Fresh Start

Hopefully this statement will not elicit any hate mail: I miss back to school shopping! There just always seemed to be something hope-filled about the beginning of a new school year.

Pencil crayons all sharpened neatly…pencils, eraser ,pens (two blue, one red),…names neatly printed on new notebooks…clean binders free of “art work”…

Thinking back to my own school days and my own preparations as each school year approached, I remember the promise, the anticipation. that this year I was going to do it right. With each notebook that I carefully labelled with my name was a promise to myself that this year every entry would be neat, orderly…the very best.

Usually though, that extra neat plan didn’t make it past the first week! Never the plan, but often the reality, that perfect notebook would have to be next year’s goal.

An added trauma was to use a pen rather than a pencil. With a pencil, there was at least a hope of correcting mistakes neatly. Pen mistakes – no chance! Did you ever work so hard to erase a mistake that you ended up with a hole in your paper? No hiding that!

Teachers must have tired of the hole in the paper scenario as well. Some instructed that a single line should be drawn through the error – leaving your mistake on display…forever a part of the assignment.

Does that feel like a picture of your life? Mistakes clearly on display? Mistakes made worse by your own attempts to fix things…leaving you broken…damaged…rubbed raw….

Sometimes we long for a “back to school” kind of chance…a chance to start with a clean slate.

We have all been there. We are all there. In varying degrees, at various times, we all mess up…repeatedly…

Listen to the writer of Lamentations: “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.” (3:19, 20)

Been there? That place of remembering that is only remorse…that place of wondering if we have reached the end of forgiveness…the end of new beginnings.

Don’t stop there! Don’t stay there! The writer of Lamentations continues: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (3:21-23)

“Yet this I call to mind”… remind yourself…remind each other…there is mercy…there is compassion…because of God’s great love, the mercy does not run out!

“New every morning”…always there….

It is not about you starting a new day, a new month, a new year, and somehow determining to get it right this time. If it was about us, we would be consumed! It is about God…His mercy…His faithfulness…His great love for you!

Ruth

Striving for Perfection

Have you ever found yourself striving for perfection and then feeling the disappointment when it's not attained?

We live in a world where we can pay money to have a cosmetic surgeon "fix" our flaws in order to create the "perfect" look. It seems many are striving for perfection - at least on the outside. I find myself observing this phenomenon to have the perfect features (I'm still trying to figure out what the criteria is for perfect). I wonder if and when the pendulum will swing the other way and we'll find ourselves living in a society where faces once again move when you smile, saggy skin and wrinkles are welcomed, and aging gracefully is not only welcomed but embraced. 

I also find myself wondering when we'll realize that true perfection in our world will only be attained once Jesus returns. We live in a fallen world where sin entered when Adam and Eve sinned. Sometimes my heart longs for a world which existed "pre-apple" - before Adam and Eve sinned. (I know the fruit Eve ate was likely not an apple, but "pre-fruit" sounds a little odd in my ears). I'm someone who longs to hear the perfect final chord in a song and who desires to have things look "right" and balanced.

I also realize that part of my desires reveal the God-given longings for heaven. It's a challenge to hold the tension between feeling a little off and longing or striving for perfection and knowing that will only come when I stand in the presence of the holy, awesome and almighty maker of heaven and earth.

Maybe the next time I see someone with cosmetic surgery I need to pray for their God-given longing for heaven.

Rev 21:21-27 says, "The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn't need sun or moon for light. God's Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth's kings bring in their splendour. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won't be any night. They'll bring the glory and honour of the nations into the City. Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will get in." The Message

Superwoman!

I don’t believe in Superman – you know, the guy in the blue tights and red cape – big “S” on his chest…I know that he is a fictional character and am willing to make the assumption that most of you are with me on this!

Superwoman on the other hand – well ladies, we all know that she is out there! We also know that it is our job to be just like her!

There is even a name for this: Superwoman Syndrome – “an expectation that she can and should do everything.”

