Prophets

The other day I queried why God didn't use "his true men" today like he did the prophets in the past. Why a prophet in the past could call down curses on people, and have bad things happen to them and yet today's preachers...you know the ones... the ones who are truly men of God, don't seem to be able to do the same thing.

Sometimes I wonder if God just chooses to work in different ways in this time and age, or if it's a lack of faith on the part of these men of God, or what it is.

Sometimes I wonder what we can learn from the prophets of the past ... instead of just being amazed at the things they could do in the power of God.

So today I was reading from James 5 and I read these words

9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

and later in the same chapter

13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

We can learn from these men. We can see the example they laid down for us. They persevered through all sorts of stuff. They kept on keeping on for the Lord and they had results in faith. Job had his family and possessions restored to him, Elijah prayed and no rain came, he prayed again and rain came, Jeremiah was a weeping prophet, Hosea married a harlot and showed Israel their relationship with God and so forth.

We can learn from these men. We can see their patience, their suffering, their very lives laid out before God and his people. And God was so gracious to them. Their righteousness made a difference. And ours can too!

Just thought that was neat.

I'm sorta weird

Kim over at the Upward Call gave me this link.

Thanks for taking the Weird Quotient test

Of all the weird test takers:

35% are more weird,
9% are just as weird, and
56% are more normal than you!

For your hard work, here is a prize:

And we laughed

It was funny today.

Justin discovered that disposable diapers from Pampers have pictures on them!   Wow!  What a huge discovery for a one year boy.   He woofed at Grover, I woofed at Justin!   Justin looked at me in amazement.  he woofed, I woofed, he smiled, I smiled.  He woofed, I woofed, he giggled, I laughed.   We woofed at each other for a good minute.  We had so much fun with one diaper.

Who would have thought that a little boy could make a mom-mom smile over a diaper?

God, I am sure, smiled along with us. 

What is it.....

Okay, here's the situation, as we read it in 2 Kings: 1-3, the King has fallen through the roof of the house, he's not feeling good as the result and has gone to bed.   He sends a man to inquire of a false god (Baal-zebub) to see if he will get better or not.   The prophet Elijah (of the real God) meets that man along the way, tells that man that since the King sough after a false god that he will not rise from his bed.

The king was....shall we say unimpressed by that news and wants to talk further with Elijah, so....he sends 50 men (with their captain) out to bring Elijah in.   Elijah's response was simple "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty."   And lo and behold "Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty."

And the king sent another group out.    And it happened again.

And the king sent another group out.   But this time the captain begged "O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. 14Behold,
fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of
fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your
sight."  (v13-14) An angel of the Lord told Elijah it would be safe for him to go with this man.

And Elijah, in person, told the King the message he told sent earlier "Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of
Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron--is it because there is no God in Israel
to inquire of his word?--therefore you shall not come down from the bed
to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'" (v16)

Later on Elijah and Elisha are on a journey from God, they come to a brook, "Then Elijah took his cloak
and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the
one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry
ground."   

Later on we read about how Elijah dies and then Elisha replaces him, and some of the first things that happen with Elisha are surprising (at least to me).   Elisha is harassed by some boys, he curses them, and two she-bears come out and kill most of the the boys.   And at his word Water from a town that was bad, was made good!  (v.19-22)

So what is it?  What's makes the difference between then and now?

These men are proclaimers of the Lord God.  They speak his words to the people.   They get angry, they sin, they do things they aught not, they do speak things that seem terrible, They speak God's word to the people.   Things happen that I just find amazing.   It makes me wonder...was it just an old testament thing?

See, my hubbie is man of God,  He's a preacher, he proclaims God's word, but he doesn't do this type of stuff.   And he truly does the very best he can to proclaim God's word to the people, and he too is imperfect, he gets angry, he sins, he does stuff he aught not, he speaks God's word to the people God has placed in his life.  And yet, I don't find him able to "split water so he can walk on dry ground", or "call down fire upon people".   Not that I mind that...not sure what I'd think if suddenly he could call down fire on truly unrepentant people just for being a solid man of God.  That would shocking and terrifying....

I just wonder sometimes...could God use people in this way again?   Why doesn't he do it now-a-days?   If he did, could you imagine how it would shake up the church?  How it would impact the world around us?  ESPECIALLY if it couldn't be explained in any other way..... Just makes me wonder.

   

He's One Year Old today!

Can you believe it's been a whole year already!?!?!?

My boyo is a whole year old!   No party today, that comes on Saturday, but he's one year old.  He celebrated by walking across the kitchen completely unaided.   Wow...what a boy!

Daddy took a picture of him eating a VERY messy lunch-time meal.  Not sure that he has it downloaded yet for me to post, but it was very messy and very full of smiles.  :)  When it's up, I'll be sure to post it...everyone needs to see a messy, smiley boy once in a while eh?   :)

Oh...he even got a present today!   One of the ladies from church stopped over with a brand new truck for him!   What fun!  :)   Justin even liked the card that came with it.  The truck of course went zooming all over the floor.   Oh boy...trucks are fun!  

Tomorrow if it's nice he'll go swimming in his pool, go shopping for his party on Saturday, and go for a nice walk with the dogs.

Silly Dogs

I have for the most part decided that we have two very silly dogs that share this household.

Two dogs: Riley older husky-shepherd cross male. Sassy younger complete mix.

We've in the past couple of months switched them to a raw food diet (actually known as a B.A.R.F. diet) that stands for biologically appropriate raw food diet. To learn more go here.

They get fed outside because, well, raw food is a tad bit messier than kibble.

We've seen good changes in them, and can do it for about the same cost as mid-range kibble.

Anyways, why are they silly?

1. We tie them up when feeding because Riley is a thief. No other polite way to say it...he is an unrepentant thief.

2. So here is Riley, he is NOT done his own food. He is stretching out as far as he can on his lead-out with his nose in the air sniffing. And then he starts his infamous woofing. I want off! I want off! he woofs! I kept telling him to be quiet.

3. I go out to see what is taking Sassy so long to eat her food. What do I find? She's guarding her food against flies! Silly dog! Just eat! I told her to go ahead, eat! Even scared the flies away. She ate! ARGH!!!!

Silly dogs!!! Both of them!!!!

Neither completely finished their meal. That's not unusual for Sassy, and a good sign with Riley. I"m testing just how much he eats, and will give him filler (rice) to help him feel full so he won't woof and beg to be let off so he can steal from Sassy. (not that it worked tonight...perhaps I'm deluded in thinking I can change him....) Tonight I gave him just a tad bit too much filler. Sassy tends to eat her quota one day, and then the next day, she leaves some behind. She's a bit harder to figure on this new diet.

I used to keep the leftovers for the next day, but have stopped doing that. I either flush the leftovers OR if it's pieces of chicken, I dump it out in the compost for the neighbourhood stray cats (at least that's my assumption as it's always gone the next morning!). Besides, whatever is eating it, the scent gets Sass all excited the following morning! Good to have a rush isn't it? (grin)

My Girlie ROCKS!!!!

The trial: Jumping for Joy Trial in Maryhill, Ontario.

The date: July 1, 2006

The judge: Billie Mclean

The organizing body: Agility Association of Canada (AAC)

The events entered: Advanced Standard, Advanced Gamblers, Advanced Jumpers.

