and I can't get out of it. It's like I'm stuck in a deep pit and can't get out.

And, quite honestly, I'm sick of the pat Christian/Biblical answers...the "oh, I'll pray for you" or "trust God" or whatever they happen to be. They don't help; they don't make me feel better, and those answers typically make me feel that the person saying them really doesn't give a rat's.....well, you know. It feels like the ones saying those things just want to sound pious or they only want to hear "I'm fine" when they ask how you are...they don't really want to know, nor do they really care.

Sure, there are some who do care, some who are well meaning, but it seems from my experience that those people are few and far between. So many are concerned with looking and sounding Christian, that if you tell them you are struggling or doubting or fearing, or whatever, they think you are less of a Christian and act shocked that things aren't all "peachy keen" - especially if things are going well for them.

I'm just so frustrated, and have been for a long time. I feel like I'm floating in water with a heavy weight on top of my head and it's pushing me under. And while I flounder around and silently scream for help...those in the distance who are watching are more concerned with looking and sounding good, they don't want to get their feet wet to help. No, they'll stand on the shore and pray for me or tell me not to worry about drowning because God is with me and He'll help me.

Yeah, I know part of the problem is me...I don't always ask for help. That's because I've been burned and hurt so much in the past that I've pretty much lost trust in most people. I do have one friend I trust, and she knows a lot of what I've been feeling, etc., and I have another relatively new friend I've been able to build trust with, but that's about it (and of course the pat Christian/Bible answer for this is "oh, but you can trust Jesus".... I'm really sick and tired of getting hurt, feeling like people just don't care, and of feeling like I can't let others "in" because they'll probably hurt me in the end anyway.

I'm not losing my faith in God, I'm not doubting anything about Jesus...nothing like that. I'm just venting, I guess. Maybe I'm a little depressed too. Whatever it is, I'm really sick of feeling this way. I want the fire back; I want the passion back; I want to be able to trust...but, I'm struggling with the weight on my head, floundering in the water, and wondering why I just can't walk on the water and not be afraid.

That's it. Venting over. Off to try and be positive and not think these negative thoughts.

The Week In Review

2010-09-04T01:49:00.000-07:00

It's been another hot week, and I've actually enjoyed it. On Tuesday I went to Halifax and Peggy's Cove again. We'd mainly gone there to Queensland beach (about a half hour outside Halifax) to cool off. Peggy's Cove had a few crashing waves this time (last time the ocean had been rather calm), and was able to get a couple of nice shots of the waves hitting against the rocks. I really enjoy Halifax - it's such a great city.

Yesterday (Friday), I went to another beach. This time it was in New Brunswick. Normally it costs $5 to get in/park, but I think because beach season is pretty much over, they weren't charging. There was a number of people there, but I was quite surprised there weren't more. It wasn't the popular beach in this area though, so I'm sure if we'd gone and paid the $10 to get into that beach, there would have been a huge crowd there.

I was expecting the water at both beaches (the one from yesterday, and the one from Tuesday) to be cold, but they really weren't. Mind you, when you first go in it's a little chilly, but you quickly get used to it. There was also a few waves at both beaches - nothing major - and that was fun to lie on my back and bob up and down in the waves.

Today, we are expecting a visit from Tropical Storm Earl. It's been downgraded sometime over night, but had been a category 1 hurricane while it pounded the New England states. It's still expected to have strong winds and some rain (which could amount to quite a bit), and can still do damage. Hopefully it won't be as bad as they were expecting. I've been awake for nearly two hours now (it's 5:35 am) and I looked out the window to see what it was like outside. There was no wind at all, which seems eerie - probably the calm before the storm. I just looked out now (it's a little lighter out, but still dark), and there is the gentlest of breezes blowing, though it's not consistent. I'll update later on with regard to the storm.

In work related news, I got a call the other night to supply on the second day of school, which is next Wednesday. I was quite surprised to get called in so quickly in the school year. From what I've heard, the first few weeks of school is pretty quiet for supply teachers. However, I do know this teacher as she used to go to my church, and she has been having some medical issues for a little while, so that could be why she's going to be away the second day of school. I'm not expecting too much to be going on that soon, but hopefully it'll go well. I actually had this class once this past spring when I filled in for another girl who used to go to my church. They were grade three, and now they'll be in grade four. If they haven't changed too much, they will be a great class to teach. There were only about eleven or twelve of them, so if no one new has come to the class, it will still be small - which is good.

Well, I am getting tired again, and the yawning is happening a little more frequently. I am trying to decide if I should stay up for awhile (and get myself used to getting up early for the school year again), or go back to bed. I'm starting to get hungry, so I might just have some breakfast and see how I feel after that. Regardless of my decision, I will end here for now.

My closing question for you is this: What did you do this last week of summer?

Why Does Everything I Desire Cost Money - Even If It Is Not Materialistic...

2010-08-28T10:04:00.002-07:00

Today I'm feeling tired. Although I was able to get a pretty good night's sleep, and I did feel awake a little while ago, I'm now feeling tired again. Might have to take a little cat nap.

I think my tiredness is on many levels - physical (I haven't been sleeping the last two or three nights), mental, emotional, and spiritual. It's hard to focus on the directions I want to take, or think I need to take. I am starting to feel overwhelmed with a lot decisions and situations, but I know that is just stemming from being exhausted.

Yesterday I was looking into a few things and felt a little depressed and...I don'r want to say hopeless, but that is how it felt...everything takes money to get or accomplish, something I don`t have right now. My job is supply teaching, and this past year I didn't get a lot of work, and what I did get was inconsistent. I am hoping and praying I get more this year, but still, it is not going to give me the amount I need for what I want to do and/or accomplish. I also feel like my age is starting to get in the way, but maybe that's all in my head.

