Happy Father's Day to my Husband!

Happy Father's Day to my husband! You are a pretty lucky man to be the Dad to our four amazing children plus one already up in heaven with the Lord. You have taught them so much throughout the years and we have all been blessed because of you.
Thank-you for the way you provide for the family and for your love for each one. God bless you!

Phillipians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Dad in Heaven.......

Sunday June 17th is Father's Day. I wonder if they celebrate Father's Day up in heaven? If you have been following my blog you will know that my Dad is in heaven as I have written a couple of posts about him. But on Father's Day, even though he is in heaven,  I like to remember him since hey - he gave me life plus he also  had a very positive influence in my life. Since he has been gone, there have been times when I have wished he were here so that he could give me advice or that he could see the accomplishments of our children. He did dearly love his grandchildren. In those times when I have felt I needed my Dad, God has reminded me that He is here and that He wants to be my Daddy and fill every void that is there due to my Dad not being here any more. I praise and thank God that He is my Daddy. He is my Heavenly Father.  2 Corinthians 6:18 says:

 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty

This is a picture of my Dad.

I found the lyrics to a song my Dad really liked. It was sung by Jim Reeves and written by Kathryn Twitty.

Daddy my Daddy Teach me how to Pray

One night a sleepy little boy knelt beside my bed
He smiled and looked into my eyes and this is what he said
Daddy, my daddy, you've taught me lots today
So daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.

You brought me home a brand new kite showed me how to fly
And there ain't no wonder kid who's dad can knock a ball so high
I'd like to thank God for you, but I don't know what to say
So daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.

I'd had to turn and leave his room, he began to cry
I didn't want my boy to know but so did I
His best pal forsaken him but what was there to say
For daddy, yes daddy, had forgotten how to pray.

(Daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.)...

Together...till death do us part!

Ephesians 2:20-21 ......Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord

Today is the day we began our journey together some twenty one years ago. 

Happy Anniversary to my dear husband!

The Wedding Vows

I, ____, take you_____, to be my lawful wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish and to be faith to you alone till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance.

_______I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending love for you.

Gender Selective Abortions......

Genesis 4:9-11
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
¹⁰ And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
¹¹ And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;


This morning I was listening to the radio as I usually do as part of my morning routine. The discussion involved gender selective abortions. I was utterly disgusted to learn that this practice is going on within Manitoba's health care system. The question they were asking is whether gender selective abortions is founded in a  prejudice against a particular gender whether female or male. It's horrific to imagine that a couple would go for an ultrasound for the purpose of identifying whether their baby is boy or girl, then choose to have it aborted if it is not what they wanted. Seriously, we are not shopping for clothing or a car here, we are talking about a human life created by God Himself. We are talking about a human being's life, a life that is equally as precious as the lives of the  parents who are making these horrible decisions.  I think it is time that people realize there is a God up in Heaven and that each of us will give an account to Him for the things we have done on this earth in our lifetimes.  Abortion is the killing of a child and therefore it is murder and that is how God sees it. As the opening verses that I posted - the blood of the murdered victims cries out to God.

Romans 14:11-12
¹¹ For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
 ¹² So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God

  The discussion on the radio went on to the abortion of most babies with down syndrome. Parents are encourage by their doctors to have an ultrasound to check the health of the baby. If down syndrome is detected, then abortion is recommended. This also is a horrific tragedy. God creates each human life with loving care and there is no doctor or health practioner that has the authority to recommend killing innocent children.  How can we as a nation survive if we mess with the authority of God like this? God sees and knows what is going on and such as this grieves His heart. God is God and we as people are not God, neither in a position to pretend that we are.

Psalm 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

I remember when my baby was born with down syndrome. You can read about this in the archives section of this blog. Our baby was born in the local hospital here but was rushed to Winnipeg by ambulance when it was determined that she was seriously ill. So I spent sometime in the hospital in Winnipeg as well. I remember one particular doctor in Winnipeg speaking to me about my daughter's condition and the way he spoke puzzled me. He kept implying that we would be giving her up to adoption. There was no way that I was going to give her up for adoption. So I had to tell him very plainly "We are keeping her". That changed the conversation. I could not imagine a doctor suggesting to me that I should give up my child. There had never been a question in our minds whether we would keep her.  My husband and I knew that God had planned this special baby for us, that he wanted us to love her and raise her and that really she is God's little girl. She is a gift to us for this short time on earth.

Jesus loves all children and we can plainly see that in the following verses:

Luke 18: 15-17
¹⁵ And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
¹⁶ But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
¹⁷ Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter there

So if anyone out there is considering having abortion - Please please do not give your child to be put to death.
Not for gender selection nor for a birth or growth abnormality. It is just not right to abort the baby. God will give you the strength to care for every one of the children that he gives to you - only trust Him to do so!

A Beautiful Song - The River

In our home during my years growing up, our family had an old pump organ. One of my sisters was very gifted on the organ. As a child, I wished that I could play like she did and I would often stand by the organ and watch her play. I watched her fingers move across the keys and slowly with time I began to memorize the movements of her hands and I tried to play as she did.  She tried to teach me and I was able to learn to read some of the right hand notes while the left hand notes remained more of a struggle for me.  As I continued to try to learn, I was able to learn to play many hymns from our old hymn books, reading some notes and playing some by "ear". One of my favorite songs to play was Shall we Gather at the River. It is a song written by Robert Lowry in 1864. Robert Lowry was  a baptist pastor. Now as I have matured more in my faith and my longing for heaven is ever increasing, I realize even more that I love this song.
So with that, I would like to pick up a few highlights and thoughts from the song.

