How Majestic Is Your Name

Psalm 8:1 & 3 says, “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” and “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place” (NIV)

Many years ago I remember repeatedly listening to the Keith Green song “How Majestic Is Thy Name”. It was written almost directly from Psalm 8. (FYI: scripture set to music is a great way to remember it . . . even this many years later!) The words in this Psalm and song have always spoken to my heart. As a child I would gaze at the moon and stars (and especially the Big Dipper) when I would walk from our barn to the house. The reality of these verses have always spoken to me of how amazing and majestic God is.

Recently I had a window seat as I was flying home one night. As I looked out the window into the night sky I was amazed at how clear it was and how much I could see. There were no clouds – anywhere – and it was SO clear! As we were flying over a rather populated area, I thought it was the strangest feeling to be able to see so much out the window. You see there was a full moon that night and even though it wasn’t bright like the sun, the night sky was lit up in the most extraordinary way. It was so odd to look over the wing of the plane, see the freeways, the lit up subdivisions and even the rural farm yards. . . And here I was sitting in a plane flying over all of it. Crazy! My great-great grandparents would never have believed this!

And then “I considered the heavens . . . the moon and the stars, which you have set in place.”

And then I remembered “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

I so badly wanted to take a snapshot and capture that moment in time, but knew nothing would really do it justice. This was going to be one of those moments I would need to try to capture in my memory. I know over time it will fade and become just a memory, but it was simply an incredible sight. I was able to look out at a part of God’s world and realize that for a few minutes I was given a gift . . . a gift to see a piece of the world from another perspective. It was amazing!

I know if you live in a city it is challenging to find a spot away from the streetlights, but next time you are driving in the country at night, take a few minutes and look at the moon and stars in the sky and remember Who put them there – and praise God’s majestic name!!

Jo-Ann

The Alabaster Box

There is a familiar story in the Bible of a sinful woman who broke her alabaster box at Jesus' feet. It's found in Luke 7:37-38: "A woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil."

I was reading a book the other day that made reference to this story, and I started to deeply ponder its meaning.

Firstly, it's a dialogue without words. It's very true that actions speak louder than words; they are what truly reveal the state of our hearts. And since Jesus knew exactly what was in her heart and what she had done, words were unnecessary - both in her offering of repentance and in her receiving of forgiveness. But her offering was more than that - it cost her something as well. Hers was a sacrificial offering - she broke her alabaster box.

Apparently, in the culture of the day, when a young Jewish woman reached the age of availability for marriage, her family would purchase an alabaster box for her and fill it with precious ointment. The size of the box and the value of the ointment would parallel her family's wealth. This alabaster box would be part of her dowry. When a young man came to ask for her in marriage, she would respond by taking the alabaster box and breaking it at his feet. This gesture of anointing his feet showed him honour. This woman was willing to offer Jesus the best and most valuable thing she had in order to honour Him, knowing it was a one-time gesture that couldn't be done again.

What is in your alabaster box? What dreams or secrets do you cling to that need to be broken and released at His feet? It's not enough to simply give Jesus our hearts, we must allow Him to break them irretrievably as a sign of our faith and complete commitment to Him. Only then can He reform them into what He longs for them to be. Isaiah 55:8 says "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" God's plans for our lives are so much greater than those we plan for ourselves. Our sacrifice may seem great, but the step of faith required to answer His call will always be worth it.

Something else happened when the alabaster box was broken - the fragrance of the oil was released and filled the room. The other people present experienced the aroma and were affected by her very vulnerable, intimate offering. When you begin to live every day by faith, other people will be touched; stirred; challenged; even offended. In fact, those who witnessed this event were appalled and totally misunderstood its meaning - but this woman had come to a place where she no longer cared what people thought of her. It makes no difference what people's reactions are, only that there is something undeniable about you that they will notice. Allow the Holy Spirit to work on their hearts as you remain faithful to His plan and His call. The box is broken, the decision made. There's no turning back now.

Ruth-Ellen W.

Broken Open

I have a faint silvery line on my lower back where I didn’t quite clear a barbed-wire fence when I was 9. There’s also a mark on my neck from surgery to remove cancer in 2010. Most recently, I have a darker, jagged scar that tells the story of the emergency caesarean section that brought our son safely into our arms. 