I don't want to get into what I`ve been looking into on here (nothing illegal or immoral), but it is something that means a lot to me. Well, there are many things I want that require money, and not all are materialistic - they're things that require money in order to be accomplished or fulfilled.

I guess it is not meant to be - maybe not right now, maybe not ever. I know God is in control and if what I'm wanting and looking into is what He wants, then it will happen - no matter what. I guess for now I need to just forget about all of this and put my focus on God and follow His guidance, His direction, His will. It is hard to do, but it is what I need to do - even though in all honesty, I don't really know what to do or how to do that. Yes, it is something I need to do, no matter how painful it feels - the letting go and obeying God.

New Additions

2010-08-27T15:18:00.001-07:00

Just as an FYI, I added some new blogs to the blog list on the left sidebar. Why not check them out? They are:

1. O Me of Little Faith
2. Untitled
3. There is A Time
4. J. C. Wert

There are a couple more that I tried to add, but for some reason blogger wouldn't let me. I might have to add them under "links" instead.

Doubt the Contradictions

2010-08-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

Do you struggle with the truth of the Bible, and the contradictions that appear in it? You're not the only one - Jason does too. Check out his blog post here.

Failure

2010-08-25T09:17:00.001-07:00

I recently started getting the In Touch magazine again. I love reading it, and I love listening to Dr. Charles Stanley - he's one of my favourites.

In the September issue, there is an article called, "The Aftermath of Failure" by Erin Gieschen. It's a great article. There is a quote from the article that says, "failure isn't how God defines you; He defines you by your heart." It's definitely something I needed to hear/read. I needed that reminder - and I think I need it often.

So often, I am afraid of failure and it often prevents me from doing something. And when I do fail, I tend to beat myself up pretty good. And, when I do that, I tend to think that others, and God too, will think less of me.

Reading this article helped me to remember that failure doesn't define me. The problem is, I need to remember that; I need to not focus on the failures in my life. It's hard though. I suppose it's part of my "perfectionist" personality - I need to be good at everything I do or try, I need to be successful, I need to not fail.

I know, I'm not perfect and I make mistakes and I fail. I'm human, and as long as I live I will continue to make mistakes and fail. But, I need to focus more on God and realize that He doesn't see me as a failure. I need to realize and focus on the fact that He loves me, no matter what.

Waiting

2010-08-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

So, by reading my previous post (and some of the other ones as of late) you know that I've mentioned how I don't feel that God has been speaking to me, or working in my life.

Yesterday, Sunday, I woke up still in a bad mood, still a little depressed. The evening before I was driving home and had the radio on the local Christian station. They were playing one of those count-down/request type shows and the DJ (do they still call them that?) was telling about a girl who had been suicidal and that if God loved her and cared about, He'd have to tell her. The next morning she woke up and turned the radio on and there was a song playing (they mentioned which one it was, but it's unfamiliar to me) that talked about God loving someone. I told God that if He cared at all about my situation, and that He hadn't forgotten about me and was still working in my life, then He'd have to do something than other than having a song play on the radio.

Yesterday at church was a little difficult for me. It was a great service, but I found it hard to focus and concentrate. I don't want to say I scoffed at the message, but I was annoyed with it because it seemed like the pastor kept talking about things that don't concern me (i.e. marriage, kids, etc.). I'll even go so far as to say I was a little emotional during the service. I've had a hard several days prior to the service, and I think I was just stressed out and it came out in emotions I hate expressing in public.

So, to make a long story short, I realized that God was using Pastor J's sermon to speak to me - to tell me to keep waiting on Him, and even though it might take longer than I would like, He is sill with me and I need to wait for His perfect timing. To be honest, I even "felt" like something is going to happen soon. I hope it does - but if it doesn't, I hope that I don't sink back into the funk I was in lately.

Everything in the sermon yesterday, as well as the verse from Psalms that I mention previously, are all pointing to me to just put my hope in God and not in the world, to wait on Him. So, that is what I'm am really going to try and do...but I do know, I can't do it on my own - I need the Lord to help me!

Thank you God for still caring about me, for still loving me, and for still having a plan for my life - even when I don't feel you do.

Frustrated Yet Again

2010-08-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Why does it always seem like everyone around me gets what they want, especially when they don't follow the Lord (or they used to and have back slided a great deal and purposefully go against what He commands)? And why, when I am trying and trying to improve my relationship with God, do I not get what I want or my prayers answered?

I am so frustrated, jealous, angry - you name it. It just doesn't seem fair! Last night I talked to God and told him how I feel and why. I listened to some Christian music before I went to bed, and I started feeling a little better. But, this morning it has all returned - not quite as much as last night, but it's still there.

All I can see is my current situation and how it seems like (and feels) like God is ignoring me. I see Him working in everyone's life around me, but He seems to have pushed me to the back and would rather bless everyone else - even those who have fallen away. Honestly, I am quite discouraged.

I guess there is a sliver of hope in it all. When I did my Bible reading this morning, I opened to the book of Psalms (that's where I'm reading currently). I had a verse that was highlighted from a previous time, and it jumped out at me. This is the verse:

Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.
(Psalm 31:24)

So, I am going to try to follow that advice. I am going to try to be strong. I am going to try to let my heart take courage. And I am going to try to hope in the LORD.

I don't know if I'm being tested or if I'm under a spiritual attack, but I'm really tired of feeling like nothing in my life is working out. Maybe God is trying to break me, I don't know. But I'm pretty much at my breaking point now.
Ok, I think my rant and pity party is over. Time to try to stay positive.