Revelation 22:1,3 - And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb... ³ And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Shall We Gather at the River   
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever                     
Flowing by the throne of God

As Christians, we look forward to the day that we will be with the Lord in heaven - no more sorrow, tears or pain.  We will worship Almightly God at His throne in His presence. We will be walking where the angels have walked for so long a time before us.

Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Together with the saints of the Bible days, the saints who have lived in the past, those living now and those still to come - together we will gather by the river that flows by the throne of God.

On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will talk and worship ever,
All the happy golden day.

Isn't that a blessed thought to think that we will talk and worship all the happy golden days! To be with Jesus forever- Oh what an exciting blessed thought!!

Refrain

Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown.

We lay down our burdens at the Cross and Jesus bears our burdens, our sins. Jesus shed his blood on the cross for us and by his grace we are saved. Through Jesus death on the cross we receive the righteousness of Christ. We are robed in His righteousness and we will worship Him. The crown belongs to King Jesus!

Refrain

Soon we'll reach the silver river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.

Years go by so quickly and it certainly won't be long till we reach that beautiful shore. Like one of my favorite preachers, James MacDonald, often says - it will seem only like ten minutes till we all get over there. Time is very short. Peace and lasting joy will be ours eternally.

Sunday Sermon Review June 10,2012 Supporting Bible Camp!

June 10, 2012 - Today was supposed to be the church picnic with the worship service and activities scheduled for the park. But due to rain and wet weather, the worship service was held in the church building. The topic was " Why Bible Camp" since today was fundraising day to support people from the church who decide to spend time working at camp during the summer. So the sermon was somewhat similiar actually to last Sunday's sermon. You will notice the similarities quite easily. Next Sunday the topic will be "money" so that should be an interesting lesson.

Sunday Sermon Review June 10, 2012 - "Why Bible Camp"
The preacher was the lead Pastor of our church.
A portion of Psalm 19 was read by the worship leader focusing on few verses especially verse 14: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.  The entire chapter is posted at the end of this post.

The Pastor began by asking three questions - 1) "Why bother to support Bible camps?" 2) "Why not tell young people to go get a real job?" and 3) "Why would anyone want to give up the comforts of home, work that pays much more, time to spend with friends- why give all that up for camp where there are ticks, lice, mosquitoes, spending most of your time outside in the heat?"

Then he gave a four point answer to his questions:
1) Because at camp, you are outside in creation. It is a unique experience to worship God outside in creation since the beauty of creation draws a person into connection with God. He mentioned the beauty of a fragile flower, a thunderstorm, a sunrise or a sunset and how such causes us to  be in awe of God and sense the mystery of God. Being out in God's creation raises questions such as - how can a hummingbird hover as it does, or why is the sky blue or how big is outer space??
Psalm 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
So Bible Camp allows people to experience God in creation.

2) Bible Camp allows kids to step outside of the daily routine of life.
Camp allows a person to be more open to God's presence. It creates an opportunity to learn to rely and depend on God.  In the routine of life we sometimes feel as though we are coasting through life and we end up not relying on God to meet our needs. Bible Camp  allows a person to be stretched and it becomes necessary to to trust and rely on God.  He then went on to quote C S Lewis but unfortunately I didn't grasp that enough to write much about the story of Aslan.  God becomes bigger as we grow in Him. God is greater and bigger than we know.
The Pastor also mentioned that some kids come from horriffic home situations and being at camp gives them a break from being stuck in that environment.

3) Those who work at Bible Camp also expereince God's blessing and grow in their own spiritual life. So why not encourage young people to rather get a "real job" that will easier pay for their university and college fees? Camp is education - a different kind of education. It provides opportunity to develop leadership skills, dealing with crisis situations ( when the camp children become ill or scared etc ). Working at Bible Camp provides opportunity to develop interpersonal relationship skills and at the same time learn to do jobs that are not glamourous such as cleaning bathrooms and cleaning up other messes.

4) We support Camp because we believe it makes a difference in a child's life. Spending a week with these young adults who have a passion for God infects kids in postive ways. It can shift the direction of a child's entire life into a more positive direction.

The Pastor closed by saying - We are disciples of Jesus and we can extend God's kingdom through our support of Bible Camps.


A note from me :
As author of this blog I would highly recommend sending your children to a credible Bible Camp. We sent our kids to camp when they were younger and they were very blessed by it. One of our sons has been working at Bible Camp for the last several years and he has a great passion to see children come to know Christ. Here is a link to a credible Bible camp . http://www.pembinavalleybiblecamp.com/

Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
² Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
³ There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
⁴ Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
⁵ Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
⁶ His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
⁸ The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
¹¹ Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
¹² Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
¹³ Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

My Vegetable Garden - Sowing and Reaping

I enjoy having a garden and seeing it grow. This picture here is of my vegetable garden. Among other things I planted potatoes, tomatoes, peas, beans, corn and onions. My garden doesn't look quite as good as I had hoped since we got frost here about two weeks ago and it damaged a lot of the plants. Then last Sunday we got a big rain mixed with hail so the garden is now regrowing from both the frost and the hail. I am hoping to get a better picture of my garden in a couple of weeks or a month when the plants have had time to mature. The Bible says our lives are somewhat like a garden and that we will reap what we sow.

