A Thought About This And That

Love One Another: The Hardest Command of All

2012-02-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

Love One Another: The Hardest Command Of All

The Bible tells us to love one another. This may sound like a simple command but in reality it is probably one of the hardest things God asks us to do.

For most of us, it's not hard to experience love. For example, there is the love we have for our family; those bonds that tie us together by blood. There is the love we have for our friends and those special people who touch our lives. And, most people at some point in time, have experienced romantic love; those wonderful fluffy feelings that come along with someone of the opposite sex. Unfortunately we also know the pain there is when we lose someone we love, whether that be family, friend or lover. It's a devastating feeling. We all know it. One way or another we have all experienced 'love.'

But what happens when this command to love actually becomes a verb; something that we have to do; something that we have to put into action? Being in love and really loving someone are two totally different things, and to love as God calls us can become quite a challenge.

Jesus said: My command is this; Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:12-14.

So how do we "love one another" as Jesus has loved us?

This verse would suggest that it has something to do with dying; by actually laying down our lives as Jesus did.

Jesus's sacrifice, his actions and his tangible response of love towards us suggest to us both a task to be accomplished and a question to ponder. "How am I to love my neighbour when even death shouldn't limit my response?"

Can this verse really be suggesting that we should be willing to die for one another?
Perhaps it is, but I think Jesus is asking for even more from us than that.

When we think about laying down our lives for one another we usually think in terms of a one time, singular event. And perhaps some day God will call some of us to that end; to die for someone we love.

But I think this passage calls us to something far more difficult.......to lay down our lives over and over again, minute by minute, day by day, over the course of a lifetime; in sacrifice.... and to love even when it hurts. Even when that love is never returned.

That is what it means to love someone as God commands. It is true love in action. It is what God calls us to for one another and it's the hardest thing you'll ever be asked to do.

In what way is God calling you to lay down your life for others?

More Than Enough

2012-02-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

Rhonda's God is more than enough.

"A woman's heart should be so lost in GOD that a man needs to seek HIM in order to find her."

Help Me...I don't want to be a pessimist anymore!

2011-09-29T15:26:00.000-04:00

A friend told me I was a pessimist. I don't really see myself like that, but then sometimes we are blind to ourselves and our own faults. I just like to look at things from every angle before I come to a conclusion. My biggest problem is that my thoughts are never secret. My big mouth gives me away every time before my head actually has time to fully assess the situation. But, as iron sharpens iron I am trying to correct this. So let me share a story where much good came out of a potentially very bad situation. A situation where I deliberately chose to be optimistic.

Last year, as I was sitting at the lights at Kingston Road and Morningside, complaining to myself about how much my back hurt (I'm a bit of a complainer too but we will discuss that deficiency another time), when all of a sudden someone smashed into the back of my car, full speed. The back bumper of my car was already in bad shape from when I backed into my sons car in the driveway and then again when I backed into my daughters car a week later (I know, I know, we'll discuss my driving skills another time too...they just shouldn't park behind me in the drive way that's all!).

Anyway, this guy hit me so hard that everything in the front of my car including everything on the dashboard and in all the little compartments, ended up being in the back seat of my car. It all went flying and everything happened so fast. I was in such shock that I couldn't move for the first few minutes. Never really had an accident like that before and I didn't have a clue what to do. It's a good thing that God was looking after me because although the man who hit me gave me a card with all his info on it, I didn't even think to write down his licence plate number. (I know, we can discuss my stupidity another time too....let’s keep focused on the story!) I just couldn't think straight, I was completely dumbfounded and confused. He could have completely shafted me....but he didn't.

Fortunately for me the man ended up being an auto mechanic and a really honest guy. He fixed up the bumper and returned the car to me looking better than the day I had bought it!!! I wanted to go out and get a new front end just so it matched the back. (My son’s situation did not turn out as well as mine. He drove around with a big hole in his car for over a year. He finally bought himself a new one.)

God took a potentially bad situation and worked it out better than I could have ever thought. I now have a great looking car!(at least until someone parks behind me in the drive again!)

Oh, and my back has been completely better from the time he hit me, no more pain! How amazing is that!

On that note I invite you all to hold me accountable for my pessimistic attitudes when you see them. I can’t promise to change over night but I’ll be working on it and hopefully someday I’ll be seen as the optimist in every situation. (Learning to keep my big mouth shut might help too!).

So my friends, here’s to living a life of optimism! I hope you’ll all walk it together with me. We have an exciting future ahead of us and I for one wouldn't want to miss seeing it for anything!

Happy Trials Everyone.....oh sorry that's Happy Trails Everyone!!

You are special

2011-09-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that there is only one you? Contemplate that for a moment.

Everything about you is uniquely you. Your sweet character, your abilities and strange peculiarities, your laugh, your smile, your mannerisms, viewpoints, preferences and tastes. Everything about you is precious and it makes you who you are. No where in all of history has there ever been, nor will there ever be again, anyone exactly like you.
The most wonderful thing of all is that YOU didn't 'just happen'. God made every intricate detail of who you are. God wanted YOU to be YOU. He planned you that way.

He designed you right down to the finest molecule, distinct in every way and unlike any other individual on the face of the earth. Then, after he was finished creating, he broke the mold, never to use it again.

Why then is it sometimes so easy to feel lost in the crowd; as if no one cares; all alone and maybe even left behind. It couldn't be further from the truth. Listen carefully to what God's word says in Psalm 139:1-16

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord You go before me and follow me. If I ride the wings of the morning. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Next time you are tempted to think you don't matter to anyone; next time you despise a part of yourself that makes you uniquely you, remember that your Creator God loves you more than you can even fathom and he knew exactly what he was doing when he formed you. YOU are wonderful to Him and exactly the way he intended you to be.

Ok so it turns out that I am not the Raisin lady

2011-08-31T20:23:00.002-04:00

Ok so it turns out that I am not the Raisin lady

I'm really Snow White!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=10150284454067611

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150284454067611&notif_t=video_comment#!/photo.php?v=10150284465427611&set=vb.573717610&type=2&permPage=1

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/photo.php?v=10150284473307611&set=vb.573717610&type=2&permPage=1

A Thought About My Daughter

2011-08-15T20:24:00.000-04:00

So my daughter is getting married and she is also buying a new house. I have mixed feelings about this since we are very close. Her new home will be just up the street so I guess as hard as it will be to lose her at least she won't be far away. She has been so good at saving her money and I'm so proud of this huge accomplishment in her life.

Now......... with that affirming point out of the way let me just say that I can hardly wait to see how clean her house will be kept, especially since she lives in my house like she's in a 5 star hotel....equipped with a maid, room service and all the amenities. I wonder if she realizes that she will now have to pick up after herself. She told me she is going to keep it so clean that everyone will be afraid to come over. I've never laughed so hard in my life. Here is how her room looked this morning when she got up. [Please also note that I don't clean my kid's rooms any more. It is their one responsibility]

Ah, who am I kidding we both know who will be doing most of the cleaning anyways, she's already making dates for me to come over! One good outcome from all of this is that I will finally have a guest room!!! Oh and of course a new son-in-law!

A Thought About My Bird

2011-07-21T09:15:00.000-04:00

I love my parrot, even though he's not too fond of me.

We've had him now for about 12 years. This is relatively a short time since they live to be 80+ years. I figured having a parrot that lives that long would be ok since I can just 'Will' him to one of my kids and will never have to deal with him dying. This is a big issue for me. I don't handle death well.

I had a cat 35 years ago, that died in my arms and I have refused to ever have another pet ....except for the hamsters the kids have had. I figured "how attached could I possibly get to a rat without a tail, I hate rats!"

Turns out, very! As each one of them was dying I took them to work in a box so they didn't have to be alone. I cried for most of the day over each one of them and I think my co-workers thought I was crazy. I was devastated.....over a rodent! How sad am I? So suffice it to say I hope to be long gone before my parrot is. I don't know how I would weather that one. I'm crazy about him.

I've tried so hard though to get this thing to love me back, but it only has eyes for my daughter Michelle (this is typical for this type of bird). At least I know which one of my kids to 'Will' him to. He lives to see her walk by his cage. She on the other hand pays no mind to him. He calls her, waits for her, sings for her, talks for her. She couldn't care less.

I, on the other hand, want so badly for him to contend for my attention like that. I feed him, bath him, clean his cage, take him for grooming and for his check ups; give him treats, have spent countless hours teaching him to talk, sing, whistle, cheer etc. I could never list everything he says but here are few just to give you an idea.

He sings all of "Jesus Loves Me" from beginning to end. He sings all of "Happy Birthday" and part of the "Hallelujah Chorus"; he laughs just like me; whistles the theme from the Andy Griffith show and calls "Martha!" the dead hamster that's now been buried in the back yard for over 5 years now. He calls the kids incessantly, to the point that no one comes when I call because they've tuned out my voice....the bird sounds exactly like me.

He's a huge Maple Leafs fan and yells "Go Leafs Go. Well, ok I'm the leafs fan and he just picked that up. He loves to pretend to answer the phone when it rings; plays 'peek a boo'; all food is called 'pasta' to him; he throws his food at you if he wants your attention and he always asks if you want to sing before he breaks out into song. Oh and he loves blond women. Maybe that's why I don't appeal to him.

He has three cages, an out door cage, the largest being over 5ft long, and every toy under the sun. He is spoiled rotten, makes big messes all the time, talks back to me, does nothing I ask and walks all over me all the time.

Hmmmm, now that I think about it, he fits right in around here.

I'll keep trying to win him over but that's all I have to say about it for now.

A Thought About Responding With Grace & Mercy

2011-07-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

Why does it seem so easy for us to judge someone else's faults and imperfections? As Christians should we not love others in spite of all their shortcomings? Should not the church be the most forgiving of all? Has God not forgiven us?

Indeed, none of us have been treated as our sins would deserve. We have received mercy and compassion in place of punishment and condemnation. Why then is it so hard for us to forgive and show mercy? If we are honest, most often our initial reaction to the warts and flaws of others is judgement, gossip and even rejection, unless of course we have deliberately chosen to show mercy in certain cases.

But when we are judging others, are we not being just as sinful as the ones we are judging? Why is it so hard for us to see it that way; that the very act of judging is a sin?

God says in Matt 7:1-5 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

What possible good could come from judgement, rejection or gossip? Will it ever really help a person to change? No, it will only make things harder for them and will probably add bitterness to the mix. It's like a poison that spreads faster than fire. By grace we are forgiven and only through grace can a life truly change.

In the Christian life there is occasion for corrective admonishment but a response of love and forgiveness should always precede any discipline or correction. Maybe if we remember: "the measure we use to judge others will be the measure used to judge us" we will be a lot less quick to judge.

Gossip, rejection and judgement are dangerous for our souls. Each time we are tempted to stand in judgement of someone else we need to remember the price that our own sin cost and the debt we owe to the One who paid it. It is so natural for us to over look our own shortcomings or explain them away. Grace and forgiveness for ourselves seems somehow justified. We need to remember that God sees us with a huge plank in our eye as we judge the speck of dust in our brother's eye. He has forgiven us with great mercy. Let's strive to always do the same. That's all.

A Thought About All That I Can Think About!

2011-07-15T12:47:00.000-04:00

Well the count down is over, my day finally arrived. Last night a friend took me to see Donny and Marie! The Four Season's Opera House was jam packed with people, 5 stories high. We had $130 tickets and they were right near the front, an isle seat in the orchestra section. Best seats in the house. How spoiled am I?

It was an unbelievable experience. What a show! I'm sure my friend is deaf now from all my screaming, and you'd think that would embarrass me but it didn't. If you knew the obsession I had with this family growing up you would know that it was totally normal behaviour for me.

The entire show from beginning to end was amazing. At one point Marie came and stood right in front of me. She is the smallest little thing and was still shorter than me with her six inch heals on! She looks much taller on TV. Not to mention her unbelievable beauty and talent.

However, the highlight of highlights, the thing that sent me totally over the edge was when Donny came running down the isle, spun me around in front of everyone and gave me the biggest hug ever!!! I'm still reliving it!!! Every woman in that place was wishing she was me!!!! I was 12 all over again!

The lady in front of me asked me right away, "What did he smell like?"....and she wasn't the only one who asked me that. I thought that was a weird question to ask, but people must really want to know. I could hardly walk back to my seat, my legs were so shaky and I must have been 10 different shades of red, but it was soooo worth it! I just keep reliving it!!! I'll be able to live on this experience for years.

By the way, in case you are wondering, he's smelled terrific! I may never wash again!

That's all I'll say for now, but I'm sure I will be thinking about it for a very long long time!

A Thought About Our Words

2011-07-12T12:12:00.000-04:00

The other day I overheard someone say something really nice about me. I was so elated to think someone thought about me that way! Just a few words and it boosted my confidence and changed my entire day.

Have you ever stopped to think about the effects your words have on others? Do you realize the impact they can have on a person who desperately needs to hear something encouraging or kind?

Solomon wrote in Proverbs 16:24: Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Isn't that a wonderful way to describe how uplifting our conversation can be? It can be like medicine to a wilting soul; healing that brings life. In the same way that hurtful words destroy the spirit, healing words can restore and empower, uplift and bring hope.

If you have ever had someone say a kind word to you at the right time, then you too know the power your speech can have. Maybe someone has encouraged you, said something kind, or believed in you when no one else did.

Paul describes words like that as "full of grace, seasoned with salt" (Col 4:6)

Or perhaps you've been on the receiving end of a really kind act; something done for you simply because that person wanted to show you love.

The love of God can be ignited in the hearts of others through your loving words and kind acts. Let your mouth and hands be His instruments of love. Ask Him to make you aware of the needs of others and let the grace of God flow in and through you to those He brings your way. You may never know the impact you may have on someone's life just when they need it most.
That's all for now.

A Thought About Joy in Affliction: A Gift of God's Grace

2011-07-08T05:51:00.000-04:00

In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 Paul tells us of his affliction.
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Some how Paul accepted all the suffering he endured and still remained joyful. This was only possible by the grace of God.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 we see that Paul pleaded with God to remove what he believed was a messenger from Satan, sent to torment him. He then tells us of the Lord’s response:
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul was hated by his own people, he was beaten black and blue numerous times, he knew not only what it was to be deprived of the comforts of life but even the bare necessities.

Strength in weakness is one of the themes running through Paul’s writings. He was able to endure the hardships that threatened him because he was so confident in the strength and Spirit of Christ. Through the trials he learned many ‘strength in weakness’ lessons over and over again.

Some days I too feel as though I have had my fair share of ‘strength in weakness’ experiences: illness, emotional shipwrecks, loss of loved ones, inadequacies in ministry, financial pressures, other hardships of life, etc., and in the middle of many of those circumstances I have wondered where God really is. Sometimes he just seems to have left me behind. Abandoned me to my fate and I can’t find him anywhere. There have even been times when I have wearied of even searching for him.

When this happens I need to remember to rest in the prayers of others. I need to pay attention to the signs of grace, however small they may be and remember that they are around if I care to see them. Sometimes it may come through a caring friend with a listening ear; a gentle hug from a child or a kind word of encouragement from a stranger. As the situation eases I realize that God’s love and grace is indeed sufficient. God’s strength lifts me up and restores my soul.

We have all suffered. We have all experienced thorns of one type or another. We have probably all had a shipwreck or two along the way. When I am on my knees day and night in humility before God; when I am waiting for his touch and when I can learn the lessons that suffering has to teach, I realize that gratitude is the only response. His grace is sufficient - and it really is God’s greatest gift.

A Thought About Pain and Despair

2011-07-02T08:36:00.000-04:00

Have you ever sat on the edge of despair, so disillusioned and disheartened that you wondered if God really loved you at all?

Have you ever been so painfully wounded by life's circumstances or the devastating blows of someone else's destructive actions that you've questioned if God feels your hurt or even cares about your pain at all?

I think we all experience times of anguish like that in our lives.

When Jesus walked the earth he spent much of his time healing broken bodies and relieving tormented minds, touching the pain of the physically and emotionally sick. Some were blind or deaf, others were mute or lame, still others were social outcasts and lepers; shunned from all care and compassion. Yet Jesus loved them all.

Isaiah describes the coming Messiah like this: "He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out" (Isa 42:2-3).