You know the list – job, wife, mother, daughter, friend, volunteer in community, volunteer in church…the list is endless. All good things… all worthy things…so of course we should excel at them … all of them… all at once…because even scripture says “I can do all things…”

Is that verse in Philippians really about accomplishments? I know that we pull it out to cheer ourselves and others on…to get through the rough patches…and there is truth in that.

I think that I may have at times twisted the truth of this verse and put the emphasis on the “I can do” phrase. “I can do” leads to “I must do” and when I fall short the phrase becomes the accusation “I should do”.

Before long my life resembles the hamster running on his wheel. Busy, busy, busy but not really getting anywhere.

If we look back a few verses in this chapter in Philippians 4, Paul talks about contentment. Sometimes I fear that we equate contentment with lack of ambition or lack of desire to move forward. It’s not the same thing. In failing to learn contentment we are robbed of peace as we strive to do more than to be…

It’s not that there aren’t jobs to do, tasks to accomplish, character to grow. There are! There are also things in each of us to be changed as we are made into the image of God’s Son…but do we forget that He is the one to accomplish this? ( Phil.1:6)

To learn contentment in all circumstances seems to me to be the opposite of Superwoman Syndrome.

The link between contentment and “doing all things” is more about allowing God to work than about me accomplishing.

So, let’s agree and encourage one another to take off those superwoman capes and revel in the peace and rest that contentment brings as we say "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Phil.4:13)

Ruth

Stop! In the Name of Love

Even pop culture can be full of surprises. The Supremes' Motown hit song, that is the title of this article, from 1965 embraces God's very heart; all be it, out of context. Go ahead and listen to it. You can find it right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltIhcbwYUHc  I'll wait. ~smile~

Now, stay with me... There's no doubt how loving our God is: willing to endure the hardships of an earthly existence through His Son. However, there is a part of Him that demands our attention: He wants to be our first love and He is a jealous God.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:4-6

God's desire is for our actions and heart to follow Him. He reminds us over and over with His faithfulness and unending forgiveness how much He loves us and wants us to succeed – to thrive for Him! Hearing this song on the radio recently, and finding myself humming the tune over and over got me thinking... He does want us to think it over – He gives us a choice every day – moment to moment. Will we sin recklessly following our own human desire, or will we choose to stop and realign our attitude, our thoughts, our actions with His commands and instructions? Stop, in the Name of LOVE and chase after His plan and will for your life.

Are you in a difficult place right now? STOP! Reflect on His love:

"But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life." Isaiah 43:1-4

...and chase hard – the reward is great!

"I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments." Colossians 2:2-4

Do you still find that clever tune in your mind? Let's stop the infatuation with things not from Him. Let's explore more on “the chase” next week.

Press in and press on,

Giselle

Not Worthless

I have so much admiration for people who have learned multiple languages, especially when one of those languages learned is English. This isn’t because I think that everyone should speak English. This is because English can be ridiculous!

Let me give you some examples:

Your nose may run and your feet may smell.

Quicksand works slowly.

Money doesn’t grow on trees but your local bank is a branch.

If you arrive late for work you might use the excuse that your alarm didn’t go off when really wasn’t it a problem that it didn’t go on?

While none of these examples are very serious, the way we understand words, or maybe misunderstand them, can lead us to some incorrect conclusions.

Consider the word “unworthy.” What comes to mind?

The scenario that pops into my mind is the prodigal son rehearsing the speech that he plans to give to his father on his return home…”I am no longer worthy to be called your son…”

I’m not worthy…I have messed up…I blew it…not worthy…not good enough….worthless…

Does that transition, that progression, ever trip you up? Do you equate unworthy with worthless?

The truth is that in ourselves we are not worthy. We do not and can not measure up. We can not earn a restored relationship with God the Father so does that make us worthless? No! Never!

God sent his Son – the very best he had to offer, to die for us… to enable restored relationship, not because we were worthless but because of his great love for us. Unworthy and so a way had to be provided. If worthless, then why bother providing a way?

“I took you from the ends of the earth; from its farthest corners I called you. I have said’ You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.” (Isa.41:9)

Called…chosen…not rejected!

Created by him…in his image…made for relationship with him!

Though unable and unworthy to attain that on our own…worthless is never the Father’s word!