Then there are the invisible scars. Infertility. The stillbirth of our daughter. More infertility. Nearly a decade of aching and longing that felt as though it might always be unfulfilled.

If I’m honest, my husband and I are private people by nature. It would have been much easier not to share these deeply personal, painful parts of our life. To keep these things between the two of us, sharing tears together in our quiet moments alone, in the protection of our safe relationship. It is not easy to be open and vulnerable, to take risks and be real and feel exposed.

And yet, we have found ourselves prompted to live these broken pieces out loud. To embrace our scars and allow them to be used in the lives of others. This is a paradox of the Christ that we follow. We are called to live from our broken places, trusting that Christ can restore and transform even the things that seem beyond redemption. Jesus bore the scars of his crucifixion even after the resurrection. Why? Because they tell the story of his suffering and his love for us. They remind us that there is life after pain.

Brokenness can close us or open us. It can isolate us from others, keeping us stuck in our own painful experience. We can spend a lot of energy avoiding our brokenness, masking it and making sure we never let that raw underside be seen by others. But there is another possibility… Our brokenness can actually draw us toward one another in relationship and caring community.  It can deepen our experience of connection, and open opportunities to be used in the lives of others that we would have never imagined.

If my husband and I had chosen to hide away (as we have often felt tempted), and had not lived our experience authentically in relationship with family, friends, and our faith community, there is so much we would have missed.

We would have missed the connection that comes with being real and authentic. There’s something that happens when we are authentic with those around us. We begin to find that there are others who are longing for the invitation to be real. When we share our experiences, we give permission to others to be open as well. We find ourselves connecting on a deep level with people around us. We spend less time in superficial conversation and “small talk” and instead share more on a deep spiritual level.

                               

We would have missed the opportunity to minister to others in painful situations.  Over the years, we have been sought out by people who knew of our experiences and who wanted a safe place to share their own struggles with loss, infertility, shame, longing, brokenness…  I have been so honoured and blessed by these opportunities to share with others. Sometimes our only ministry is the ability to walk alongside others in their pain, reminding them that they are not walking alone. And really, in our heart of hearts, isn’t this the deepest longing for all of us? To know we are not alone?

We would have missed sharing the depth of joy when our prayers were answered. Our journey has been faith-building … and not just for us. Over the years, many people have cried with us, grieved with us, prayed for us, walked alongside us. I don’t know why God chose to answer our prayers in the way they were answered. But I do know that my pregnancy and the safe arrival of our son impacted people in our lives in a powerful way. Recently, we dedicated our son to God in the presence of our church community, family and friends. There were many tears, overwhelming gratitude, and so much joy. If we had never shared our scars, and the brokenness we experienced along this path, we would have lost this opportunity to tell the story of God’s faithfulness. Because we shared the pain, we were also able to share the immense joy.

Our scars are important. They are something we all share in common – whether seen or unseen, physical or emotional, external or internal. Our scars have the ability to connect us to one another – if we allow them to.

In a beautiful paradox, our scars are actually a symbol of hope. They tell the story of the things we have survived, and bear testimony to the ability of God to heal, restore and transform.

My prayer for us all is that we would be broken open. May we overcome any pain or shame that isolates us, and may we have courage to live authentically. May we embrace our scars as a testimony of our survival and God’s work in our lives, and may we allow our brokenness to open us to God and to one another.

Arlene M.

Used Furniture

I was told the other day, “I’m getting used to you. It’s like you're a piece of furniture that’s put to good use.” I didn’t really think about that statement at that time and I shrugged it off laughingly. But as I thought about it a little more, it started to bother me. 

We all have pieces of furniture in our household these days. We all know how exciting it is to get a new couch or table and put it to good use. We fall in love with these items but then after a while - like maybe 5-7 years or so, we end up getting tired of the furniture that we have. We use our furniture so much that it becomes worn, torn, scratched or faded. Sometimes our pieces of furniture have lost its style or “spunk” and don’t “fit” in this “modern” society anymore. We make a decision to change our old furniture for new - “out with the old and in with the new.”