If you ever feel like a "bruised reed" about to break, or a "smoldering wick"; the joy in your soul extinguished and doused, don't lose heart. Turn to the only One who is strong and faithful enough to heal your hurts and breath new life back into your soul. At your weakest moments God will sustain you if you just surrender it all to him. His love is sufficient for you and you can count on his mercy to restore, heal and lead you through the deepest valleys of life. The Great Physician, our Jehovah Rapha quietly comes in to heal your pain, touching those areas where you need the most from our great God. He is only a prayer away and he longs to touch your soul and heal your heart. Just come, just ask. He is waiting.

A Thought About Jack

2011-06-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

I have spoken about him before and no doubt I will speak of him again. Dr. Quistwater, retired professor is a godly man who despite his disabilities looks at every circumstance as an opportunity of service for the Kingdom. I am so fortunate to have him as part of my life and as I have gotten to know him better I have truly grown to love him.
On the outside I suppose one might even feel sorry for Jack. He has no family, has never married, no children, his one brother and both parents are gone and he has no close extended family accept a cousin who lives far away.
He has suffered with the affects of bladder cancer, severe kidney stones, lives with an Ileal conduit, had a heart attack, a severe infection that almost took his life and left him in a wheelchair, and if that was not enough, because of all his disability he has been forced to sell his home that he worked so hard for, in order to live in a nursing facility where he can receive the proper care he needs every day. And that is only the tip of the iceberg where Jack's health is concerned. There is so much more.
This once active and very independent man has had all his worldly treasure taken from him. You would think that suffering so much would leave him bitter and broken hearted. But let me tell you about Jack, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Jack's true treasure is well established in heaven.
Not once have I ever heard him complain about his situation or disabilities. Not once have I seen him even in a bad mood. On the contrary, he was the life of the party at Centenery hospital during his very lengthy stay, and now he has become everyone's friend at the nursing home. Even the woman who wanders from room to room who lets herself in uninvited gets only the best from Jack.
He even finds the time to co-lead a Bible study group for any of the folks in the nursing home who want to study the Word. What a godly example. He has truly risen above his circumstances.
The other day he asked me "Pastor Rhonda, do you think maybe God is preparing me for something bigger for Him in the future? My response was simply "Jack, I have absolutely no doubt about that."
The truth is that God is already using him in so many ways.
Here is a man who has surrendered his life and circumstances over to the Lord, with the most beautiful and giving attitude that one could ever imagine. Jack believes God has strategically placed him for ministry in that nursing home with potential for even greater ministry in the future, and that is absolutely true.
However......... (and this may be a bit selfish because as usual it is all about me) I personally think that Jack was given by God, to me, to help me to become a better, more loving, compassionate person; someone who accepts God's circumstances for their life with a grateful attitude even in the midst of great trial. The 'poor me' syndrome is not the attitude I want in my life but I must say that I have displayed it more times than I care to admit. Jack helps me to keep perspective of what is really important and much to my shame, sometimes I really need that.
So do I truly believe that God is preparing Jack for greater things? You bet I do. He's already doing that in so many ways and I'm the biggest beneficiary. I love you, Jack!
I'm sure there will be more about Jack, but that's all I have to say for now.

A Thought About Maturity

2011-06-27T22:23:00.001-04:00

Someone once said to me "Pastor Rhonda, I really love God, I have no problem loving Him.....It's people I can't stand!"
Sometimes I think we forget how loudly our reactions to others speak about our maturity in Christ. If others rub me the wrong way and I react in an inappropriate manner, it shows how immature I really am in the Christian life.

Sometimes we like to excuse our reactions as nervousness, fear, or even having a sensitive spirit, but the simple fact is, if Christ can't be seen in my relationships and the way I treat others, then practical Christianity is not present and neither can the spirit of Christ be seen. The test of our maturity is not in how much we love God, rather it is in how much we love the people we interact with every day.
The Bible says that love is patient and love is kind. It also says that the world will know we are His when we love each other. Sometimes God allows our maturity level to be tested. I wonder how mature I really am. Would you pass the test?

That's all for now!

A Thought About My New Deck

2011-06-23T07:37:00.000-04:00

My home is so beautiful sometimes I'm even jealous of myself!

God has been so good to me, it is incredible. I could have ended up with nothing and for a person of meager earnings I am more blessed than the richest of the rich. Jim has now built me a 20 X 18 foot deck in the backyard and even the building inspector said "Wow, big deck and well built!" It is so beautiful!

There is something very special about having friends in your life that stand by you through thick and thin, always believing the best in you and who will defend you to the end. They are there for you through the low times and they are there to celebrate life's victorious moments. Friends like that are few and far between but the few that you have make life a wonderful place. They are a gift from God and I am ever grateful for the blessing they are to my life. Anyone can survive a friendship for a month, a year, or even a few, but those that last a life time are the ones that make life worth living. God has blessed me with way more than my share. How fortunate am I?
That's all for now!

A Thought About Change

2011-06-21T17:53:00.002-04:00

Some people don't take change well. I am definitely one of those people. I tend to do much better when I know exactly where I'm going and when I've planned exactly how I will get there.
I also work better on a schedule, so, when life throws me a curve ball I'm not always happy about it. Sometimes I spend so long looking at the closed door and trying to pry it open that I forget that sometimes God opens a window.
There are times when God opens obvious doors. Other times he closes them tightly. Sometimes, for all of us, that can seem very painful, especially when we can't see any windows opening right away.
However, God doesn't shut doors unless he has something better for you. I've learned this first hand over the years. God is so faithful. He is the constant that never changes.

In the end I just need to be sure to trust and follow as the right doors are open for me. One good thing that God has blessed me with is the ability to get over things fast, once the initial shock dissipates. I'm glad I have an unchanging God especially when the winds of life blow in so many directions. That's all I'll say about that....for now.

A Thought About My Baby

2011-05-19T08:27:00.002-04:00

I think this says it all, but just in case I have to say it, "I love her"

A Funny Thought

2011-04-16T21:07:00.001-04:00

So Thomas came home the other day and told me a funny story about his boss and 4 year old son. Let's call his boss 'Joe' and the 4 yr old son 'Billy'. Joe and Billy go to a baseball game together. Joe is really excited as this is the first game he's ever taken his son to. They get seated and are waiting for the game to begin. It's not long before the people sitting next to them arrive. It is then that little Billy notices that the man sitting in the seat beside him has a prosthetic leg. He immediately blurts out at the top of his lungs "look daddy, a transformer!"
Joe, thoroughly embarrassed, quickly apologizes to the man and says "I'm so sorry, he's just never seen anything like that before." The gentleman responds very graciously and tells him not to worry, it is no problem." The little boy then looks at the gentleman and asks "so, what do you change into?"

A Thought About Friends

2011-04-14T06:58:00.001-04:00

When I was young I had a best friend who always made me laugh and I could never get enough of being around her. I was glued to her for years until life took us in different directions. But truth is I will never forget those days or the unbelievable mischief we got into together. She just made life so much fun.
Have you ever spent time in the presence of a truly happy and joyful person, someone who has a positive and optimistic outlook on everything and life just seems that much better when they are around? Well, I love people like that. My friend was like that. Sometimes I miss her so much.

A Thought About Always Having To Be Right

2011-04-09T14:58:00.006-04:00

We may think we know everything but what do we really gain by having to be right if we only end up losing a friend over it. Not many things are more important than friendship.

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate tension, I can't stand fighting and I run from confrontation. Sometimes confrontation is necessary when it has to be done, but there are people who are almost energized by tension and fighting and being right is the most important thing. I am so NOT wired this way and I can't say I keep a lot of friends who are. I do know people like that but I don't tend to gravitate to that type of person. In fact I run from them.

I remember many years ago having two friends who had a fight over the most stupid thing; each one believing that they were in the right; neither one willing to give in. Why it even mattered that they had to be right over something so trivial was beyond my understanding. It wasn't even a personal matter. It wouldn't have changed their friendship in any way to just agree to disagree and move on, letting bygones be bygones. Instead they both preferred to give up being friends rather than give in. Being in the middle between them and trying to be 'peace maker' almost tore me apart......sometimes I'm such a whimp....but I have gotten better over the years.

I'd like to be able to say that years later they both found other great friends to share their lives with but I don't think either of them ever did. They have had other friends of course, but the unique friendship they shared is gone forever and will never be replaced.

I hope I never become so stubborn and determined to be right that I would rather lose those most important to me, spending life without them, rather than lose an argument.
Don't let your need to be right rob you of precious friendships that can't be replaced. You may look good, you may look smart, and yes you may have the satisfaction of being right, but if you lose a friend over it, have you really gained anything? Perhaps God is just giving you the chance to be the bigger person and to show humility and grace to others.

Hhhmmmm, on another note, I wonder if over the years my fear of tension and confrontation has actually done the same thing.....cost me friendships that I was unwilling to fight for, pursue, or get involved in. Yes, letting them be right, but backing away from them for fear of more tension or confrontation. I do know that there are people who are just too difficult to deal with and it's just more draining than it's worth to be around them, but I also wonder just how many friends I do not have now because of my lack of courage. I wonder how much my past has conditioned me to run and hide rather than seek, persist and work things out. I'll have to think about that one.

A Thought About Our Priorities

2011-03-13T13:31:00.000-04:00

There are places in the world where people are dying for their faith. They risk their very lives everyday as children of God. Some of them travel for miles and miles on foot just to go to church, many having to meet underground so they won’t be seen. However, despite all opposition the church is growing in these countries like never before.

How different it is in the western world; what a different story. Some people who claim to be dedicated followers of Christ have a hard time even getting out of bed once a week to go to church, let alone risk their lives or give their money, time and resources to serve God and His Kingdom. He is hardly a priority.

As Christians we need to always be examining ourselves in the stewardship of all of life and we need to be asking ourselves the question: “Have I given to the Lord (the one who gave His life for me) the best of all I have, or have I simply given him the leftovers?
That's all I want to say about that for now.

A Thought About My Old Friend

2011-03-05T20:51:00.000-05:00

My very first fulltime job, when I was 19 yrs old, was with Wheel Trans (TTC) for the disabled. It was there that I met a very elderly woman named Gladas over the phone.

I remember she said her son worked for Christian Children’s Fund and her daughter in law was a nurse.

I remember visiting her at her apt at Morningside and Kingston Rd and bringing her Chicken Joy (which is still there, by the way). I also remember it was the longest bus ride ever!

I remember taking her to church one Saturday night at North York Temple. Getting her up the stairs took a whole crew of young men to help lift her.

I remember her calling me at all hours of the night for years. (She would lose track of time)

I remember her crying because she lived with so much physical pain and arthritis.

I remember her 87^th birthday.

I remember when she fell in her apartment and was alone on the floor for three days

I remember her calling me to say they were moving her to a nursing home and how afraid she was because she didn’t want to go.

I remember how very lonely she felt.

I remember how sorry I felt for the pain she had to live with and the fact that she suffered so much before she died.

I will never be sorry for the time I spent with a lonely older person. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to do more.

A Thought About Being The Fragrance Of Christ

2011-03-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

I had a friend who worked in the perfume section of the department store. Whenever she was around the entire room smelled beautiful. Although she said she seldom sprayed any perfume on herself, the aroma would seep into her clothes, hair and skin. I thought she was the best smelling person ever!

I wonder, as a Christian, what kind of aroma I give off to others around me.

Do I spend enough time around Him and in His presence to be the fragrance of Christ to others?

I receive bits and pieces of each person I come in contact with and part of me rubs off onto them. I wonder just how long someone would need to be around me to sense the fragrance of Christ in my life?

A Thought About True Freedom

2011-03-04T08:29:00.000-05:00

Years ago I had the privilege of attending my junior high school reunion. I had so much fun! It was interesting to get caught up with people I hadn’t seen in almost 20 years.

Most people I knew had grown up to become successful, happy people. However there were a few I heard about that (not surprisingly) had become alcoholics and drug addicts.

One classmate began using drugs excessively right out of high school as a way of defiantly expressing his freedom from authority. It was sad to think that he slowly became enslaved to the very thing he used to express his freedom.

Evil seems to promise freedom too, but in the end it only cripples and destroys. It is in Christ that we are free from the things that bind us. It is only when every day is surrendered to Him that we find true freedom. That's all I will say about that for now.

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed

John 8:36

A Thought About The 'Gifted' and 'Talented'

2011-03-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Matthew 25:21

Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “Man, I wish I was as talented and gifted as they are” Like the snowflake, God has made each of us unique. Every one of us has been given different talents, gifts, abilities and personalities. No two people are exactly alike; each one of us a wonderful creation; a masterpiece of His hands.

The sad thing is that many people fail to uncover these talents and abilities, etc., so they remain hidden and undeveloped.

In His Word [Matt 25:14-30] Jesus tells the parable of the three servants who were each entrusted with talents. The two who used their talents wisely and multiplied them were rewarded with more talents according to their ability.

The servant who buried his talent ended up having them taken away from him.

As God’s children we are all entrusted with different gifts and abilities, but unless we make good use of them they will be worthless and may even be taken away from us.

Perhaps those people who seem to be gifted with so much ability and talent are merely the ones who have chosen to make the most of what God has given to them.

More later, but that's all for now.

A Thought About Being 'The Real McCoy'

2011-03-02T08:19:00.000-05:00

Many years ago while on a trip to Victoria B.C. I had the opportunity to visit the Wax Museum. It was an amazing experience. Everything looked so real. In fact by the time I left the last exhibit I wasn’t sure who was real and who wasn’t.

One man I reached out to touch scared me half to death when he got up and walked away! That was embarrassing.

As Christians we need to be careful not to get caught up in the routine of the Christian life. We need to guard against becoming like those wax statues in the museum; going through the motions; looking on the outside like the 'Real McCoy' but on the inside becoming flat and stale. Like any relationship, being alive in Christ takes work, and it is more than just going through the motions. It takes commitment, daily repentance and renewal and a heart that is totally surrendered to Christ. Being a Christian means you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Be sure you are the 'Real McCoy'.

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,

Matt 7:21a

A Thought About The Great Redwood Tree

2011-03-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12:5

I read a short study once about the great Redwood trees in California. Evidently some of these mammoth trees are over 250 ft tall and over 3000 years old. What is different about these trees from other trees, is it’s root system. Most large trees have roots that run deep into the ground, giving them great strength and the nutrients they need to live for a very long time. However, the Redwood has a very shallow root system. What allows it to be able to grow so large and live so long is it’s dependence on all the other Redwood trees surrounding it. Redwood trees grow in groves and their root systems grow together and intertwine to support each other.

Being born in Canada we are taught from day one that the greatest and strongest of us will be the individuals who are able to stand alone. To be dependent on others is a sign of weakness and frailty. The Redwood would suggest otherwise, and it teaches us a valuable lesson about true strength. Growth and stability require support from others around us. No one is an island. As brothers and sisters in Christ we need to build one another up and as we intertwine our lives together we become strong; as we learn to build up others we ourselves become strong.

That's all I have to say about that for now.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another

Proverbs 27:17

A Thought About Snow

2011-02-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

Snow.....I have to admit that as tired as I am of shoveling it this year, it is such a beautiful sight to see when it is falling and everything is blanketed in white. All the grey from the dirt and car exhaust is once again covered up and hidden.

Jesus’ love works very much the same way. Through his mercy and love He comes into our lives and covers up all the sin and dirt that has been previously built up there. What’s even more amazing is that His love for us will never melt away. That's all for now. Hopefully that's all the snow we will have too!

A Thought About What I've Learned From The Past....The Hard Way

2011-02-03T11:09:00.001-05:00

I have experienced many bumps and bruises along life's journey but it is through those deep valleys that I have learned the most valuable lessons. So, let me share with you just a few.

First: Leave the past in the past

We can learn from the past, but we can never change it so there is no use punishing yourself or worrying about the mistakes you've made. Leave the past where it is and focus on today, it’s all that really matters. Even tomorrow doesn’t belong to you, so stay in the present and forgive yourself for your shortcomings and forgive others who have hurt you. Carrying bitterness and a heavy heart around will eventually weigh you down so let it go. You will be the biggest benefactor.

Second: Don’t waste time pining for the things God hasn’t given you.

It's better to be left wanting what you don't have than to have what you don't want.

The worst nightmare anyone can ever experience is getting exactly what they had wanted and it not being God’s will. If you don’t have it then it is what is best for you, whether it feels that way or not. God knows what you need better than you do, and "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). It’s like the woman who said "I never knew what real happiness was until I married my husband; now it's too late!" God will never steer you wrong when you walk according to his will, so stay on the path.

Third: Don’t waste time longing for the future.

