The Love of God...

I'm without much to say today. I was hoping to come on here with monumental news of a small miracle. My husband's wallet was stolen the other night and I have been praying that it will make its way back to us. I know it might seem unlikely, but the thought of someone using his wallet for identity theft or even just looking at the pictures of myself and my sons in there makes me uneasy. So I have been praying for its return. I even prayed that the culprit would feel remorse and return it to us - all things are possible right?!? But so far, I am unable to report that it has been returned, and therefore am without what I was planning/hoping to write about today.

So what shall I write about? Two small things:

The first is a question that my son asked me. He asked if God had a wife. I realize that I could have sat him down and discussed the fact that we, the church, are God's bride, but I didn't. Instead, I replied that He didn't have a wife, one woman to love, because He loves us all. My son thought about it and replied: "He doesn't need a wife, because He is our father." Although this isn't the most logical of sentences, I told him he was right. What my son was trying to say was that God doesn't focus His love on one person, but rather on us all. I was happy to conclude our conversation this way, with my son knowing that God is his father and he is loved very much by Him.

The second thing is very related to the first. I have a selection of poetry and songs written on the walls of my house. One of them is a verse from my favourite hymn. Just yesterday my son asked me to read it to him. I told him it is about God and how much love He has for us. It is a beautiful verse steeped with rich imagery that speaks to my heart whenever I read it or sing it in church. I shall close today with the verse.

Could we with ink, the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were every stalk on earth a quill,
and every man a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
tho' stretched from sky to sky.

So Long, Insecurity...Week Seven and A Farewell Party

Well...we're doing it.  A Farewell Party this Thursday at my house.  I was going to write "Astalavista"...but it means, "See you later"... well, that won't do.  Then I was going to write "Bon Voyage"...but that means "have a good trip", and that won't do either.

We're helping "Insecurity" pack her bags and we're gonna kiss her goodbye and hope we don't see her again.  So cut me another piece of cake...she's outta here!

Thank you Jesus for all that we are learning!  I know you girls are with me and it's gonna be so much fun to share together at my house and then again on Saturday at the Beth Moore Simulcast.  I don't know about you but I can't wait.

I appreciated the extra week for chapters 10 and 11, and for me...they were worth the wait.  I've told a ton of you...Don't rush this book.  Take your time to digest it.  I actually needed a little time to digest these last two chapters as well.  I saw things that I've never noticed before and thought about things I've never thought about before.  I've been caught in intriguing "thought moments" where I realized patterns of thinking I've had for years.  Interesting.  My historical tendency has been to view men as gods without ever realizing it.   I was really taken with Mark 8:22-25, and love how Jesus not only healed the blind man but adjusted his vision.  I feel Him adjusting my own.

I found the similarities between men and women's insecurities intriguing.  Not shocking, but definitely thought provoking.  As I do my best to raise a teenage son...it has given me more prayer direction, not only for him but for my husband as well.

And last but not least...I don't even know where to start with the whole omnipotent and omniscience thing.  There's so much to talk about in this chapter...I really need to chew on that with someone in person.  We can dive into that at Insecurity's party!  However, if you've got something to say...please feel free to comment, because I want to hear it, specially if you can't make it on Thursday.

So, Girls...Movin on to Week Seven...Lets hear what Beth's homework is:

Your assignment this week is to read CHAPTERS 12 and 13 and answer the following questions. (You will NOT want to miss Chapter 12. It’s what the guys on the survey had to say about women’s insecurities. Don’t wait too long in the week to read Chapter 13 either. It’s a little lengthier.)

1. Based on Chapter 12, name one “I already knew that” moment and one “that’s new to me” moment, if either applies.

2. Based on Chapter 13, how does a weak will play into our insecurity?

Once Again....I love you girls.  I'm so pumped for the party Thursday night, for those of you that can't make it... we will toast with chocolate in your honour!!!  And then the Simulcast on Saturday...Bring it on.

If you are one of our Soul Kitchen Sisters and you don't know me yet but would like to come and celebrate with us, I'd love to have you come.  It would be a huge step in the direction of security so I might have to have a little prize for you or something!  If you live near Abbotsford and want to come...email me at 

julie.swans4@gmail.com    

Have a great week.

Julie

Carried on angel wings

Dear fellow ladies:

Here it is the second week and I almost forgot to send another blog. It is amazing how tunnel visioned one can get when you are focused one event or one person in crisis. It seems all your energies, and thoughts shut everything else out. Al is in isolation; which means we have to wash hands frequently, put on rubber gloves everytime we go into the hallway out of his room, and put on a yellow gown while in his room so we don't catch this C-diff bug, nor bring in any virus or bacteria. But now he is able to have more visitors. I almost lost my husband last Tuesday when on top of his leukemia, C-difficile bacteria, causing severe prolonged diarrhea, he came down with pneumonia. He was fighting for his life. Thank God, with lots of prayers from so many, and good care from doctors and nurses plus lots of love from our children and myself staying overnight with him, God carried him through. Today he is in much better shape, but still not out of the woods for a long time, but he can walk to the bathroom. ( Thought you'd like to know that!) Our daughter is here from Williams Lake and between Rebecca, myself, Debbie and Tim and family we spend many hours with him. Our time with him is precious. We read scripture to him, he is learning to listen to my small MP3 player with Bill Gaither songs and we reminisce in between all the activities that go on when you lay in a hospital bed. It is not a rest, nor a vacation, but oh, what a blessing for us to have the hospital so close, and so many of you praying. What we have felt is that the many prayers of others is carrying our family on angel wings! Sometimes I have felt overwhelmed by all the prayer requests that come my way for others, but I want to assure you, that even a prayer thought helps someone through their day. Phil. 4:6 in the Life Application Study Bible it says:"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done." Yes, no matter how tired or overwhelmed I might feel, I know that even a small prayer like ,"be with so and so" is heard by God and works wonders in someone else's situation. So keep on praying without ceasing.

