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Footprints of Faith

Posted in GOD, WONDER, tagged #byfaith, #faithinaction, #fatherabraham, #footprintsoffaith on January 29, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Whatever we put our faith in, we must put it into practise to prove it is real.

I have faith in my vehicle, therefore I drive it to the places I need to go.

I have faith in my bank, therefore I keep my money in my bank account (ok, so there really isn’t much in there).

I have faith in the bridge on the road, therefore I drive on it with confidence.

I have faith in God, therefore I …

Faith is to have confidence, to have belief in, to trust.

Hebrews 11 gives us the academy award winners of those who lived by faith in such a way that God himself took note.

By faith Abel …

By faith Enoch …

By faith Noah …

By faith Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab …

My most favourite of the faithful is Abraham. The man who not only believed, but gave feet to his faith. This is particularly the case when God led Abraham to make a blood offering, and the only sacrifice that God seemed to provide was his son, Isaac. In this story Abraham had to take one step in front of the next, each step an action, each step an act of faith.

I can only imagine Abraham whispering under his breath, with each step,

“God will provide a lamb” over and over again. Yet, he kept stepping forward.

James 2, in the Message, reminds us of Abe’s faithful action:

“You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”

May we give our faith feet this day.

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Dog Tired

Posted in GOD, life, tagged #dogtired, #wearytothebone, Fatigue on January 26, 2017| 1 Comment »

Ever been dog tired? Bone weary?

I cannot even find a reason, other than a couple of poorer nights rest, for this fatigue that can creep into me.

It begins as a tired day, and gradually increases each day, like the movement of a virus that is ignoring your attempts to head it off before it takes over your body.

I awake tired, I yawn throughout the day, then I fall, lifeless, into bed at night, willing tomorrow to be filled with pep.

There was a time when I would fight it, now, like the flu season virus, I just let it run its course, while making efforts to pamper myself with nutritious foods, herbal teas, and a reasonable amount of sleep.

I whisper, over and over (Matthew 11:28), “come to me all of you who are weary and I will give you rest.”

Then, I recently rediscovered Isaiah 40:28,

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”
My/our creator does not grow weary … EVER!

The is what I will meditate on. Not that he will give me rest, but that he, who never grows weary, is in control, of everything.

That reminder, all alone, gives me hope that this virus-like fatigue is known and understood by the greatest of physicians.

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No One is Righteous

Posted in GOD, WONDER, tagged #activitsts, #nooneisrighteous, #politicians, #romans3, #savetheworld, celebrity on January 24, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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I admit, I am a bit (understatement) of a cynic when it comes to politicians, activists, and celebrities. So, for me, the news and social media have been a satirical gag-fest lately.

Whenever I hear any of the aforementioned groups share their message, I methodically pick apart every word. I do not have it within me to believe that those groups speak truth, or that they care or understand what I need or want.

I chalk my cynicism up to having frequently seen, heard and experienced the curse of money, stardom and power.

A few days ago I had reached the tipping point, after reading headlines of articles about the three groups I am cynical towards, and a phrase burst aloud from my lips:

“There is no one righteous, not even one …”

The words of the apostle, Paul (Romans 3:10), make me think that Paul may very well have been a kindred spirit.

Paul went on (Romans 3:11-18) to describe the depravity of all humankind:

“there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

I am very cognizant of the fact that I am jaded in my thoughts about people in the positions or groups mentioned, and that my negativity can keep me from remembering that those represented are worthy of and need my/our prayers.

Yet, to think that a politician, a celebrity or a march will make or break a nation, a generation or a movement is to put power in the hands of the wrong saviour.

” we know that there is only one God, the Father,
who created everything, and we live for him.
And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom
God made everything and through whom we have been given life.”
1 Corinthians 8:6

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Give it to God

Posted in GOD, life, WONDER, tagged #armorofgod, #giveittogod, #interruptionstoprayer, #surrendertogod, Prayer on January 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7

It was a day … a day of thinking, and worrying … a day of anxiety over something I had no control.