It's a mistake to think that when you arrive at a certain point you'll be happy; when you get that job, when you retire, when you find that perfect soul mate or reach that long awaited goal. Life is experienced along the way and those can be the happiest moments. The destination is not the reward but rather the lessons we learn along the way. They are what mold us and shape us into the people we become. So be sure to savour and live each moment to the fullest because you will never be able to experience that same moment ever again.

I know that there is so much more for me to learn and experience in life, but if I can save even one person from the mistakes I’ve made and the time I’ve wasted, it will all be worth it.

So, live in the 'now'...., leave your failures and regrets behind......, and entrust your hopes and dreams to the only One who really knows what is best for you. He will never let you down.

That's all I will say about that......for now.

A Thought About 2010

2010-12-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

I love my life. I couldn't be more blessed. I couldn't have better friends or family. I love my job, my neighbours, my freedom and with the exception of mowing the lawn and shoveling the snow, I love my home. I also would never trade the trials in life that I've been through for anything in the world because they are the very things that have shaped me into who I am. I have learned from each and every one of them. But, I don't know if I remember a time when life was better than 2010 and although I'm sure that there will be some deeper valleys to come and plenty of ups and downs, I am so grateful for all God has blessed me with and for this wonderful little interlude in the midst of life when everything seems perfect. I just want to bask and wallow in it for a while.
Happy New Year everyone, I wish all of you every blessing for 2011.

A Thought About The Man On The Side Of The Road

2010-12-23T11:57:00.001-05:00

As I drove out to Oshawa to see my mother, the weather was awful. It was cold and the snow flurries were heavy and wet. The highway moved at a snails pace all the way to Ritson Rd which was the cut off I take to get to mom's place. I was thanking God as I rounded the bend and stopped at the red light. That is when I noticed him; a homeless man sitting in the freezing cold slush in a thin overcoat, no hat or gloves, filthy clothes, a long dirty beard and unkempt hair. He looked as if the weight of the world was on him and it made my heart bleed.
Now it's not like there isn't a beggar at practically every cut off along the 401 but either this man was really in need or he deserved an Oscar for the extents he was willing to go to get attention. He was soaked to the core and shivering.......more alone than I had ever seen anyone, more broken than anyone could be. I wondered what circumstances in life could possibly have brought him to this point. Was he a drug addict? A drunkard? A bum? Or someone who had just really had some bad breaks?
Did he have a family somewhere, worried sick over what he had become.....or was he completely alone with no one to care? What horrid thing in life brought this man to the place where he seemed to have given up all hope and was begging on the street.
The man's face will haunt me for a while until I too just forget all about him and get on with my own life again. What a tragedy it is that we have such poor and broken people living among us in one of the richest cities in Canada.
As I passed all the change I could find out the window he reached out, took my hand and said "God bless you, Merry Christmas"
I wondered, as I drove off, what kind of Christmas he and so many others would be having this year.

A Thought About My Friends

2010-12-14T17:40:00.002-05:00

I love my girlfriends and I wouldn't trade them for anything. God has blessed me so much through all of them. Merry Christmas to all of you.....and that's all I'll say about that for now.

A Thought About Christ at Christmas

2010-12-14T15:52:00.000-05:00

Another Christmas season is fast approaching. Advent is upon us and I find myself getting really excited about celebrating this year!! I can’t help but rejoice when I look back over the past year and see the wonderful ways that God has blessed our church. We have so much to be thankful for and as we move forward to yet another year we want to continue to keep our sights on Jesus in all that we do.

Humorist Elwyn Brooks White once said, “To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more and more difficult with every year.”

Whether or not this is true for everyone, the point is clear: As Christians we have to work very hard to keep our focus on the real significance of the season in spite of all the holiday hoopla.

It is also easy (especially for me) to get frustrated with trying to keep up with all that goes on during this time of year, (the presents, the shopping, the expense, the busyness, the parties, the baking the visiting etc) all of which can be a wonderful part of Christmas if we are able to keep our focus on why we do these things in the first place. If we don’t intentionally take the time each year to remember the giving of God’s most precious gift to mankind then before we realize it Christmas will have passed and Jesus will have taken a back seat in our celebrations, in our thoughts, hearts, families, and in our whole lives. I have to admit that there have been times when I am very guilty of this. So to help us to keep our focus this year let me suggest a Christmas commemoration strategy.

First, make it a weekly event to read different sections of the Christmas story in the Scriptures with your family and talk about its meaning. Perhaps this might happen around the dinner table or another time when your family is all together.

Second, focus on the wonderful gifts that God has given you personally - your faith, your family, your abilities, your intellect, your friends, your neighbours and your freedom to live and worship as you choose......just to suggest a few.

Third, do those first and second exercises each week throughout the Christmas season and make it a priority.

Finally, make it a personal goal after the season is over to continue doing these focusing exercises at least once a month throughout the rest of the year - until the Christmas season rolls around again. After all Christmas should live in our hearts every day, not just once a year.

During this season there is always a lot of noise and distraction around us. These exercises will help us to stay focused on the Saviour and all His wonderful love towards us. With all the distractions and mixed signals we throw God’s way isn’t it wonderful and incredible that He never gives up on us? Christmas really is a celebration of God’s focus on each one of us. This year let’s really try to make an effort to do the same towards Him.

With Christmas blessings, peace, and goodwill to you and your family,

Pastor Rhonda

A Thought About The Real World

2010-11-22T11:04:00.003-05:00

The story of Cinderella was a favourite of mine as a child....ok maybe it is still my favourite. You know how the story goes. The handsome prince decides to marry and invites all the young girls to attend a grand ball in his honor. On the night of the ball Cinderella’s cruel stepsisters prevent her from attending and she is crushed.

Her fairy godmother appears out of nowhere and with a wave of her magic wand transforms Cinderella into the most beautiful princess ever. Cinderella is then whisked off to the ball where she meets her Prince Charming and it is love at first sight. Then of course through a series of events and a relentless search for his true love they are once again reunited and live happily ever after.

Wonderful isn’t it? If only life could be like that. However, happily ever after really is the stuff that only fairly tales are made of, and although we wish it was, real life is nothing like a fairytale.
God is not a fairy godmother. He doesn’t wave his magic wand and make all our troubles disappear. The problem for me and for others is that sometimes what we expect, and what God has planned for us, are two totally different things.

I once heard a story about a young girl named Elizabeth who grew up having two sorrows. The first sorrow was that her hair was black and straight, when all the popular girls wore golden curls. The second sorrow was that while all her friends kept growing she ended up remaining short. Years later God called Elizabeth to the mission field in China. As she stood looking at the people to whom God had called her to minister, two things became very apparent to her. First, that each and everyone of them had long, straight black hair. Secondly, each and every one of them was short, just like her. It was then that she bowed her head and prayed "Thank you God, you really do know what you are doing."

Sometimes we think that we know what is best for ourselves, but God has a much higher and better purpose for each and every one of us. He longs to give us the desires of our heart. We just need to trust that he knows better than we do what those desires really are and what we need in order to fulfill his purposes in our lives. As I have said before, the only thing more painful than not getting your own way, is getting exactly what you want and it not be part of God's plan for you.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

A Scary Thought

2010-11-22T07:48:00.001-05:00

I have had the privilege lately of working with a few young couples that are preparing for marriage. They have all seemed so happy and excited to begin this new adventure in their lives; to take that next step in their relationship that will most likely change their lives forever. I can’t help but be excited for them as I watch them lovingly interact with one another, but I also can’t help but wonder if they really understand the commitment and sacrifice it will take to go the distance.

I figure twenty five years of marriage has to teach you something so although I have little wisdom on what makes for a perfectly successful marriage, I do have a truck load of wisdom for what not to do and what doesn’t work. All of which I have learned via the hard way. I was told once that I should write a book on all the things that just don't work, I tried them all. I also know that every couple is different and what works for one doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for another and visa versa, but I do think there are a few essentials that no successful relationship can survive without. When asked what is the most important ingredient in keeping a marriage alive and well, I would have to say good communication ranks high on the list. Learning how to communicate effectively can be a challenge but I can tell you it is well worth the extra effort and beats the guessing and mind reading techniques that all married couples tend to use sometimes.
I’m sure in theory these couples are all willing to sacrifice themselves and their own agenda’s for each other but down the road when the fluffies are gone, the blinders fall off and real life takes over, which ones will be willing to truly love even when it costs them everything, Just a thought........that sometimes scares me.

A Thought About Guarding Against Isolation

2010-11-21T17:40:00.000-05:00

Previously I spoke about the pain of ‘Isolation’, especially within the context of marriage.
So, why is it that we hide from each other?
It’s because we fear we will be hurt.
Intimate relationships can be painful and they can leave deep lasting scars.
No human relationship endures more hiding and hurting than marriage.
It is within this most intimate of human associations that people seek to know one another and be known.

It is tragic that many people marry so they won’t be lonely anymore, but soon find themselves lonelier than when they were single. I had a friend who once told me that she was glad she was single because she didn't know anyone who was happily married. She said she would much rather be single than stuck in a loveless marriage with no hope of escape. Sadly marriage can fast become more like a prison, far from what God ever intended it to be.
Majority of marriages suffer from isolation at one point or another and few people in marriage realize how desperately alone they really are. Often a husband and wife begin drifting apart so slowly that they hardly recognize the slide. Then, after a few years of hiding and poor communication, they realize that their once romantic love has grown completely stale. That’s why many successful looking marriages aren’t much more than two successful people independently doing their own things: they aren’t friends and they aren’t real life partners. They just happen to live in the same house.
So, how do you defeat this drift into isolation?

Well, the answer is simple. The single most important thing that you can do to strengthen your marriage is to pray together. When there are problems, when there are differences, when you need to ask for guidance, and even when there are reasons to rejoice, prayer is the key to a strong and healthy relationship. Few things in life are more intimate than praying together; sharing your hearts and souls and bringing your concerns to the Creator. A strong marriage takes hard work and deliberate guarding against isolation. Begin praying together early in your marriage, you may find it to be one of the best decision you ever made.

Phil 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will

guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A Thought About The 'I' factor in 'I'-solation

2010-11-21T17:11:00.000-05:00

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." I will make a suitable helper for him" Genesis 2:18

Marriage was the very first institution that God ever established. When Adam was first created God fashioned woman to meet his need for intimacy. In the Hebrew text the word for ‘suitable helper’ actually means ‘one matching him’ Man and woman were therefore created to compliment one another, and to fulfill a very specific need.

Satan however, is the lord of isolation and loneliness. We as humans long for intimacy. Satan seeks to destroy that. He sometimes succeeds in isolating more than just husbands from wives but entire families, parents from children and even friends from each other. The impact of his tactics destroy and cause unbearable suffering. Isolation can cause your heart to grow cold and indifferent to the most important things in life. It doesn’t usually happen quickly but rather slowly, over time, unnoticed for years. But by then, sometimes it’s too late. It causes feelings of emptiness, self esteem issues and may even affect the value that some place on life itself.
For a marriage to survive both partners need to take responsibility in creating a solution to the problem. It starts in the ‘I’ factor in ‘I'-solation’

‘I’ must ask forgiveness for the times ‘I’ have hurt others; especially my spouse, times that have caused her/him to retreat or hide. ‘I’ need to die to self and give up any anger, pride and even the right to revenge.
God created woman because it was “not” good for man to be alone. It is the only time in the creation story that God saw that something wasn’t good.
God’s perfect response to man’s loneliness was to create woman. Husbands and wives need to work together to overcome isolation. If you are married, don’t let Satan blind you to his tactics to separate and cause division. It all starts with you.

A Thought about Boogie-men in the closet

2010-11-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

When I was little my sister made me terrified of the boogie man who had taken up residence under my bed and in my closet. I think it all started because she had to share a small bedroom with me and didn’t want me going into ‘her’ closet. [I also think she had the ‘middle child syndrome’ but that’s another story], so she conjured up the boogie man to keep me away from her things. This boogie man was a merciless beast that sat in wait to defend it’s territory against any pint sized trespasser. Now, although I never saw this creature I was always aware that it was there just waiting to pounce.

Each night I would take a running jump from the bedroom door to the end of the bed which was easily 4-5ft away [I’m surprised I didn’t grow up to be a sprinter]. The closet was checked and then double checked before it was securely shut, the hall light was left on and every stuffed animal I had surrounded me in the bed for protection. I would lay awake in fear for hours every night. Years later when my sister moved out and I finally had the room to myself, the fear still remained.

I think many people suffer from boogie-men in their closets. Boogie-men that if left unattended can sometimes have great control over our lives. It may be a boogie-man of past mis-treatments or maybe memories of past failures that haunt or accuse us. Our self image can be very much shaped by our past, by the fears and insecurities that pop up and threaten our stability. All this contributes to who we eventually become.
Have you been praised and encouraged through life? Or maybe you’ve been relentlessly criticized. Do you live in fear? Has your past made you strong and confident? Or has it left you weak and helpless, afraid of all that inhabits your closet? Most people have a mixture of both and it all contributes to how you perceive yourself.

A marriage partner can either help to clean out those closets and cause a spouse to become more courageous, or they can have the opposite effect and can become a source that fans the flames and increases the fear. That dark scary spot in the closet can either end up consuming the entire house, or, if it is handled properly, can in time become just another very useful room.
Visiting the scarey closets of your own life become easier and not as frightening if you have someone who gives you the self confidence and reassurance to stand up and overcome; someone who will walk beside you and hold on to you tightly when the boogie man threatens to take over.
Isn't that what marriage and family is all about? Sometimes I think we just don't understand the potential we have over one another, especially those we love, to empower.....but also to destroy.

Oh by the way, when I was young I sometimes wet the bed, so revenge had it’s own way of dealing with my sister when she was mean to me!

A Thought: You are a mirror for your mate

2010-11-19T17:15:00.002-05:00

When your spouse looks into your face what does she/he see? Acceptance? Rejection?
Whether we realize it or not we are mirrors for our mates. The amount of confidence she/he has as they deal with people in life, is in many ways influenced by whether you, as their spouse, accept or reject them.

Self image; self esteem, self concept, will largely affect how your mate feels about her/himself and the value and sense of worth they have internally. This goes both ways and effects husbands and wives alike.

Self image plays a major role in everything we do and can hinder or enhance the ability we have to learn and make decisions, take risks, as well as resolve conflicts within ourselves and with others. Self image will either restrain or refuel a person.
A low self esteem causes one to view life through the eyes of fear. The fear of rejection is one of the most powerful forces that motivates and controls us. It is key that as a couple you recognize that the fear of rejection is an enemy. Fear will begin to dissolve in your spouse only when there is a steady flow of authentic unwavering love.

Love is the most powerful agent for change in the universe, because love casts out fear. God’s love, perfect love can overcome the fear of rejection. Perfect love accepts and embraces even through the weaknesses and fears that threaten to destroy and diminish.
So I ask you again when your spouse looks into your face what does she/he see?
1 John 4:18 says: Perfect love casts out fear.

A Thought About Making The Most of Today

2010-11-18T23:56:00.000-05:00

It’s only been a short time since I discovered the wonderful benefits of being on facebook. I have loved every minute of connecting with all my old friends from the past; both those from school and those from church. In some ways Fb has made me long for what used to be; to re-live those care free days of my youth. Some people have changed so much and look so different, while others haven’t changed a bit; they are exactly the same as I left them 20-30 years in my past. Either way I have so enjoyed getting to know them all again, each person so unique and precious in their own way. It brings back such fun memories of being young again.
This is really a refreshing view for me since I realize now that I’ve spent the last 40 years dreaming of the future, always striving for tomorrow and what might be held there for me. You all know what I mean, first growing up, then being an adult, getting married, having kids, finishing my Masters Degree, having a career that I love.....all stuff I have achieved and although it is now in my past it was all stuff I longed for to happen as a future event; never truly being happy ‘in the now’ so to speak. If only I could.... If only this would happen..... If only, if only, if only.......
We all know that we can’t live in the past.....we can appreciate it, we can learn from it, we can build on it, but it doesn’t do us any good to hold on to it so tight that we don’t move forward. The past is the past, is the past, and we also know that we can’t ever change it, so there is no use dwelling on the mistakes we’ve made or the choices we so badly regret. On the other side of that coin though, we also can’t always live for the future. It’s never wrong to have hopes and dreams but we also can’t find our significance in it because none of us truly knows what tomorrow will hold or even if we will be around to enjoy it. There is no use counting on, or hoping for what may never be. We need to get rid of the ‘if onlys’ and the ‘what ifs’ that we hold so tight to at times.