 Galatians 6: 7-10 says :
⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
⁸ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
⁹ And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
¹⁰ As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

If I make the comparison to my garden, I can expect that in the later part of summer I will be able to pick peas from the peas plants, beans from the beans plants, and tomatoes will grow on the tomato plants. I do not expect to harvest any beets or zucchini since I have not planted that kind of seed in my garden.
If we sow good seed in our lives, that is we walk in the Spirit, we fill our minds with Scripture, truth, pure and lovely things, we will reap, the fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5: 22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

On the other hand if we fill our minds with evil and with things of the world, that is we live in the flesh and fill up on the sinful desires of the flesh, we will reap pain and misery like it says in Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption

Galatians 5: 19-21  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,  fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 The works of the flesh can respresent weeds, the unsaved person which Jesus says will be reaped at the end of the world.
 Good seed represents the people saved by the blood of Christ, those who will reap life everlasting with God in the heavenly kingdom. ...but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Matthew 13:38-40
³⁸ The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
³⁹ The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
⁴⁰ As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.



I added a picture of my garden today July10, 2012. It has been really dry and hot out here for quite some time now.

The Church and the LGBT Movement....

Luke 18: 7-8  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
⁸ I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Jesus asked the question - When He comes back to earth, will he find faith here? The question I am asking today is similar - Will the church stand up against the culture of today, that is Will the church cave in to the LGBT movement that is sweeping our nations or will the church stand with God's Word the Bible and condemn all such activity? It would appear that this could well be the make or break issue that will show who is on the Lord's side and who is not.  God is not going to allow people ( Christian or not) to mock Him and His revealed will and truth as recorded in the Bible. For the sake of His own Name, He will act.
The Bible says in Galatians 6: 7-8  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
⁸ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

As we study our Bibles we will not find one place where sodomy is approved of in any way. Throughout the Scriptures sexual sin of every sort is strongly condemned and unless repented of will have serious eternal consequences.  Sodomy and the like only brings ruin and destruction on individuals, families, cities and nations who pratice and promote such a lifstyle.

Isaiah 3: 8-10  For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
⁹ The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
¹⁰ Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were burned down to the ground due to the homosexual sin and violence that accompanies it. The Bible says that these stories from history are supposed to teach us to not make the same mistakes. 2 Peter 2:6    and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly

The Bible says that other sin is done outside the body but immorality  ( which also includes homosexuality ) is done within the body. Our bodies belong to the Lord and as such serious effort should be made to keep it clean to the glory of God.  1 Corinthians 6:18 -20  Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Many people today will say that because the Bible teaches that as Christians we are to be people of love, therefore we cannot condemn the homosexual lifestyle of the people around us. While it is most certainly true that we as Christians we are to be the most loving people on the planet, this cannot mean that we take the side of sin and oppose God and His word. It is not love to justify something that God condemns, something  that is an abomination to Him and for which He will surely bring suffering  and judgement for. The loving thing to do is to sound the warning bells and urge people everywhere to repent and escape the wrath of God.

1 Corinthians 6: 9-11  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

We have already seen the LGBT movement enter into the churches of Canda and the United States. There are churches where the pastors and other church leaders are gay. It seems more and more churches are failing to stand for the truth of God's Word.  The Bible teaches that in the Last Days many will be led astray and fall away from the truth and sad to say it appears that this has already begun. It is time that we who are Christians take a strong stand for truth and righteousness. Stand with God. Stand with the Bible!

When Jesus returns - Will He really find faith on the earth?

Grandpa Peter and Grandma G...Opposites Attract!!

Today I would like to tell you about my Grandparents that is my Mom's parents. I have hesitated to write about them but here is some of what I know. They were my favorite Grandparents even though they did not ever make an effort to know me by name.  They only referred to me as 'that girl there'. I believe they knew the names of a couple of my sisters though. Grandpa Peter was born in 1904 and passed away in 1985 at the age of 81 years. Grandma G was a bit older than Grandpa. She was born in 1901 and passed away in 1998 at the age of 96 years. They were married in June of 1923.  Life was a little rocky for them in their early years of marriage with Grandpa even moving back  home to live with his family for a bit but with the help of Grandma's great patience he returned to her and they were married for about 62 years. I believe Grandpa's love for Grandma was strong and enduring right up to the very end. It seemed like a sort of jealous but sweet love in that he was proud that she belonged with him.
Grandpa Peter made a living by farming though I only ever knew them as a retired couple. They lived in a small  old two story country house with a few large trees on the property. There was an old barn on the yard as well as an old shed and an outhouse.
Grandpa Peter had a mind of his own and was not easily persuaded. He did not like plants and flowers and therefore did not allow Grandma to have any in the house, nor did she have a garden. He loved the outdoors and preferred to sit outside under the shade trees rather than spending time in the house. He didn't much like green vegetables like lettuce but with a twinkle in his eye,he referred to it as "rabbit food". He insisted that he could not use a regular size tablespoon to eat soup, so in order to please him, we always set a serving spoon by his plate for dinner. Grandpa enjoyed telling a good joke and get everyone laughing.
Grandpa Peter and Grandma G often came to visit our home. Every time they came they would bring a treat for my sisters and I. Often it would be a pan of cinnamon buns that Grandpa had purchased at a store on the drive over. Grandpa would often be driving a different car than the time before. It seemed he liked to trade in his car for another used one just to try something else.  Grandpa and Grandma would make frequent trips to Alberta to visit their children there. Grandma would bake waffles and pack them up to take along as meals for the trip. They were quite adventureous in their old age really and made the trip from Manitoba to Alberta many times.
Grandpa and Grandma never had a telephone but they would come to our place to phone to Alberta to visit with their family there. They would both take a turn talking so phoning to each of the three families out in Alberta usually took the better part of an evening.
Grandma G was sort of a quiet and patient person. You could always tell when she was about to say something - you could see it in her face but she would wait till there was a longer silent space in the conversation, she would take a deeper breath, then if still no one was talking, she would add her thoughts to the conversation. She was always very generous in her compliments when my Mom would have my sisters and I  show off our new dresses to her. She spoke German as she would say -"Oh my, that is beautiful, now the boys will notice you". 
Grandpa and Grandma really enjoyed my Mom's fried fish. There was only one problem. The fish were not filleted so all the small bones had to be picked out as you ate. But Grandpa Peter didn't care and never took any of the little bones out. He would just eat it as if there were no bones at all. This made my Mom a bit scared and she would say " Papa, Papa, the fish have bones!!" but he would pay no attention. Then Grandma would say to my Mom - "Just leave him alone, he is a grown man, that is his problem". She just was so unbelieveably calm.
Grandma G could make the best Jam cookies ever. We would try to make her recipe but the cookies we made didn't taste nearly as delicious as Grandma's. She also made the best Plumi Moos ( a sweet fruit soup) and homemade buns for family gatherings. Her specialty for family gatherings was her cake though. She would make many many cakes and top them with bananas and whipped cream. She made sure there was extra food left over of everything she made so that every family could take home a whole cake, a half gallon jar of Plumi Moos as well as some cookies. She was so very generous.