For Your Goodness' Sake

2010-08-19T05:27:00.001-07:00

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I came across Psalm 25. I had verses 4-7 highlighted and circled. As I read it over again (don't remember when I had marked theses verses), I remember that I had chose to make this my prayer to God, and I continue to have these verses as my prayer to God:

Make me know Your ways, O LORD,
teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD; Your compassion
and your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness
remember me,
For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.
(Psalm 25: 4-7)

So tell me, what is your prayer to God?

A Bit of This and That

2010-08-18T07:29:00.003-07:00

1. I've been trying to come up with some good blog posts, but every time I start one, it seems to fizzle pretty quickly - I don't know why. Guess I'll keep plugging at them and use them in the future.

2. Over the weekend, I was able to go to Halifax and Peggy's Cove (both in the province of Nova Scotia). I haven't been to Halifax in probably 20 years; I've never been to Peggy's Cove. L-O-V-E-D both places! Over on my photography blog, Shutter Bug, I've got a couple of photos posted and will be posting more over the next several days. Hope you'll stop by and leave me a comment (love comments here too)! I definitely want to go back to both of these places again - hopefully soon!

3. Yesterday I received a photo of my new sponsor child from World Vision. I have been sponsoring a little girl from Tanzania for about 10 years now. Yesterday's mail stated that the community in which this little girl lives, has now become self-sufficient (yay, God!) so I will not be sponsoring her anymore.

I now have a new little girl in the same country, but different community now. From the little bit of info (I get more in about a month) stated with this child's picture, I was told she is nearly 3 years old, neither of her parents work and can't take care of their family well (probably because of not having jobs), and the community is quite poor. Please pray for this little girl, her family, and community (don't worry about specifics, God knows who and where they are).

4. My best friend found out that she will, in fact, be able to attend the B.Ed. program she'd applied for earlier this year (the same one I graduated from last November). Just a week ago, it seemed that even though she had been accepted into the program, she wouldn't be able to attend because of her financial situation. Just the other day, however, she found out that she WILL be able to attend. God is definitely working in her situation, opening doors for her, while shutting others. My friend has been trusting God all along to work out the details, and even when it was looking as though she wouldn't be able to go, she said that if God didn't want her in the program, then she was alright with that, and accepted the outcome.

I am so thrilled for her! She is an awesome woman, fabulous teacher (she works with 4 year olds all day, every day), and an excellent mother. I know that she will make one of the best teachers in the public school system when she graduates the program.

It's awesome to see how God has been working in her life - in the past, and in the present. He has big plans for her, I know it!

5. I wish I could see God working in my life. To be honest, it feels like He's taking a break from me. I really don't see Him doing anything in my life. I'm sure He is - after all, that's what "they" say, that God is always at work, even when it seems like He's not. I'm sure there's a reason why I never got an interview for a full-time teaching position (I applied for elementary teaching and ESL - though I would prefer to teach K-4), I'm sure there's a reason why I didn't get all that many calls to do supply work this past year. I'm sure there's a reason, but it's so hard not being able to see the results. I guess this is what faith is all about. Trusting God, even though we don't know what's going to happen. But, in all honesty, I really don't see Him working in my life, and that makes it hard. Sigh.

6. I am back to wanting to make changes in my life - so many changes to make! Earlier in the summer/late spring, I was working on losing weight and exercising, trying to get closer to the Lord (that is an ongoing thing for me - 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Well, when my sciatic problem began to get more and more intense, I pretty much gave up trying. I could barely move, was in pain, and couldn't focus on doing what I should do - nor did I feel like doing anything.

Well, since my sciatic hasn't been bothering me as of late (there is still a bit of tightness in my muscles, a little "pain" once in awhile (though nothing bad or requiring pain relievers), and half of my leg and foot is still numb), I've been itching to get out and try jogging/running again. I might give it a try soon, and see how it goes. I should be going out for walks now, since I can actually move again without pain, and should try and see how it goes on the eliptical machine (I tried several weeks ago, but it hurt my back a little). And, I need to start watching what I eat and cut back again. I'm at the biggest I've ever been again, and I certainly don't want to get any bigger!!

Ok, well, I guess that's all for now. May you all have a blessed, and Christ-filled day!

*** Top picture of the Halifax, Nova Scotia waterfront; bottom photo is the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.

God's Creativity

2010-08-12T07:39:00.003-07:00

Last night, I was thinking about how creative God is, and when I think about that, I always think about flowers. To me, those are one of His most creative things (sure, there is the platypus, which is pretty darn creative if you ask me, but, I did say "one of" :o) ).

Flowers come in all shapes, colours, sizes, and varieties. There are roses, daisies, purple cone flowers, irises, orchids, and the list goes on and on and on, and...

One flower that has become a favourite of mine in recent years is the dahlia. My mom has been growing many dahlias for the last several years (maybe close to ten years). Her and Dad used to work together to prepare the garden, tilling it, adding fertilizer, weeding, etc., but Mom was the one who started growing them in the beginning. Dad died nearly two years ago, but mom continues to grow and take care of the dahlias and other flower in her gardens.

The two flowers in this post are both dahlias. The first one is a small ball or pompon type...I'm not entirely sure. It's not fully opened yet, but I think it's an amazing looking flower. Just look at those petals, how they are curled into little tubes! This same flower looks amazing in other colours too (but then don't most flowers?), with purple being my favourite. I'm not usually drawn to the colour orange, but I really like this flower.

The second flower, below, is a collarette type. It also comes in other colours, and the little collar (the smaller petals around the center) can come in other colours as well, so even if the larger petals remain the same colour, you can have a different look because the collar isn't the same.

I am always amazed with God when I look at flowers. I love to take floral photos to capture the beauty of God's creation. I'm not the best photographer, but I do my try to do my best. I have several other flower photos over on my photography blog, Shutter Bug. I'd love for you to visit me over there as well, and let me know what you think of the photos, the flowers, and the subjects I've photographed (it's a family friendly site, so no need to worry).

