Focus

I was looking at purchasing a new Bible recently and was faced with a dilemma. It wasn’t the varied binding options or even picking a translation that gave me difficulty. The predicament that I found myself in was much more shallow. My choice was this: large print or a trip to the optometrist.

I already wear glasses but it is apparent that something needs to change. It is all about the lenses. It is all about what I look through to give me clear vision, even a true perspective.

When the words on the page are no longer sharp…when it becomes a strain to read words on the computer screen, it is time to readjust…to make the changes necessary to bring things back into proper focus.

There are times when it seems that more than the words on the page are out of focus. Life happens. People to see, things to do, places to go…there are diagnosis that bring fear…losses that break hearts…woundings deep and sharp…

Life and all that it brings can cause a loss of focus… a loss of perspective…

So, what really matters? What is the standard?

“This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” (Is.48:17)

…who teaches you what is best for you…who directs you in the way you should go…

Am I teachable in this? Am I willing, to set aside my own perspective…my own way of viewing those around me and even myself…and will I put all that I am …and all that I think I see…completely into the hands of the One who directs the way…Do I dare?

If this were only a matter of authority…of submission…if there was some hint of tyranny…perhaps I would be justified in feeling some apprehension…some lack of trust…but, this One…this One who directs and teaches is also Redeemer…

This One knows the beginning and the end…this One speaks and the winds obey…this One has lavished his love on us and made us his children…

When I forget that or when I push that love aside, my vision becomes distorted. I need that lens…the lens that clearly shows me that God so loved me… the lens that shows me that because He loves me, I can love Him…and shows me that because of that love, I can love others…

How would using that lens…the one that clears your vision to see that God, the Redeemer, the Holy One, loves you, indeed loves all…how would that change your vision…your perspective…your focus?

Ruth

Who Do You Think You Are?

Have you ever come to the realization that something you believed was actually a lie? Difficult stuff.

Often we are confronted with the lies satan has told us and now we need to counter the lies with God's truth. The only way to truly do this well is to spend time reading and absorbing God's word. God's truth is written in the bible for us to read, memorize and apply to every nook and cranny of our lives.

Have you ever felt like you weren't anything special to anyone?

God's word says, "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. he will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph. 3:17 (NIV)

HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANYONE REJOICE OVER YOU WITH SINGING? GOD DOES!

Maybe you think you are nothing special.

God's word say, "For you are God's masterpiece. He has created you anew in Christ Jesus, so you can do the good things he planned for you long ago." Eph 2:10 (NLT)

YOU ARE A MASTERPIECE CREATED BY GOD!

Or perhaps you don't think anyone really cares about you.

God's word says, "You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure." Deut. 14:1 (NLT)

YOU ARE TREASURED!

Have you ever wondered where you belong or if you even do belong somewhere?

God's word says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine . . . you are precious in my eyes, and honoured, and I love you." Is 43:1,4 (ESV)

YOU ARE REDEEMED AND YOU ARE PRECIOUS IN GOD'S SIGHT!

Do you need to be reminded how much God loves you?

God's word says, "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." Eph. 3:17b-18 (NIV)

YOU ARE LOVED!

I don't know if memorizing scripture is something that comes relatively easy for you, but I do know when we plant God's word in our hearts and minds our thinking shifts. If you wrestle with believing and standing firm on God's truth about who you are to him and what he thinks of you, then you need to find a quiet spot with your bible. Regularly read God's word and begin to plant his truth in your memory log. The odds are good this will take some time, diligence and intentional work on your part, but planting God's truth while you're uprooting satan's lies will shift our understanding of who we are to God and who our Father God is to us.

We need to use scripture as our frame of reference when it comes to what we feel in our hearts and what we see in the mirror. If we believe something which doesn't line up with scripture, then WE need to make the shift in our thinking and adjust our perspective. God's word is truth and our souls long for the sustenance of God's truth!

It doesn't matter our age or stage of life, as God's daughters, we need to rest in the arms of Father God KNOWING we are loved, treasured, chosen and redeemed.

Jo-Ann

Our Weekend Together

Last weekend myself and a number of ladies from numerous cities, towns and communities got together for a ladies retreat and listened to an amazing woman of God - Sue Keddy. 

Here are a few pictures and reminders of our weekend.

Thank you Giselle, Linda and Ruth for helping lead this weekend!

Thank you Tara, Pat and Ariel for leading us in worship!