                        This is a picture of Grandpa and Grandma on their wedding anniversary!                        

Grandma G wanted things to be just and fair and when it wasn't she was prepared to make things right. One time when they came to visit, Grandma brought $300 for my Mom. Apparently she knew that my Mom's brother owed my Mom that amount of money from many years earlier. Grandma figured that my Mom's brother would never pay the debt he owed, so Grandma took it upon herself to pay her son's debt. Over time she had secretly saved up the $300, always taking a small amount out of her pension check every month. She kept it a secret from Grandpa in case he wouldn't approve of her idea.  My Mom was very surprised that her Mom did that and it certainly was not something anyone would have expected of her or wanted Grandma to do. Grandma G insisted that my Mom take the cash.
Grandpa and Grandma were people of faith. They fully supported my Dad in his calling to be a preacher of the gospel. Regularly Grandpa and Grandma would drive to extra distance required in order to hear my Dad preach in the church. I remember they came to my baptism and I was glad to have them come. I know God works in all of our lives in various ways and He is not limited in His ways to encourage, lead and teach us. Grandma believed that God had prepared her for the stillborn birth/death of one of her babies through the song of the mourning dove. The mourning dove has a very distinct and sorrowful sounding song.
As the years went on Grandpa Peter's health started to fail.  He had troubles with diabetes and then a stroke that took away his ability to speak. It was very sad. He could not accept the failing condition of his health and did not cope with his struggles very well.  He passed away early one snowy December morning and since they did not have a telephone, Grandma G had to walk through  the snow to get help. But God was faithful to Grandma G and slowly with time she gained strength to move on with her life. She was 84 years old when Grandpa passed away and she lived to be 96 years old. She wasn't really sick when God called her home, she just passed on in a calm and peaceful way, very similar to the way she had lived her life.

Jesus to the Rescue!!

What would you do if...You were out on the lake fishing enjoying the afternoon, when suddenly you notice a short distance away from you, a young man in the water, no lifejacket and he is fighting to stay afloat. Without help, he will most certainly drown. You have taken a lifesaving course at an earlier time in your life so you know what to do. You have an extra life jacket with you in the boat. What do you do?  There is no doubt that each of us would do whatever we could to get that young man safely to shore and get him the medical help needed.
Or..  if  the weather channel was forcasting  a bad weather event such as maybe a tornado or hurricane, would we not do what we could to help people around us prepare and help get them to a safe shelter before the storm hit?
So also it only is common sense that as  Christians, we would want to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ with people before it is too late. We want to reach the drowning man and get him to Jesus before it is too late. We want to reach the people facing the storms of life with the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ before it is too late. It is a matter of life and death! An urgent matter of soul salvation.
 We know that the decision for Christ must be made here in this life on earth. Once a person passes through death and into eternity, there is no longer any chance to repent of sin and be saved. If we have turned from our sin and accepted Christ Jesus as our Savior here in this life, then we will be eternally saved. But if a person rejects Christ and his offer of forgiveness here on earth, there will be no opportunity to do so after a person has passed through the door of death.
Perhaps some one reading this may be thinking - 'I am that person caught in the water or in the storm of life and unsure of my eternal destination'. - You may be unsure where you would be right now if you had died today.  Then I would like to encourage you to take the time now to reach out to Jesus as He is reaching out to you right now. Get to safety in Jesus before it is forever too late.

God loves you and sent His Son Jesus to die in your place to free you from the penalty of sin.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Sin separates you from God.  We have all sinned, We have all chosen to sin and  need to be saved through Jesus.
Romans 3:23 -For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We cannot get to God on our own - by doing good works or by trying to be good people. God has provided the only way and that is through faith in Jesus finished work on the cross.
John 14:6 -Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Confess all known sin to God, turn from it and ask Jesus to come into your heart and life to be your personal Savior and Lord.
Romans 10:9 -That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
1 John 1:9 -If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

There is no other way to be saved, to have assurance of eternal life with God in Heaven. Jesus is the only way!
Acts 4:12 -Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

1 Corinthians 15: 3-4 -For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

I urge you to pray and receive Christ today!