The Beginning of My Soul Kitchen Journey

My name is Teagan and I'm a high school student. When Julie asked me to be a part of this blog, I wasn't sure what to think. I knew a bit about it, but thought it was more for adults, not random teens like me :) But I guess I was wrong. So, to let you know about my thoughts and feelings, I'll be sharing parts of a project I am doing on Facebook called "365". I basically take a photo every day and post it with a comment. I sometimes put pictures of stuff I'm feeling, or about things I'm learning or that God has been teaching me. Other times I post random pictures that I think look artistic :) I pray that God will use my photos to bless and encourage all of you who read this blog.
Here is today's photo:


"Wisdom"
(Apr. 17, 2010)

A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth."
-Proverbs 17:24

I think that often we get so distracted by all there is around us, that we lose sight of the wisdom that God desires for us. Discerning or foolish... which one are you?

The Comforter

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7

My girlfriend came a long way to be with me and my family in our time of sorrow. She asked this question. What kind of God says, "It is good for me to go away, so I can send you the Comforter."?

I've noticed, in this time of grief, that the people who seem to bring me the most comfort are those who have also suffered grief. They know. They say the right things or they don't say anything but you feel their empathy and simply know that there is understanding- even when there is no way we will ever fully understand on this side of heaven.

What kind of God sends us a comforter? One who knows. One who understands. One who has suffered and is acquainted with sorrow. Jesus knows.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3

This wasn't a one time event for Jesus. It wasn't just when he climbed that hill of crosses and endured the cross, but it was a life-time of suffering. He knows what it's like for us here on this earth plagued by sin, sickness, sorrow and death. He knows we can't do this alone... so He sends us the Comforter, the Counselor, the Helper, and Advocate.

A loving, gracious, tender and compassionate God sends us a Comforter...because He knows.

Good Morning Sisters

I just got off the phone with Mary, (Pilgrim's Heart).  It is usually her day to write however she is on her way to SeaTac airport.  Their plane leaves at 1:00 this afternoon for Chicago, where they will spend the week at a missions conference.  Please pray for them today, for safety and blessing, and a productive, positive, Spirit-led time with a church that loves.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10.

On New Years' Day my four year old asked Jesus to come into his life! As a parent is there a moment of more joy and pride than that? But I found myself scared and anxious and, if I am honest, even doubtful. I will confess, as I listened in the past to the testimonies of people who retold of how they accepted Jesus into their hearts at four or five years old, I listened to them with cynicism. What four year old actually has the capacity to understand such a decision or to comprehend the need for it in light of eternity? And there I was, listening to my little boy, after he and I discussed what had happened to his friend's grandmother who had just passed away, saying that he wanted to spend eternity with Jesus when he died. My immediate thought after I had led him through the prayer was what if I didn't say the right words? What if I had bungled it and because of it my son's eternal life was jeopardized? Did we even discuss the role of sin in our lives and the role of Jesus' death as a means to atone for it? Did he mumble after me and not quite repeat clearly the words that I told him to? I was overcome with anxiousness about it all. What was supposed to be a moment of elation was drowned by a huge wave of anxiety. This moment was stolen, killed and destroyed. It took an e-mail from a dear friend of mine (and a subsequent conversation with my husband in which he echoed my friend's e-mail) to make me see clearly. I had e-mailed my friend with all of the doubts and anxieties that were clouding my judgement. She, as she always does, brought my eyes back into focus, to focus on God, the glory He was to be given for this moment and the attempt that the thief had made to prevent this from happening. The following is an excerpt from her response to me. This is what she believed that Jesus wanted me to hear:
"My dear daughter, .... please rest and be at peace. I am the author and perfector of [your son's] faith, not you. I am the author of His salvation, nothing you have done can actually save [him] and so just as you trust Jesus to bring him to a place of being saved, you trust Him in the same way to complete the work HE began in Him. Of course, He will use you, just as He did in you and [your husband] just living life and living life trusting Jesus in what you say and do in front of [your son]".
My friend reminded me that my son's salvation doesn't rest in my hands. I was further humbled when she also reminded me that none of us knew what we know now when we first accepted Jesus. We have grown in our faiths and continue to do so, and so it doesn't matter if my son doesn't have a full grasp of eternity or a complete understanding of the sacrifice that was made for him. What matters is that in his little heart he wants to be with Jesus when he dies and that his four year old soul has started the journey of searching after Him. I had, for a while, allowed the thief to steal, kill and destroy the joy that should have surrounded this moment. I needed to be reminded that Jesus came that we might have life and that we might have it to the fullest. Today I praise Him as my four year old son has chosen this full life, and I stand against the thief's attempts to take that away from him.