I am totally convinced that we (and when I say we, I’m speaking to myself as much as anyone)must begin to live and enjoy every moment to it’s fullest. We need to take each precious moment that God gives us and make the most of it; to truly live in the ‘here and now.’ I want to (and maybe it’s the mid life crises speaking here) begin to ‘stop and smell the roses’ along the way, I want to be sure to leave nothing undone. I want to be sure that each and every person I’m in contact with gets the best I have to give them, and most importantly to never miss the opportunity to tell those that I love what they mean to me. I know it will be hard to always remember to do this as my wicked heart can be so selfish at times, but it truly is the desire of my heart, and I’m positive that as life goes on I will never regret making the most of every day and choosing to live each day moment by moment by moment by moment. Oh and if you aren't on 'Facebook' yet, come join me.....it's really fun!!!

A Thought About My Car Accident

2010-10-21T18:54:00.002-04:00

As I was sitting at the lights at Kingston Road and Morningside, complaining to myself about how much my back hurt, someone smashed into the back of my car, full speed. The back bumper of my car was already in bad shape from when I backed into my sons car in the driveway and then again when I backed into my daughters car last week (I know we'll discuss my driving another time...they just shouldn't park behind me in the drive way that's all!).
Anyway, this guy hit me so hard that everything in the front of my car including everything on the dashboard and in all the little compartments, ended up being in the back seat of my car. It all went flying and everything happened so fast.
I was in such shock that I couldn't move for the first few minutes. Never really had an accident like that before and I didn't have a clue what to do. It's a good thing that God was looking after me because although the man who hit me gave me a card with all his info on it, I didn't even think to write down his licence plate number. (I know, we can discuss my stupidity another time too!) I just couldn't think straight, I was completely dumbfounded and confused. He could have completely shafted me....but he didn't.
Turns out that the man was an auto mechanic and a really nice guy. He ended up fixing the back end of my car and it honestly looks better now than when I first bought the car!!! I may need to go out and get a new front end just so it matches the back.
God took a potentially bad situation and worked it out better than I could have ever thought. I have a great looking car!! Oh, and my back has been completely better from the time he hit me, no more pain! How amazing is that!

What Every Kid Needs to Know

2010-10-15T08:08:00.001-04:00

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft may not be everyone's favourite person but he is still a very wise man. He didn't get to where he is by sitting on his hands. He worked for it. I know there is more to life than financial gain, but his words to the next generation are dead on.

(1) Life isn't fair - get used to it.

(2) The world doesn't care about your self-esteem; it expects you to accomplish something before feeling good about yourself.

(3) You won't make $100,000 a year or be a vice president with a cell phone right out of school. You have to earn it.

(4) Do you think your teacher is tough? Wait till you have a boss - he's not tenured.

(5) Flipping burgers isn't beneath you; your grandparents called it opportunity.

(6) If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault.

(7) Your parents weren't always boring; it came from feeding you, cleaning your clothes and paying your bills. So before you rush out to save the rain forest from the 'parasites' of your parents' generation, try delousing your own cupboard.

(8) Some schools may have abolished winners and losers, but life hasn't. They may have eradicated 'failing grades' and given you as long as you want to get the right answer. This bears no resemblance to reality.

(9) Life isn't divided into semesters. You don't get summers off. Employers aren't interested in helping you 'find yourself'; you do that on your own time.

(10) Unlike television, real people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work.

(11) Be nice to nerds; chances are, you'll end up working for one someday!

A Pantastrophy!

2010-10-01T08:16:00.000-04:00

Ok, so remember the day I told you that I wore two different shoes to the hospital to see Jack? Well I bought these new stretchy pants from Giant Tiger and I guess the tag was sewn in the front instead of the back by mistake...so I wore them backwards all day! My daughter is the one who told me that the little holes in the bottom of each leg are where your heals are suppose to go through, they aren't just decorations for the front. Never seen pants like this before, how was I suppose to know? No wonder my kids are too embarrassed to go out with me. I can't even dress myself. I was thinking that perhaps I should write a book one day on all the stupid things I've done in my life time but it would take up too many volumes, sooooo maybe not.

Trials: Curse or Blessing?

2010-09-30T15:30:00.001-04:00

How many of us look at the hard times in our lives, the trials, the deep valleys that we go through, as negative experiences?
We often associate the good times with God’s blessing and the bad times or hard times with His punishment, discipline or even abandonment.
However, for those who trust in the Lord, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Bible tells us that God allows sun and rain to fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matt 5:45 says that: you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous
All of it is part of the provision, benefit and growth that God deems necessary for each one of us. But when we are going through it, do we really see it that way?
It is funny but as I look back at some of the hardest times of my life, the times that have made the biggest impact on my emotions, strength, finances, physical health etc, I can clearly see them now, as the times when God was closest to me. I can look back and see His fingerprints all over my life and although I didn’t necessarily feel it at the time, it was those very experiences that drove me to my knees and kept me closest to Him. It was also at those very moments of pain and confusion that I experienced the most growth in my life. I know now that His presence and providence was guiding me every step of the way.
In fact I believe it is through the hard times that God does His best work. He stretches us sometimes beyond what we ever believed could be our capacity. Sometimes we don’t see until years later how important those lessons were for our ultimate well being.

Furthermore, it is through our trials that God helps to prepare us to help others who will someday go through similar circumstances. Someday we will be able to see the greater picture and the purpose for our sufferings and trials, for now we must learn to walk in faith and trust.
If a broken heart is what keeps us close to God then really our prayer should be “Lord break my heart,” because anything that draws us closer to Him has infinite value.
Next time you are going through a particularly hard time in your life, run to the only One who can truly help you. The One who promises to use everything you go through for your good and for His glory. Trust in the only One who holds the future; who will never leave you or forsake you. Allow Him to take you through the trials and to mold you and shape you into a beautiful vessel fit for His use. Face the trial head on; hand it over to God and ask, “Lord, in what redemptive way can you use this mess in my life?”

I can only promise one thing and it is this.... He will never let you down.

My Dad: A Man of Integrity

2010-09-29T19:09:00.000-04:00

My father is a wonderful man and has tried hard to always be the best father he knew how to be.
The busyness of life keeps us from seeing each other more than a handful of times during the year, but my father loves me and of this I have no doubt.
Growing up, my dad always had the job of disciplinarian at our house......quite frankly I think he did a pretty good job of this, because I turned out not too bad. He taught us right from wrong and was very consistent in his ways. When he said ‘no’ he meant ‘no’. We never needed to ask twice because we knew his answer wouldn’t change. I wish I had inherited a little of this wonderful trait to pass on to my own children. As it stands I went totally the other way on this one....one word from me and everyone does whatever they please.
My father taught me respect for others too, something that many of my friends growing up never had the benefit of learning. In later years I truly grew to appreciate the things my father instilled in me especially with regards to respecting those older than me.
My father was a generous man always being sure his family was well provided for even if that meant he had to go without. I remember him being on night shifts and the many hours of overtime he did just to make the ends meet.
I have wonderful memories of dad teaching me to sing along with him while he played guitar. We visited many a nursing home and children’s homes singing for the residence. He did this with me well into my teen years. I still have a tape recording of me at 2 years old singing “Let the Sunshine In”. It was dads way of spending quality time with me.
My father had a gregarious laugh (maybe that’s where I get mine from) and once he got going it turned into a high pitched hyena sound. It was contagious....I loved when that happened.
I remember watching the Kung Foo movies with him for hours (all English dubbed) every Saturday morning. It was the highlight of my week. I still love when they come on. They remind me of my childhood.
Once I got older dad became my own private taxi driver, ready to take me wherever I needed to go.
Dad was always good with a video camera too. Thanks to him I have hours of footage from the time I was a baby right on up to when my own kids were born.
Many of my friends no longer have their fathers with them. I am so fortunate to still have him around. He is a wonderful grandfather too. My kids can hardly wait to open his corny cards whenever they arrive in the mail. They love the gifts too but it’s the cards that everyone gathers around to see. You’d have to read one of them too truly understand what a ham my father really is.
Dad will be 80 years old this coming May. I can hardly believe it. Our family has a great deal to celebrate in this and much to praise the Lord for.
My parents took me to church every single Sunday from the time I was born until I left home, for this I will be eternally grateful. We were never rich growing up and sometimes my parents struggled to pay the bills but they passed on the greatest treasure that could ever be given to any child; the gift of knowing Jesus Christ. Is there a better legacy that a parent can leave for their child? I personally don’t believe there is anything more precious or more important.
Thanks Dad.

A Thought About Our Memory

2010-07-12T18:57:00.000-04:00

Psalm 103:12: as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. NIV

A good memory is a great thing to have, especially when it comes to studying for tests or memorizing scripture, dates, birthdays, phone numbers etc. However sometimes our memories can cause problems if they become too good with every little detail..... especially if it's the details of every little wrong that is done to us. A cutting remark made without thinking may be remembered for months, even years. A careless comment can ruin a relationship if it's not dealt with quickly in our own hearts, forgiven and then forgotten. Sometimes we say we forgive but if we still remember and we don't let it go, then can we really say it's forgiven?

I'm so glad that when God says that he forgives us of our sins, he promises that they will never be held against us again. Sometimes having a bad memory is not such a terrible thing to have.

Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." NIV Romans 4:7-8

A Thought About Football

2010-07-09T11:26:00.002-04:00

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14 NIV

Not too long ago I watched my first football game in it's entirety. I didn't really understand a bit of it, accept for the fact that while 22 great big tired people worked hard on the field to win the game, the seats around them were filled with people standing around watching. The spectators related to the players and what they were trying to accomplish but none of them were actually involved in the actual work of playing the game. It also seemed to me that as the players worked hard to get the ball down the field some of the spectators had nothing nice to say or any encouragement to give them regardless of how hard they were trying....in fact it sounded a lot more like complaining to me rather than cheering. Some of the spectators were in great need of exercise themselves but failed to contribute in anyway to the wellbeing of the team, only noticing what the hard working players were doing wrong.

Sometimes the church can be the same way. While a few tired and overworked people carry the bulk of the load, the majority of people are content to sit back and watch.....some even complaining about how those actually doing the work are performing. I want to personally thank every one of the people who volunteer at Community Alliance Church and commend you on giving it your all. I also want to encourage you to keep your eyes focused on the goal and not to get distracted along the way by those who would bring discouragement rather than encouragement to your ministry.
Just remember who you are doing it for and what team you are on. The winning touchdown has already been made and the end of the game already written...... and we my friends are definitely on the winning team!

Gal 6:8-10: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

A Thought About The Gang

2010-07-07T21:32:00.001-04:00

Have you ever felt that God has blessed you so much through certain people he has put in your life? People that when you are around them, life just seems to be that much more wonderful? I suppose we could all name a few. But how many of us can honestly say that it is the people that we work with day in and day out? Well I can. I wish I had a picture that included all of them (especially one with Florence and Liz) but here are the other three characters I work with and I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. That's all I'll say about that for now.

A Thought About Forgiveness

2010-06-27T20:26:00.003-04:00

Ever notice how heavy a little baby can get after you've been carrying him/her for a little while. A few minutes is no problem but after an hour your arms get really tired. Carrying a baby all day long is completely exhausting. That baby weighs the same from the minute you pick it up to the time you put it down but the longer you carry that child the heavier it feels.

Holding a grudge against someone works very much the same way....it can get so heavy that it can actually immobilize you; it can stop you from living.

The fact is that the longer you are on this earth the more you are at risk of getting hurt by others. It's going to happen. It is inevitable unless you hide away from relationships with everyone around you.

Sometimes people hurt you and they don't even realize that they have done it. They would probably feel badly to think they had upset you or acted in an insensitive way. But what about those people who do deliberately try to hurt you. It is sad, but, there will be people like that in your life.....if you live in the real world that is.

The first thing you need to do in either situation is to confront your feelings. If you know it was unintentional then get over it. Life is just too short. If it was unintentional then it's not really about you. Leave it behind and move on.

But what about when it is intentional. That is a bit harder to deal with; a little harder to just 'get over,' often because the pain is so deep, it's harder to forgive. That's when you need to pray. The Bible says, "Pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:28 NIV). When you do that something unexpected happens; your heart softens and you start seeing them through God's eyes instead of your own raw emotions.

Praying for them may even open a door into their hurts and pains; the circumstances that cause them to lash out at and purposely try to hurt others. We are all products of our circumstances to the degree we allow them to take us over. Some how we need to let go and forgive.

Jesus said, "If you have anything against someone, forgive - only then will your Heavenly Father… wipe your slate clean" (Mark 11:25 TM). When you sow unforgiveness you reap unforgiveness - even from God!

Forgiveness really is more for your own benefit than it is for the person you are forgiving anyway. That grudge, over time, will only grow heavier and heavier and if you allow it to weigh you down, eventually it may turn you into an even more miserable and bitter person than the one who tried to hurt you in the first place.

To forgive someone doesn't mean you are saying what they did was ok, you are not condoning what they have done, nor are you saying that there shouldn't be consequences and/or punishment for the offense, you are simply releasing yourself of any bitterness and the weight of holding a grudge; you are saying that you refuse to let that person or situation bring you down any further.

The Bible says in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." So throw off the burdens and don't let the weight of unforgiveness keep you down. Life will be a whole lot easier without it.
That's all I want to say about that for now

A Thought

2010-06-24T17:47:00.001-04:00

Sometimes the whole world seems to be picking on just one person - me. That's all I feel like saying about that.....for now.

A Thought About The Other Fellow

2010-06-20T16:11:00.000-04:00

When the other fellow acts that way he's being ugly
When you do it, it's just bad nerves
When he's set in his ways, he's obstinate
When you are, it's just firmness
When she doesn't like your friends, she's prejudiced
When you don't like hers, you are simply showing good judgment of human nature
When she tries to be accommodating, she's polishing the apple
When you do it, you're using tact
When he takes time to do things, he is procrastinating
When you take ages, you are being deliberate
When she picks flaws, she's cranky
When you do it, you're discerning.
I wish that was all I knew about that!

A Thought About Buying Things Twice

2010-06-19T09:03:00.000-04:00

I remember being in grade school near the end of the year when every class had the opportunity to file down the hall way passed the tables and tables of stuff that had accumulated from the lost and found box. If you didn't claim your lost items on the walk through they became the possession of the school and were used for the school auction at the end of the day. I remember one of my friends seeing one of her scarves after it was too late and having to buy it back. It seemed so unfair to me that she had to pay twice for something that already belonged to her in the first place. But neither does it seem fair that God too had to pay twice for each of us, but he did. We belong to him first because he created us, and then he bought us again with the blood of his very own son. Sometimes we are tempted to complain when things aren't fair but maybe we should be very glad that things are not always fair. That's all my thoughts on that for now

A Thought About How To Be Perfectly Miserable

2010-06-18T17:38:00.001-04:00

Here are some steps on how to be perfectly miserable:
Think about yourself
Talk about yourself
Use "I" as often as possible
Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.
Listen greedily to what people say of you
Be sensitive to slights. Never forget criticism
Be suspicious, jealous, and envious.
Trust nobody but yourself
Insist on consideration and respect

Tear others down
Believe the worst of others
Demand agreement with your own views on everything
Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them.
Never forget a service you have rendered
Be on the lookout for a good time for yourself, shirk your duties if you can
Love yourself supremely, be selfish, and do as little as possible for others.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Sometimes we read these verses and see them as a prescription of how others should be treating us, but really this passage is a personal word to each of us, from God, on how we are to treat others. There is a big difference there.

As I go through this list I see there are a few things in my life that I need to be working on myself. Nobody is perfect, but with God's help we can make a conscious choice to live and love as he intended.