Worshipping our God and King!

Sometimes we find ourselves in the furnaces of life so the ropes can be burned off.

Just like in Daniel 3, while we're in the furnace, people will see what we have - Jesus!

Heb. 12:1 says, "let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

If you fall down, get up and keep going. Don't let your pain stop you.

It's amazing the doors God can open when we knock on our neighbour's door

and ask for a cup a sugar.

Time together!

Loving the visiting around the tables!

 We were reminded the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37) walked

so the broken could be carried the rest of the way.

Learn to live for interruptions; because you have Jesus and that's what they need.

Catching up with old friends!

Thank you Debbie for competently working the soundboard!

 What's a ladies retreat without a little chocolate?! Thanks Brenda for making sure everyone had some!

*Thank you Nancy for taking pictures throughout the weekend!

Work of Art

I am not generally an art gallery kind of gal. You know the saying about beauty being in the eye of the beholder…works for art too I’m thinking!

We did recently take a quick tour of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. To be fair, we did not see all of the exhibits but some of them did seem decidedly…”artsy” by my standards!

We actually went to the gallery specifically to see the Maud Lewis exhibit. She is a Nova Scotia folk artist. One thing that we went looking for and that I found utterly fascinating was the part of the exhibit that was her home…her actual home – not a reproduction and not a scale model. Her actual home…a home does not even come close to filling the gallery space! The house is actually a little less than 16 square meters – one room with an attic space for sleeping.

The reason for the home being included in the art gallery is that it became her canvas. Every imaginable surface bears the mark of the artist. Simple everyday objects are turned into works of art. The walls, chairs and table…the rickety staircase, the door and even the window panes… ordinary items – enamel basins, the wood stove and the dust pan…all are adorned with brightly coloured birds, butterflies and flowers.

The beauty that begins with objects that are so everyday … the evidence of joy spilling out in spite of lack…that crippled, arthritic hands picked up a paint brush and that the result was such fun…it just amazes me!

It reminds me that when all I have to offer is brokenness and pain, there is One who offers “…a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…” (Is. 61:3b)

It reminds me that I serve a God who takes my ordinary and creatively makes extraordinary!

It reminds me to give thanks…for what has been, for what is and for what will be the way that He works in me…the brush strokes that may not seem to fit on their own but that in the end will show a complete and perfect work of art.

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)

Ruth

Cheese Slices vs. Real Cheese

When I was a young lass, my mom was a health nut. We never had alphagetti, cookies from Mr. Christie or Kraft Dinner in the house. While all my friends were enjoying Corn Pops for breakfast, my brothers and I were choking down granola. I would beg my mom to buy cheese slices and the answer was always “Absolutely not. It’s just a bunch of oil and preservatives. It’s not even REAL!” I have heard that before they add the orange colour to processed cheese spread, it’s actually grey. Mmmm . . . appetizing.

As I got older, I realized that grilled cheese made with cheese slices actually leave a lot to be desired when compared to their counterparts made with real cheese. Cheese slices try very hard to be cheese. They are the same colour, shape, share some of the same ingredients but cheese slices can NEVER be as satisfying as real cheese.

Have you ever met a woman who appears to have it all together? Her hair and makeup are always perfectly done, nails perfectly manicured. She rolls out of bed looking like a team of stylists worked on her for a magazine cover. Her house is immaculate and there’s always a pie in the oven on the off-chance a visitor drops by. She never gets flustered, angry, nervous, sad, lonely, insecure. There’s no social situation that superwoman can’t handle! She never yells at her children or gets annoyed with her husband. Whenever you ask how she is, the answer is “fine”, “great”, “SUPERB”!

It can be tempting to admire and even want to emulate this kind of woman. But the truth is, no one has it all together all the time. We are all broken . . . we all struggle with temptation . . . we all hurt . . . we are all in need of grace. WHY DO WE PRETEND WE DON’T NEED JESUS? Keeping up appearances is tiring . . . dishonest . . . unattractive (much like processed cheese spread before the colour is added). How excited are you to pour out your heart to someone who’s never willing to admit they have any problems or emotions or hurts? Personally, my excitement level is somewhere in the negative integers. It’s not very satisfying . . . kind of like a cheese slice.

On the other hand, how refreshing would it be to share a situation with someone who responds with “you’re not alone . . . I’ve wrestled with this . . . I’ve experienced this emotion . . . I’ve seen God’s grace in this situation”. It reminds me of this verse: “An honest answer is like a warm hug” Proverbs 24:26 (The Message). What would it be like to laugh and cry and everything in between with each other as we walk along the path of life?