MY GIRLIE ROCKS!!!!!  

Yes indeedy!   A hot day, camping with fireworks.  Nervous girlie.  Had a hard time settling, wouldn't eat her supper or her breakfast (needed to bribed of all things with BACON!!)   She ROCKS!!!

The night before: dropped Riley (actually on thursday night at my hubbie's mom), dropped our son at my parents (on Friday).   Headed up to the trial site.  Camped.   There were fireworks.  Sassy was unimpressed.  One of the participants drove onto a stump, that caused a kerfluffle, Sassy was unimpressed.

First the standard run.    Sassy was one of the last dogs to run.  NO OTHER DOG completed the course clean and under time.  I got a tad bit nervous at that point.  The standard course time was 67 seconds, Sassy squeaked...literally squeaked through at 66.70 seconds!   WOW... call that cutting it close.   Wouldn't have been so close if the weaves hadn't freaked her out a bit.  Took three attempts to get it right, (she kept missing a pole here and there).  BUT she did it.  She got those poles completed, she picked up some speed, and we squeaked it through!!!  YEAH FOR MY GIRLIE!!!!

Then we had the gamble.   For some reason, I like doing the gambles but I find them somewhat nervewracking trying to figure out what I think is best to do for me and Sassy.    BUT Sassy did EXACTLY what I asked her to do, at a rather pokey speed, but everything that I asked, I had planned a bit more in case she wasn't pokey, but that would have just been gravy.... She sended with 64 points!  Yeah for Sassy.
She did the gamble!!!   She was one of I think two dogs that completed the gamble.  Comments overheard afterwards: "Nice gamble by that dog", "Good run!"

She started to relax....good dog!   :)  Ate some food!   Yeah for stressors leaving! 

The Jumpers course.   Looked challenging, proven to be in some ways to almost everyone out there.   I was conflicted about how to do the opening, to I run on one side knowing that would draw her to the wrong side of a tunnel farther down OR do I risk a harder opening and know that, that wrong tunnel will be less attractive?  I chose the latter.   So....Sassy unfortunately got a refusal at a tunnel because I didn't clearly indicate it enough thinking it was just a straight run.  BAD HANDLER!   BUT!!!!!   She still came in first!!!!!!   :)  She had 3.23 time faults and 5 faults for the refusal.   She gave it an honest try...just had a really sucky handler!     Didn't help at all that we had taken the trailer down so we could get going as soon as possible after the trial was done so she was all stressed that we were leaving and she wasn't allowed in the van.  She is such a silly dog sometimes.

Would I trial under Billie again?  Yes, I like her open courses.

Would I trial at Jumping for Joy again?  yes.  I would love to not have quite so many mosquitos, but it was a good trial.  Well run.  Met lots of nice people.   Calm, relaxed atmosphere.  They treat their volunteers decent.  Good place to exercise your dogs close by.   Just very nice place.

Part Two of the Chalcedon report

Steve over at the Hemmeke blog pointed my way to the final part of the Chalcedon's report on the RCA's problems with, and responses to, liberalism.

If you want to know more about the struggles within my larger denomination, this is a good place to start. :)

Sometimes I am just amazed

Has God ever amazed you?   Like really amazed you?  Turned something around that you would never have thought possible?

Consider Ananias of Damacus.  (acts 9).  Here he was, a godly man, living and doing his thing and God...yes indeed God...talks to him in a vision.  He tells Ananias to "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul".    Ananias was justifiably shocked.  Saul of Tarsus?   I'm to meet with him...but Lord..he persecutes your believers!!!!

He's amazed. 

This is the same man who watched Stephen be "rocked to death".   He held their coats while he was stoned.  He worked with the chief priests to imprison all who called on the name of the Lord.     And Ananias is to go to him?  And not only that...he will find this Saul praying?

But the Lord answered Ananias' amazement "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel."   

Saul was chosen by God to be his "chosen instrument" for evangelism to the Gentiles and the Jews.     Did you note that?  That God chose Saul to do his work.   It wasn't Saul's choice....it was God's.   

Ananias went, layed hands on Saul - calling him brother, and Saul could see again.   Saul was baptized and ate food and well...we know the rest of the story.  Saul went on to become Paul, a great evangelist and teacher.  He wrote half the books in the New Testament.  Many owe their faith in God to the influence of Paul's work for the Lord God.

Isn't God amazing?   See what he did in Saul's life!   See what he did in Ananias' life!   God does things that sometimes just blow one's mind if one stops to think about it.    All praise be to him!  :)

Kinda makes me wonder what amazing thing God will do next! 

Steve pointed my way here....

Steve over at the Hemmeke blog pointed my way here.

If you want to know more about the struggles within my larger denomination, this is a good place to start. :)

Solomon, oh Solomon

Reading in I Kings 10-11
So here is Solomon.   The wisest man in the world.   The king of Israel.  Blessed by God.
Here is the Queen of Sheba.   They meet.

The queen comes to meet Solomon because she is curious AND she wants to learn.    She wanted to know if what she had heard about him was true and she wanted to test him with some hard questions.   And Solomon takes his time with her, answering all her questions for "there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her".   She was amazed.  All his people were happy.  He was such a wise man.   She tells him " Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed
be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the
throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made
you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness."  

In Solomon's wisdom, the Queen saw the hand of the Lord at work.  

Makes me wonder.   Do you see the hand of the Lord at work when you see someone who has been blessed of God?

Solomon was a man who loved God.   God blessed him and through him, blessed Israel mightily.  It was a rich country!    Kings and people came from all over the place bringing tribute, doing trade, and listening to the wisdom of Solomon.   Solomon had it made!  People saw the hand of the Lord blessing him.

And then.....Solomon got distracted.   He had all these wives.  "He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines."    First of all, I can't imagine having that many people involved in my life that I need to be involved with.   He needed to keep them happy.   He let them distract him away from God.   God no longer, was the first love of Solomon's life.   He allowed these women to lead him to other forms of worship.  He built worship places for abominations!

"So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD".    God was NOT PLEASED!!!   He told Solomon not to do this thing.   Solomon decided that he didn't have to obey God.   So God's response to Solomon was ""Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant
and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the
kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However,
I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your
son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem
that I have chosen."

David, the man who loved God with his whole heart, was Solomon's father.   For the sake of David, God showed some mercy to Solomon.  But Solomon was duly warned that disobeying God has consequences.   But Solomon decided that keeping his wives happy was the better course of action.

Ah Solomon, to be so wise, and to fall away from God.  You lost your blessing! 

I read this and I just felt so sad.   This man was so wise and so blessed by God and yet he turned away from God.   He failed to hold on to what he had from God.  He pleased himself in pleasing his wives.    It also fills me with repentance because there are times when I just want to please myself too.   I do, it's part of me.   So I can understand Solomon, but that willfulness in staying turned from God.... When God calls me to account, I listen.   I so wish that Solomon had listened.  It would have saved the people of Israel so much grief.

I look at the denomination that I am part of now.  I wonder sometimes, what kind of grief are we letting ourselves in for?   This past synod, Sunday was not taken as  a day of rest.   It was a work day like all the rest.   God is not pleased by this.   Other things happened at this synod that really served to NOT advance the gospel.  God is not pleased by this.   What type of grief are we letting ourselves in for?   Turning from God to do what we think is best is no better than what Solomon did.    Sin has consequences.   I just fear sometimes for what is ahead in this denomination.   What consequences will God mete out to bring us back to him?