A Thought About Death

2010-06-18T11:31:00.002-04:00

I hate death. I hate the pain, I hate the indignity and I hate the not having all the answers for the families that are left behind after their loved ones are gone. I hate the suffering and anxiety that comes and goes even in the best of circumstances; the looks of emptiness, the waves of fear, and the numbness that seems to penetrate every fibre of your being. I hate that death is a walk into the unknown. I hate that people die without me having had the chance to tell them what they meant to me; or, even worse, I hate watching people that I have grown to love so much, suffer and waste away to nothing. I hate watching people's hearts ripped out because they've lost someone that they love; especially when it's someone far too young to die.
Being a pastor doesn't make walking through the process of death any easier, it is still a separation from those we love; it is still painful to watch others be in such great pain. However, for those who have faith in Jesus Christ, we know that this life is not all there is and that for those who believe in Him, heaven awaits on the other side of this life. I think that it is more the fear of the unknown that makes us all so uncomfortable. We need to think of death more as a parallel to birth. A fetus in the womb has no real knowledge of the birth process. To the baby, at best, it would mean a dark passage to the unknown. But we know that it is in fact the beginning of a much richer and more meaningful existence, which at least for the first few years is spent in the arms of parents who love and provide for that baby in every way they can. Is death not the same thing?.... and if that is the case, then there is nothing cruel or mystifying about our having to undergo it. We fear it now because it is the unknown, but someday when we look back on it, we will see that there was nothing at all to be afraid of. It will be an even richer and more meaningful existence spent in the arms of our loving Lord and Saviour who will provide for our every need. How awesome is that? That's all I will say about that....for now.

1 Corinthians 13:12: Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. NIV

A Thought About Putting Christ First

2010-06-15T16:53:00.002-04:00

If you hold your finger up in front of your face you can block out an entire tree. If you hold that same finger even closer to your eye you can block out an entire house. It seems impossible that something so small could block out something so much bigger, but in the right position it can be done quite easily.

It is the same way with Christ. He is incomprehensibly large, but it is possible for something very small to block him completely out of our sight......... possessions, wealth, pride, anything can do it....anything that we hold closer to us than him. Just saying......and that's all I will say about that..

A Thought About Having The Right Perspective

2010-06-14T12:15:00.000-04:00

I once saw a poster that said "You can complain because rosebushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

The same goes for life. If we are willing to see it there is usually something thankful to be found in even the worst of situations.

What can look bad at first glance can end up having great value if we are able to see it in the right perspective. That's all I'll say about that....for now.

A Thought About Letting Go and Letting God

2010-06-12T13:33:00.002-04:00

I once heard a story that went something like this: A farmer saw a kitten fall into a well, and he hurried over to rescue it. When he looked down into the well, he saw that the kitten was clinging to a ledge to prevent from falling any further. The farmer quickly lowered a bucket underneath the kitten in order to catch it when it fell, but it was so frightened that it continued to hang on with all it's might. Finally, when that kitten could no longer hold on, it let go and fell into the bucket, and the farmer then lifted it out of the well.

Have you ever felt like that kitten, hanging on for dear life, so afraid of falling deeper in to a scary situation? Well listen, God is saying to you, "just let go my kitten, I will catch you when you fall. I will lift you up when you can no longer hold on in your own strength." If you are in a situation where you feel like you are barely hanging on, then just let go and fall into the arms of your loving God, leave everything up to him and he will save you. Put your trust in the only one who will never leave you or forsake you. He loves you with an everlasting love. I have so much more to say about that.

A Thought About Spiritual Disasters Around The House

2010-06-11T18:38:00.003-04:00

It is true that more than half of those killed in falls die in their own homes. The worst thing is that the home, which should be one of the safest places or us to be, is one of the most dangerous. That's because we are sometimes off guard when we are at home and not paying attention to the stumbling blocks around us.

Unfortunately for me the same is also true for spiritual disasters. Some of my worst displays of temper, selfishness, cruelty, jealousy and carelessness are directed towards those who are closest to me. Shameful isn't it? The people I love the most should really get the best of who I am, not the worst. After all, if we can't be good to the people we have to spend the rest of our lives with then who on earth can we be good to? It should be all the more reason to perform in a Christlike manner and be on guard against stumbling blocks. That's all I want to say about that for now.

A Thought About Walking Above The Waves

2010-06-10T20:02:00.003-04:00

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him

"You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Matthew 14:31

This morning I was reading from Matthew 14 about the story of Peter walking on the water. The water was calm as Peter got out of the boat and started to walk towards the Lord. However, as Peter began to think about the potential danger out on the water, he got scared and started to sink. When he cried out for the Lord, Jesus immediately reached out to rescue him.
That is very much how it is in the Christian life. When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, it makes it possible to walk through the storms and stay above the wind and the waves of problems and hardships that come our way. With Jesus by our side those terrible trials won't get the best of us. But as soon as we take our eyes off him and instead only see the dangerous winds and waves of life's difficulties, we begin to sink
The wonderful thing is that each time we call for Jesus to help us, he will be right there waiting patiently to lift us up again.

A Thought About Barb

2010-06-09T09:57:00.012-04:00

This week we have been deeply saddened by the passing of our sister Barb Palmer; a long time friend and treasured member of our church who was taken from us after an extensive battle with cancer. We loved her and we will miss her dearly.

As God’s children what are we to think when a tragedy such as this hits us and shakes us to the core. It is hard to understand why a life is cut so short. We cannot explain why they are taken away from us. It just does not seem fair. But sometimes it does happen, and as a child of God it can really stretch and test our faith. That is when we need to cling to the Lord’s promise that if we trust Him, He will work all things together for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

However, for Barb and for others like her who seem to be taken from us far too early, they are in good company. Jesus Himself did not live a long time on this earth, and that was because the Father had a work for Him to do in His death that could not be done otherwise. Somehow in the grace and providence of God those precious servants who are taken from us to heaven have been chosen by God to do a work that could not be done in any other way except in death.

This following little illustration I found might help you to understand God’s perspective of what seems to us be a short-lived life and untimely death such as Barb’s.

There was once a gardener who was tending roses for his master. There was one rose in particular that was special to the master, and the master had assigned the gardener to care for that beautiful white rose. Oh, how he cared for it. He fertilized it, pruned it, trimmed it, and watered it. That white rose was blossoming and it was beautiful.

One day the gardener walked through the garden to discover that the white rose was gone. He looked everywhere for it. He was frantic; in a complete panic. As he was going in to give the bad news to the master that his prize rose was gone, he walked into the master’s quarters, and there on the master’s mantle, clipped and in a vase, was the rose. The gardener had cared for and nurtured that rose. “Why have you cut it?”, he gasped. “What are you doing?” “What were you thinking?”

The master replied, “I thought you were tending that rose for me. I had entrusted it to your care but that rose was mine and I had a great need, a need for that rose to be with me.” Well, the gardener then understood.

In life, God sometimes reaches down and clips a beautiful rose, but do you know why He does it? It is because in the death of that precious one the Heavenly Father had a work and a purpose that could only be accomplished in that manner. God’s Word says: “Precious in the eyes of God is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15) And we know that precious in the eyes of God is the death of our dear sister Barb. It is in these times that we must trust Him, and believe that He is in control.

Yes, Barb, our dear rose has been taken from us, but the memories of her Christlike example, and the beautiful fragrance of faithfulness, trust and love that she has left behind to inspire us will never ever be forgotten. Her Saviour, is our Saviour, and He has called her onto bigger and better things....and faithfully, on to Glory, she must go!

A Thought About Pulling Stubborn Weeds

2010-06-03T22:21:00.002-04:00

I have been learning quickly about gardening this year and in particular about the stubbornness of weeds. The other day I had out my handy dandy de-weeder and I went about pulling the dandelions that were scattered around my back yard. Some were baby weeds; they were easy to up root, but others were not so easy. I came to realize that the older and bigger a weed was, the harder it was to pull out. Some of them were so stubborn and ingrown; rooted so deep that pulling them out literally knocked me over.

Weeds of sin are the same. They are much easier to pull out before they have a chance to dig their roots deep into our lives. In order to keep them from spreading we also must keep after them constantly. Even though we may not enjoy dealing with our sin, it is necessary in order to keep our lives clean. Sin becomes harder to uproot the longer we wait and when it is not dealt with immediately, it will grow deeper, stronger and eventually multiply, giving birth to even more sin.

As you are out and about doing your gardening this time of year remember the lesson of the weeds. It takes constant care to keep our gardens from being taken over by invading weeds, but when we keep on top of it the results are beautiful to see. It is much the same with our lives, it takes constant effort but the results are of great reward!!!

So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12 NIV)

A Thought About Life's Embarrassing Moments

2010-04-28T21:53:00.005-04:00

Well it was going to be a fabulous day! It started out in the usual way...up at 4am to get ready for work and to see Jack at the hospital to give him breakfast on my way in. It was going to be a wonderful day, I could just feel it! Besides I had my new outfit on and my hair turned out just right. There's nothing like great hair and a new outfit to put that bounce back in your step. On my way out the door I noticed everyone's garbage was out on the curb, so it was back in the house, to get the key, to open up the garage, and take out the bags to the curb. It was getting late and this was just one more thing that would slow me down. I quickly put on my coat and shoes and shot out the door. I hate being rushed in the morning. But it was alright because it was a beautiful day and nothing was going to stop me today! Even the traffic was good! Everything was going my way. I get to the hospital in record time and parked the car. On my way up to Jack's room I always stop at the Country Style just inside the foyer of Centenery Hospital to buy coffee for Jack and myself. He always loves that. As I walked through the foyer I notice something funny about my walk that I had never noticed before. I seemed to be walking much heavier on my right side. "Strange" I thought to myself as I could hear my heals hitting the mezzanine floor. It even sounded funny....heavy, soft, heavy, soft, heavy, soft....It sounded like I was carrying a hippo on one side of me as I walked across the floor. "Hhmmm" I thought again, "that sounds really weird." Didn't think another thing of it until I was sitting at Jack's bedside and I look down at my feet to see that I had two different shoes on! I almost died.

When it was time to leave I walked extra fast down the halls so that anyone seeing my feet wouldn't be able to get a close look at either one of them. How embarrassing! It's just a good thing that I keep an extra pair of shoes at work or I would have had to go home. What's even worse is that one of them had the zipper up the side and the other one was a slip on. How on earth did I not notice that when I was putting them on!
That will just go to show you how exhausted I really am. Anyway the day was down hill from there.

Sometimes a good hair day and a new outfit just isn't enough to cover over all my stupidity. I won't ever make that mistake again. But God is good and His mercies are new every morning so I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day. Hopefully I won't even remember this day and never have to talk about it again.

A Thought About The Spiritual Growth of Our Children

2010-04-20T18:25:00.004-04:00

For most of us, life in the 21st century is busy. Most people have more on their 'to-do' list than they can ever possibly accomplish. As parents we are always running here and there, picking up and dropping off our little miniature ballerinas, our famous baseball players and our future concert pianists. We only want the best for our children. We want to ensure that they are nurtured and healthy during their growing years so that they "can be all that they can be." We want them to eat nutritious foods and get the right exercise so that they will become physically healthy and strong. We want them to learn in a wholesome environment as they grow intellectually and emotionally, and we want to protect them from anything that would hinder their growth and well being.

But what about the spiritual growth of our children, is it also important? Well, if the total health of our children is important to us, then amidst our busy schedules we must nurture their spiritual growth as well.

According to the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), Moses presented God's people with a clear strategy for their children. First, parents were instructed to obey God's commandments themselves and thus give their children a model to observe rather than rules to obey. Second, they were to talk about God's ways "when [they] sat at home and when [they] walked along the road, when [they] lay down and when [they] got up." That is, parents were to use the every day experiences of the child's life as a means of awakening interest in the things of the Lord. God insisted that spiritual nurturing was to start early in life.

Jesus had things to say about children as well. For example, he said "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones." (Matthew 18:10). When asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus replied by standing a child in the middle of the group and urging his hearers to "become like little children" in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Apparently Jesus identified the qualities of a child as central to God's purposes. On another occasion, some of his followers attempted to stop parents from bringing their children to him.The Bible tells us that Jesus was indignant and corrected his followers: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Mark 10:14). Then it says "And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." Yes, children are very important to the Lord Jesus, and the child who trusts and experiences his love has a solid foundation for coping with the difficult experiences of life (not to mention the eternal benefits).

If you are looking to make this journey along with your children, I would encourage you to take action now. Take the time to investigate the possibilities of joining a Christian Church in your area. Build relationships with your children, with Jesus and with a family of fellow believers who will help to strengthen and support you as you seek to nurture and grow with your family, in mind, body and soul.

Is the spiritual growth of your child and family important?
You bet their lives it is!!
That's not all I'll say about that!

A Thought About Being Unsatisfied

2010-04-12T21:36:00.006-04:00

Is it in our human nature to just never be satisfied?

It's like the flies on the screen door analogy. Half the flies are on the inside trying to get out and the other half are on the outside desperately trying to get in. Nobody is ever happy; no one ever seems to be satisfied with where they are in life.

And then again, maybe that's the way it should be, as long as your motivation is right. Maybe we should always be striving to be better. Maybe we should always be striving to help others more; to wish we had more, so that we could give more. Sometimes being unsatisfied can be a very good thing. It moves us to take action. Perhaps, all too often, we get to the point where we are satisfied and we stop trying to achieve; we stop trying to learn and to become better at everything God has gifted us to do. Yes, I do believe there are times when we should be satisfied and grateful for various things in our lives and we shouldn't complain, but if being satisfied is what stops us from pushing ourselves to always be the best we can be then perhaps we should rethink the whole area of always 'being satisfied with what we've got'. As long as our motivation is right and it's not just to compete with someone else and it's really just to strive to be the best we can be, then I say "WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH THAT?...... THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!"
That's it for now!

A Thought About Trouble....Hooray for Trouble!!

2010-04-11T23:23:00.070-04:00

Maybe the person has a great marriage and yours seems like a constant battle. Maybe she has a husband who loves Jesus and yours won’t step foot in the church. Maybe she has children who love the Lord and desire with all their hearts to serve Him and yours won’t even acknowledge there is a God. Or maybe he has the kind of relationship with his kids that you long to have, but just don’t. Maybe he has a fulfilling and successful vocation...and you can’t even find a job. Maybe she seems to have material blessings coming out of her ears and you’re constantly struggling just to make the ends meet. Maybe...well, whatever seems ideal to you...whatever you want so badly but don’t have.

Sometimes we look at the goodness of God in someone else’s life and wish we could experience the same. How often have you heard someone say “The Lord has been so good to us” as they’ve shared something good that just happened to them? I’ve heard it often...as a matter a fact I’ve said it often myself. We seem to associate God’s blessing with only the good things that happen to us. However, when we do this we are totally missing the point that there’s a special purpose to trials - the difficulties, hardships, and testings that suddenly invade our lives. We see trials as robbers, bent on stealing our joy and our sense of God’s blessing and goodness, because we are so earthbound and we can only focus on the temporal. However, to a child of God, trials are cause for rejoicing. (Adapted from Kay Arther: His imprint. Great book! She's my fav!)

So “hooray for trouble”. That sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Yet that is in essence what James is saying in James 1:2-5

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him”.

We don’t have to rejoice for the trial in and of itself, but for the good that God will do through it, in our lives. Trials for the Christian have a wonderful purpose; trials are very much a part of God’s blessing, for those who are part of His family. Through the trials in our lives, we, as His children, really can say “hooray for trouble!”

First: Respond Positively
None of us doubts for a moment that someday we will face difficult times. The issue is not ‘if’ we face suffering, but ‘when’ we face it. James says in v2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." Let’s face it, no one, not even Jesus (especially Jesus), ever lived a perfectly blissful life. No one disputes the fact that we’re all going to endure hard times at one time or another. It’s inevitable. James instructs us to respond positively every time we face trials. Not just with the big ones - in the life and death situations, or not just with small ones - the ones that happen on a daily basis that can drive you in sane, but in the face of every single trial; 'whenever' we face them.

So how on earth are we suppose to respond positively, especially when we are in the depth of despair? Responding appropriately is a very hard thing to do. It’s not our natural response. Sometimes for instance we respond to trouble with rage. This might make us feel better temporarily but in the long run it will not satisfy. In fact when we are in a state of rage, we do a lot more harm than good. Other times we respond with resignation. We give up. We just quit trying. Some of us tend to cry a lot. But just giving in isn’t going to make us feel any better either. In fact in time it can cause you to build up such resentment inside that it can turn into rage!

If we’re really honest, our reaction is usually the exact opposite of joy. We need to realize that trials can also come in any form and can effect every area of our being; emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, etc. When your mind, body and soul are in the depth of despair, how is it that James honestly expects us, Christian or not, to “Consider it all joy”.

James tells us to deliberately choose to rejoice in our troubles; to truly believe that it is a good thing that the trial is happening. James is not saying that you will always feel joy, ha ha far from it, but he is telling you to make a conscious decision to choose to trust God in every situation.