We all have those days.

Sometimes we share our worry with people around us, sometimes we lock it inside, as though it is precious to us (though, if anxiety is precious, we would hear it said from the lips of Gollum in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings).

We all know that the Bible tells us over, and over, and over again to not be anxious, not worry. We are reminded again, and again to pray, to give our concerns to God.

Yet, we worry and fret.

I found it interesting that, though I prayed frequently, that day, each time there was an interruption, or some sort of diversion away from my attempts to lay my worries at the feet of God. It was as though there were a force keeping me away from my intended act of prayer and submission.

I believe there was a force keeping me away from offering up my cares, my worries, to God. I believe it was (and always is) Satan.

James 4:7 has a powerful reminder:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

I read the Matthew Henry Commentary for this verse and found great context … for the verse, but also for my interruptions to prayer:

“Submit to God (ver. 7). Submit your understanding to the truth of God; submit your wills to the will of his precept, the will of his providence. Submit yourselves to God, for he is ready to do you good. If we yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand out against him, he will leave us. Let sinners then submit to God, and seek his grace and favour; resisting the devil. All sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery. And the Lord will not refuse to comfort one who really mourns for sin, or to exalt one who humbles himself before him.

I love that this commentary reminds us of the empathy and comfort God provides (italics). For we are in great need of that when we are anxious. But he does not just offer us comfort and a warm embrace, he offers a solution.

The amor of God (Ephesians 6:14-17) includes the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit (word of God).

For me, the ah-ha moment came when I read verses 10-18 (Ephesians) from the Message. I pray that you, too, will hold to this as a reminder of what to do when worry has got you like a weight on your shoulders.

“10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

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Little Picture and the Big Picture

Posted in FAMILY, GOD, life, The Kids, WONDER, tagged #familyalbums, #godisfaithful, #growingup, #littlepictureandthebigpicture, #sharedstories on January 19, 2017| Leave a Comment »

As my son and I were going through his photos from childhood, this week, I became keenly aware that those pictures illicit different responses from each of us.

With each picture viewed, I smiled, or laughed or sighed.

With each picture that my son viewed, he asked questions, to fill in the void of memory of the people, the place or the situation depicted in the image.

It surprised me when he didn’t recognize the house we lived in up until he was four … until I realized he was only four when we moved.

Or the dear friends who threw a baby shower when he was born … until I remembered that he was not even one when his dad started working at another church, and the regular connection to those friends slowly diminished.

Or photo after photo with his sister, just two year his senior, and he commented that he didn’t remember that they had been such good friends.

Or the comment, “mom, you looked (past tense) so young” 😳

As we flipped through picture after picture, he asked questions, and I shared story after story. These were shared stories, yet he held only a snapshot, I held the mental recollections of of the past times and places and people.

In essence, though we shared the same history of his lifetime, I had a view of a bigger picture than what he could see. I could see the whole, whereas he could only recall the most recent parts.

Psalm 139:13-16 is probably one of the most known Psalms:

“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.“

I looked up this scripture in various translations, and love how The Message words verse 16 (underlined, above):

“Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you”

It is a reminder of who our Creator is, how very intimately he knows us and that he has always known us.

God holds the photo album of our life. He can see all that is past, and all that is to come.

We only hold a snapshot of our life. Maybe we need to get out the album of our lives, and ask God to remind us of the past, so that we can walk into the future on the foundation of his faithfulness to us in the past.

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Perfect Life

Posted in GOD, life, WONDER, tagged #bluemonday, #perfectlife, #perfectsatisfaction, #whatisperfect on January 16, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, the third Monday in January, has come to be known as Blue Monday.

It is this day that is reportedly the saddest of the year. The holidays are over, credit card bills are in the mail, daylight is reduced and winter’s rains or snow in full force.

Though struggles with depression and SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) are very real and legitimate reasons for feeling blue, perhaps we humans also suffer because of our expectations of perfection from ourselves and our lives.

