Wednesday, December 26, 2012

..rejoicing exceedingly with great joy....

... those wise men, astronomers, educated men, philosophers, men trying to figure out deeper meanings and purpose...

they knew the time, according to their calculations, they knew that the world was anticipating the birth of a King... the King of the Jews..

they got on their way, .. and that was not an easy undertaking at that time.. no trains, planes and automobiles... best case scenario : a camel.... rocky at best.. travel time???  a little longer than we are used to these days.. they got on their way because obviously they wanted to worship the long awaited king...

when they finally found the child.. they were "rejoicing exceedingly with great joy"

this is what jumped out at me today when reading Matthew 2: 1-23 this morning...

they were  REJOICING EXCEEDINGLY WITH GREAT JOY....
sounds like "doppeltgemoppelt" ( German word, cute eh? ) to me... rejoicing with joy... it's redundant, repetitive... for a good reason I am sure... and then, not only with joy but with GREAT joy, and... exceedingly... means extremely, to great extend...

they got it... they knew it was a big deal... they were willing to go on an arduous journey..
( involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring ) they just had to go.....

because, they knew... as it had been foretold by the Prophet Isaiah 700 years before :

For unto us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 Of the increase of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9: 6+7)

it was and it still is, a big deal... are we getting it??? are we exceedingly rejoicing with great joy????
a girl, very dear to my heart, a young mother... followed my invitation to come and join me worshipping the King, I told her how much I love Him, and explained to her that He first loved me... she came and she heard the Good News and she believed...

that's Christmas... that's reason to exceedingly rejoice with great joy... He did not only come, but He is Emmanuel and He is God with us... ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

..the baby has come...

candles shining their festive light all around the house... gingerbread houses decorated, presents wrapped... some more Christmas Cookies soon to be done.... all children at home... puppies snuggled up on the couch... 
that's what Christmas is all about... or isn't it?

a great gift for me today, one of "my girls" (love them like my own) a client of Hope for Life, came to church with me this morning... her baby in the nursery, it was a privilege to sit with her..
the gospel explained very well, no surprise that God had it timed so wonderfully well... He always does...

so Christmas, a day worth celebrating.. the day God stepped into this world in human form, a baby born into lowly circumstances.. He came here to grow up without sin, both God and man, to give Himself as a ransom for many... giving His life so that on Him God the Father could pour out His just punishment for our sins.. so that all that would believe in Him could be made right with God.. once and for all...

to love Him, because He first loved me... way back when, hanging on the cross Jesus, Emmanuel thought of me and accepted death in my place.. what a gift...

more than anything I could ever wish for or receive..

sharing His love with "my girls" at Hope for Life and ultimately sharing with them who I love the most.. who helps me through my own difficulties and gives me strength for the day.. who gives me joy and who fills my heart with so much love that it flows over.. to them and anyone I come in contact with..

it's a blessing. it really is. not everything is always the way we want it to be... there is and always will be disappointment and hurt, misunderstandings and frustrations.. but since the day the baby has come, since the day He so willingly gave His life.. all is well with any soul believing in Him...

Merry Christmas... rejoicing in the Good News today and always....




Tuesday, December 18, 2012

..heart transplants this Christmas...

I am thankful for the Christian community that I have access to... in this case the internet is a very good thing..

have read many posts shedding light on the tragic events of last Friday.. addressing questions that many ask when something as evil as the massacre in Newtown happens...

someone commented on one post I shared, that in her opinion the fact that God has been banned from the public life ( that includes schools) for a long time had nothing to do with the shooting...

thankfully yesterday a man, much more eloquent than I could ever be, addressed those that shared my friends opinion..

he stated that obviously we are not saying that had there been prayer in the school in Newtown, Connecticut, the shooting wouldn't have happened..

evil has always been there and until Jesus comes back one day ( and only God knows when that will be ) it will rear it's ugly head again and again..

in His Word God promises to bless and protect those that "fear" Him ( as in revere, obey, respect, worship and love Him )
the US as well as Canada have a rich Christian heritage, that unfortunately has been disintegrating over many years now.. not sure how many of us still "fear" the Lord...

when only 0.3 % of churches reach out to the community with the gospel you can be sure that in the places vacated by God, evil has indeed moved in.. and with a vengeance ...
Jesus said:
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.  Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

evil is as real as God is.. Satan has come to kill and destroy.. and he must have had a hay day on Friday, when all those precious little ones were gunned down..

the Good News is that even in this, the "Good" will prevail.. God will take the horrible and turn it into good for those that love Him and have been called according to His purpose.. this purpose is to prosper and not to harm, to provide a hope and a future..

He is going to bring beauty from the ashes and He will make all things beautiful in His time..

He came to take our broken hearts and to give us His..  making us into a  new creation... able now to choose right over wrong, one step at a time...
able to comfort those in pain with the comfort we have received, able to love and hold up the broken.. being Jesus' hugs and smiles, His hands and feet.. let's be this to the World, so that they may know the "baby has come".......



Sunday, December 16, 2012

.. no more violence, tears or pain....