I am thankful that God gave us these beautiful creations to enjoy and take care of. I'm also thankful that my mom is into gardening, because it provides me with the opportunity to take photos of her flowers. I really need take up that hobby, so I can continue to have beautiful flowers after mom's gone (which I pray isn't any time soon!).

So, thank you Father for your wonderfully, beautiful floral creations!

My question for you: What is your favourite of God's creations?

The Best Time To Pray

2010-08-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

Is there a best time of the day to pray? Well, I think we all know the answer to that question is "any time". There is no magical time of day to come before God; He is available to talk 24/7 (do people still say that?).

There is something, however, satisfying about praying in the morning - specifically when you first get up, before getting involved in the business of the day. Spending time with God is important. If we get up and go about our lives, getting involved in the kids' after school activities, homework, housework, paying the bills, getting supper ready, our jobs, etc., there is a great chance at forgetting to spend time with God by the end of the day.

I''m not saying it's wrong if you do spend time in prayer at the end of the day. For some people, that is their preferred time to be in prayer, and that's perfectly fine. I used to do this, myself - read my Bible and pray before going to bed. After awhile, I would read my Bible and then lay down in bed to begin praying, only to find out a short time later that I had been dozing in the middle of what I was saying (most times I would fall asleep before making it half way through my prayers. For me, at the end of the day I was tired and couldn't focus and just wanted to go to sleep. It didn't seem to work well for me. If it does for you, that's great.

Since becoming a teacher last year, I have switched my routine to the morning. I get up at pretty much the same time every morning and get ready in case I get a call for work (currently I do supply work, so if I don't get a call to work in the evening, there is a chance I'll get a call between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. to go in that day). I take my shower, do my hair, and put my make-up on so that if I get a call to come in ASAP, I am ready. Once I have that done, I make my way to the living room (where I do my devotions) and read my Bible chapter(s) and pray. I will also add here, that if I do get called to work and don't get a chance to do my devotions and pray, I try to remember to do them at night - but that doesn't always work out, and I end up forgetting.

The day just seems to go a little better and I am a little more able to handle situations when I pray in the morning. Does this mean that my day will go perfectly, that nothing bad will happen, or that I won't get angry or sin? Of course not. But I have heard many people who also pray and do devotions in the morning say their day seems to go a little better, and they feel they can handle whatever comes their way in a more Christian manner (if that makes sense), than if they start their day without God.

Praying in the morning is in the Bible - we read in Psalm 5:3, "In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch." We even read about Jesus getting up early in the morning before everyone else to pray to God. This can be found in Mark 1:35, "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." Does that mean that the morning is the only time to pray? Of course not! Jesus prayed ALL THE TIME. There is no real or specific time to pray, but there is just something about praying in the morning that helps you get through the day.

So, I challenge you to this. If you are not someone who prays in the morning, why not try it - even if it means going to bed a little early and setting your alarm to get up 30-60 minutes earlier. Try doing your devotions and praying in the morning and see how it works. And of course, feel free to come back and let me know what you thought about it (both good and bad aspects).

That all being said, the best time of the day to pray is whatever works for you. The important thing is to spend the time with God, and pray.

What time of day do you find is the best time for you to pray? If you do pray in the morning, do you think it helps you throughout the day? Do you notice a difference in your day, or in how you act/react during the day if you pray in the morning as opposed to praying in the evening or at night? Let me know in the comment section.

Link For "Seven Actions For the Times God Is Silent by Ron Edmonson

2010-08-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ron Edmonson has a great post called, "Seven Actions For the Times God Is Silent". Something I definitely needed to read...and more importantly, do. Check it out; you might be glad you did.

Update

2010-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

I guess I haven't written here in a little while. I didn't want to keep focusing on myself; I wanted to get back to the types of posts I made originally when I first started this blog. However, that has been on hold...mostly because I am having difficulty creating good and interesting posts. I also wanted to take the bulk of focus off me, but sadly this post is going to be about me again.

As I've mentioned before, I've been having problems with my sciatic for some time now. A couple of months ago I went for an X-ray, but that didn't reveal anything much so I continued to take the Advil (which helped some). The pain eventually got more frequent and I wasn't too keen on having to take so many pills to help ease the pain...though the Advil would help get rid of any inflammation that was happening.

Nearly two weeks ago, the pain was still a little worse so I made another appointment with my doctor (which he told me to do) to see about being sent for an MRI. Well, I talked to him again and he examined my mobility (how far I could bend and lift my legs until the pain came), and he could tell it was worse than before. I inquired about physiotherapy because a lot of people were telling me to try that. My doctor said he didn't want to send me to physio and didn't think chiropractors would work (well, he said they chiropractor might help some but then I could do something such as sneeze or cough again and have the same problem all over). So, he scheduled me for an MRI and is going to refer me to an orthopedic surgeon who would have more knowledge and know more of what to do about my situation.

This past Friday, the pain had greatly increased and I could barely get around...no fun! The only thing that I seemed to be able to do was lay down. Everything else gave me pain. The next day I woke up and made it out to the living room to sit for a short while. That was very difficult to do, as walking was painful at this point as well. I managed to make it back to my room, and I remained there the rest of the day!

I didn't want to stay in bed, but I was in excrutiating pain and I could barely move at all. Keep in mind that during all of this I have had a cough which had not helped matters any (still have the cough somewhat). Every time I coughed I was in agony! The ibuprophen (either Advil or Motrin) didn't seem to be helping much, and neither was the Robax Platinum I was taking at times either (it seemed like my muscles were stiff and tight).

