Monthly Archives: October 2011

So-o-o Close

Posted on by

Have you ever been just so close to your goal and then missed the mark by this much? And that meant you had to start all over again?

Me too. And this week that was more evident in my life than usual. I fell down an extra long flight of stairs (about 15 actually…and backwards on top of that.)

Foot on the top step, and suddenly on the way down. All the while thinking, “How many more stairs can there possibly be?”

Landed in a kind of sitting up position. People came running to help. Good, right?

Glasses all wonky. Not so good.

No broken bones. Good!

Left side of face rug-burned. Not so good.

And I had to get up and go up those blessed stairs one more time. So I did, because it was the only way out.

Sometimes, that is all there is. The way out is sometimes a path you’ve been on before and we hate it, but there is no other way, except to get up. So I did.

I drove myself home and even stopped to get my glasses straightened. All good.

Four days later? Humungous bruises air themselves on left side of face,  shoulder, ribs, hip. I’ve had to take a few Tylenol but other than that,,, not so bad. It’s been a busy week and I am laying low today to allow a little recovery time……

I am so thanking God that nothing is broken…well….just my heart still…… but the rest of me…recovering…..

P.S. and so is my heart…  Yes it is, ever so slowly…but little by little, and step by step…..as I move closer to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

James 1:4-Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Be an Ant

Posted on by

There is a true tale about a gal who lost her contact lens, prayed and found the lens only because it landed on the back of an astonished ant.

Like that ant, we’ve all been burdened by surprise. We’ve experienced  illness, job-loss, marriage difficulty, financial stress and the loss of a loved one.

What do we do in the midst of these loads?

Some try to go around, others aim to climb over, and a very few will work their way through.

A man was asked, “How are you doing?” He answered, “Oh, I am all right, under the circumstances.”

His friend cried out, “What are you doing under there?”

Like the ant, if only we would look up, we would see Jesus magnified in the midst of our difficulty.

1 Peter 1:6-7– you  greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ (NASB).

Prayer: Father God, help us to magnify you, as we remember that nothing touches us without first passing through your hands. Give us the courage to stop living under the circumstances.
Amen.

P.S. Just reminding myself too!

Peanut Butter Chaos

Posted on by

Has anyone else noticed the new weirdness about Kraft Peanut Butter? I opened the jar only to find that the peanut butter had run right up the sides to the top.

No. My error. The plastic jar is now the exact same colour as the peanut butter.

What??

Think about how this will affect us all!

How will we know where to start to dig in? How many knives will be broken on the plastic edge? Even worse, how will we know that the jar is empty? We might be scrapping for weeks and coming up dry but refusing to give up because it still looks like there is peanut butter down there.

What a revolting mess.

The Aloneness of Alone

Posted on by

Today I am speaking in Toronto, tomorrow in Ajax. I’ve been on the speaking circuit for Stonecroft (Christian Women’s Club) for nearly 20 years but things are a little different today.

Because Ron isn’t here to map out my driving trail, Google mapping and I are now best friends. Because he isn’t here to listen to my speech, I’ve talked it into an empty room.

Two writing awards came in the mail yesterday and I had no one to share them with.

Our mail file at church is now marked RBrenda Wood. The new slip of paper doesn’t quite cover his name. It is a silent reminder that Ron used to be there but is no longer. No one would notice but me.

Grocery shopping is so painful. I didn’t realize how much time I spent looking for diabetic food or treats to encourage Ron’s appetite. The sudden appearance of a sugar-free bar of chocolate brings pangs of grief.

P.S. You know your world is too silent when you can hear yourself licking a DQ ice cream cone.

Please pray for me today and tomorow; that I will give strong testimony and that my emotions will behave themselves,  and stay under the rule of the Holy Spirit.

I am standing on these verses today.

2 Corinthians 1:3a-Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:4-who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Ewe’s Not Fat. Ewe’s Fluffy

Posted on by

Oh don’t we love Luke 15:4?

What man of you, if he has a hundred sheep and should lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness (desert) and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?

Christ coming after us…what a great picture. Christ chasing down his sheep, for that is what he calls us. Sheep!

Mark 14:27? Not such a favourite.

Mark 14:27-And Jesus said to them, You will all fall away this night [that is, you will be caused to stumble and will begin to distrust and desert Me], for it stands written, I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
Think that is not possible? Oh no, not me! I will follow him wherever he goes!  Ha!

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, Turkish media reported Friday.

In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a white pile, the Aksam newspaper said. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher, cushioning the fall, the daily newspaper Aksam reported.

Be sure you know your Leader.  Read and study the  Word of God. Know what truth looks like. Other wise you might follow another sheep…and you might not land on their fluffies.

With by Skye Jethani

Posted on by

The author of With took five prepositions and investigated each one in relationship to God.

For instance, as I understand it,  Life UNDER God believes divine will is the center of the ‘cosmic apple’ and is the capricious will of God. It’s “Hey God, if I do this you owe me that.

Life OVER God believes that natural laws and principles are at the center.

Life FROM God places self and its desires at the core and the world revolves around self and personal desires. It is a gimmee, gimme attitude.

Life FOR God puts God’s mission in place of God Himself. God is your personal GPS so to speak.

But Life WITH God? The goal is not to use God but to have a relationship. The goal is God.

I found myself examining my personal relationship with God, hoping to find only WITH God…I wish I was that wonderful. No there are some traces of UNDER, OVER, FROM, FOR but large chunks are WITH God. And the result of WITH God?  Joy, because relationship is its center.

I challenge you to read this book and take the time to check yourself out…and then aim for WITH God.

 

 

You Can

Posted on by

You can . . (compliments of my friend,Fern Boldt)
You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back, or you can open your eyes and see all he left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him, or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him and only that he’s gone, or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

you can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn back, or you can do what he would want:  smile,
open your eyes, love and go on.

Author Unknown

Ron’s Personal Notes

Posted on by

I’ve been going through Ron’s Bible and finding the most wonderful keepsakes. For example, he placed the book mark from Charles and Tabetha’s wedding at his farvourite verse.

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint -Isaiah 40:31.

He also marked a page which talks about forgiveness (Matthew 6:14)AND not worrying. (Matthew 6:25-34)

I don’t know anybody who forgave more or worried less, than Ron.