I thank the Lord for giving Himself as a ransom for many.. I thank Him, the Word, for becoming flesh, for Him, the sinless One to pay for my sins and make the reality of death something not to be feared but to be anticipated as the moment when the ugly caterpillar will morph into the beautiful butterfly she was always supposed to be..
when earthly purpose will be transformed into eternal purpose, when joy will never leave, when sickness and weakness, violence and injustice will be forgotten and never seen again..
when life finally will be restored to what it was always meant to be..

to live is Christ, and to die is gain.. spiritually groaning we long for the day when we will be at home with the Lord and we don't have to be upset for messing up again..

always aiming to please the Lord.. as I am drawing closer to Him every day my love for Him is growing and growing and growing.. tears welling up today singing about Jesus... His amazing love for us... He is our hope... He alone will never disappoint, spending eternity face to face with Him will be eternal bliss... not boring, but invigorating every single day again and again...

today marks 2 important days in my life.. 16 years ago today my youngest daughter was born, a scheduled C-section, early in the morning we were making our way to the little hospital... saw her being lifted out of my tummy and will never forget that joyful moment in my life.... proud of her for the beautiful young woman she has become.. inside and out...

the other important event was my husband leaving the house at midnight to never be back, three years ago.. can't believe it has been 3 years..

thankful that we can function well enough for a broken family, the fact remains that we are just that...
that " not supposed to be" like events are happening.. and will continue to happen..

eternity without hurt, disappointment, pain and tears... sounds really good to me..
so today, as every day I am thanking Him... for He alone is worthy to be praised!!!!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

..unthinkable pain and loss....

before coming home yesterday afternoon, the day had been a GREAT day... you see, I never listen to the radio or even watch the news ( I only see a News site  when I connect to the internet on my laptop).. I was out, running errands and such, never even was on Facebook...

then the news of what had happened hit me with full force..

what an unthinkable, horrifying thing that happened in Newtown, Connecticut... I cannot even get my head around what the families and everyone at the school must go through..
all I know is that, like with all evil and traumatic experiences... it will take a lot of time for the processing and healing to take place..
a no brainer for me is that, like I have heard it said in my Divorce Care group, when we have been hurt that badly it takes the "manufacturer" to do the healing and mending..

I am sure every parent will agree that losing a child is our worst nightmare.. I don't think we can ever really "get over" something like this..

there are, as always, many different reactions to this tragedy... it is human nature to have to blame someone, a law, or the lack of it...

from a "spiritual" biblical point of view, this is what comes to mind:


The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ( Jeremiah 17 : 9)
we know that we live in a broken world, and that the god of this world has come to steal, kill and destroy... Jesus, however came so that we have life, and have it to the full ( John 10 : 10 )

Jesus also said: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ( John 16 : 33 )

Thankfully Jesus has come to heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds... and this is, what I think as Christians we should focus on... Praying for the families of the victims and ask for the Lord to comfort them in their grief, to give them the peace they will need to carry on...

going through the break up of my family is not to be compared to something as horrifying as this, but I remember how in the beginning I wasn't able to believe anything could ever get better... that there could come a time when the sadness over the loss and the brokenness would  still be real, but the presence of the Lord would indeed  have healed and hope in Him would have been  restored..

that's my prayer for the families...
May God have mercy on them and hold them close to His heart....

Thursday, December 13, 2012

..He gave them over to a depraved mind...

reading this morning about a Billboard on Time Square stating that "Jesus is a Myth", a nativity scene being taken down at a US Naval Base in Bahrain, crosses taken off buildings .... gay "marriage", Abortions, all no big deal to anyone anymore...

all this made me think of the fall of the Roman Empire... looking this up confirmed that the "Decline in Morals" "Decline in Ethics and Values" were factors, amongst others, that brought about the demise of an Empire that ruled most of the known world at the time for 500 years...

interesting to read Roman's chapter 1: 18-32...


 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,  since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

the Good News is that even though Kingdoms and Empires come and go... this is what has been proven true over more than 2000 years:


For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 Of the increase of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.
( Isaiah 9: 6 + 7 )

discouraged about the world around me I choose to fix my eyes on what is eternal.. anticipating the celebration of the coming of my Saviour, all praise be to HIM!!!!


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

.. normal trials like disease, divorce, poverty and loneliness...

 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison... (2 Corinthians 4:17 )

"Life's trials, troubles and difficulties serve only to build inner strength, because they drive believers to humbly, prayerfully, hopefully depend on God.."

"suffering that produces the eternal weight of glory is suffering for the sake of Christ , or that honors Him. Wether suffering comes from believer's faithful, loyal, committed testimony about Jesus Christ or the patient enduring of life's normal trials such as disease, divorce, poverty and loneliness, if endured with a humble, grateful, God-honoring attitude, it will add to the weight of glory."( John MacArthur Commentary )

last day meditating and studying  this passage in 2 Corinthians I am encouraged again that every suffering that was not caused by my own sin, has been sifted through the loving fingers of my Abba Father... that it even produces an eternal weight of glory that I cannot even imagine... it is so far beyond comparison that I will not have a chance to imagine it until I see it when the Father in Heaven will bring me safely to His Heavenly Kingdom...