I couldn't stand the pain any longer, so we ended up calling the ambulance to take me to the hospital. Like I said, I was in agony. couldn't move and the muscles in my were either having spasms or cramps. Once I got to the hospital, they took good care of me. The nurse I had, and the on-call doctor, were both great. I got three shots - one for pain, one for relaxing the muscles, and one to help inflammation. It took about half an hour to kick in, and then the got me up to see if I could walk and to see how much pain (if any) I had at this point.

I was never so thankful for medication! After getting those shots at the hospital, I was pretty well pain-free for the first time in awhile. The doctor sent me home with prescriptions for pain meds, an anti-inflammatory, and a muscle relaxer; I'm still taking these, and I believe I have enough pills to last for a week. They seem to be helping so far, but I still have some pain. I am thankful that I am back to being able to walk, I can sit up for awhile (though I tend to have to lay down again shortly after because my back still feels sore), and I can cough without pain...well, I do get a little bit now and then but nothing like before.

So, that's where I am at this point. I'm waiting to hear when I'll get an appointment for the MRI and an appointment for the orthopedic surgeon. Please pray that I can get both appointments ASAP because I want this taken care of before school starts in September (I'm a supply teacher), because that's when I will start back to work.

Thank You For...

2010-06-23T16:02:00.001-07:00

Thought it was time for a post about what I am thankful for. I haven't done one of those in a long time. So, here goes...Five things I am thankful for:

1. Sight - Yes, I wear glasses/contacts, but I can see with help. Even if my sight isn't the best, I have the ability to see with the help of my glasses/contacts. There is so much in this world to see, I want to enjoy it. I love seeing the beautiful colours, the flowers, rivers, mountains, etc. - all beautiful creations from God.

2. My mom - She's so strong, kind, gentle...I want to be more like her. I think since my dad died nearly two years ago, and it's just been us (I've got 2 brothers who both have families) mostly, and I think I've gotten closer to her, which I'm thankful for. I love my mom!

3. My small group - While I find it difficult to let people in and get close to them, last fall I joined a small group (Bible study). I'm still not that close to anyone in the group, but I have allowed myself to feel part of the group. They are a great bunch of men and women, and I learn so much from them. I hope I can grow closer to the people in my small group, and I'm sure that will happen with time and with God's help.

4. My cat - Sounds weird, but I am thankful for my cat. She loves me unconditionally, and helps me to relax and calm down when I'm upset. I think it's true what they say about pets helping to relieve stress. She's not the type of cat to curl up on my lap (or anyone's), but still she's loving and lets me scratch and pet her. I'm thankful that God created cats - they are my favourite pet (I do like dogs too, but I'm more of a cat person).

5. My city/province - I love the area where I live. We are pretty lucky that we don't deal with many of the situations over places in the country, continent, and world must deal with. We don't get the big earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc. that others do. Mind you we can have some extremes in our weather, but nothing like other places.

Those are just a few brief things I'm thankful for. There is so much more I have to be thankful for, and hopefully I can share here to help remind myself just what I have to be thankful for. There is so much going on in the world - so much negativity, so much coveting/wanting/desiring to have, and I think it's important to remember what you do have and be thankful for it. You just never know when it might be taken away.

Your turn. What are you thankful for?

The Buzzing of the Bees in the Sycamore Trees

2010-06-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we don't have any sycamore trees, but we definitely have the bees!

The rhododendron is out...well half of it, because the other half is pretty much dead. These blossoms attract several bees and when I was out taking some photos of them, I attempted to photograph the bees. I didn't have my zoom lens on, so I didn't want to get too close and end up getting stung.

Yesterday was beautiful outside, and in the early morning I had one of the living room windows open while I was sitting and reading my Bible. I could hear loud buzzing, and more than a few times I had to check to make sure the screen was on the window - I didn't want any bees flying into the living room! Thankfully the screen was on, so I was safe.

As I sat reading, the buzzing continued. A bee had found its way in between the open window and the screen, and was attempting to get out. I assume that it was seeing what was on the other side of the glass and thought it could get through it to get to its destination. The simple solution would have been for the bee to move three or four more inches to the right and it would have been free (eventually it found its way to freedom), however, it didn't do that; it kept attempting to fly through the glass.

So what does this have to do with anything, you ask? Well, I as I was sitting and thinking (after reading my Bible chapter), about how determined and persistent the bee was in trying to find its escape. No matter how many times it met with failure at flying through the glass, it kept trying - it didn't give up. This made me think of persevering in my walk - to not give up, but to keep seeking, and being persistent in following the Lord, no matter how many times I may fail.

I might not get what God has promised to me today, and maybe not tomorrow, but I can't just give up because things aren't going my way. If I give up, if I stop pursing, then I definitely won't receive what God wants to give me.

God wants to give us His blessings, but if we don't persevere through the trials, if we aren't persistent in our walk, how can we receive them? The book of Hebrews tells us this:

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persever so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36)

No matter how difficult things may seem or may get, we need to remember the importance of persevering until the end. Our ultimate reward will come at the end, when we will have eternal life with Jesus Christ, but along the way, God does give us blessings. If we give up, we won't receive what He wants to give us. If we don't accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we won't receive eternal life with Him.

Let me encourage you (and myself) to persever, to be persistent in our walks, to not give up along the way. Let's be like the bee that, no matter how hard he tried and failed, he did not give up - he was persistant in finding his way, and eventually he succeeded and received his reward (freedom).

Don't give up my friend, be persistant and persever, no matter what you may be facing.

God Has A Plan

2010-06-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am definitely not in a place I would have thought or expected I would be when I was a teenager. I had wanted to be a best selling author, married by 25 to an awesome man, have a two to four kids, have my own house, making a good living...you name it. I had it all planned out.