Secondly: Respond Productively
A. James tells us to let trouble help you to develop patience. And the fruit of trial is patience.
A young Christian man asked an elderly believer to pray that he would have more patience. The older man dropped down on his knees and began to pray, “Lord, send this young man tribulation in the morning; send this young man tribulation in the afternoon; Lord send this young man,” At that point the young Christian blurted out, “No, no I didn’t ask you to pray for tribulation, I wanted you to pray for patience.” "Ah", responded the wise Christian, "don’t you know, it’s through tribulation that we learn patience.”

B. But let trouble help you develop more than a passive patience let it develop perseverance or endurance.
Romans 5:3 confirms this “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;”

It is actually in the struggling against difficulty and opposition that spiritual stamina is developed. That’s why perseverance is a more accurate word for the type of patience that James is talking about. It’s not just a waiting around type of word. It is trusting that Jesus will guide and direct us through each storm.

1 Cor 10:13 says that God will never put you through more than you can handle. This promise is your assurance that he will never permit anything to come your way that you cannot handle. Whatever the trial, whatever the testing, whatever the temptation, you can know that if it were not possible for you to endure it in a way pleasing to your heavenly Father, then, He would simply not permit it. He will never put you through more than you can stand, but will make a way for you to escape.

Out of His love for us God allows troubles, so we can become stronger in our lives and closer in our walk with him. It is for our good and His glory that these trials are allowed to happen. In fact we should be concerned if we haven’t had any hard times for a long time, because God tests the righteous not the wicked. 1 Chronicles 29:17 says: " I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity."
So you see it really is a privilege to have a rough time. Then we know that God hasn’t given up working on us. Perseverance has a work to do, and this can be accomplished only by persistence in trials. If perseverance is to ‘finish its work’ faith can’t falter or give up. The goal here is that believers will be strengthened, and will mature in their faith and in their walk with God.

The activities of an oyster beautifully illustrate the reactions Christians are to have to trouble. Do you know how a pearl is formed? The oyster begins to work when a tiny piece of sand enters its shell. With great care, patience, and time, it builds layer after layer of a milky substance around the sand, covering each sharp corner. Eventually a beautiful pearl is formed around what was a problem to the oyster. Remember the goal of trials for Christians is that they will become beautiful and Christlike, strengthened and mature in their faith.

C. Let trouble help you develop maturity

I want you to think for a moment about the hardest trials that you have had to face in your life. How have you responded? Well basically there are two ways: It’s all in the way you handle it.
Robert Schuller wrote “I will be a better person when this problem is past. I will be a wiser, stronger, more patient person; or.... I will be sour, cynical, bitter, disillusioned, and angry. It all depends on what I do with this problem. Each problem can make me a better person or a worse person. It can bring me closer to God, or it can drive me further away. It can build my faith or it can shatter my faith. It all depends on my attitude.” God does give you a choice here, and how you respond in the face of your sufferings will speak volumes about your walk with God.

Maybe you are just weary of the battle exhausted from trying to do what is right. Or maybe you feel that no matter how obedient you are, it won’t change things anyway. Maybe you just want to have your own way, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Or perhaps things have gotten so bad that you simply want to check out? By that I mean giving up in despair and letting your emotions and thoughts run amuck any which way they want to, thinking and believing things that just aren’t true; letting your imagination run wild, rather than allowing the Spirit of God to help you keep them under His control. Well you’re not alone in your feelings, but this is when, as a Christian, you still choose to consider it joy anyway. Even when you’ve hit rock bottom and you feel you can’t go on. Even when you are in the depth of despair. Trust in God to bring you through and refuse to allow those feelings to take you over.

As I look back over my life I know that it was definitely through the hardest times that God has done the greatest amounts of work. It was those times, those darkest circumstances, (you know the times when you feel that you can’t even get up never mind go on; that even to think about now makes your stomach do flips and ya brake out in a sweat) that caused me to seek Him out with all my heart and to draw the closest to Him. God’s promise to us is that He will be faithful to bring us through. We just need to hang on and trust Him, knowing that he’s never failed and He’s not going to start now. It is through the trials of life that we come to be more like Jesus. Trials are really a testing of your faith...a test that proves the genuineness of your relationship with your God and His Word. Trials are designed for the sole purpose of making us like Jesus, and no child of God is exempt from them. Even those who seem so blessed of God, those whom you might have a tendency to envy, are also going to endure trials...if they are genuinely His.

However, their trials will not necessarily be the same as yours. In fact, they may be going through trials right now, but you just don’t see it or recognize it. Do you know why? Because God made you ‘one of a kind’. Because, you are not the same as any other person. You are uniquely you. So God has a unique, individual set of circumstances which He will use to refine and purify you so that you will come through the fire of affliction with your ungodliness totally consumed.

If you want to see what’s in a sponge just squeeze it. The contents will reveals itself under pressure. The same thing will happen to you when the pressure gets tough, you will see what’s inside your heart and your soul. You will see what you’re made of. It will all come out. Maturity in Christ will only come as we learn to trust in God, lean on Him and persevere in hard times.

Thirdly. Respond Prayerfully

Maturity in Christ is a process and it’s not something that just happens over night. It’s something that will come after much perseverence. James here, talks about when we are in middle of trying times. What does he tell us to do? He tells us to pray.

Now sometimes we might pray for deliverance; we may have a terminal illness or live in an abusive situation, etc., and that is ok, because, a little further down in James chapter 4 he says, "You have not because you ask not”. God wants you to bring your problems to Him and to ask for His guidance and help. He wants you to lay your burdens at His feet and trust him to take care of them. He wants you to come to Him and draw close to Him. Other times we might pray for a change of circumstances; a new job or better living conditions, a promotion...and there is nothing wrong with that either. Sometimes however, what we really need is wisdom

James tells us to pray and more specifically to pray for wisdom. He also tells us that we will get it, if we ask for it. Now the wisdom spoken about here is not a speculative or theoretical type of wisdom nor is it a philosophical wisdom. Rather it is the type of wisdom that plays such a large part in the Book of Proverbs (1:2-4; 2:10-15; 4:5-9). It is the God-given understanding that enables a person to avoid the paths of wickedness and to live a life of righteousness. Wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of the trials and knowing how to meet them victoriously; knowing how we can grow through them. Wisdom like this, is available to the one who will ‘ask God’ for it. The promise is that ‘it will be given to you’. Not only that, but it will be given ‘generously’ ‘without finding fault.’ God will never scold his children for asking. Neither will He ever berate them for their deficiency. If we trust Him, He has promised to work it all together for our good and His glory. We may not see or understand why things happen the way they do but we have to trust Him that He is bigger than our problems and is in control.

When trials come your way - and inevitably they will - don’t run away; and don’t be envious of others who seem more blessed of God because they are not enduring what you are experiencing. And don’t make the mistake in the middle of your trial of not recognizing the goodness of God in allowing the trial to happen. “Consider it all joy my brothers.” To consider it all joy is to look past the temporal, down the long road to the eternal; to look beyond the trial to the end result. Do you know what the end result is? It’s you, perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Remember only two things will matter when you see your Lord on that great Day: how Christlike you have become, and the quality of your work for Him. Trials are really blessings in disguise to get you to that point. If we believe this and live accordingly, we will be able to say with Peter in 1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this we greatly rejoice, though now for a little while we may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that our faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Do any of you have wind chimes outside your house. Well the next time you face a storm, listen carefully.
Along with the howling of the wind you might hear the beautiful sound from the chimes. They are making music in the midst of a storm. That is really the parable of the Christian life. In the face of the greatest storms of our lives, we can make beautiful music.

You know if it takes a broken heart to draw us closer to God, then our prayer should be, “Lord, break my heart” Because, anything that draws us closer to God has infinite value. So you see, as Christians, we really can say ‘Hooray for trouble”
That's all I'll say about that for now!

A Thought About Worry

2010-04-08T19:22:00.004-04:00

With all the activities of church, family, chores around the house, the kids, the whole divorce front, I tend to worry a lot about how I'll get everything done and whether everything will work out all right. I am tempted to worry about a lot of things. It may seem to an observer that I translate the verse that says, "Don't worry about tomorrow, for your heavenly Father will take care of you" into "Worry your head off about tomorrow for if you don't, things won't turn out right." Too often I forget that God has promised to take care of all my problems, and He's the only one who has the power to change a situation for me anyway. In fact, it's actually an insult to God for me to worry, because I'm saying, "God, I don't think you can handle this situation, so I'm going to worry about it."

1 Peter 5:7 says: Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.

Not only is worry needless for a Christian, but it's also a waste of time.

Someone wrote of worry:

40% will never happen, for anxiety is the result of a tired mind.

30% concerns old decisions which cannot be altered.

12% centres in criticisms, mostly untrue, made by people who feel inferior,

10% is related to health which only worsens while you worry.

8% is 'legitimate,' showing that life does have real problems which may be met head on when we

have eliminated senseless worries.

For example, worry can have a positive perspective. It can prove that I really am interested in a friend or a person God has given to me, or that I really care about a situation. Knowing what to do with that worry is what's important.

If I turn my worry into faith, my faith can be as strong as my worry was. One prayer does more good than many times that amount of time spent worrying. I need to pray for the faith necessary to control or overcome worry. To make the most of my worry I have to turn it over to God to work everything out. Many of us spend half our time wishing for things we could have if we didn't spend half our time wishing. Philippe Melanchton once said, 'Trouble and perplexity drive us to prayer, and prayer drives away trouble and perplexity."

Phil 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers.

That's all for now

A Thought About Walking the Path Before You.

2010-04-07T22:14:00.006-04:00

Sometimes life can take you in directions that you never imagined or expected. Sometimes that means walking down very difficult paths that you'd rather not go down. Life may even come to a screeching halt and leave you feeling utterly paralyzed. If this happens you may not know what to do or how to cope, but one thing is for sure......sooner or later you will need to pick yourself up and get moving again. If you don't, life may pass you by.
As much as we wish we could control all of life's circumstances the simple fact is that we just can't. Sometimes our hopes get dashed before we even get moving. You may find yourself being led in directions that you never ever imagined or designed; paths that are just beyond any understanding; paths that are not at all what you had eagerly hoped for. So, why not trust in the One who holds your future?

Instead of questioning the direction your life has taken why not just accept the fact that there is a new path before you right now. Stop questioning the “whys” and “what if's.” and push yourself to move forward. Whatever was - is in the past. The present is what is important now. Take one minute at a time. The past is a brief reflection. The future is yet to be realized. Today is right now and it's always before you. Take each minute one step at a time, with courage, faith, and determination. Keep your head up and your best foot forward, put your trust in the One who holds your life deep in the palm of His very omnipotent hands. Walk life's journey with confidence and trust, and soon your steps will become firm and your footing will be solid again.

A path that you may never have imagined will eventually emerge and take you in the most comfortable direction you could have ever hoped to follow. When you emerge you will be a wiser more confident person than your were before. Just be sure to keep believing in both God and His faithfulness and walk with confidence into your destiny. You may find it magnificent, spectacular and beyond your wildest dreams.
That's about all I have to say about that...for now.

A Thought About Hybrid Women vs True Beauty

2010-04-06T07:39:00.014-04:00

I'm not really one to look through magazines....I simply don't have the time, but the other day I found an old one in the piles and piles of debris in my basement. As I looked through it's pages I couldn't help but notice how very little things have changed for women over the years. The magazine was filled with advertisements for women on how to be more beautiful, with articles such as "How to get your share". "How to make your man love you more". "Do you still have what it takes to make your man want you?" It had ads for many products to help us women do just that... remember this one?..."If all of a sudden a man gives you flowers"....... it's because you're wearing this fragrance. Or.... buy this hair product "because you're worth it".........use this shampoo and you'll have men following you home.........this make up. that make up, this lip stick, those pantyhose....all these things would make you a more beautiful person and best of all it would help your man to love you more!. It's funny how many of those products I actually owned growing up.....and I'm still using them, or at least a close facsimile. I grew up in the age of advertising.....advertising that conditioned women to think that they needed to be a certain way, or look a certain way, or fit into a certain mold if they ever hoped to be loved and desired by any man. This stuff tends to stay with you over the years whether you are aware of it or not. Women are conditioned to believe that if they could all just change their appearances and be something they are not then of course men will love them.......if of course, we fit the mold the ads say we should!!! We have become these hybrid women with old skin and thinning hair. But it's ok because there is surgery to fix that kind of stuff too.....NOT

The closest advertisement I saw that talked about helping women develop the inside self was an add for Jamison vitamins. I suppose none of these things are wrong in and of themselves, but I didn't see one article that talked about being a beautiful person on the inside. No wonder most of the woman my age and older have self confidence problems...they have been conditioned to find their significance in how the look, what they wear, what their figure looks like and what their man thinks of them!

Even most of the magazines on the shelves today are no better. I have seen a couple of ads for 'Dove' that I like, but on the whole not much has changed over the years. There is still nothing that shows women how to have true inner beauty; inner beauty that's full of character, love and kindness. Beauty that doesn't fade, sag, droop or wrinkle. The stuff that really matters in the eyes of God.

I think the opposite of 'love' is not 'hate', but rather it is 'self.' Now please don't hear me say that there is anything wrong with having a very healthy self esteem, because God made each of us a wonderful creation of his love. Women for far too long have tried to find their significance in men and have focused largely on outward appearance in order to do that. Problems have now manifested in many different ways....some women become very selfish and almost desperate, untrusting, unloving and sometimes even unfaithful, while for others it has caused severe depression and self esteem issues because they simply can't measure up.

When we get too wrapped up in 'self' we tend to be more intolerant of others and we can become very selfish; unloving and truly ugly people...the exact opposite of who we really wanted to become......and really that isn't desirable at all. I found this little clip that I thought explained it well:

How to be perfectly miserable:
Think about yourself
Talk about yourself and how wonderful you are in the eyes of others
Use 'I' as often as possible
Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others
Listen greedily to what people say of you
Expect to be appreciated by everyone
Be sensitive to slights. Never forget criticism
Be suspicious, jealous, and envious
Trust nobody but yourself
Insist on consideration and respect at all times
Demand agreement with your own views on everything
Sulk if people are not grateful to you or for favors shown them
Never forget a service you have rendered
Be on the look out for a good time for yourself, shirk your duties if you can
Love yourself supremely, be selfish, and do as little as possible for others

Being a beautiful person on the inside means showing love to others. I don't in anyway think that it's wrong to be the best you can be on the outside, however it's the beauty that comes from the inside that really counts and that never fades. I don't know about the rest of you but with every year that goes by things seem to be hanging much lower on me, and my body is not what it used to be and I don't suspect that it's going to get much better with age. Physical beauty for everyone will pass away, but love and true inner beauty only grows with time.

If every one of us was giving and showing love the way God wanted us to, then everyone would have plenty to receive as well. It's time to focus on the things that really matter and those qualities that truly make us beautiful women. We need to be who God created us to be and stop trying to be these hybrid wanna be's. Who's to say what outer beauty really is anyway, it's all in the eyes of the beholder. God made each of us unique and wonderful!
I think that's all I'll say about that for now.

A Thought About Losing Your Joy

2010-04-01T23:00:00.012-04:00

Don't let yourself get agitated… disturbed… and unsettled. John 14:27 AMP

Have you ever just had one of those days; one of those weeks; perhaps even one of those years when every move you make seems to be the wrong one in the eye's of one person or another? Have you ever had the 'poor me' syndrome? Ever felt like you've really lost your joy because of the uncontrollable circumstances around you? Ever feel like running away from your life and never coming back? Well I sure have and if you don't learn to overcome it, you will eventually just go insane!!!

Jesus said, "[You need to stop allowing others to get you agitated… disturbed… and unsettled]." In other words, you must work on controlling your reactions to others and the upsetting circumstances in your lives.

You need to stop allowing others to steal your joy. Stop losing your peace over every little thing that goes wrong in your life, especially when there is absolutely nothing you can do about the situation. You need to let it go and hold on to your joy. Pray that God will help you to get over life's little offences and irritations quickly, whether it is someone who totally misunderstands something you've said or done or it is somebody else's actions that have just torn your heart out and left you bleeding.

If we were all to put as much energy into 'letting go' as we do into 'stewing and steaming' and trying to control every possible outcome, we would probably find that God's peace "which is so great we cannot understand it" (Philippians 4:7 NCV) would abundantly over flow in our hearts and our homes. That's all I will say about that for now.