Over the Christmas break, hubby and I started watching the TV show “Call the Midwife”. Probably my favourite part of each episode are the narrations, at the end of each episode, by Vanessa Redgrave.

One such narration struck me :

“Perfection is not a polished thing.
It is often simply something that is sincerely meant.

Perfection is a job complete, praise given, a prayer heard, it can be kindness shown, thanks offered up.

Perfection is what we discover in each other- what we see reflected back …

And if perfection alludes us -that doesn’t matter for what we have within the moment is enough.”

Often, our view of, and desire for perfection, is the letter-of-the-law perfection … everything, always perfect.

Yet, human perfection is more grand, more personal, more subjective.

For most of us perfection can be a steaming hot cup of our favorite beverage, awakening to puppy licks or toddler babble or a soft kiss on your forehead. Perfection can be snowflakes falling softly, or the sound of rain outside your window, or a moon shining big and bright. It can be completing a report, leaving work exhausted but satisfied, cleaning a cluttered closet. Perfection is best seen in others when they whisper our name in prayer, or meet our eyes and smile.

We are our perfect best when we are real, when we duplicate kindnesses we see in others, when we work, pray, praise and are thankful. We are our perfect best when we breath in, and out, and recognize the perfection in each breath.

May we ponder, today, that which is truly perfect in our lives.

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The Souls of Old Houses

Posted in GOD, WONDER, tagged #, #itsawonderfullife, #oldhousesarebest, #thesoulsofoldhouses on January 5, 2017| Leave a Comment »

An event that seems to be becoming an annual one is hubby and I celebrating his birthday watching the classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, on the big screen.

As we watched it last month a familiar conversation stuck in my mind:

George Bailey: OK then, I’ll throw a rock at the old Granville house.
Mary: Oh no, don’t. I love that old house.
George Bailey: No, you see you make a wish and then try to break some glass and you’ve got to be a pretty good shot nowadays too.
Mary: Oh no George don’t. It’s full of romance that old place. I’d like to live in it.

In this time and place I live, people prefer to live in new homes, over pre-owned homes (a definition to add to my vernacular). A common occurrence is for homes that are older (ie. 50 years or more) to be torn down, and replaced with brand new homes (frequently more homes on the same piece of property).

I fully and freely admit to being a romantic, and possibly even more so when it comes to houses.

As a child, I can remember the houses that I was fond of … and the stories of the lives of a lifetime of occupants that I would imagine in my mind.

There was the house down a long, straight road, lined with oak trees. It’s porch across the front of the house, with large, perfectly entered stairs. Though the original green paint was chipped and faded, though the roof looked at risk of sinking right into it’s centre, and the barn only partially standing, I loved it. I would dream of a young man, damp with the sweat of his construction labor, carrying his wife, pregnant with their third child, up those entry stairs into the house that would house their family until the day the undertaker took his aged body from the home that love built.

The house I passed on my school bus, every day, with the decorated Christmas tree in it’s enclosed porch. The turret on the second floor that always made me imagine a couple dancing in it’s candle-lit windows, every Saturday night of their childless marriage, before dimming the lights on the week. Years later, another couple, with grand imaginations bought and renovated the home, redeeming it with their love.

These and so many other homes birthed dreams of stories of lives. Though our homes are merely brick and mortar, they are also the pages on which the stories of the lives souls made of flesh and bone, are written on … the ink permanently staining each page until to the dust of Earth they return.

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Redeem the Time

Posted in GOD, WONDER, tagged #dontwastetime, #redeemthetime on January 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Today is that day that ends my Christmas break. What a fine break it has been.

It was two weeks filled with the celebration of Christ’s birth, times with our family of five, and with friends, (too much) delicious food, books, a miniseries, and SNOW (the best Christmas gift!).

And now that break from the everyday has come to it’s natural end, and I feel it cannot possibly be finished!