When I thought about this, it’s exactly like our society. New things come then they become old in a matter of months and then something new comes and the old is trashed while the new things are out in the open. I believe society influences some people (not all) to treat other people like pieces of furniture. They use and abuse them, tear and wear them out and throw them out in the trash like the others - ouch.

The Bible tells us not to love this world (1 John 2:15-17) but this doesn’t mean that if we do not love the world, we shouldn’t love the people in this world. Jesus said, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." John 13:34 (NLT)

Love each other just as HE loved us! He didn’t tell us to use one another, to abuse them, to tear them apart or to wear them out. He told us to LOVE EACH OTHER, meaning our family, friends, co-workers, strangers we encounter, etc…

Now I want you to imagine if we had a God who used us like furniture and tossed us in the trash when we become old…

I honestly don’t know if I would ever want to live in this world…

I honestly don’t know how I could picture what this world would be like if that were the case…

But the thing is, God is not like that and we should be so thankful! God goes out and buys all of the new furniture and also buys all of the OLD ones too! He fixes them all up, new and old, upholstering, repairing, patching, loving and using with care. God NEVER throws out a piece of furniture that He doesn’t like or He can’t stand because He loves them no matter how they look, no matter how much abuse, use, wear or tear they have gone through – He still LOVES them.

We are all like pieces of furniture, we are all being used, but it is God who using us. He will never abuse, wear or tear or throw us out. He will take care of every piece like a china set.

I think its time to show the world how God loves His pieces of furniture in his living room. (WOAH, that must be one big living room!)

Sandra D.

God’s Got It All In Control!

Have you ever been at a place or space in life where it’s been too full . . . too busy . . . too hectic . . . too much?!

I expect we’ve all been there at some time or another; at least for a short period of time.

We should be intentional with our schedules and how we fill our time, but there are other times when life unexpectedly changes the course we are on and something we did not anticipate happens and we are scrambling to keep up.

So what do we do? How do we right our world when it just got dumped on its side? How do we ground ourselves?

Let God’s word be your grounding and let His truth breathe life into the situation(s) you are facing.

Here are a few scriptures to remind ourselves of God’s truth:

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.” Isaiah 26:3 Amplified Bible

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

“For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 HCSB

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” John 16:33 Amplified Bible

Life will always have seasons of fullness and busyness, and even hectic and heavy stretches, but there will also be times of rejoicing and you can pause and enjoy the little things. Let the little things be life-giving in the midst of your day. Whether that’s admiring the intricacies of a snowflake, the scent of a flower, the number of spots on a lady bug, the twinkle in the eyes of your child or laughter on the playground. Pause . . . close your eyes . .  . breathe deep . . . and savour the moment.

Whether your day is filled with all you had planned for it or whether it just made a 180 degree turn, let me remind you that God gives perfect peace, He cares for you and He has already overcome the world!

Sometimes we need to pause, change our scenery – literally – and stop and smell the roses. (If the season doesn’t allow you to smell the roses then let me suggest you stop at the florist and savour the fragrance.) As you are savouring the fragrance of that beautiful flower, let’s remember – God’s got it ALL in control!

Jo-Ann

The Awesomeness of God

Let me take a few minutes to reflect on my past week and share some glimpses into what I’ve seen and the conclusions I’ve come to.

My husband and I had the privilege of spending a week’s holiday in Cuba last week. I say it was a privilege because I realize not just everyone has the means or opportunity to make that type of trip. This was not a mission’s trip, it was pure and simple – a vacation. A much needed break and time away from our very full plates. By the way – it was lovely!

For those of you who have done a resort-type trip in the middle of a cold and snowy Canadian winter you know what I’m talking about; for those of you who haven’t let me just say it’s rather strange to go from minus-crazy-something with snow up to there to a few hours later humid, tropical temperatures, palm trees and a foreign language. (This is likely a good time to say I am very thankful for individuals who are able to learn a new language so the likes of myself can travel to a foreign country and get by with minimal difficulties understanding what’s asked of me.)

Let me also say I am not the best traveller – in whatever mode of transportation; car, bus, train, airplane, etc. I don’t like being confined to small, uncomfortable seats with limited access to the kitchen and bathroom – ahem!