Heavenly Father, save those who are seeking You. Save them Father before it is too late. In Jesus Name, I ask, Amen

Sunday Sermon June 3, 2012 "Don't Waste Your Kids"

June 3, 2012 - Sermon Review - "Don't Waste Your Kids"

This is a sermon review from the message today in my home church. God Bless you.
Psalm 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Today we had a speaker in from one of the local Bible Camps.  He is the Director of the Bible camp and has worked there for the last ten years working to share the good news of Jesus Christ with children.

Here is some of what he said.

God's Word is always true, always has been true and will remain true till Jesus comes again.
Our goal is not to just raise our children but to raise Godly children! As Director of the camp, he said he has seen thousands of children come through the camp and through that he has observed both the fruit of good godly parenting and the weeds of ungodly parenting.
The text was Psalm 127 ( printed below in full). The speaker went through Psalm 127 and picked up some good points from the passage.

Raising Godly Children:
Unless the Lord builds the house, it is useless...
Parents influence and give direction to their children. He encouraged young people ( the teenage group) to consider working at camp for the summer. He said he hears parents  say - "While I believe it is great for young people to work at camp, my kid needs to get a "real job" and earn some money." He warned us to be careful of our motives about this. Young people learn many valuable life lessons by working at camp though they are not earning very much money there. So he said - check your motives. Is it our insatiable desire for "stuff" (getting  the latest i-gadget)  that we will put our desire for stuff above what really matters in life and above teaching our kids the valuble life lessons.

Responsibility:
It is the parents responsibility to teach our children to know the Lord. The church , weekly programs at church, and camps are only there to support what parents are already trying to teach the children at home.

It is Costly to Raise Children:
The speaker highly recommended the "stay at home mom". He suggested that when a couple chooses to have mom stay home to be there for the kids and she does not go out and get a job, they are giving up approximately $1/2 million ( considering the 20 + years it takes to raise a family).  He said he and his wife had made the decision and commitment to have her stay at home to raise the kids, and not work outside the home. But he also  did recommended volunteer work in the school and community to be involved in your child's life. He recommended a Mom  to be there when the child leaves for school and be there for your child when he/she gets home from school.  He again pointed to motives. If a family feels  both parents need to work, then ask  why? Is is to pay for a bigger home than you need, or for stuff that you could do without. Count the cost. Stuff does not make anyone happy.

Children are an Asset not a Liability:
God will hold us accountable as to how we have done with our children. The speaker said he has seen many parents who treat their children as a burden or a curse.  He also mentioned the pain and heartbreak of neglected and abused children.

Teach Your Children to Fight for what is Biblically right. We are all  in a spiritual war and we must all be prepared for the fight . Satan is out to destroy each of us.

He said,
Parents you are 100% responsible to teach your children that they are 100% responsible for their actions!
Don't raise spiritual weaklings. Teach your children to be strong in the Lord.
The speaker referred to his own Dad who had always said  " It's the principle of a thing that matters".
Dad and Mom need to live it - live what you believe. You cannot argue with what is lived out.

Psalm 127: the text
 1 -Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
² It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

³ Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

⁴ As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

⁵ Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

I thought the sermon was presented very well with many good points.

Milk Allergy / Milk and Lactose Intolerance

3 John 3: 2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The reason I am writing this post about milk allergy is that it is my hope that my struggles with this problem will help someone out there who is suffering to get to a healthier place in their life also.  I do not have any medical qualifications at all, I can only speak from my own experiences. I believe that God is seriously interested in helping us in all areas of our lives and that includes our health. I have come to understand that lactose intolerance is not the same as a milk allergy. So here is my story.
I had known for about 7 years that I was intolerant to milk. As is the case of most people I know that are milk intolerant, consumming milk or milk products will then cause stomach ache, bloating and diarrhea, so it was for years for me also. I could have ice-cream, pudding, pizza or whatever knowing that I would pay for it later in the ways listed previously. But I accepted that. Slowly the symptoms got worse and I cut down on my milk intake but I would still consume some. One of my friends who also is milk intolerant said she could have milk without it bothering if she took 2 week breaks from milk consumption in between. It helped her to be more able to tolerate it again. So I did that also and it seemed true and I continued to consume milk, after all milk is  supposedly  nature's most perfect food. Then last fall I began to feel generally sick constantly, nauseous, hot, almost feverish as if my body were fighting itself, and frequent anxiety spells. It didn't occur to me really that it was related to me consuming milk. Then it turned to stomach attacks where about a half hour after a meal where I had conummed a milk product, I would experience serious stomach pain, nearly passing out and felt very sick. I would be sick in bed for a few hours after the attack. The pain in my stomach would slowly disappear in three days time. This attack happened to me three times  and I knew I needed to get to a doctor. Just as I was preparing myself emotionally for visiting my doctor, thinking that I must have developed some very serious disease, I felt the LORD whisper in my ear - "you know you are intolerant to milk, Stop having milk!"  I knew right there that before I would go to the doctor I had to do this. God had instructed me to go off milk entirely. So I did. Since then I have not had any more attacks and I feel so much better over all. I would not say that I am super healthy or that I won't be sick anymore or anything close to  that but I have learned that God is interested in my health! and I find that very exciting indeed. I pray to Him for my health.
I learned that there is a difference between being allergic to milk and being lactose intolerant. With an allergy you will experience a serious reaction, mine occured about a half hour after the meal, while with intolerance it will produce unwanted ill feeling effects but it is not as life threatening at that point.
I know now that I must not consume any milk, not even trace amounts. The difficult part is of course to know what food products contain milk and which ones do not. For example, my daughter loves microwave popcorn. So one day  her and I decided to make some. I was so looking forward to eating some of it and I had read the ingredient list on the bag and I thought it should be fine. So we had our popcorn and soon I began to feel nauseous, and I thought to myself - I feel like I have had milk but I didn't think I had. I reread the ingredient list on the popcorn and one ingredient was butter flavor. I went on the internet to see what butter flavor is made of and sure enough it was made from milk. So as you can see, I am still making mistakes as I learn to this new way of eating. I have found ways to cook without milk now using milk free margarine ( Fleishmans, or Becel vegan). The hardest part is learning which words on an ingredient list all are forms of milk There is milk is many many food products that you would not expect it to be in. An example being chocolate. A woman like me likes her chocolate but it's not easy to find milk free chocolate just any place. I don't mind drinking an occasional glass of soy milk but I can't quite accept that on breakfast cereal yet. I enjoy orange juice that is fortified with calcium and Vitamin D. All I can say is that it is an ongoing learning process for me and that I know the LORD is with me in my journey. May God bless and have mercy on all who are suffering with health issues of any sort.
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Our Family Traditions....