Ephesians 5:16a reminds us to “redeem the time” (not intended as permission to drive, as some might think …). It is a reminder that we have only right now, and to use that time for love, to be light, and to be wise with how we spend this vital resource.

May we all, as we begin this new year, redeem the time.

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The End of 2016

Posted in GOD, WONDER, tagged #asamanthinks, #countyourblessings, #goodbye2016, #positivityisthekeytosuccess, #theendof2016 on December 29, 2016| 1 Comment »

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Unless you live under a rock, you would have encountered (and maybe even expressed) desire for the end of 2016.

It would seem that society, as a whole, have not appreciated the events of 2016. Whether it has been world events of human tragedies, atrocities or politics. Maybe the numerous losses of life of famous people (far too many too soon, and due to self-induced causes). Or maybe there have been individual and personal tragedies, losses and sorrows.

But, was 2016 so exceptional in a negative way?

As I opened up social media over the past few days I have seen the posts of deaths of famous people, the stupid twitter tweets, but I have seen so much more.

I have seen people posting images of friends and family, of well wishes for the Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years. I have read tweets that inspire and motivate me to do and be better.

Then I read a post by an individual who has struggles, real struggles. I am not talking the struggle of the loss of her favourite actor, or no money to go partying on New Years Eve, but struggles caused by chemical substances in utero. Struggles that have plagued her since before she was born, and about which there is no cure. Real struggles.

And her post inspired me.

For, after acknowledging the common message that 2016 was the worst year in history, she declared the good that has touched her life this past year. She named individuals, events and successes that made this year wonderful.

Her post brought numerous quotes, verses (“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7) and a song from childhood:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]

This chorus is not a sugar-coated Pollyanna way of looking at life, complete with rose-colored glasses. It is the power of acknowledging and giving our lives, every year, every day, to the only one who can give purpose to all of the events in our lives (as is clear in the verses that surround that chorus.

May we end 2016, with thanks, for the many blessings in our lives, and determined to change our thinking as we enter 2017.

Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

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Reflect the One who Resides in Us

Posted in christmas, GOD, WONDER, tagged #freedominchrist, #merrychristmas, #reflecttheonewhoresidesinus, #resolution2017, #wearethelight, #whereisjesusthischristmas on December 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called Where is Jesus this Christmas? In this post I was reflecting on our expectation, as Christians, that the world around us acknowledge our faith (i.e. wishing us a Merry Christmas, rather than Happy Holidays … by the way, the root origin of the word ‘holiday’ is holy day).

So, I decided to put my actions where my computer key-tapping fingers are, and do myself a little Festivus experiment.

Since the writing of the post, in early December, I have been intentional in wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I have done so at every grocery store, retail business, coffee shop and restaurant. I have done it at my hair stylist’s shop, the gas station, with neighbours, and to strangers who I have held a door open for.

Despite the fact that many (I would guess most) of the people who I interacted with, are probably not confessing followers of Jesus Christ, and despite the fact that one of two business have declared that their employees would not be wishing customers a Merry Christmas,

not one person returned my Merry Christmas with anything but, “Merry Christmas” in return.

NOT ONE!

So, fellow followers of Christ … could it be that this has become an issue because we have failed at initiating the conversation?

Paul tell us, in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

What we need to remember is that Paul is not referring to slavery at the hands of non-believers, but slavery to the laws that they, as Jewish believers, held so dear.

Paul continues in his explanation of freedom in Christ …

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (v. 13-15)

Hum … could he be saying that if we do not love each other we might destroy each other (and the very reason for the Christ mass / Christmas?). Then he continues with a fruit bowl filled with something that can nourish us, and those around us …

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Folks, the world will follow our lead … but we need to lead, and we need to do so from a place of love, not the law.

For, as Jesus, himself, reminds us, (Matthew 5:13-16):

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Want a New Years (a new Life) Resolution?:

If we are the light, shine like we are reflecting the one who came at Christmas and who resides in us.

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