Ruth

Keep Calm

“Keep Calm & Carry On” Have you seen this poster? Originally distributed by the British government near the beginning of World War II. Its purpose was to encourage their citizens to keep calm and carry on . . . despite their circumstance . . . despite the very real danger of being caught up in the conflict which would soon impact every aspect of their lives . . . keep calm and carry on.

There are now many variations of this poster’s message.

Keep Calm & Eat Cookies (or chocolate or cupcakes – all equally delicious suggestions!)

Keep Calm & Carry Yarn – for the knitters among us.

One that is all too often a more usual response to the challenges of life is probably one of my favourite variations of this theme: FREAK OUT & PANIC! Be honest. You have responded that way at least once.

There is a story in Isaiah 7 that tells of a time when the people of Jerusalem had reason to “freak out & panic”. Their city was under siege. Isaiah the prophet shows up and says “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart . . .” (7:4)

The prophet told the king to ask for a sign from God and though the king refused to ask, he was given one.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (7:14)

Immanuel . . . God with us . . .

This is our sign, our promise, too. For those times when life is messy and hard, and those times when our response is to freak out and panic, we can keep calm and carry on – not in a stiff upper lip, ignore reality, kind of way but rather in making the choice to remember, to know and to live the truth that Immanuel . . . God with us . . . is our reality!

After promising the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

God the Holy Spirit . . . present . . . with us . . . Enabling us to chose peace and to not give in to fear . . . to "Keep Calm & Carry On".

Ruth

A Day At The Beach

We have had a lot of things happen in our family this summer. I don't know if you have a favourite way to relax, but for myself and our family we relax best with a book and a beach. Recently we had the opportunity to spend some time at the beach.

I love having my senses touched by the beauty of nature.

The powdery, white, warm sand running through my fingers.

The cool, refreshing waves splashing over our feet.

The laughter and enjoyment as we played in the water.

 The power of the water as the waves continued to crash into the shoreline.

The peacefulness of the endless, blue sky sinking into the lake.

Then admiring the beginning of another day coming to a close

and the reflection of the sun on the lake.

  

As I sat at the beach that day feeling the release of tension I was reminded of this verse from Matthew 11:27. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." and this verse from Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

I the midst of all that we encounter in our day to day lives let me remind and encourage you to take time to rest, relax and appreciate the world God created.

Jo-Ann
All pictures courtesy of Grand Beach, Manitoba.

Building Altars

Psalm 78:2-4

"Stories we heard from our fathers,

counsel we learned at our mother's knee.

We're not keeping this to ourselves,

we're passing it along to the next generation—

God's fame and fortune,

the marvelous things he has done."

Lately I cannot get the idea of altars, and building places of remembrance of what God has done and promised to do out of my head. After preaching a sermon about it in our church a few weeks ago, I went to Northern Pentecostal Camp, where well known evangelist Marie Miller was speaking, and she pretty much preached the same sermon. I believe this is something God wants our generations to hear!

How will our families ever know what God has done if they do not hear it? How will WE remember what God has done if we don’t set up places of remembrance, or make record of it?

When my son was younger, I would witness him doing something cute, or a facial expression, or words he would say, and think it would be impossible to forget it. It’s just not that easy. Good intention gets me nowhere! I can only remember what I have documented.

The Israelites’ story of deliverance out of Egypt, and consequently forgetting what he had done is lesson enough that it is easy to forget what God has done.

Throughout the entire Bible we see the importance of both building altars and recognizing what God has done, and being sure to tell our children of these things.

Abraham built many altars. Isaac and Jacob built altars; Joshua had the Israelites build an altar when God parted the Sea for the second time in their history, and the Lord said “it was to be a memorial for generations to come” (Josh. 4:7)

Good intentions get us nowhere. Unless we intentionally take note of the fantastic things God does, and the things He promises to do, we will not glorify Him the way we should, nor will we build faith and Christian heritage in the next generation. Whether it be journaling, building an altar of sorts, having family “story-time,” or celebrating important dates and events in our lives, we need to be in the habit of building altars to the Lord.

What are you and your family doing to remember?

Kourtnay