Anyway, as we walked down the wooden boardwalk to the beach on our first day in Cuba I was struck by the awesomeness of the shades of turquoise ocean waters, brilliant blue skies, the green foliage, and I simply had nothing but a few pictures in a magazine to use as a point of reference. The sight before me was simply stunning and breathtaking and awesome.

I spent the next number of days sitting on the beach watching the waves roll in amazed at what I was gazing at. I was struck over and over again that the same God who created the piles of snow at home and the evergreen trees I’m familiar with also created the white, powdery sand, the colour of the ocean and the tropical surroundings. I still haven’t quite figured out how to put into words how I feel about the awesomeness of God who created the universe and all that I’ve seen in the last week.

I was reminded of Genesis 1:9-10 which says, “Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground ‘land’ and the waters ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.”

The vastness of the ocean was beyond anything this prairie girl could compare anything to. The slough outside my back door growing up was a drop in the bucket (literally) compared to the vastness of the ocean I was looking at. Then this scripture came to mind. “He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.” Psalm 33:7

The awesomeness of God took my breath away, repeatedly, and I found myself thanking God and praising Him for the beauty around me.

I still feel like my mind has not caught up with all I experienced, but I am so thankful for our trip and the beautiful resort we had the opportunity to stay in. I am thankful the Lord allowed me the opportunity to have a glimpse into a small portion of His creation. And I am ever grateful that the Lord loves me and cares enough about me to meet me right where I am in the midst of my full plate. In the past week and a half I have been able to breathe in the tropical sights and sounds of Cuba, along with the crisp, Manitoba, winter air (and a whole lot of snow!). The extreme differences of these two beautiful locations has not been lost on this prairie farm girl, nor has the awesomeness of God.

Jo-Ann

WHO IS YOUR BFF?

Wikipedia defines “BFF” as:

“The term ‘Best Friends Forever’, often abbreviated to BFF, is a close relationship typical of teenagers and young people. Such relationships are common in high school but, rather than lasting forever, tend to deteriorate when the parties involved attend college.”

Well, that’s disappointing … BFF is a term for young people, which I am not, and forever does not mean FOREVER?!?

In my opinion, if BFF were taken literally, it would be the most awesome thing EVER!

I am sure everyone has their own interpretation of BFF, but as far as friendships go, I would like to share a few of my expectations for a BFF. We would:

• Get together for no reason and enjoy each other’s company.
• Accept each other unconditionally, bad hair day and all.
• Listen to each other patiently, and not be pushy or rude, wanting our own way.
• Always be available for each other in a crisis, via texting, cell phone or coming over in person to comfort each other.
• Think there is cause for alarm when we didn’t hear from each other daily.
• Help each other become better people by learning new things and want what is best for one another.

“Impossible, ridiculous, out of this world, no way, are you crazy?!? It’s a wonder you even have friends, never mind a BFF!”

Read on, I will explain.

My musings about a BFF started one day when I needed a BFF and no one was available. I was fighting a battle in my mind which was also affecting my heart and causing a heaviness I couldn’t shake (no, I wasn’t having a heart attack!). I needed someone to talk to, someone who would understand, comfort me and take away the heaviness I was feeling. During the turmoil going on in my mind, I felt a gentle nudging in my soul and a still, quiet voice said, “Talk to me, I will listen, I won’t condemn, I already know how you feel…”

There He was, my BFF, who I’ve known since childhood. He was available: no texting needed, wireless not required, and he’s close - closer than the mention of His Name!

JESUS AND ME – BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!

Psalm 27:7, 8 (NLT)

“Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me. My heart has heard you say ‘Come and talk to me’ and my heart responds ‘Lord, I am coming’.”

So, I spent time with my BFF that day, I whined and complained, and Jesus listened. He was not pushy or rude. He DID remind me of His attributes – how His burdens are light and His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:28). 

I know I can trust Him and that He is in control, as He has proven that to me time and time again over the years. Jesus tells me in His word that I am a friend of God!

Romans 5:10, 11 (NLT)

“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

Jesus is truly my BFF and so much more. He is out of this world!

Maybe you need a BFF today, someone who won’t let you down – ever – forever.

Kristina A.