My week

Have you ever had a week that was really good and couldn't quite put your finger on why it was so good?  This past week was like that for me.

My hubbie struggled with the heat so ended up setting up the trailer so the cool night air would help him sleep.   yes, I know.... might seem odd to some folks...but it kept headaches and icky feelings away (for him) which makes life easier all around.

Justin and I did the pool thing frequently.   He now makes a beeline for his swimming pool when we are out in the backyard.   I can put him down anywhere and if he sees his pool...off he crawls to get to it.   Nice to see him having fun NOT nice having to haul him out wet clothes and all!    It is SO fun to watch him though.  He has such a hoot.  Sometimes he laughs so much our younger dog gets a bit jealous and sneaks in for some loving from me...which makes Justin hoot all the more!  (the dog is close!  the dog is close!  ah ah ah!!!)

I had my last Sunday School class yesterday (for this year).  We are trying to figure what to do for next year.  The one girl is so ready to move up, the other isn't.   Hard to know what to do.  They really don't want to be in a class all on their own either so....what to do?  Ah, their mom and I and Jim will figure it out.  It was nice to be done, and we had a good class too!

We all went for a bike ride for the first time yesterday.   it worked well!   We passed some horses and Justin got all excited.    I was reminded of why I like my bike so much.   :)   Cost enough...I should like it.  I"m hoping next year that we can afford to get the shifting system revamped.   Somehow it got messed up so shifting is an issue, but for just riding around town shifting is just not an issue...I love the smooth action and gliding of my bike.   :)  On our ride we stopped at a parishoners house and saw his canaries and fish pond.  Nice to have a short visit.  

We had our anniversary, just a quiet day at home with lunch out and a "eat whatever you want" supper.

My mom sent me a note saying how much she likes reading my blog.  :) 

Some old friends got in touch with us that we'd been starting to wonder about.

It was just a lovely week together as family.   It felt like my little old heart smiled a lot this week.   It is so nice to have a week like that once in a while.  :)

Stephen Died

He died.   Read Acts 6-7 to know more.
He was a martyr for the faith.
He died asking God to forgive the sin of the people who were killing him.

I read that passage over this morning and I left thinking.....could I have done that?  Could I have done all that Stephen with all the grace that he showed?

Stephen here he was, doing his thing for the Lord.  He was full of 'grace and power' (v8) and he got into a disagreement with the "freedmen".   They " could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." (v10-11)  They lied about him to the leaders because they couldn't win an arguement.
Stephen knew this.   

Did Stephen say... "liar liar pants on fire"?
No...what Stephen did was to give a clear defence of the gospel.  He spelled it out for them from the beginning.   He let them clearly see their history and God's hand in it.

He did end up calling them a "stiff-necked people" because they "resist the Holy Spirit" (v. 51).   They would persecute the prophets even to the extent that they  murdered Christ.

All this did was get the crowd angry.   So angry that they were grinding their teeth.

I try to imagine that deep of anger.  I have heard what mobs can do to people, how people can get so worked up when they are in a group.   So I imagine some mob mentality was going on there...but to be so angry that it goes beyond emotion to physical symptons.   Not sure if I've ever been that angry.   Maybe I have, I just find it difficult to picture.

Stephen was blessed to see a vision of God with Jesus standing next to him.   And he cried out "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (v.56)   But the people couldn't stand it any longer.   They were so angry that they stopped listening (mobs have that tendency).     What they did was to yell and holler and close up their ears.   They didn't want to hear anymore from him.    So they threw Stephen out of the city and stoned him.

I think...man...that's an awful way to kill someone.   To throw stones at them until they die.   Have you ever dropped a stone on your foot?   Then you know what it sorta feels like.   Stones are not pleasant things to have hit you!    I know it was what they did back then, but it still strikes me as nasty.   But Stephen maintained his grace....he prayed to God to take him home and for God to forgive the people for what they did.

I don't know if I could have done that.   

I know from reading stories of martyrs that they wonder the same thing.   Can they maintain their Christian witness in the face of persecution and death?   The answer they give is that it is all the work of God.   God in us, causes us to be able to face this stuff with grace.   

I just pray to God that if I am ever faced with this type of situation that God will grant me the ability to clearly state his case, and to be able to leave this word with grace and forgiveness on my lips.  I know that on my own...it won't happen, but God working in me..... miracles and change and grace will be shown.   :)

I have Learned something new

Today I started reading in the Song of Solomon. So far it is reading like a love story between a man and a woman. Boy...do they like each other. So full of compliments to each other.

Anyways, I came upon this word "nard". It was in these verses.

12While the king was on his couch,
my nard gave forth its fragrance.
13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of Engedi.

I had NO idea what it was. I looked it up. Here is what bible fragrances had to say about it.

Nard

Also improperly known as spikenard (from Latin spica, head of grain, and nardi), this hardy herb, a member of the Valerianaceae family, grows in the foothills of the Himalayas. The part of the plant growing underground has the appearance of a fibrous spindle, and is rich in the precious essential oil.

From India, nard traveled, in the form of a dry rhizome or oil phase extract, via Persia, under the name nardin.

Horace offered to send Virgil a whole barrel of his best wine in exchange for a phial of nard. Though nard is now rare on the shelves of the western perfumer, its name stood for centuries as an evocation of the perfume of the lost Garden of Eden, and in literature, nard came to refer to any perfume, as long as it was exquisite.

Pliny, in his Natural History, lists twelve species of nard, ranging from lavender stoechas and tuberous valerian to true nard – Nardostachys jatamansi. Price lists dating from this period suggest that this pure nard, with which Christ was anointed at Bethany, might already have been produced by a form of distillation.

By relating that it was contained in an alabaster flask, Mark (14,3) and Matthew (26,7) further underline the precious nature of the nard given to Christ.

In the Old Testament, nard is referred to in the Song of Songs, as a symbol of the intimate nature of the Bride’s love. This is the point at which relations with her beloved are initiated. When the perfume of nard is named, the bride recognizes her beloved as such.

It is in the Gospels that nard becomes a symbol of revelation during the anointment of Christ at Bethany.

Nard has intense, warm, fragrant, musky notes, similar to the aromas of humus. It exhibits a wide range of fragrances among the root-type perfumes.

Have you read the Song of Solomon lately?
Do lines like these make you think of your spouse?

3As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste,

2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;

15Behold, you are beautiful, my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.

2As a lily among brambles,
so is my love among the young women.

10My beloved speaks and says to me:
"Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,

I read verse 10 and it makes me think of how my hubbie just loves to do things with me. He loves to just spend time with me, even if it is doing nothing. I find myself, basking in that somedays. Just loving the fact that he just loves to spend time with me. Maybe that's a silly thing to admit to. :)

I have to admit...I am a person who finds it hard to sit still, and sometimes I have to force myself to do that. To just spend time with him. I would rather be spending time with him doing something...walking around, working, playing a game and so forth. But because I love him, I will sometimes just take the time and just sit with him. I love the fact that often times he comes for my later day walk with our son and the dogs. We even take turns on who walks the dogs, and who pushes the stroller. But it's a time to share just as a family (sans the cat and guinea pigs).