Phillipians 2:1-2 says If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

As I thought about our family traditions, I realized how traditions are so often connected with holidays, special occasions and food. I also realized that in the now almost 21 years of marriage to my husband that we have not developed nearly as many of our own family traditions as I would have liked. Though it may not be much, I still feel it is important to acknowledge the traditions we have for what they are.
One tradition we have developed in our family here is that we have Mennonite pancakes for lunch every Saturday. Allow me to describe the Mennonite pancake. The batter is made similar to regular breakfast pancakes (flour, salt, eggs, margarine, and milk) but with no baking powder or baking soda and more milk is needed to make the batter quite thin. About 1/2 cup of batter is poured in a large hot greasy frying pan, making the pancake as large as the bottom of the frying pan. Flip the pancake to fry so it is fried on both sides. Serve. Sprinkle with white sugar, roll up the pancake and enjoy. Most people can only eat about two of these pancakes at a mealtime since they are so large. Most of our family really really enjoys this so that is why we made it a regular every Saturday lunch treat.

Some other family traditions we have tried to create is to celebrate the short life of our baby Darcy on the day of the birth by eating an ice-cream treat called revels. It is vanilla ice-cream covered in a chocolate coating. The revel seemed to make sense to use as a remembrance because what child does not like to eat ice-cream on their birthday? Also the white ice-cream part represents life while the dark chocolate represents the sorrow of having to lose baby Darcy to death. We did celebrate that way for many years but as the years have gone by it is something we have not been able to keep up.

We also started a tradition to celebrate Mother's day with a special more expensive type of ice-cream for breakfast on Mother's day. The kids loved it when they were younger to have ice cream for breakfast. Recently I was reading in my kid's early school years journals and it was interesting to read there how important that was to them in those elementary school years to have ice-cream for breakfast on Mother's Day. That too is something we have not kept up though I still always try to do something special for the family for Mother's day because I appreciate the fact that they are my children. So this past Mother's day I purchased a large tin of Tim Hortons coffee as my part to make Mother's day a little special for us all. We go through a lot of coffee in our house now since the boys are all mostly grown up so that worked out well.

When the kids were younger we also tried to make a tradition of celebrating Canada Day on July 1 every year by going to see the fireworks display in one of our local communities. It was nice to do that but the mosquitoes are so bad at night most years. It doesn't get dark enough here for fireworks till at least 10:30 pm or later so it was always a really long wait for our young children back then.

For birthdays I usually make a special supper and a cake for the person whose birthday it is. We put candles on the cake and sing Happy Birthday. When our kids were younger the local Coop Food store and also the IGA store had what they refered to as kid's club. So then for birthdays, the store would give each child a decorated birthday cake and often a small toy. That was quite special for them to get that every year while they were young.  We always ended up having a lot of cake around on our twins birthday - two boys and two cakes!!

One other tradition I will mention is Christmas. Perhaps when it gets close to Christmas I will post more about Christmases past. In our family we have carried on the tradition that I grew up with in my family which was to not have a Christmas tree at Christmas. My parents taught me and my sisters that the tree does not make it Christmas.  It is actually kind of fun when people find out that we do not have a tree because the usual question that follows is - Do you not celebrate Christmas?  and it is nice to be able to say -Yes we do celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus but we do not need to have a tree for that. Then they will ask if we share gifts which we definitely do. We usually put up a few Christmas lights on the outside of the house and I put up a few in the house as well.

In hindsight, I wish I would have been more diligent with creating traditions. I wish I could have passed on the German language to my children but that was not meant to be.  Traditions  help to create memories that no one can take from you - memories are  treasures you can take with you wherever life takes you.

Psalm 90: 1-2 says  Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

I like the words on a poster at our kids school. It says:
START NOW
STAY FOCUSED
FINISH STRONG

If the Stones could speak...