A Thought About My Friend

2010-03-23T20:48:00.002-04:00

A story of two very different friends
One friend lives here; the other friend lives there.
One very different from the other.
One friend is blonde, the other a brunette, each with different outlooks on life and very different views from their windows.
Each of them with different tomorrows ahead. Both friends so unique in many ways.
Each with her own story to tell, with all the busy things going on in the present.
Each friend has different work to do and different demands on each and every day.
Each has a specific destination and a distinctly different path to get there.
But....
For all the things that might be different and unique about them now... these two friends will always share so much.
They will always have the memories of what used to be, entwined together, through all the days of their lives. Their friendship will always be very special; gentle and joyful, even if only in their memories, reminding them, no matter how different their stories turn out....
They share the incredibly precious gift of being “friends.” No one can ever take that away.
When you think of some of the best things this world has to offer, the memories of a special friend like that......
are really the most wonderful gifts of all.

to my wonderful friend, Margie....... I will always love you.

A Thought About My Daughter Amy

2010-03-23T20:16:00.002-04:00

Amy, my baby, I want you to know, that I love you with all my heart; I always have and I always will no matter what you do. I have tried in every way to show you how much you mean to me by my words and by my actions, but I also realize that there are times when I have fallen short of that goal.

To the best of my ability, I have worked to provide for your every need since the day you were born. I have tried to give you as much of my time as possible in this very hurried world. I have tried to make you happy and more than anything I want to see you mature and succeed in all that you do. I love your smile and I so love to hear you laugh. I always have and always will protect you and keep you from harm, that is my obligation as your mother whether you like it or not. I have tried to give you wisdom in order to keep you safe from the bad things of this world. I have done all I can to help you feel secure and loved through the hills and valleys that you have already experienced in your young life.

With all my heart I have never meant to hurt you or bring you any unnecessary pain. Someday when you are a mother you will understand what that really entails. I have tried to be the best parent I could be with the abilities given to me. I want you to know that if there are times I have hurt you or disappointed you, or let you down, knowingly or unknowingly, I am truly sorry. For this I ask your forgiveness, and will do my very best to understand you more. I pray you will always think the best of me as well and understand that sometimes your mother knows what is best for you, period.

Thank you for the pleasure of being your mom and for all the treasure you have given me by being my child. There will never be anything that you can do to take away my unconditional love for you. Always and forever, in my heart and soul, you will be the most beautiful gift, the loveliest blessing and the most perfect jewel.

I have loved you with all my heart from the day you were born.... I love you now with each and every breath you take... I will love you...forever and ever.

Your Mom

A Thought About My Incredible Son, Thomas

2010-03-23T20:09:00.002-04:00

Thomas, my only son, God has such a wonderful plan for each of us. I just know that he has an unbelievable plan for you! I am confident that the journey you are on and the roads you travel will take you to amazing places; incredible places where you see his amazing plan for your life and discover what it’s like when dreams come true; where you come to know and understand the potential of all the wonderful qualities that are inside you. You are God's precious gift to me, my son. I love you like no one else ever will.

I know that if you walk with him, God’s plan for you will gradually unfold before your very eyes, and that - like a beacon of light you will find wonderful glimmers of hope and happiness shining through and hovering over your life each and every day.

I hope that the people you meet in life understand and appreciate what it is to be in the presence of someone as incredible as you are. You are one of a kind and a joy to have as my child. If only everyone could have the pleasure of knowing someone that special in their lives.
God definitely has a plan for every single one of us...and I can't wait to see what unfolds for you!
You are my son.......and I love you will all my heart.

Mom.

A Thought About My Daughter Michelle

2010-03-23T19:52:00.005-04:00

To my beautiful daughter

I look at you today and can't believe my eyes. How beautiful you have become both inside and out. Those same beautiful eyes that looked up at me when you were a baby, now look out at a big unknown world.
I look at you today and see the woman you have become and it takes my breath away. I see your smile; that same smile you gave me many years ago, now ready to go out on your own to put your imprint on this big wide world.
It was not so long ago that I held you in my arms and rocked you to sleep as I sang to you your song, over and over again.

"Mommy little girl, oh mommy's little girl,
I love you so much, I love you, Mommy's little girl.
Mommy's little girl, the sweetest in all the world,
I love you so much, I love you, you're mommy's little girl"

I look at you today and see my beautiful daughter no longer a baby but a beautiful person with a whole life ahead of her; and wonderful things in store.
You have blossomed and grown more beautiful each and every day. And I have discovered that I not only love you because I am your mother and you are my child, but because I really like you. I like who you are. I love who you have become. You are so amazing in my eyes.
I want you to know that I will always love you and no matter what you do or where you go, my love will follow you every second of every minute of every day. I love being your mother.

A Thought About God's Plans

2010-03-21T20:25:00.003-04:00

In everything God works for the good of those who love him… because that was his plan.
Romans 8:28 NCV

Sometimes life gives us hard blows. Sometimes the pain runs so deep that it is hard to believe that God really does work for the good of those who love him. But God uses every experience to build us, to build our character; to instill patience in us. Every incident can become a priceless source of insight if you are willing to see the usefulness in it and learn from it. My entire life I have felt like I have gone around in circles in certain areas. I would walk down a path and mess up so badly only to find that God would keep bringing me around to face a similar situation over and over again until I got it right. All the stress and stain each time I encountered something that I didn't really like actually ended up shaping me and molding me to be who I am today. Each encounter along the path contributed to my character, my strength and my faith in him. God faithfully would bring me full circle to give me another chance at facing hard situations until I got it right.

The Israelites went in circles for 40 years before they finally smartened up.

Who and where you are at this moment in time has all been divinely orchestrated by God. He allows us to make our own choices, he never forces us to choose his ways but he still, in his mercy, uses everything and every mistake we make to shape us and teach us. In his wisdom he allows us to go down wrong paths and get into certain situations, even though he knows it will be painful for us. He allows it because he wants to mature us and stretch us. Sometimes those paths are not even a matter of right or wrong but he permits them to happen because he knows that there is something we need to learn along the way. Maybe it's the job you dread going to every day. God will use that job to develop your skills, to instill in you endurance and a sense of responsibility. Or perhaps it's the people at work....people who just rub you the wrong way. Well God may be using them to make you more like Jesus!

Paul says God "understands… and knows what is best for us at all times" (Ephesians 1:8 TLB). So instead of bickering and complaining because you want him to change things, why not try thanking him for the experience and the lessons you're learning. And if you can't figure out what those lessons are, ask him. Many years ago when I was just a young girl a very special Army friend Don Wood, prayed with me and gave me this verse from the book of James: "If… you need wisdom… ask God" (James 1:5CEV) I can't tell you how many times I have gone back to read that passage over the years. Don simply told me to 'ask God' for help and clarity in the things I was facing. I did that, and you know what I have discovered time and time again? - that everything I've faced, every circumstance I have been through has all been part of God's plan for me. God has used it all to make me in to the Rhonda Merkley Maccarone that I am today!
That's all I'm going to say about that too....for now.

A Thought About Divine Pruning and Spiritual Fruit

2010-03-20T21:17:00.009-04:00

John 15:1-2

"I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

If there is one thing I am not, it is a gardener. I have the biggest brown thumb on earth. Never the less, every year when we lived on Granada in Scarborough, my husband and I would plant a vegetable garden out back, and a flower garden in the front. Every year our garden looked, even at the best of times, really sad.

My neighbour however, happened to love gardening. He had every kind of flower you could imagine on his front lawn. So one year I said to him “Mr Robinson, how come it is that your rose bush always looks like something out of Better Homes and Gardens, while mine looks more like something you'd see in the Sunday morning funnies?
"Well", he asked me "do you ever prune it?" I immediately responded. "Oh does that mean cutting off all the dead leaves and things? Yes sure I prune it!"
“No, No” he said, "if you want it to look better then cut off all the branches right down to the ground."
Well, I have to admit I was a little bit hurt because I didn't think it looked that bad, but he was serious. So being the trusting soul that I was I did as he suggested, I cut it right down to the ground....this little stump sticking out of the soil.
When my husband came home, he took one look at it, laughed, and said "I think we just lost our rose bush." I was afraid that for the first time ever in our marriage that he was right! (Don't worry he was wrong... phew!).

Do you know that our rose bush grew back fuller and more beautiful than it ever had in the previous 10 years that we had owned it. By pruning it we actually caused it to produce even more than it had before.

Have you ever had times in your life when you have felt really 'pruned' I mean really p r u n e d ? It can be so hard. At times I have felt that God has pruned me so low that I honestly didn't know if I'd ever get up again, never mind grow back and produce fruit.

I wonder, do we really understand what we are asking for when we pray for God to produce more fruit in us; to make us more like Jesus?
Looking back now I can see how various trials and hurts that I have gone through have actually helped me to grow. These same trials have helped me to be able to honestly say to a friend "Yes, I know exactly what you are going through. I can totally empathize." It's because I wasn't shielded against those hurts that I can be sensitive to others who have experienced similar painful circumstances. It is actually through the trials, the hills and valleys that He allows to enter our lives that we begin to slowly produce the fruits of the Spirit, like patience...self control even joy!

If we truly pray, "Lord, produce fruit in me, make me more like Jesus", then we had better be prepared to accept whatever venue He chooses to integrate them into our lives. Some of those will be easy to swallow and some of them might be quite difficult. Only God in His great wisdom knows what works best for each of us as individuals.

So we can either accept the trials or so called 'prunings' as He gives them, or we can fight our way through them. The outcome or type of fruit we produce, whether bad or good, all depends on what we do with each situation.

Each problem can make us a better person or a worse person. It can bring us closer to God, or it can drive us further away. It can build our faith, or we can allow it to shatter our faith. The results depend on us.
But, if we do let God do His work in our lives, and accept him in His great wisdom to prune us as he sees fit, then He will lead us into much spiritual growth. That's all for now.

A Thought About Our Disabilities and Failures

2010-03-18T10:23:00.011-04:00

Jacob, one of the patriarchs of God's family walked with a limp after wrestling all night with God. God has other children who walk with a limp as well. Perhaps you are one of them. Has something happened in your life that was so painful that it left you feeling overwhelmingly vulnerable and insecure? Something that has made it very difficult to trust others? Perhaps you have become your own critic in the worst way. Maybe you may think your career is over. Or even worse, it never even got off the ground - and now you've been Spiritually disabled....crippled, morally ruined! If that's where you are today then these words are for you:

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand" (Psalm 37:23-24 NLT).

Can you relate? Our God loves to use broken and flawed people and he does that because when they become successful they aren't arrogant like other people who think they deserve it. They are a little nicer, a little more humble and a lot more willing to reach out and embrace others. They know first hand that without God they would never have made it.

Joseph was a man fashioned by the very hand of God; molded and shaped through the deep valleys he endured on his journey to the top of all Egypt. Joseph was treated so very badly by his brothers, beaten and thrown into a pit; sold into slavery...as good as dead. Yet not only did Joseph forgive his brothers but he fed them and wept over them. How could anyone do that? Joseph did it because he was convinced that the hand of God was responsible over every facet and every detail of his life. Have you seen God's hand in your life yet? Listen to what Joseph told his wicked brothers: "Do not be angry with yourselves… it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you" (Genesis 45:5 NIV).

God has a way of walking with us through even the toughest situations and reminding us of where we came from. Then when we do finally experience success we realize that it was God that brought us each step of the way, over every hill and through each and every valley. It is God who gives us favor and success. Now all we have to do is turn around and help others!
That's all I'll say about that.....for now.

A Thought About “Letting go and letting God.....”

2010-03-16T09:05:00.001-04:00

"Let the Lord have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking of you and watching over everything that concerns you." 1 Peter 5:7 TLB

Rest.....just rest in the Lord!

Ever notice how much energy it takes to hold on really tight to something for any length of time? We clench to the heavy loads that we carry around with us, sometimes not even realizing how heavy they are and how much they weigh us down until we buckle under the load. You know of what I speak, the situations, circumstances, pressures and people that you have no control over in your life?

So why not just let go and let God take care of all that concerns you. You'll be amazed at how much more energy you'll have, and how much easier life will be. Once you make the choice to leave it all in God’s very capable hands, the load is carried for you....no strings attached, no more weights to bring you down..

A. W. Tozer, a great Christian and Missionary Alliance Pastor wrote: "Father, my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from You my terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that You may enter and dwell there without a rival."

So how do we do that? What can we do to “let go and let God”?

First, let God handle your life! Place it all before the Lord. Find your identity, contentment, security, position, popularity, your prestige, all of who you are, in him. It is not too much for him to handle. He will handle it all with great precision; a wonderful design that he established for your own good before the beginning of time.

Second, let God handle your future! Place your plans all in his hands and be ready for him to do wonderful things. However, placing your trust in him also means being ready for God to rearrange things and take you along paths that may be uncomfortable for you. Remember that this life is only 75-85 years, if we are even fortunate to live here that long.....nothing this side of heaven is permanent, including relationships. Enjoy the time you have with the ones you love, but avoid the temptation to find your significance in anyone other than him, because even they too will someday be taken away.

Third, let God handle your pain! If your emotions are wrapped around some issue involving a possession, a job, a particular expectation or a relationship, you aren't fully relying on the Lord. You are depending on lesser things. So........stop. Surrender it all to the only one who knows what is best for you and is competent enough to handle your very life and all it includes, perfectly! You may just be delaying a wonderful surprise that God has waiting for you.

I hope to have more to say about this......soon.

A Thought about Helping a Hurting World

2010-03-15T16:53:00.010-04:00

In one of the loneliest moments in David's life he wrote, "I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives a passing thought . . then I pray to You, O Lord . .You are my place of refuge . . ." (Psalms 142:4-5 NLT).

Loneliness is a central cause of depression and suicide. It's the devil's strategy for isolating us from one another, while creating the delusion that we are worthless; that we will never measure up and that nobody wants us around.

Jesus heard the cries that nobody else heard. He noticed people that others had no time for. When the disciples tried to silence a blind man, Jesus stopped them and restored his sight (Mark 10:46-52). Jesus walked for days just to meet with a hurting woman whose heart was as empty as her water pots (John 4:6-42). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, left the ninety-nine sheep in the fold and went out to look for the one that was lost (Luke 15:3-7).

The longer I am in ministry the more I realize that there are just so many hurting people out there. Good people; beautiful people who feel rejected, inferior, abandoned and hurt; real people who have been toppled over by life’s circumstances. Do you want to make a difference in someone’s life? Are you willing to care more about people; to reach out and be the hands of Jesus to others who are alone or in pain? They are all around you. Just open your eyes and see the opportunities that you’ve never seen before. Why not let the Lord love a hurting world through you today!

"Better a neighbour nearby than a brother far away." Proverbs 27:10

I wish that was all I would ever have to say about that.

A Thought About My Biggest Phobia

2010-03-11T21:56:00.002-05:00

My Secret fear is not so much of a secret especially since it has been a fear since I was very small and still freaks me out to this very day. It certainly wouldn't come as a shock to anyone who really knows me and would also be of no surprise to anyone who has experienced first hand my extremely bad sense of direction. If you put me in a paper bag and turn me around I won't be able to find the way out again.

I freak out at even just the thought of being lost! For years I would wake up in the night with a lump in the back of my throat because I had nightmares of being lost in my school and not being able to find my locker or even my math class for some strange reason (Not sure why it was always only math, but whatever)

Even now I've lived in Ajax for 8 years and I still get lost if I deviate from any familiar paths and have literally had to call friends to come and find me. What also baffles me (as I sit here calm and in my right mind) is that frantic panic that takes over so quickly if I even think I'm going to get lost. It has nothing to do with thinking I'll never find my way home either because I can know that I am only two minutes from my house and it will still send shock waves right through me. One wrong turn and I'm freaking out!

However if I have someone with me I'm fine. Go figure!

Driving has nothing to do with it either. One time I got lost meeting a friend at Yorkdale Mall. I must have walked that mall for two hours and couldn't for the life of me find my way back to the entrance I had come in. It turned out ok since my friend had no such dyslexia about directions and finally told me to just stand still and to talk to him on my cell. Took him only 10 minutes to find me!!

I think maybe if I had one of those GPS things it might help me with the driving part of it. Not quite sure what to do about the other stuff unless I just never leave familiar streets and never enter buildings that are bigger than 5 rooms. Anyway if you ever happen to see me walking or driving around aimlessly, crying for no apparent reason, you may want to ask me if I'm lost. If I'm too incoherent to even answer then it's best to assume that it's been some time since I last had any perception at all about where I was and that I'm slowly slipping into madness! Just be nice and remember it's a phobia that I'v had all my life. Best thing to do if you want to get together with me is to just come get me. I don't care how lost I get if someone else is driving!