Today is our wedding anniversary. Reminds me that I so still very much love this man that I married four years ago. He's such a good man with a good heart. And I delight in him as if he were the one apple tree in the midst of a forest of firs. :)

The bible today

Today my reading from scripture was taken from Proverbs and Acts.

In Proverbs 28 these verses caught my attention:

5Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.
25A greedy man stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.
26Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Then I read in Acts 1 these verses:

1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 5When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much." 9But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." 10Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

These verses just seemed to fit well together this morning. In Proverbs we learned the folly of going against God. Of thinking that we know better. And in Acts we see the living proof of that.

In teaching Sunday School this year, I found it a challenge to help my girls see the treasure that we have in Christ and at the same time to see that listening to him and obeying him are so very important. We need to see both. We need to see God's mercy as well as his justice. It's hard to convey it well to youth. They tend to see God as well, he's there right? And we can talk with him. But it's not like he'll do anything to us. Sometimes it seems that God is so distant from them, but then they'll surprise me with flashes of insight. I live for those moments! :) I really do. It's fun to watch that "oh" look in their eyes.

I'm still not sure that they really understand that Justice and Mercy are both attributes of God. It is something that all of us need to see and understand. God's path is wisdom, man's path is folly. Trying to fool God is just plain stupid.

I'm not sure if God still kills people today for daring to openly test him, but he has in the past, and he still can. Why go the way of the fool if you don't need to?

Onour walk this morning

On our walk this morning (me and the dogs) we saw this fellow.

Picture from: http://www.northrup.org/photos/red-fox/

He, of course, saw us first and beat a hasty retreat. He stopped about 100 ft from us. The dogs poked up their heads and watched him. He sat down, curled his tail around us and kept a good watch on us. He didn't move until he thought we were well out of site. Makes me wonder if there is a fox den somewhere on the trail in town.

I just thought it was rather neat. I've never been that close to a real wild fox (one that's actually in the wild). Just so you know...it's way better than seeing them in the zoo! :)

He swims

So this past week we purchased a small pool for Justin.  $10 at the local C. Tire store.

Filled it with 3 inches of water.

Let the wonderful hot weather we are currently experiencing heat the water nicely.

Today Justin went swimming.  I stripped him down outside and just dumped him in.  (after of course checking that water was indeedy warmed up)    This little 11 month old boy had SO MUCH FUN!!!!   Made his mom-mom laugh.   I had purchased some sand toys a while back on sale, and I dumped half of them into the water with him.   Splash and dump and attempt to drink.  Boy.... you couldn't have asked for more fun. 

AND THEN>>>> he learned that he>>>>> could climb out!   WOW!!!   more fun!!!!   more excitement!!!!  More screams of AHH!!!!!

Later today he might experience the joy of bike riding too.    Justin and I picked up a bike seat for him while garage-saling this morning and then hubbie and I picked up a toddler bike helmet for him this afternoon.  He was unimpressed at the store (he HATES wearing anything on his head).  So we'll see how that goes.

Proverbs

As part of my devotions, I've been going through Proverbs.   I have to admit that I do not find the Proverbs to be ...hmm...how do I put this.  I don't find them as easy of a read as I do the Psalms.   Most of the Psalms read well, like poetry.   And the Proverbs...it's just a bunch of saying bunched together.  

Sometimes they all connect easily, but other times it's like...huh?  Why did they link those verses together?  and what does this have to do with that?

So it's a bit of a struggle to say the least.  :)     Not that I mind struggles. 

Today I read Proverbs 16-18

These verses from Proverbs 16 caught my attention.
1The plans of the heart belong to man,
   but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
   but the LORD weighs the spirit.
3Commit your work to the LORD,
   and your plans will be established.
4The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
   even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Just think about this for a moment.   We make plans, but God has the final answer.   We have our own thoughts and ideas about things, and we think we have it all figured out, BUT God sees our hearts.   God sees it all, he weighs us out.  He has the final answers to everything...despite what we think or want or plan or....

In some ways I find that a huge comfort.  I know that God knows it all and has the final answer.  There are times when I think...ah...God is weighing out my spirit....Will it meet the measure?   I'd ask what the measure is...but I already know that... God's measure is his own son... He sees his Son in me.   (because I"m a believer)  But what do non-believers have as a ... not sure of the word...I want to say protector but that doesn't seem right... I"ll leave it for now though.    

I have the comfort of knowing that as God weighs my spirit that he will not find me wanting because his spirit resides within me.

I have the comfort of knowing that if I commit my plans to the Lord...which means careful thought and consideration of what the Lord's will might be, and acting as best I can in the light of the 10 commandments.. that my "plans will be established".

God has a purpose for everything...even for the wicked!

I think I will always remember a line I read in a book.  Can't remember the book, but the wise guy was talking with a woman who was just learning how to be an effective queen, and there was a heckler in the crowd.  The man's response to the flustered queen was... perhaps God created that man so that he could come here today to heckle you so that you would more forcely say what you must.    In the book that man's heckling caused this woman to be more queenly and rally the support of the people that she needed so that the really bad guys could be defeated.

So even the wicked have a purpose in life.   God does know what he is doing.

But for such as time as this....God created...that person (in the book).  But it holds true that for Such a time as this...God created me so that I could....Write this blog?  Be a parent?  Be a wife?  A dog-sitter?   Be his child for a certainty.  

What has he created you for ... in such a time as this?

John 20

Have you ever read a book and wondered....why was this written? Just what was the point of the author? Was he/she just trying to entertain? Where they trying to impart knowledge? Just what was the point?

I've had that.

And I know from talking with people, that sometimes they wonder what the point of the Bible is. It was written by lots of different people, and sometimes it seems to contradict itself and so on and so forth.

Well, I was reading from John 20 this morning and came across these lines.

30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Here we are. Christ has died, has risen from the dead. He's appeared to lots of people and has done various signs and wonders. People believed it was him! Some took a bit more convincing (i.e. Thomas) but they knew that Christ had indeed been raised from the dead. Life has been restored. Hope has been restored. No more hiding out is needed.

And why?

Why were these things written down? So that "you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

This is why we have the word of God. It has been written down for us so that we can know that Jesus is THE CHRIST. Jesus is THE SON OF GOD. And in knowing this, that we can have life in his name. We don't have to stay dead in our sin. We can have life! And it's all been written down so that we can be saved.

I don't know about you...but I find that just absolutely marvellous! :) And it gives me an answer to those who wonder what the importance of the Bible is....to teach people who Jesus is, and that by knowing that, they can believe in him and have life anew! Cool eh? :)

Psalm 141

Today's reading was from Psalm 139-141 and John 17.

This caught my attention this morning. From Psalm 141

1O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
4Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
and let me not eat of their delicacies!

I talk with LOTS of people about spiritual matters and one thing that constantly crops up is those 'besetting sins'. You know, the one (or two) sins that you have that you constantly (or so it seems) you have to battle. For some people it's worry, others how they talk, others its things of the mind or ________. You fill in the blank..you know what you struggle with.

I keep telling people that even if you have to do it one million times a day, or fifty times a second (or so it seems), just keep turning it over to God. Just say "God, this _________ is here again, I'm sorry, help me not to do it again."