But, here I sit and none of those dreams have been realized. None. I haven't been published because I haven't even finished any of the novels I have worked on since then. Ok, well, that's not entirely true...I did get a very short story published in an anthology (I don't think it was widely sold, and I most certainly didn't get paid for it...I had hoped it would give me exposure though). I'm not married, have no kids, and I feel like my time for that is running out quickly. I live in a house, but it's not mine - it's my mom's. Yes, I admit it, I am 41 years old and back to living with my mom. That's because I quit my job eight years ago to go back to school to get my B.A. and eventually my B.Ed. So, I'm not in any position to be out on my own. Don't get me wrong, I've very thankful I have a place to live, food to eat, etc.

I've been blaming God for things not going as I had planned; I wonder why He's not allowed me a husband, or children, or a job (yes, I do have somewhat of a job - I supply teach, but I don't get a lot of work). Even though I feel like such a loser because of my current situation, deep down I know God has a plan. I have no idea what that plan is, but He does have one.

My prayer is that I would put my focus more on God and pleasing Him, instead of focusing on me and what I want. This is difficult for me (as I'm sure it is for anyone). I see everyone around me getting married, having babies (and this situation is for those in Christian relationships and those not in Christian relationships). It hurts me to the core. All I've ever wanted since I was little was to be married and have kids - and that hasn't happened and doesn't look like it is going to happen any time soon.

I know it's going to be hard to do, but I'm going to try to put my focus on God, on following Him, obeying Him, being more like Jesus than I have been lately. I certainly haven't been feeling the passion I once had, so I'm also praying that the Lord will reignite the passion and flame for being obedient, following Him, being more like Jesus, etc.

God has a plan for me and my life, but I need to seek Him and follow Him in order to fulfil it. And, in all honesty, I do hope this plan includes a husband and children...and that I get those soon (hey, I'm human and still have my desires, and I would be lying if I didn't say that I won't still hope and pray for those things).

Pete's Awesome Article

2010-06-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Pete Wilson wrote this awesome article. I think it's something that I needed to read in my seemingly ongoing walk. Check it out, and let me know what you think in the comment section.

Tuesday

2010-05-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in the previous post about my back bothering me lately. Since Sunday it hasn't been quite as bad, though I'm not sure why. I'm glad it's feeling better, however, I am supposed to go for an x-ray on my back, and I would rather have that done when my back is hurting - that way it might show something that's causing the pain (though the doctor didn't think anything would show up).

A friend of mine called me Sunday night and asked if I was working on Monday. I said no, and she booked me to fill in for her. She also ended up calling me and booking me to fill in again for her today. This was the first time that I've taught high school. I must say I enjoyed it, and found these kids to be a lot better attitude and behaviour wise than the middle school kids I've been teaching. Even though I enjoyed these classes, I think I would still teach the younger elementary grades. I'm also working tomorrow, and I'm scheduled to work Friday morning as well. This has been a great week for work since I haven't been getting much lately. So, because of the work, I won't be able to get the x-ray done again just yet. If I don't work on Thursday, I'll be going then. Otherwise, I won't be able to go until next week (our car is going in for a bit of work on Friday afternoon, so I can't go then either).

Not much else for news to tell. I'm hopefully going to be going running tomorrow night with the group at the Running Room tomorrow evening. We are scheduled to run 3 mins/walk 1 min tomorrow night (according to the e-mail they sent out to us), and the next night aim for 4/1. I'm not up that far yet, but I'll do what I can and will have to motivate and push myself to do more running on my own time to help myself to be able to keep up to the others as much as possible.

Tonight I've got some stuff running through my mind, and I've feeling a little down. I hope I can get it out before bed so that I can get some sleep tonight and not be tired at work tomorrow. I think part of what is bothering me is the way I look. I want to improve myself - lose weight and get healthy (and also exercise every day). I guess I haven't been seeing the results that I would like, and it's discouraging. However, I need to remember that I'm older now and it's going to take more effort. I also need to remember that it's good to lose it slowly, and that way it's more apt to stay off. However, I'm not feeling very positive about this at this time. I have to get my mind out of the negative thinking - otherwise I'm going to sabotage myself if I don't.

Well, not much else to say, so I'll head off for now. God bless!

Time For An Update

2010-05-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been trying to better myself. About three or four weeks ago, I joined Weight Watchers to try to lose some weight. I was successful with this program in the past, and I know it works. However, what I hadn't planned on was how it is more difficult after reaching a certain age. My first week I only lost 3.something pounds, the second week I lost a little over a pound (making the total weight lost at that point, 4.8 pounds). It's not too bad of a weight loss, however, I must admit that I was expecting a little more - especially the first week. Last week, I didn't lose anying; I didn't gain anything either - just stayed the same. I guess I could look on the positive side that it wasn't a weight gain that week. I go again on Monday for my weigh-in, and I'm hoping I lost a couple of pounds.

I also joined the Running Room. I want to learn to run, and if I do it on my own, I just don't have the motivation or the perseverance. I joined a the Learn to Run clinic and I have enjoyed it pretty much. I missed the first couple of days of the clinic since I joined the Saturday after it started. They "meet" on Sunday mornings, but I've already told them I won't be going to that because I go to church (that is my priority on Sundays). They also meet Wednesday evenings and Thursday evenings. The Thursday class is also the night they hold their clinics. The goal of this clinic is that by the end of the clinic (10 weeks), we should able to run 20 minutes without stopping.

This past week I wasn't able to go because I was very sick on Wednesday (thanks to a migraine that made me throw up 7-8 times!), and Thursday I hadn't gotten myself feeling quite as well as I would have liked.