There are many important Bible stories and passages where a stone or stones are a  part of the story. Wouldn't it be interesting if stones could speak and share what they saw? The good news is we don't really need the stones to share with us what happened since it is all recorded for us in our Bibles. We can  think of various examples like the story where Moses was instructed by God to cut out two stone tablets and bring them up the to Mount Sinai and there God Himself wrote out the ten commandments on those stone tablets. It says they were written with the finger of God.  We can also read where God required  the death penalty for people found guilty of certain deliberate sins such as blasphemy, a wizard, some sexual sins etc. But also, just as today, stones were also used as a memorial  as in the book of Joshua where each of the twelve tribes of Israel were instructed to pick up one stone from the river Jordan, pile them in a heap on the land as a lasting remembrance that  they crossed through the Jordan on dry land.  Joshua 4: 7 That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
 Today also we use stones to mark a memorial or we place a huge stone as a reminder of a new covenant after a break and then restoration of a relationship.

But what I wanted to draw attention to is to look at the story of the stone used at the tomb of our Lord Jesus. We have all heard the question asked - Can God make a stone so big that He cannot move it?  I believe nothing is too hard for the LORD so that question is really irrelevant.
We read in the gospels how Jesus had been wrongly accused, and had been crucified. After Jesus died, his friend Joseph of Arimathaea took the body of Jesus down from the cross, wrapped the  body in linen cloths and laid Him in the sepulchre and rolled a huge stone in place. Mark 15:46  And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. - It would seem at this point that Satan would have thought he had won. Satan's plan all along was to spoil the plan of God and prevent salvation for us to be possible, and so with Jesus being now dead and safely in the tomb, a huge stone rolled in place, Satan will have felt pretty confident at this point that he had won and  there would be no way Jesus could get up and out of there. I am thinking that Satan would have been having a party with his demon friends at this point. BUT that is not the end of the story. If the stone could tell us what happened next, it could testify that an angel came and rolled that stone away. Death could not keep Jesus, neither could a huge stone.  Jesus did not need the stone to be rolled away for Him to be able to get out but we needed it rolled away so that the women could go in there and testify to Jesus resurrection. We can see that the women who were coming to anoint the body of Jesus were worried and wondering who could  move the stone for them. Mark 16: 1-4 says:
 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
² And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
³ And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
⁴ And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
The women enter the sepulchre and to their surprise an angel  is in there and tells them that Jesus is risen and is alive. Verse 6 - And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him
I have often thought as I've read this about the parallel of the huge stone to worry or fear in our lives about the future. Just  as this huge stone was an obstacle for the women so my worries or fear is an obstacle to true faith -faith that trusts God for a good outcome even though present circumstances appear otherwise. I think of  verse 4 again where it says  when they looked, the stone had already been rolled away. So I also choose to trust that as I look to my Saviour and put my trust in Him, He will supply every need and work things out to the glory of His Name.
Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Sermon Review - "How Great is our Good Shepherd" ( Updated )

Sermon Review - "How Great is our Good Shepherd"   May 27, 2012   ( Updated  with lyrics from a song by "Sanctus Real" )

Preview - Have you ever felt alone and abondoned in your troubles and it seems as if God is not taking care of your situation? You ask - If He is the Good Shepherd, why does He seem distant from me in my struggles. The preacher went on to discuss his own experience of a concussion due to a mountain biking accident and the struggle to recover and feeling some abandonment from the Lord during this time. He reminded us that Jesus went through  more abandonment -(betrayal and loss of loved ones, suffering on the cross) than any of us will ever experience. The Lord cares for us. Matthew 6:26 -Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
The preacher proceeded to read the text from John 10 : 1-21 ( posted at the bottom) .
He discussed  the job of shepherding and what it involved. It is a 24/7 job, not glamorous, sheep are defenseless and unintelligent and need a constant protector. A shepherd must have a genuine love for the sheep, protecting them from danger with his own life at stake. At night a shepherd would bring the sheep into an enclosed area. The shepherd would physically lie down in the doorway and guard the door and the sheep with his own life. verse 7 - Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep

Three Reasons Jesus is that Shepherd:
1) He Cares and Knows us intimately - knows everything about us, knows us better than we know ourselves, loves us like His sons, knows us by name. A shepherd knows his sheep by name, not just as a number in a herd, he knows when and where he got each sheep.
2) He Protects the Flock - He guards the lives of the sheep with His own life, will stay and fight for his own sheep while a hired hand would leave the sheep when he fears for his own life. A hired hand would flee in a dangerous situation thinking he could get another job elsewhere. verse 13 -The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
3) He Provides - Jesus gives us what we need. Sheep need water, food and safety. We are needy, and a lost people whom Jesus came to save. Why would we die in sin when we can come to Jesus? Sin separated us from God  but through Christ we can be brought back to God into relationship with Him again. Jesus gave His life for us for that purpose.
Analogy of the mother Octopus: The mother octopus will find a safe place to lay her eggs. She will not leave the eggs for anything, not for food, not for water, but stays by the eggs the entire time to care for them and protect them from danger.  By the time the day draws near for the eggs to hatch, a mother octopus will be weakened to the point that she dies. She is devoted to those eggs and she gives up her life up for the life of her children. The  first meal the baby octopus will eat is the remains of his mother.  So also Jesus loves, guards and protects us as His children and He gave us His life so that we may have life to the full. verse 11 -  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep
Please take the time to read John 10:1-21, as there we can see "How Great our Good Shepherd" really is

John 10 : 1-21
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
² But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
³ To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
⁶ This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
¹¹ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

¹² But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
¹³ The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
¹⁵ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
¹⁶ And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
¹⁷ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
¹⁸ No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
¹⁹ There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
²⁰ And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
²¹ Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