I was thinking about that this morning....if only because my own besetting sin was being an irritation this morning, and how I was talking with a friend last week who said she's about ready to just give up on God because it just ain't working. And that bothers me. So here I am reading from David's Psalms and he says "I will call upon you". "Give ear to me when I call upon you."

I did challenge my friend as to whether God helped her or not, and she did admit that he did. AND that things were better than they were...but she wants it gone. I don't get it. You see something getting better and you want to give up because it's not going as quickly as you would like?

Over and over in the Psalms we see David calling out to God for help. David didn't give up. He made dreadful mistakes and sins against the Lord God, but he didn't give up. He knew where his help came from.

And I know it too...my help comes from the Lord.
I must indeeds call upon him all the time for help.
He alone can make things right.

I don't know. I want to say more, but my heart and head are too full right now.

Just don't give up. You need to call upon the Lord. He will hasten to our aid.

Today is a New Day

So My boy is feeling MUCH better.
He slept all night.
He woke up happy.

He ATE A BIG BREAKFAST!

He was happy on our morning walk.

Life is good today! :)

A Voice of Sanity Anywhere????

So I'm at home alone with an extra dog and a little boy who just can't seem to be okay today. He needs his momma... he's tired... no... he's hungry...no something just isn't okay. Oh no... the dog looked at him funny. CRY! CRY! CRY!

I need a voice of sanity.

Just one...just a little one...but a voice of sanity would be ever so nice.

Now granted I've been able to do a couple of things today and that helped. I sorted through garage sale items. Even went to a couple of garage sales this morning while walking the boy and the dogs. Even had lunch. :) Didn't have time to do much else...oh...the boy and I sat out and watched this marvellous rainshower....we were all nice and dry and it just came a pelting down. Just marvellous that.

and soon i'm having to walk the dogs... but once again...AHHH!!!!! My boy needs me again. Gotta fly.

Lingamish: The Bible wasn't written to you

Lingamish: The Bible wasn't written to you

I was reading through some blogs and followed links, one from another...you know how that goes and I discovered "The Bible wasn't written to you" written by this guy Lingamish.

It's worth a read. Check it out if you would please. Certainly made me think, and drove home the point my hubbie keeps making to me. Understand FIRST who the passage was written to and why and so forth before thinking about applying it to your own life.

Psalm 55

I read this psalm this morning seeing the answer to life difficulties within it.

David, the psalmist, cries out to God. He is in such a state! Enemies every where. He so overwhelmed that he cries out to God in his anguish!

1Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

David just wants to run away from it all, but he turns to God for the answer to his difficulties in life.

4My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;

I think about this and it reminds me how often I want to handle it myself when life gets difficult. I want to take care of the problem myself in any number of ways. Bossing people around, anger, tears, of "think woman"! and so forth. And I'm sure David had his moments of "I want to do it myself"... and even hear he's tempted to handle it himself by running away. BUT... and I love buts. He turns to God despite what he wants to do. Instead of running away he turns his heart to God, beseeching God to "Give ear to my prayer".

He asks God to handle the problem for him.

9Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.

He takes solace in the fact that he knows that God will be with him. That God will indeed help him.

16But I call to God,
and the LORD will save me.
17Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old,
Selah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.

And the reason that he knows that God will help him? Those arrayed against him "do not change and do not fear God". God takes care of his own. He really does. He hears our prayers and responds to them.

David knows that

22Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Just think about this for a moment. God created us. God created the world. He is infinite and powerful and has every reason to cast us aside. BUT we can cast our burdens on him. He will sustain us. He will NOT permit the righteous to be moved... hmm...had to think about that for a moment. What does that really mean? Matthew Henry says "He will never suffer the righteous to be moved; to be so shaken by any troubles, as to quit their duty to God, or their comfort in him. He will not suffer them to be utterly cast down." That resource is found here.
Think about that for a moment. The troubles of the righteous in God, will never get so bad that we will be shaken, quit our devotion to God, or lose the comfort that he gives us. Things might get rough, but if we stick with God things will work out okay. Wow...what a comfort and surety that is.

He knows that God will take care of us. He will cast our enemies away. He knows that through it all ... We can Trust God.

23But you, O God, will cast them down
into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.

WE CAN TRUST GOD.

Psalm 31

1In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me!
2Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!

We take refuge in the Lord. Because of HIS righteousness he will deliver us. He listens to us and rescues us.

3For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me;
4you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

Have you ever really thought about why God does things for us?
It is for HIS name's sake HE leads me and guides me. Not for anything that I have done. It is all for him.

6I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
7I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
8and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.

I read these word "I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols" and I think to myself. Do I really hate muslims and hindis, bahais and jehovah witnesses? And I think no... I don't hate them, but I do hate that they worship a false god. That they don't seek deeper. I would wish more for them. Perhaps I am wrong in this, perhaps I should hate them as the psalmist does, but I don't. I just hate the wrongness of what they worship.

But The Lord God is the one that I trust. He can be trusted because his love is steadfast and sure. He sees the distress of my soul and delivers me up.

14But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!

19Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
20In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.

21Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
22I had said in my alarm,
"I am cut off from your sight."
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.

23Love the LORD, all you his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
24Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD!

This whole Psalm seems to build to this one line "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!" The Lord God cares for his people. He rescues them from danger. He keeps us from shame. So that we can be strong and of good courage because it is GOD that we trust in.

Pretty cool huh?

Monday morning

Oh, I know...such an original post heading. But...it's Monday morning, I'm tired, yesterday felt like a write-off even though it shouldn't have. It didn't help that the church service we went to felt like a huge waste of time. See, my hubby had the day off because of the conference he went to. So we went to a church in London where we thought we'd here a decent sermon. Well..... we didn't. Granted, I was somewhat busy caring for our boy as they seemed to have no babysit (Our boy usually goes to the babysit during the sermon part so that he can rest and I can listen), but what I did hear of the sermon was....stories of how change is possible. No meat, just stories. Though I will admit that it was nice to sing praise and worship songs again since our church only does hymns. I did miss that the songs seemed to have nothing to do with the service. They were just there to be sung. I felt disappointed. My hubbie was angry. Just a waste of time. Later in the day we went to a hymn sing at one of the local churches. I enjoyed it! So did my hubbie! Our boyo made us laugh though. We sat in the very back so he could crawl around since he was VERY tired. At one point he crawled up the last pews, put his head down and looked at all the feet, then sat up with such a happy, excited look on his face. He made us laugh and sorta worry that he'd crawl underneath to get to all those feet. But he didn't. He came back all excited. Funny boy. He ended up going to bed a bit early.

Anyways, enough of Sunday. Today is a brand new day. My hubbie has a meeting later so instead of it being our normal day off it's a work day. I'll be doing laundry, weeding, mowing the lawn and caring for the boy, and hubbie dear will be doing his work things as well. Not sure what day we'll have off this week as I've a dog to care for tomorrow. But we'll work it out.

I don't know if I've told you before that I have daily bible readings sent to me each week from these folks. Right now we are going through the Psalms and Book of John.