One thing I've figured out (I must not be as smart as I thought I was, lol) the other day is that I need to go running on my own as well as going to the clinics. You see, we started out running 1 minute and walking 2 minute. The next night we did 1 minute walking and 1 minute running. The following week was supposed to be running 2 minutes and walking 1. This past week (when I couldn't go), they did running 3 minutes and walking 1. I am definitely NOT up to that...yet.

Today I decided to go out and do a little running on my own in one of the local parks near my house. Rather than time myself, I decided to run as long as I could and then walk a bit to catch my breath and run some more. I took my ipod with me, and have made myself a goal of aiming (short-term) to be able to run without stopping for the duration of one of the songs (4-5 minutes long). I'm not there yet, but if I keep at it and run more often, I know I will get there! I can't wait until I am able to run 20 minutes without stopping to walk!

In other news, my back has been bothering me again quite a bit for awhile now. Wednesday (same day I had the migraine and was throwing up), I went to the doctor and had it confirmed that it is my sciatic nerve that is causing the problems. The doctor told me to keep taking Advil or Robaxacet to help with the pain/stiffness and he was going to send me for an x-ray as well. The Advil and Robaxacet don't do anything to help, and I will be going to for the x-ray on Monday. He said if the meds don't help and the x-ray doesn't show anything he would send me for an MRI. Sometimes the only thing that helps/works is surgery. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, but if it does, then so be it.

Well, that's about all the news I have. Hopefully it won't take so long for me to update this ol' blog the next time!

Blessings!

The Start of A New Week

2010-04-12T04:39:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, the beginning of a new week (well, technically yesterday was the beginning, but we always seem to classify it as being the end) filled with lots of promise.

I am feeling somewhat better since my last post; at least the last couple of days have been not too bad. I don't know if my situations have changed, but regardless, I haven't felt as down and out of sorts since probably Thursday or Friday. I worked Friday morning, so that was a help at getting my mind off things. I've been praying (though probably not as much as I should), and realizing I'm focusing so much on me lately; I've been quite selfish and self-centered.

I guess it's not really about me anyway. I should be focused on others - praying for them, helping them, etc. and not worrying about what I want, or what I desire (even if it's been the strongest desires I've had since I was a child). It's not about me. That hurts. But, we are to be humble and put others first and ourselves last.

I've been thinking lately about putting others first, about being more obedient to God and His commands, and it makes me wonder - if I do this, then will I get my desires? But, I suppose, that makes me selfish again. I should be doing for God and His people to further the Kingdom of God, to be more like Jesus, and not worry about whether or not I my prayers and desires will come true because I am obedient. It doesn't work that way. I need to pick up my cross and carry it. I need to die to self. I need God's strength, because I sure can't do it on my own! That's such a hard lesson to learn, especially in a "self-sufficient" and "I am weak if I ask for help" society.

So, that's where I am today. I'm trying to get back in touch with God, to "fix" my relationship with Jesus, to focus on others and not myself, and to not let fear have control over me.

Revelation?

2010-04-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

So I've been doing a lot of thinking lately - sometimes too much, and there has also been a fierce spiritual battle going on as well. The last several weeks have definitely not been fun!

I don't want to go into all the details, as I'm not comfortable in sharing all of this in Cyberland. I will say that what I've been going through has left me feeling mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained. It also doesn't help that last week I didn't sleep well at all, and coupled with working all last week and two or three days the previous week, I've felt physically tired as well. The whole situation is long and complicated, and as I said, I am not comfortable talking about it in depth.

I've been angry at God lately, too, and having a grand ol' pity party I guess. Part of my spiritual battle (or perhaps the entire thing) has resulted in the angry feelings and blaming God on the lack of results from years of prayer over a couple of areas in my life. It definitely hasn't been a joyride, let me tell you!

Last night, I went to small group and we ended up discussing Joshua 24:14. We talked about what gods were, and Pastor J (who is in our small group) said that gods are something you fear (it holds power over you) and serve (gods demand your servitude). He continued to say that if you try to remove the god from your life (whatever the god may be), it will cause a great deal of distress when you remove it. For example, if your god is the computer/internet, and you try to stay off the computer and you struggle to do so, then that is a god to you. There is a constant struggle between us as humans and the gods we have in our lives.

As I was sitting in small group and listening to what Pastor J was saying (and others who were asking questions, etc.), I felt the Lord telling me that the issues I mentioned above have become gods to me. There is a great deal of fear for me with regard to the issues I mentioned previously (I am not in any kind of danger or anything like that). I felt the Lord telling me I need to let go of these issues and trust Him. I need to not worry about what the future holds - God is in control.

So, now I need to get rid of the gods that have been holding their power over me. It's going to be hard, but I know that the Lord will be with me through this difficult journey.

I'm A Failure

2010-03-17T04:25:00.001-07:00

I admit it. I'm a failure. I've tried many different things and found that I have failed at them. In school, I failed a few tests. I've failed at relationships. I've failed at jobs. I've failed at a number of things I've tried to do.

Each time I fail at something, I wind up being overly critical of myself and feel worthless and no good. I tend to focus on the negative aspect of failure and tell myself how lousy I am - "You're a failure. You can't do anything right. You're a loser!" Truth be told, I think the majority of us (if not all) tend to beat ourselves up and feel terrible when we fail at something. But we don't have to be like that.

The thing is, failure can be good - despite what we might think. It is through our failures and the mistakes we make in life that help us to grow. We gain new experiences and insights into who we are as people. I was terrible at math when I was in school; it was definitely a subject I struggled with. I am not a math person at all. When I failed on a math test (to be honest, there were more near failures on these tests, but I did fail some), it taught me that this was a subject I couldn't do on my own. I just simply couldn't understand the concepts. If I wanted to get better, I would have to get extra help (which I eventually did) - even if I felt like a loser for having to do this. Really though, asking for extra help does not make you a loser, despite what you think at 12 or 13 years old! I eventually humbled myself and asked for extra help, got it, and did better on my tests.