The sermon ended with the preacher reading the lyrics to a fitting song by "Sanctus Real".  The song lyrics are as follows:

       Everything About You

Be my light in this darkened room
I'm on my face and I'm calling you
I can't fathom all you've done for me
Everytime it finds me on my knees

Like sunlight in the winter cold

Everything about you, it takes my breath
Away...Hallelujah
I tried this once without you and it was my
Great mistake...Hallelujah

Questions fade when you invade
You chase all my fears away
With your love in my atmosphere
All confusion disappears

And nothing but your truth remains

Questions fade, you remain
You are color on a page of white, bright
Like eyes beneath black lights
Like a glowing city on the plains, you call
My name

Hallelujah

Sunday Sermons

I have been thinking that I would like to write a weekly blog post regarding the Sunday sermon from the church we attend as a family. I will try to write the post either on a Sunday afternoon or Monday, depending on when time allows me to write.  I would like to weekly post some of the  basic points of the sermon in the church we attend. Today we were not in our own home church since our son was invited to preach today at one of the churches in our area. We wanted to show our support for him so we attended that service instead of the one in our home church. He preached on Jesus the Good Shepherd. So tomorrow I hope to give some points of the message.

Our God is Greater and Higher than any other!

I don't know if you have ever had the chance to meet someone famous. I have not. The only thing remotely close would be several years ago when Franklin Graham and his team were in Winnipeg for a crusade. We took our family to the crusade two nights to hear Mr Graham  preach. I remember I felt sort of in awe to actually see him in person from a distance. To be in the same building as the famous preacher was kind of an exciting feeling. I felt small and insignificant. But Franklin Graham is human, just as I am and really God's love is the same for the both of us. All of us humans are sinners, and in need of the Saviour Jesus Christ. So when I think of the who really is great - it is only God alone who deserves our worship.  Psalm 99:5 says Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy. We are able to understand  the point that we should worship God, after all He is God .....but then to think that He actually also wants to be in relationship with us. That is simply amazing!! To think that God Almighty, the I AM God, God from everlasting to everlasting, the God who made the whole world and keeps it in place  welcomes us to come to Him.   We feel like such insignificant human beings and yet He loves us so. God treats us with so much love and grace every day.  He wants us to come boldly to Him in prayer with our burdens and requests and lay our lives down before Him. Hebrews 4:16 ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  We do not need to try to pretend anything before God, we can come just as we are and He is pleased that we have come and He is more than willing to communicate with us, be our best friend and meet all of our longings. Jeremiah 29:13 says  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
He saves all who come to Him in repentance believing in Jesus as the only Saviour. And He is preparing a home for us to live with Him throughout all eternity! It can't get any better than that!! John 14 verses 1-3 talk about the mansion He is preparing for us:

 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

We see that there is no person that can ever compare to God Almightly, the LORD of all!

Isaiah 6 1-8 gives a good description of God on the throne, and how the heavenly beings worship Him. He alone is worthy of our worship!!

6 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

² Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
⁴ And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
⁵ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
⁷ And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
⁸ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

The Beauty of Nature

The beauty of nature constantly reminds me of God. God who created everything in six days and rested on the seventh day. Whether you consider the beauty of the mountains, large oceans, waterfalls, or the stillness of white fluffy clouds floating across the blue sky, it is all breathtaking in beauty. Psalm 19:1 says - The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. I am one that enjoys nature - watching animals, birds, winged creatures, or the flowing of a river.  I find it all quite intriguing. Growing up on my parent's farm I could sit  by the chick incubator for hours and watch the baby chicks wiggle their way out of the eggs. Or to see a baby calf try to stand up on his wobbly legs for the first time. Or to watch kittens fight and play. God has made it all so interesting and it all fits together exactly.
We live out in the country here with our two dogs and a cat. A small river runs by our property and there is bush. My husband has made a trail through the bush so that we can walk or ride through it to see the river and just enjoy the quietness of being in a bush. Together with our dogs, I often go walking on the trail and make my way around through the bush and see the river. It gives me a chance to become quiet and reflective before the Lord and commune with Him with very few distractions.  It's not always equally  easy or peaceful as right now there are some little green worms that have spun a web and they dangle down from the smaller tree branches. I try hard to avoid them.  Sometimes the mosquitoes get bad and there are woodticks as well. One day recently as I was walking and singing praise to the Lord, I noticed how the birds in the trees were also singing their praises to God as well. It almost seemed like we were in a band together praising God. Sometimes there are geese or ducks on the river or flying gracefully overhead above the trees. One day as we were riding the trail together we saw a black bear down by the river bank but thankfully it hasn't been back though it was beautiful to see. 
One thing that I have specifically noticed and delights my heart is the detail of it all. If I pick a wild flower perhaps even from a weed such as a thistle or a pink wild rose flower, God has made even the wild flowers with perfection. Even if no person will ever see it, there it is, every petal formed perfectly. It seems as if God has made it for His own delight. Now compare all that with how He loves and cares for us His children. He has created us each one special in his or her own way, and He has a plan and purpose for each of our lives. Not only that but Jesus died in our place so that we can be saved and someday share in the beauty of Heaven. I often think that if God has placed so much care and detail  and beauty into creating things in this world that will pass away -think of  How Beautiful Heaven must be!

Isaiah 61:¹¹ For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Psalm 146:2 ² While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.I found this Wild Rose so I snapped a picture! So pretty!