Today I needed to read from Psalm 27-29 and John 11:1-29. I don't know if you all know that I struggle often with KNOWING that I am TRULY saved. I'm always somehow fearful that I'm not, or that I'm not sincere enough, or that I've done things wrong or... (fill in the blank). I see myself so clearly sometimes how I like to depend upon myself, how I have a quick temper, how I am such an evil being sometimes... it all just makes me wonder. And then I have to talk to God and say sorry, yes, I know, I'm still wondering if I've messed this up too. Forgive me. Grant me peace in knowing that YOU my Lord and God KNOW me. What can I say... at times I fear this will always be part of my walk in faith.

Anyways, I read these passages today and it was like God speaking to my heart. A person needs that once in a while eh. :)

From Psalm 27 hear these words of the Lord:

7Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8You have said, "Seek my face."
My heart says to you,
"Your face, LORD, do I seek."
9Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the LORD will take me in.

GOD WILL TAKE ME IN. God will keep me. God will hear my words. God KNOWS ME. He really does. :) Makes my little tired heart smile this morning.

And then in Psalm 28 I hear these words of the Lord

6Blessed be the LORD!
for he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
8The LORD is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

God saves me. He hears my cries for mercy. I can give him thanks. I can sing songs to him. He is my strength. I am not alone because God is the strength of his people (that's a plural). God is my shepherd and will care for forever.

Then readind Psalm 29 and seeing this Psalm of Praise. Have you read it lately? It is so neat. Read these words of the Lord our God.

1Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

3The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over many waters.
4The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

10The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
11May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Can't you just see it? How the power of the Lord affects the world around us? Birth, life, death, everything. It's awe inspiring. He has all this power and gives us (his people) strength and peace. All of creation cries GLORY! It just fills my heart with ... what I needed this morning.

Isn't God good?

He caused me (through my hubby) to subscribe to a simple bible reading plan and then he touches my heart through his word. I will praise his name.

I like this. It was sent in an email to me.

NAIL IN THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.

His Father gave him a bag of nails and

told him that every time he lost his temper,

he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.

Over the next few weeks,

as he learned to control his anger,

the number of nails hammered daily

gradually dwindled down.

He discovered it was easier to hold his temper

than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't

lose his temper at all.

He told his father about it and the father

suggested that the boy now pull out one nail

for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally

able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the

hand and led him to the fence.

He said, "You have done well, my son, but look

at the holes in the fence.

The fence will never be the same.

When you say things in anger,

they leave a scar just like this one.

You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.

It won't matter how many times you say I'm

sorry, the wound is still there. " A verbal

wound is as bad as a physical one.

He's home again

Well the Lord be praised...he's home again! And it's good to have him home. He's tired...after all he just drove for 9 hours in mostly pouring rain and fog.

He brought home a TON of books.

He brought home a TON of laundry. :)

He brought home someone's elses books and now has to figure out how to get them to the right fella. (silly Mark for leaving them behind)

He brought home stories of people he met.

He was delighted by what I did in the gardens, and a clean house and very dirty son who cheerfully displayed an equally dirty "collie dog" (his must have toy).

Today we relax, do some yard saling, and just enjoy being together again.

I was glad to send him, I am glad to have him back.

God refreshed his spirit. For this I give him praise!

This Suits....

Your Ideal Pet is a Big Dog

You're both energetic, affectionate, and a bit goofy. And neither of you seem to mind very slobbery kisses!

What's Your Ideal Pet?

This is our boy Riley. This picture was taken about a yar ago. He is 12 years old now. He's getting a bit senile. He is slower to do things and likes to sleep ALOT! He is fairly set in his ways and needs to walk on leash most of the time now since he does these odd things at times. (at least odd to me as I'm sure he has his own reasons for doing them).




And this is our girl Sassy. She is about 4 years old (probably 3 in this picture). She is an active girl who LOVES to work. Work consists of: doing agility, chasing squirrels wherever she meets them, keeping nefarious grackels out of our back yard, and pulling our boy Justin on a sled in the winter. Hopefully soon we'll add, pulling the boy on a cart when we walk uptown. (but first I need to buy the cart and make the frame)

Jim is off soon...

So tomorrow Jim leaves me for five days.

He goes to a pastor's conference every year hosted by the Banner of Truth Trust. You can find out more about them here.

They are a publishing company that puts on a conference for conservative men every year. Jim goes and has a total blast.

He talks with other godly, conservative pastors and elders.
He buys books.
He listens to good messages preached.

He just has a good time taking a break from all the wear and tear of everyday pastoral life. He comes back totally rejuvenated and ready to take on almost anything again. :)

Though he is missed when he is gone, he is gladly sent off.

When he is gone I will spend 2.5 days with my parents just helping out and visiting. The rest of the time we will be home. Jim's mom is taking the dogs for me all week so I get a break from them as well. :) The house will be quiet for a couple of days without my man and the pooches.

Have You Ever....

Have you ever read something what seems like a million times and end up being surprised by something you think you've never read in it before?

Happens to me all the time it seems when I read God's word. This morning it happened when I was reading from John 6:1-21.

1After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" 6He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii[a] would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?" 10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost." 13So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. 14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!"

15Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles,[b] they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." 21Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

So what surprised me you might ask.

1. Verse 15 where Jesus "perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself."

2. Verese 21 where immediately after Jesus got into the boat "the boat was at the land to which they were going."

It's like it all brand new to me! Both show the power of God. One in knowing what was going in the hearts and minds of the people around him and the second in bringing the boat immediately to land in the midst of a terrible storm.

What must have his disciples thought? The first may have confused them...why is Jesus taking himself away like this? Isn't Jesus going to be our king?

The second must have filled them with amazement. As fishermen (some of them) they knew how dangerous rough seas could be and how long it takes to travel in them. First Jesus walks on water and then suddenly they are on the shore. It's like... WOW! It would be frightening too.

For me I read this and I just see God's power at work. Makes me feel a bit insignificant actually. But as I think about this, I'm sure that's how the disciples felt....They see Jesus walking towards them on water, the winds are high, the sea rough, and JESUS IS WALKING ON WATER! Scary! Then he tells them, "It is I. Do not be afraid". Then as they thought about it, and the miracle of the food, I would think that they felt insignificant in comparison to Christ and amazed at the power of God.

But Jesus offered them peace. "It is I. Do not be afraid". THAT is what I must cling to. God, through Christ Jesus, offers me peace in the midst of everything. He is my hope and my salvation, and I must cling to what he offers me. And he will take care of me! He took care of the people, he took care of his disciples, and he will take care of me too.

an acronym

A	Amazing
N	Nerdy
N	Nice
E	Easy
T	Tempting
T	Teachable
E	Edgy

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Too Busy To Eat...

Being Mother's Day, yesterday my mom-in-law came over for the day. This is a lady that I treasure dearly. :) If everyone had a mother-in-law like her, mother-in-law jokes would not exist. Now, I'm not saying that she's perfect, but she is a dear sweet woman of God who has enriched my life.

Anyways, I read a passage from the bible this morning that reminded me of something she said on the weekend. She was so busy moving gravel and doing up her garden that she forgot to eat and by the end of the day, she was too tired to eat.

The passage was from John 4:31-38

31Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" 34Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

Jesus would not eat when the disciples urged him to. His response was "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work."

Now my mom-in-law is a lady who likes to keep busy. And when she works, she works hard. She will often get so busy that food...ah... that becomes a by-line, easily forgotten. And she will often work so hard that she is too tired to eat.