This week in our girls’ small group, we took turns talking about some really tough stuff. When someone shared their heart we did not say “well have more faith” or “turn that frown upside down” and move on to the pumpkin bread. We listened, we sat silently when words failed, we cried, we prayed. But I will tell you this: with tear-stained cheeks, red eyes and hearts on their sleeves, those women never looked more beautiful. In their brokenness and honesty, they were attractive and refreshing and REAL.

Brenda

Brenda is a wife and mother to three great kids. She leads a woman's small group and is a worship leader in her church.

Harbour

“A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for.” William Shed

For the record, I do agree with this quote. There is a song that we sing too that speaks to this as well. “A ship that’s in the harbour is still and safe from harm, But it was not built to be there, It was made for wind and storm.”

Again, I agree. The other side of this though is that every ship needs a harbour.

There is a tension, a balance to be maintained. I am not a nautical expert but it seems to me that while a boat left in harbour may seem to be missing its purpose, a boat left at sea too long may become a danger to itself and perhaps to others.

We all need a harbour… a place of refuge and safety. Somewhere to replenish and repair…to restock & re-evaluate…

For different vessels there are different seasons to leave the harbour, depending on their purpose or what they are equipped to do.

So, yes… there is a time to leave the harbour but there is also a time to stay.

Have you been “at sea” a long time…perhaps so long that you are in danger of being adrift with no way to manage your way through the wind and waves?

Maybe it is time to head home for a bit…to rest…to refocus.

It is not defeat. It is not failure or giving up.

The Psalmist penned these words:

“Find rest, oh my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, oh people, pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Ps. 62:5-8)

God will meet you in the storm and be your refuge there. Absolutely! There are however seasons when a trip to the harbour is in order…to a place where you can find rest for your soul…refuge…safety.

Ruth

Kleenexes

Why do we work so hard to do life without a box of Kleenexes?

I'm sure you've experienced it (or perhaps even tried to avoid it), the interaction with someone else that's "messy". You know one Kleeex isn't going to be enough! You know it's going to take your time, energy, empathetic ear and perhaps even some of your money. Someone is looking for you to help them in their situation of need and there is no quick, easy answer to their time-consuming, messy situation. And yes, sometimes they inflicted it upon themselves and sometimes they were completely innocent of what happened, but they live with the consequences.

You may or may not have noticed this, but life isn't going to be lived perfectly clean and tidy and yet for many of us we work so hard to try to live life, with ourselves and others, without messiness! The more I read my bible, experience life with others and interact with people, I find myself realizing I need to figure out how to do life well . . . with a box of Kleenexes under my arm (. . . for myself and others!).

Gal 6:2 says, "Help carry each other’s burdens. In this way you will follow Christ’s teachings."

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced someone's messy life as we've stepped out to help carry another's burden. The bible doesn't say give them 10 min, hand them a Kleenex, pat them on the shoulder and carry on. No, it says, "Help carry each other's burdens." It implies a continuing on carrying the burden. It also says we are to "carry each other's burdens". So I need to carry others, but I also need to let others help carry mine. Hummm... does this resonate for anyone besides me? I know I'm not the only one who wants to keep my "burdens" to myself and posture as if everything's ok. I also I know I need to be wise and boundaried, and not a "Negative Nellie". (Perhaps you've met her or someone related to her? She experiences everything from a negative perspective.)

What if we consciencely and intentionally made the effort to work at coming alongside our sisters and helping them as they carry their burdens? This might look like sending a card in the mail reminding them you are thinking of them, or perhaps you live close enough you could take them for coffee (or a manicure!), or maybe you have one of those long-distance phone plans and you can make a phone call. There is something about receiving a word of encouragement, comfort and/or perspective from someone who cares about you.

I think for some people this comes more naturally than others, however I also believe that if it's in the bible them it means it's for all of us - no excuses. So whether you are naturally a nuturer or not, today is as good a day as any to begin to find ways to come alongside our sisters and help carry their burdens. And if you're feeling the weight of your burden today, make sure when someone offers to help you carry it - let them help.

Lord, help us to see the burdens our sisters carry and give us wisdom to best help them carry it. Also, would you help us let others walk alongside us as we daily walk this journey before us? In Jesus' name. Amen.

Jo-Ann