I don't even want to think about this anymore.......but unfortunately I certainly will because it haunts me on a regular basis.

A Thought About Wisdom

2010-03-10T22:27:00.008-05:00

Proverbs 4:5-7; 16:16; 23:23

Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

Over and over again the Book of Proverbs tells us to "Get Wisdom" to "Pursue Wisdom".
What does 'wisdom' mean to you? How is wisdom different from being smart? Why do you think it's important to God that we "get wisdom"?
The message of the book of Proverbs is that if you don't have wisdom then you should get some! The most beautiful thing about 'wisdom' is that it is definitely attainable and Proverbs actually tells you how to get it!!!
At times we all complain that life isn't fair or that life isn't easy. We all have problems, we all face failure, make wrong decisions and suffer tragedy and loss. We all have our frustrations, joys, heartaches, happiness, successes and failures, but at the base of it all, frequently it is our approach to our circumstances, and not the situations that makes life easy or difficult.
On the surface it may seem that some people have all the luck while others are destined for one bad break after another. Often after closer analysis, we will find that luck isn't something people have but rather an outlook that they create. Yes life is sometimes unfair, hurtful and discouraging and depending on the way you choose to live it, it will either be a worthy learning experience or just an endurance test that wears you down.
The book of Proverbs in the Scriptures is meant to be a guide to wiser living. It tells us how to live peacefully and fruitfully with ourselves and with others. It overflows with principles and practicalities that when applied, can make life easier.

A proverb does not argue, it assumes. It's purpose is not to explain a matter but to give poignant and pointed expression to it. Over the years I have tried to read a chapter of Proverbs every day. It is very convenient that way because there just happens to be 31 chapters in the entire book which fits very nicely into a 31 day month. At first it was frustrating because I didn't think I would ever be able to remember any of what I read, it is just so full of aphorisms and truisms......too many to absorb, but now after several years of taking it in I have to say it is one of my favourite books in the Scriptures. If you want to "get wisdom" this is definitely the book you should read. Just try it, one chapter each day for a month. You might be very glad you did.....it may even change your life. That's all I'll say about that......for now.

A Thought About Spending Valentine's Day Alone

2010-02-13T23:52:00.006-05:00

Well, married or single, I think I'm just destined to spend Valentine's Day alone every year. Only difference now is that this year my heart is not breaking because someone has forgotten about me. There is no greater pain and no greater loneliness than being in a one sided marriage with a spouse who doesn't love you, it's like being in a prison with no chance or hope of escape.
It's much better to spend your life alone with the hope of happiness through other distractions. The pain is less and with each new day comes the hope of a better tomorrow. I'm so glad I have had certain friends that have been there to pick me up and have gone out of their way to help restore my self esteem. I have several who have been there for me along the way and have really made me feel special and worth more than I really am. You all know who you are.
To my three stooges:
Tim, thanks for all your loving support and for being able to read my mind. Thanks for being so much like me. It makes me like me more. We have a great personality don't we?
Willy, Willy. Thanks for always being there for me. Thanks for all the hospital runs. Thanks for all the money you've spent. I like having rich friends!!! But mostly thanks for the love and kindness you've shown me. Thanks for loving me unwaveringly since I was 16 yrs old and for always treating me with such great respect. That will always mean more to me than you will ever know.
Livio, thanks for being a companion through these hard days. Together we will drag each other through the roughest parts. I know they say misery loves company but really it's been nice to have you around. God will heal both our hearts in His time.
My Church friends, especially all my co-workers in ministry, thank you for all the love and support you've shown me, I could never have made it through even one day without all your prayers and encouragement.
My Friday night women: I love you all, thanks for being there and for sharing your journeys with me. Thank you especially Suzanne whom I have grown to love so very much. You're the best neighbour anyone could ever ask for. We will make it through together.
To all my old Army Buddies. Thank you so much for your support. I appreciate you all so very much. You will always feel like home for me.
For all my old school friends and facebook friends, both new and old. Thanks for the trips down memory lane, for the hours of fun and for the many smiles.
And to my readers, I don't know who you all are but I'v noticed I'm nearing the 10,000 mark on hits for my blog so someone must be reading them. It sure is an encouragement to have you all around. Thank you for your many encouraging comments, I've read them all. Sorry that I can't post comments from anyone I don't know. Please understand that it's nothing personal. Thanks for reading!
To my God: I thank my Lord everyday for his goodness to me; for the provision of friends that he has blessed me with; for the wonderful privilege I have had to serve him every day of my life; for forgiving a miserable snake in the grass like me, and for loving me from the inside out even when my wicked heart doesn't deserve it. For all this and so much more, thank you God for lifting me up and for keeping me deep in the palm of your very competent, omnipotent hands.
I hope I always have more to say about that.

A Thought About The Church

2010-01-24T20:31:00.009-05:00

A fellow pastor once told me that he used to be part of the military. He said that the military was nothing like the church. He said that when an officer in the military was down his fellow officers would do whatever it took to lift him up. If he died in action they would always stop to get his tags or do whatever they could to help his family. Not so in the church. He said it's the only place in the world that upon seeing one of it's members down and out, the entire assembly steps up to finish the job. O God make us a humble people, don't let our church ever be that kind of place. Help us to forgive as Jesus did, to live according to your word and love each other so that all will truly see that we are your disciples. God forgive your church for it's failures and unite us together in your perfect love. That's all I ever want to have to say about that.......ever.

A Thought About Menopause

2010-01-24T20:04:00.002-05:00

I'm very happy to say that I wouldn't know a thing about it yet. That's all I'm going to say about that.......for now

A Thought About My God Daughter Elizabeth

2009-12-17T18:31:00.007-05:00

I watch her from across the room. She laughs at me with her wide open grin. She jumps up and down on her mothers knee as she stares back at me, as if excited to see me. I love this kid. I can't wait to hold her. The problem is that she's so cute that everyone else wants to hold her too.

She gets passed around from person to person, but she's still laughing and looking at me. As they pass her down the pew she gets closer and closer to where I am sitting. I get all excited hoping that she gets passed right on down until she reaches me. She chews her hand, her first tooth just poking through. She's so cute!

She giggles and smiles....closer and closer she gets....I patiently wait till it's my turn. But then.... back she goes in the other direction. This happens over and over until I can't stand it any longer. It's like torture and I can't do a thing about it......I sit for a bit all bent out of shape and then it hits me.

I don't have to put up with this, it's just not fair!!! Besides not only am I the godmother, but I'm the Pastor!!!!

I stand up and grab her before she gets passed too far out of my reach. Nobody dares to fight me on this.....I just give them 'the look'. Finally she's mine......she looks at me and smiles, she squeals again, reaches out, pulls my hair with both her hands and pulls my head as hard as she can til her face is touching mine. Right where I want her. A bit more aggressive than I had wanted but still, that's ok because she's finally mine! We're finally together just her and me. I know she can feel it too....this bond that only a godmother and her godchild can share. We're both in heaven.

Just then her grandfather walks by, her head jolts in his direction, she stiffens out and pushes me away!!! Game over. What a rip off!

It's OK though, I'll just wait until next week and when she's older I'll bribe her with toys! And that's all I have to say about that......for now.

Have ya ever just had one of those day?

2009-12-09T23:38:00.004-05:00

Ever just have one of those days when ya feel like everyone is picking on ya? I am definitely not feeling like the top dog today! It all started when I backed into my sons car in the drive way this morning and it's been all down hill from there. There's a verse in the Bible that says "This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it" We are to give God glory for all that goes on in our lives. Even those hard to handle situations that can devastate us in an instant have all been (hard as it is to believe) filtered through his fingers of love and dropped into our lives; lives that he holds deep in the palm of his omnipotent hands. He promises that he will work all things together for our good and his glory. I can't imagine how he's going to use this day for my good and his glory, I just know I need to be open for his teaching. Unfortunately it is true that I do learn better and faster when I'm in the pit. So for what it's worth "Hallelujah, praise the Lord" for today of all days. I hope I can be a good student and learn quickly.......I don't really like it down here! Someone once said "it's not on the mountain, but in the depth of the valley where the flowers flourish and grow." I sure hope this to be true in my life.....and that's all I'm going to say about that.....for now.

A Thought About Ministry Bloopers

2009-12-05T22:53:00.027-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IymxMidkyI4&feature=related

One of the prerequisites for being in full time ministry is that you must be able to laugh at yourself. You are, whether you like it or not, going to have many embarrassing moments.....most likely in front of a lot of people, whether that be on the platform or just standing in the foyer. I think that all of us who have been in ministry for any length of time will have a list of belittling mistakes that we so wish we could just sweep under the rug. I don't really want to talk about my embarrassing moments but I do want to share some of the others that I have heard of. I will be sure not to mention any names so there is no further embarrassment......nothing like rubbing it in. I'm sure my colleagues will love me for it though!

One day a fellow English speaking pastor was preaching at a Vietnamese Church. He would speak and someone would translate his sermon into Vietnamese. One of the lines in the sermon had to do with "Karla Fay Tucker" which is a hard name to say fast even by an English speaking person. If you can't see how this name could be misconstrued, just try saying it as fast as you can 10 times. Well, the poor translator who mis spoke it almost had a cardiac arrest. Trying to regain his composer was made even more difficult by the young girls sitting in the front row who were laughing so hard that the pew was actually shaking. You have to give him credit for even being able to finish to the end.

Another friend was telling me about the ministry position he had applied for as a Children's Pastor at a local Chinese church. He was asked to come and give a message to the English speaking congregation as part of the application process. My friend was fairly nervous and not quite sure what to expect since he had never ministered in a Chinese church before. As usual, his very supportive wife accompanied him that morning and quietly sat at the very back of the auditorium, behind the congregation. The message was given and was very well received by everyone. At the end of the message, this young pastor's wife, wanting to be sure that he did his best, was determined to remind him not to forget to close in prayer after his message was complete. So still standing at the back where no one could see her, she stood up, put her hands together (as to pray) and she bowed her head down in order to signal to him to be sure to close in prayer. My friend, not knowing Chinese culture, thought that maybe his wife had learned something that he didn't know and totally misunderstood her intentions. At the end of his message he walked to the front of the stage, put his hands in front of him as to pray, and proceeded to bowed down twice in front of all the Asian people in the room! He immediately went to the Senior pastor to apologize for the terrible faux pas. I've never laughed so hard about anything in my life! And just for the record, he did end up getting the job.

One Sunday I was singing a solo, using a background tape. The first verse went fine but when I got to the second verse I drew a complete blank and couldn't remember the words. So I continued to sing, making up the words as I went along. I was doing just fine too, until the background singers (on the tape) came in singing totally different words!! My wonderful congregation all pretended that they didn't notice a thing! That was the last time I ever trusted myself to memorize the words to anything.

It's a good thing that most pastors have very loving and forgiving congregations who understand that we are all learning and that we all make mistakes. I've had more than my share of humiliating moments. It's just a lot easier to laugh about other pastors embarrassing mistakes than it is my own......they seem a whole lot funnier to me than mine, but I am getting better at learning to laugh at myself. I haven't died from embarrassment yet....but that day may indeed come!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3ASzTQCzc&feature=player_embedded

I'm sure you've all seen these bulletin bloopers before but they just never get stale!

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

The sermon this morning: “Jesus Walks on the Water.” The sermon tonight: “Searching for Jesus.”

Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget your husbands.

The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.

Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say “Hell” to someone who doesn’t care much about you.

Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.

Miss Charlene Mason sang, “I will not pass this way again,” giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack’s sermons.

The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: “Break Forth Into Joy.”

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

When parking on the north side of the church, please remember to park on an angel.

This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Jones to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.

The church office will be closed until opening. It will remain closed after opening. It will reopen Monday.

Let us join David and Lisa in the celebration of their wedding and bring their happiness to a conclusion.

Hymn Blooper: "All people that on earth do swell"

Sermon Blooper: "Let everything that hath breasts praise the Lord!"

The lady at the Bible Study was tearful and crying constantly. She also appeared to be depressed.

The beautiful flowers on the altar this morning are to celebrate the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.

At the Ladies Liturgy Society this Thursday, Mrs. Smith will sing “Put Me In My Little Bed” accompanied by the pastor.

The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to our bell choir practice.

The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They maybe seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

Questionnaire :

"What is your Church Preference?"
Answer : "I prefer a red brick church."

The Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 P.M. Please use the back door.

On Sunday a special collection will be taken to defray the expense of a new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the new carpet will please come forward to get a piece of paper.

There is a sign-up sheet for anyone wishing to be baptized on the table in the foyer.

Janet Smith has volunteered to strip and refinish the communion table in the sanctuary.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.

The visiting monster today is Rev. Jack Bains.

The concert held in Fellowship Hall was a great success. Special thanks are due to the minister's daughter, who labored the whole evening at the piano, which as usual fell upon her.

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I upped My Pledge----Up Yours."

Our next song is "Angels We Have Heard Get High."

If you need to heave during the Postlude, please do so quietly.

A new loudspeaker system has been installed in the church. It was given by one of our members in honor of his wife.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our congregation.

We pray that our people will jumble themselves.

Thursday at 5:00PM there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All wishing to become Little Mothers, please see the minister in his study.

Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on "It's a Terrible Experience."

This evening at 7 PM there will be a group practice in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

The sermon this morning: WOMEN IN THE CHURCH
The closing song: RISE UP, O MEN OF GOD

The sermon this morning: GOSSIP ... THE SPEAKING OF EVIL
The closing song: I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY

The sermon this morning: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES #3 ... EUTHANASIA
The closing song: TAKE MY LIFE

Volunteers are needed to spit up food for distribution following the Restaurant Supply Show at the Expo Center.

Twenty-two members were present at the church meeting held at the home of Mrs. Marsha Crutchfield last evening. Mrs. Crutchfield and Mrs. Rankin sang a duet, The Lord Knows Why.

The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.

The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the church basement on Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

The Sunday Night Men's Glee Club will meet on Saturday at the park, unless it rains.
In that case they will meet at their regular Tuesday evening time.

It's Drug Awareness Week: Get involved in drugs before your children do.

Illiterate? Write to the church office for help.

The class on prophecy has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.

(a most unfortunate blooper during the pastor's ilness:)
GOD IS GOOD! Dr. Hargreaves is better!

After consultation with the pastor she left the church feeling much better except for her original complaints.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK ... If you are going to be hospitalized for an operation, contact the pastor. Special prayer also for those who are seriously sick by request.

This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the Church. Children will be Baptized at both ends.

Jean will be leading a weight-management series Wednesday nights. She's used the program herself and has been growing like crazy!

The 'Over 60s Choir' will be disbanded for the summer with the thanks of the entire church.

Bulletin of a church with a rather elderly congregation: "Mr Brookes will be in the church foyer at the end of today's service. Transport can be provided if required."

Please welcome Pastor Don, a caring individual who loves hurting people.

When I was the "maintenance guy" at my former church, I left a note attached to a receipt in the office for the secretary. Note read:
"Van Battery died." The secretary was concerned that she didn't know this church member, and asked how she should announce his passing in the bulletin.

Church sign: The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

A nervous pastor preaching his first sermon. Instead of "God called me to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out the devil."
what came out was, "God called me to heal the dead, cast out the sick, and raise the devil."

Over the massive front doors of a church, these words were inscribed: "The Gates of Heaven". Below that was a small cardboard sign which read: "Please use other entrance."

THAT'S ABOUT ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT .......... FOR NOW.

A Thought About Life

2009-12-04T09:14:00.006-05:00

It has been said "Dance like there is no one watching; sing like there is no one listening!" Well I think I want to change that to say "Dance when everyone is watching; sing especially while everyone is listening!" Share all of yourself whole heartedly!

We never know what tomorrow will bring so live each day in the light of eternity. Seize the moment and wring from it every drop that you are able. Love and enjoy the people who matter the most and be sure that they know what they mean to you; you might be very glad that you took those opportunities while you had the chance. Continue on towards your goals and the fulfillment of God's plan for your life. Enjoy every good gift that He has given you. Allow Him to wrench out of your deepest pains and trials the healing and goodness that only He can bring; but don't stop there, allow Him to use it all to help, teach, or bring comfort to others who are experiencing the same painful circumstances. Live like there is no tomorrow and make the most of every single day. In other words, before you die - live!
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1 NIV).
That's about all I'm going to say about that.....for now.