I read this passage this morning and I thought...ah...that's kinda what meant. That we need, as Christians, to be so busy about the work that God has laid out before us, that eating isn't so all the important to us.

I don't know if you've noticed how "me" focused this world has become. And how it has also invaded the church. We want what we want when we want it. And it's sometimes gets in the way of "being about the Father's business."

Mom's words reminded me of how sometimes I am like that... that I know I should do 'thus and such' because it is good and right and part of God's calling for my life, BUT I decide that I would rather do _________ (fill in the blank) and I put off what I really should be doing.

I'm reminded by Jesus' words here, and by my mom-in-law's example, that I shouldn't be like that. My goal, my DESIRE should be always "to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work".

There is so much that needs to be done to further the kingdom of God. The fields are still white to the harvest. And my spot in the kingdom of God does have it's place and duties and I must needs put aside my own personal "wants" to do HIS will. That must needs be my priority. And it's good to know that I am not alone in this.

Will you also become "too busy to eat"?

About Sundays...

I was pointed to this article by John MacArthur by another blogger.

I looked it up because for the past couple of weeks I've been considering what it means to be a Christian woman. Why? Who knows...probably the spirit's prompting as there are some things in my life that I think God is saying... "hey, that's not okay." So, anyways, that blog made me curious about what John MacArthur had to say, and there's lots there. He has a few others listed here that I want to look at later.

I pulled this quote because it made me think.

Now let me just talk about the word "adorn." The word "adorn" is kosmeo. We get the word cosmetic from it. It has to do with how a woman prepares herself. It means basically to arrange, to put in order, to make ready. And he is saying a woman is to make herself ready. I want to start with that very simple thought. When a woman comes to worship, there is a preparation involved. A woman should prepare herself for worship. She should make herself ready, that is assumed, that is a given. And when they prepare themselves, it should be in adorning apparel. And here is another form of the word kosmeo from the same root, this is an adjective, kosmios and it simply carries the same idea. She is to prepare herself with the proper preparation. She is to adorn herself with the proper adornment. The word kosmios, the adjective form, means orderly, becomingly, properly, well‑ordered, well‑arranged. So a woman, then, is to come to worship properly arranged. That is to say that there is some preparation for worship, obviously.

Now the word that is translated in the King James by the term "apparel" is really a bigger term than that. It means not only clothing but is used in many places to mean demeanor or attitude or action. It can be the deportment of a woman. The idea then is here is a total preparation. When a woman comes to worship, she is to be totally prepared. She is to be adorned from the inside out. And one demonstration of that is in the proper kind of apparel.

Now we said the word kosmeo is to arrange and kosmios speaks of the orderness...orderliness of that arrangement. The noun that comes from that same root is the word kosmos from which we get the word "world." It's translated very often world. It really means order or system. And the opposite of kosmos is chaos. And so we could conclude that a woman is not to come to worship in a chaotic fashion. That is in disorder, disarray, without a proper preparation, with an unbecoming demeanor, or an unbecoming wardrobe.

Now the idea we know here emphasis wise is clothing, but the underline idea is attitude which we'll get to in a moment which is godly fear and self‑control. But he is talking about clothing because he's very specific about hair, gold, pearls and expensive garments.

The point is this, initially a woman is to prepare herself for worship. And that preparation involves a heart attitude and it involves a proper adornment on the outside. She is to come not in a disarray in spirit and not in a disarray in clothing, not in a disarray in any way but in proper respect for the matter of worship. She is to be dressed in a manner that is well suited to worship, that is orderly, that fits the God intended spiritual purpose of the meeting of the church. Her clothing should reflect a worshiping heart focused on God and focused on God's glory.

So this article/sermon made me think.
I'm not a fashion model. Clothes for the most part to me are just something that I wear to keep myself covered. Yes, I consider to a certain extent what I like or what I feel comfortable in, but it's not like I spend hours deciding what to where and what goes with what and so forth. Not my style. I'd in many ways I'm sure be a perfect candidate for "what not to wear" with Clint and Stacey. :)

BUT that's beside the point. I do try on Sundays to at least wear something that is "Sunday best" dress. But this sermon points to more than the "outward" stuff. It points to the inward stuff.

My hubby and I have been talking off and on for the past...oh..couple of years. (yes, discussions take time sometimes) about how to keep Sunday as special. In the Old Testament, the sabbath started the night before and ended at supper-timish the next day. So we've been trying to see if following a similar pattern will help us as a family be better prepared for worship on Sunday. Are we fully committed at this point? No, but we do know that if we've had a quieter evening, and if we get to bed at a decent hour, that things tend to go better getting ready for church on Sunday morning. But in many ways that is still just dealing with the physical.

The query remains... what do I do to prepare myself for worship on Sunday? Can't really say I do a whole lot.

I give the dogs a walk. Do breakfast. Get the boy ready. Pray with my hubby before he heads off (he tends to get over there earlier than I do as he is the pastor). And then I bustle over when I've got everything together. I often have mail to put in slots, a Sunday school room to prepare and .. you get the picture. I don't have anything particular that I do to prepare my heart and mind to meet with and to worship my maker. This sermon causes me to consider that perhaps this is something that I need to modify. I am not sure at this point though just what I should do. Prayer? Yes, I can pray that God enable my heart and mind to be at peace so I can hear from him. Find a moment of solitude? well.. I"ve a 10 month old boy and Sundays are busy mornings... solitude I ain't gonna get.

So I can't say I know all the answers... but I do have questions and swirling thoughts in my brain.

I do know that throughout Scripture that people were called to prepare themselves to meet God. Moses had to remove his sandals because the ground before him was holy. Removing his sandals prepared him to talk with God. Priests needed to be cleansed before they could minister in the temple. And in 1 Timothy 2, Paul reminds the people that they are coming to church to worship God, not to show themselves off. They needed to be prepared to do that.

So just how do I "remove my sandals" so that I know I am going to stand on Holy Ground? My desire to is be able to worship God knowing that I am doing so in a way that honours him. I just don't think right now that my "sunday routine" is the best way to achieve that end. Hmm...more thought and prayer needed I think.

Observation

So, how good are you at observing things?

Not sure I agreed with all the questions...and they did seem American oriented...like what do I know about the American flag? :) And depending on which country you lived in, you wouldn't know the answer to some of the questions.

Your Observation Skills Get A B-

Your senses are pretty sharp (okay, most of the time) And it takes something big to distract you!

How Observant Are You?

I've been letting this brew....

So my husband showed me this link the other day. The article is called "the feminization of the church". I found the article interesting, made me think. Some of the thoughts of the author I agree with, others I would question.

http://www.biola.edu/admin/connections/articles/06spring/feminization.cfm

Do I agree that the church is geared to women? For the most part, yes. We have bible studies, coffee hour, luncheons, Sunday school, and so forth. Things that women find easy and natural to do. What can I say, most women like to talk and they like to do things like cook and bake and clean for others. It's, in many ways, a natural for us.

BUT I do have some queries.

1. This comment made me wonder

But, interestingly, the gender gap is distinct to Christianity, according to Murrow and Podles. Other religions seem to have a gender balance or even more men than women — including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam, they said.

- Christianity is the one true religion. Is it so awful that we are different than all the other "religions" out there? Wouldn't one expect there to be a difference of some sort?