so patiently I am accepting whatever this life will continue to throw at me.. learning to trust and love my Saviour more and more and by that reflect His glory to those around me...

it is all about increasing the Glory given to God... so amazing He is confident that I through Him am able to somehow pull this off... cracked vessel that I am... someone suggested crazy glue for the cracks this morning... but I am quite happy about them... if Jesus' light can be seen better through those cracks and scars.. I am rejoicing in having been hurt before..
#SoliDeoGloria

Monday, December 10, 2012

..blah, grey and yucky... :(

it's been blah, yucky weather for the last few days... wondering if people that are living in places that have sunshine most of the time can appreciate the effort it takes to stay upbeat living where I live.. ;)

I think my pastor must read my blog and then use what I say in his sermon.. just kidding..

when preaching on 2 Corinthians 4: 1-15 he confirmed what the Lord had been telling me while meditating on and studying this passage...

Jesus did not make us Superman / Superwoman when He saved us... he gave is His Super Powers though when filling us with the Holy Spirit and giving us the Good News...

when the weather is grey, damp and cold, when sickness is rampant and the life issues we are facing are not easy at all, we are not going to be in despair, destroyed, abandoned and hopeless..

because He has given us a Hope that will never disappoint, ( like people in our life will ) a Hope that is founded on WHO God is, not on what our circumstances look like..

living in this bleak day today I am choosing to hold on to the truth, the TRUTH, Jesus, the way, the TRUTH and the life... He has given me access to the Father, who I now can call Daddy.. because since Jesus by His death paid for my sins and gave me His righteousness I have fellowship with the Father and I am called His daughter.. He loves me, cheers me on and lifts me up when I am down.. He carries me when I am to weak to make the next step...

the baby did come.. born in a cave, no crib for a bed.. He came to save me, and I will forever be grateful.. follow Him and obey Him as best as I can... how could I not???

grey weather, a queasy stomach and so many unanswered questions.. I am praising Him today!

Friday, December 7, 2012

... crushed, abandoned and destroyed ????

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed
( 2 Corinthians 4 : 7-9 )


spent the last hour looking for a blog post I thought I had written about this passage...
found a few but not the one I was looking for.. so here I go again..
have loved this passage for the last 10 years or so...  memorized it and have been holding onto it for dear life at times.. believing it to be true even when it didn't feel like it.. when I  was in despair, abandoned and definitely felt destroyed...
trusted that because I have this treasure, in me, the broken, lowly, earthen vessel, I was not going to stay there..
that by the all surpassing power from God I was going to be strong enough to make it through the next day..

meditating on this again this week, I remembered what had struck me a while ago... looking at it from a different angle and realizing that yes, this was a passage communicating hope, it also is one to tell us that the Father in Heaven is well aware of what we are going through...

being hard pressed on every side... that's no fun.. that is painful... not crushed, but almost.. it's a big deal.. struck down.. that hurts, deep inside.. bruises and deep wounds inflicted... all this is reality for all of us at some point in time..

as Christians we sometimes think we need to almost deny that we are going through hard times, shouldn't we be able to deal with it and be hopeful and joyful all the time??? after all, we have this treasure in jars of clay, don't we????

there is a tension between living the reality of our earthly lives and the truth of scripture.. and I am sure the Lord is more than aware of it.. we do not have to pretend we are FINE, because, let's face it, ultimately no one can separate us from the love of God.. He will bring us safely to His Heavenly Kingdom.. with Him we can make it from one day to the next, and we do not need to lose hope..

thankful for knowing this, for learning that the compassion our Father in Heaven has for us is never ending... it is new every morning and His love spills out and envelopes us at all times..
He does scoop us up and holds us close when what we are going through feels more like despair and abandonment than being Super Christian Woman that can deflect any attack......

will never get tired of His Word.. it's alive and sharper than a double edged sword.. what a gift it is..
Praise God!!!!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

... valued and loved...

back at Hope for Life today, loving and ministering, sharing the Gospel and praying, a little baby smiling, a mother finding some peace I pray...

God is at work.. taking Jesus to the community  so that those in darkness might see the Light and become disciples.. forgiven and accepted, learning to live the "counter cultural" life of following Jesus in the context of the Church..

rewards in heaven, a joy that can't be taken, a peace that passes all understanding.. a new beginning with a never ending, heavenly future.. eternity spend with Jesus..

learned this song at the church in Port Charlotte, Florida on Sunday...


The kings of this world 
Have torn it apart
But we can take heart
A baby will come


To the hungry and meek
To those who grieve
To the broken, in need
A baby will come


We have known pain
We’ve felt death’s sting
God, help us believe
This baby will come


The angel appeared
Said do not fear
For peace is here
A baby has come


The advent of life
Let hope arise
We’ve our Savior and Christ
The Baby has come


We’ve waited so long
God, for Your mighty arm
May our doubts ever calm
For the Baby has come


The proud will be low
The humble will know
They’re valued and loved
For the Baby has come


Cause the kings of this world
Won’t have the last word
That, God, is Yours
For the Baby has come

The last Word is His, and His alone... loving the humble and letting them know they are valued..
allowing His Light to shine through this imperfect vessel.. all Glory be to Him!!!