When we fail, and if we are honest with ourselves we know that we will fail at something in our lives (we are human afterall, and we aren't perfect), we have two choices to make:

1. Let the failure define us

2. Let the failure drive us

If we let failure define us, then we will be more apt to focus on the negative aspects like I mention at the beginning of the post - we will feel useless or worthless, or feel as though we can't do anything. Negative thoughts and feelings about failure will cause us to be afraid to try something new for fear that we won't be able to do it. These types of thoughts and feelings can also cause us to feel as though no one would like us because we aren't perfect - I mean, really, who wants to be with someone who fails at whatever he/she tries? (note the sarcasm used here). But guess what, God still loves us - even when we fail!

Allowing our failure to drive us puts a positive spin on these types of situations. "So what if I fail" should be said as a statement. Spoken this way, our failures will drive us rather than define us. So what if I failed my test. I now know that I need to study harder. So what if I didn't make the sports team. I am going to practice harder everyday and polish my moves; that way I can try out again next year and have a better chance of getting on the team. So what if I failed at drawing. I've since discovered that I am a much better sculpter. (The above are just examples, and not necessarily drawn from my own life.)

Satan likes to encourage us to let our failures define us. He wants us to focus on those so that we won't try or do anything new for the Kingdom of the Lord. He wants us to remember and feel like a failure because we can't cook very well. Letting that failure define us might cause us to not want to reach out to others and invite them to our homes for fellowship. He wants us to focus on what we can't do, or what we are afraid to do for fear of not being successful. If we take the same situation and let that failure define us, we might think something like, "So what if I can't cook. I can still invite people over to my home for fellowship - I can host a Bible study or just have people over to watch the game on TV."

The point of this post is that we all fail at something (or many things); we aren't perfect. God can still use a "failures". We might have done something terrible in the past, or had something awful happen to our family, but God can still use it for His Kingdom. Our past experiences help us to reach out and help others who may be going through the same or similar experience now. For example, if a woman has had a miscarriage in the past, she is better equipped to help another woman having the same experience than would a woman who has not had a miscarriage. Someone who has struggled through addiction in his past is better abled at helping someone currently struggling through an addiction. God can, and does, use our past failures and experiences for good.

From the beginning of time, humans have failed. That's why God sent his only Son to die for us and to save us.

Do you let your failures define you or drive you? How can you use your failures for the Lord? What do you think the final paragraph means?

Enjoy A Laugh

2010-03-03T07:57:00.001-07:00

I posted this on my blog way back in 2005, and thought I'd repost it again. I've been trying to come up with something good to post, and sadly it's not working out. So, I thought I'd post something light and hope to share a little laugh with you all.

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?" "Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life." The child thought about this for a moment, then said, "So why is the groom wearing black?"

A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!" While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again. As she ran she once again began to pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late...But please don't shove me either!"

Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem. They give him $50."

The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song. They give him $100."

The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!"

An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no male pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, "They wouldn't take me out while I was alive, I don't want them to take me out when I'm dead.

A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem. A small child replied: "They couldn't get a baby sitter."

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat one little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."

At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, "Johnny, what is the matter?" Little Johnny responded, "I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife."

Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, "What do you think about all this Satan stuff?" The other boy replied, "Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It's probably just your Dad.

Know any cute jokes? Feel free to put them in the comments section (they don't have to be church jokes, but remember to keep them clean and G-rated)

Prayer Request

2010-02-21T18:57:00.001-07:00

I am a supply teacher. I have my teaching license and am qualified to teach. I just don't have the permanent job yet. It's something every new teacher has to go through. I'm working on getting my foot in the door, and when I visit a school, I leave a business card with my info on it at the office, and with the teacher I fill in for. I hope that by doing this I will get more calls.

The month of January was difficult for me. I only had about three days in total for the month; it's kind of difficult to pay the bills with so little work. I'll admit I felt somewhat depressed about it, and could sense a spiritual battle going on as well. Definitely not fun.

Since joining a small group/Bible study, I get asked every week if I've been getting any work. It's nice when I can say that I have been, but it makes me feel like a "loser" when I don't get any - especially with a full-time teacher and another supply teacher (who has been getting a lot of work) in the group.

Last week we were asked to share a piece of good news and bad/not so good news with the group (if we wanted to). I told them that, at that point, I had worked that day and had been booked to work Thursday as well (I ended up working this past Friday, too). Not only did I have a couple days of work that week, but I had also been booked for this coming entire week! That's the first time I've been booked for an entire week, and a week in advance! The group was happy for me, because it has been an ongoing prayer request of mine - to get more work, especially since student loans are coming due soon. In that sense, prayers have been answered, but this will be an ongoing prayer request until I can get a permanent classroom of my own (that is also a prayer request I have).

I'm looking forward to the full week of work. I'll admit the pay cheque is going to be nice. I've been to this particular school a couple of times already, and the only thing that I don't look forward to is the fact it is a middle school. I really don't like working with this age group; my preferred group would be from kindergarten to grade three as being ideal for me. However, at this point in time, I can't be too choosey.

So, with this post, I am asking for prayers for this coming week that I can do a great job, that the kids are good and listen to me, that they don't give me too hard of a time, and that I don't lose my marbles! If you can remember to pray every day, I'd appreciate it. If you can only pray once, I'd appreciate that too. I appreciate any and all prayer I get.

Linking A Great Post By Pete Wilson

2010-02-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

I recently, as in a few moments ago, read Pete Wilson's latest blog entry. It's definitely good food for thought, and I thought I would share the link with everyone. Stop by his blog for a read.