2. I read this article and it still sounds like men are blaming women for their own inaction. And I will freely grant that part of that could be a defensive "woman" part of me. But Adam did it in Genesis, and it still seems like it happens today. It's the fault of women that men don't want to serve as elders and deacons, it's the fault of women that men don't have their own ministries, it's the fault of women that churches are women-focused, it's the fault of women that (you fill in the blank).

Seriously I must ask... do women stop men from starting men's bible studies? Do women stop men from performing acts of services in ways that THEY feel comfortable? Do women stop men from having a men's version of coffee-break or ???? Seriously, do we as women do that? Quite frankly...I don't see it.

AND if women have NOT stopped men from forming their own ministries...then why haven't men done so? I read back in the past of things that men did in church and I have to wonder...why aren't they doing it now? What has changed? What stops them? In the past alot of Sunday school teachers, particularly for the older grades where men. Now it seems that it is mostly women at all age levels...why is that? Have men stopped volunteering or it is a lack of trust (due to societal influences) or ???

3. If more women than men are attending church, is it at all surprising that the audience is catered to? That's what happens. The market that is being reached is catered to UNLESS another market is desired. If more men are desired in church (and they are) THEN men need to cater to their own market. I, as a woman, will not stop them. Perhaps there are some women who would, but I have a hard time figuring out why they would.

Personally I think men are invaluable to the church, and they should be strongly encouraged to attend. For worship, for music, for service, for teaching, for the whole 9 yards. But I do have a problem with saying...it's the fault of women that they don't come. or maybe I"m missing something here....

Is it the whole Adam and Eve thing. You know, Adam was there while Eve was being deceived and Adam did nothing. He let Eve be deceived, he even took part in the sin after she took the first bite. Is it just that continuing? That men are standing by, seeing their women being deceived and just following along? Has this just continued to be an insidious work of the devil?

I don't know all the answers. It has raised lots of questions for me.

Perhaps you all might have some answers or even further clarifying questions.

This is a Shocker

John 1:16
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

I am constantly amazed at how God continues to work in the minds of people. Mind you, when peoples minds are evil, I'm not so thrilled with the knowledge God gave them, but when it's for good it's like WOW!

I was skimming the London Free Press this morning when I came across this article. I read simply because the title intrigued me. You can find that article here.

What researchers are trying to do create a plant

that will alert people to the presence of landmines by changing colour if their roots detect compounds, such as TNT, commonly used in mines.

Isn't that fascinating?? I never would have dreamed such a thing would be possible!!! For me, the thought would not even have occurred. But then again, I'm not a scientist either! :)

They've even had a small bit of success

They have had to develop a receptor gene that can detect TNT and be spliced into a plant's roots.

Once the TNT is detected, the plants must then be able to transmit the information to their leaves or shoots, much in the way hormones are transferred throughout the human body.

Then, more receptors are needed in the shoots or leaves to make them change colour.

Using a weed called an arabidopsis, the University of Alberta team has solved part of the equation.

"We have had the arabidopsis roots change colour . . . but we have not had the shoots change colour," Deyholos said.

I am just amazed. God could have made it so that the original idea was lost, that no money could be spent on this, that... oh the list just goes on. But here, in the midst of our sin and rebellion, God still shows his grace to us.

I am just amazed. God is just so cool and caring and.... the list could just go on. I wish these researchers success in their endeavors.

My Heart Weeps

I received an email the other day from a sister-in-Christ. She was heart broken over the problems we are having in our denomination. Seeing issues being forced and blatant sin being allowed in our larger church body WITH NO RESPONSE from the higher ups. She is thinking it is time for her to leave the denomination. To worship in her church, but just not have her membership there anymore.

Will this make a difference? Probably not, except in a couple of years with assessment dollars, but that won't really affect anything I think. And it would leave her without recourse in action. How do you fight for something if you are not part of it?

I struggle, I won't deny that. Being married to a pastor brings my attention to the struggles of the larger denomination. And it's scary. It is.

Our denomination NEEDS to turn from the path it is on. It needs to be shaken up, sifted, put through the mill, and whatever else is necessary to get rid of the chaft and the weeds. Will it be easy or nice or pleasant or ??? NOT! It will be nasty and hard.

But how does one do this?

As I said to my sister-in-Christ... what does a LAY person do?

Who does the lay person talk with, communicate with, pressure, pray for????
Do they pressure their pastor?
Do they pressure their local consistory?
Do they write letters to the synod or the classis or the classis executive or the head offices?

Just who do they complain to and say..hey... this is wrong... it is unscriptural, these folks NEED to be disciplined and

I think that's one of the biggest problems for lay people like me, we have no idea who to contact.

For me personally, I have a problem with thinking my consistory needs to handle it. I can talk to my pastor (he's my hubby after all), and his response is... we have to let church polity do it's thing. and our polity is flawed, and it all takes a lot of time. QUITE frankly, when I see the pain that all this "time-taking" causes...I don't want to be patient. (yeah I know..that's the woman in me) :)

Right now one of the biggest questions facing our denomination is ... How do we hold the standard of God's word?

Our denomination is in "communion" with a variety of other denominations. They are 'evangelical' in nature if not always in practice.

Not all, but some of these churches have significant issues... the UCC allows universalism, the PCUSA has allowed an atheist to join, the CRC has similiar struggles with openly homosexual members, and so forth.

We should not be in communion with them, and yet...we are.

But then I look at my own denomination...and if I were those denominations...I wouldn't want to part of us either! Seriously.

When I look at these denominations... I just wonder that God shakes his head at us in pain at our willfulness. Should we withdraw from communion with all different denominations until our own house is in order? Sometimes I think that is what we need to do. We can't say... we won't be with you because of thus and such error in you, but stay in communion with another denomination...because they all have these things that are grievous to God.

I really wonder if cleaning house is what we really need to do OR if we should say...God...help us start a new house? But then I think...we need to clean this house. It is a good house even though right now it is very drafty and cold and the rafters are starting to cave in a bit, but things need to be really changed and cleaned up and made afresh. The good needs to be shored up and the bad...tossed.

It would look better from the world's view...as in we are not "once again" starting a new brand of church. Which the world just finds really confusing. :)

But will that happen? I honestly have no clue. AND I seriously think that those who truly want to (to clean this house) have no idea where to start either... God would have to do the guiding. People would be fired, Synods and Classes disciplined, many would flee, and the fight would be nasty. People are so afraid of that. My heart aches just thinking of the nastiness (pain, sorrow, arguments, yelling, tears, and more so) that would occur.

It's a hard thing and I don't know where it will start...but it should.

I will have to do some more thinking on what I can do. I will need to pray fervently and consistently. I will need to know my scripture so I can say... hey..that's not okay, God's word says this. And I can support my hubbie as he takes on some of these battles that I don't even always see. That's what I will do.

I am Not a Heretic

You scored as Chalcedon compliant. You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451. Chalcedon compliant 100% Nestorianism 83% Modalism 33% Monophysitism 33% Monarchianism 25% Socinianism 25% Pelagianism 25% Donatism 17% Gnosticism 17% Apollanarian 8% Adoptionist 0% Arianism 0% Docetism 0% Albigensianism 0% Are you a heretic? created with QuizFarm.com