Saturday, March 16, 2024

Weekend Words


Be Still

"Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world." - Psalm 46:10

There is nothing more wonderful than taking a walk along a quiet trail on a spring morning with the air still, one's mind still, and the world around still and at rest.  New buds cluster on previously dormant tree branches.  Spots of floral color can be seen within the light-green grass.  It's easy to feel God in such a place.

I've walked among Amish men, women, and children at a local auction and felt the same stillness - even in the midst of all the activities.  The air stirred slightly from their voices, but there was no loud uproar.  People moved, but not in anxious haste.  God was honored not only by their words but also by the contented way they interacted.

I don't feel the same way when I'm in a large city, walking down a high school corridor, or in the middle of a mall.  The blare of machinery or music fills the air.  Voices do too.  The hairstyles, clothes, and merchandise scream, "Notice me, notice me!"  The people's actions silently declare the same.  Each person wants to be noticed, to feel valued, to stand out.

As believers, we know we are special creations, unique and precious to God.  So why do we struggle with comparing our lives, our bodies, our children, our talents (or lack of talents) with others?  God didn't create the world to be exalted but to glorify Him.  The same goes for us.

Be still and know that He is God.  Be still.  Fight against the desire to create idols of man-made things.  Fight against your longing to be noticed and appreciated - to stand out in a crowd.

Isaiah 37:16 says, "O Lord of Heaven's Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim!  You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth.  You alone created the heavens and the earth."  May not only our words but also our "stillness" in everyday situations make such a declaration.

Dear heavenly Father, when I feel the urge rising to make myself known, I pray I might make You known.  When I feel the desire to gain attention, may I remember to be still and give You the glory.



Should the uncertainty of all human affairs sadden our lives?  No; God does not want us to bring tomorrow's possible clouds to shadow our todays.  He does not want us to be unhappy while the sun shines because by-and-by it will be dark.  He wants us to live in today and enjoy its blessings and do its work well, though tomorrow may well bring calamity.  How can we?  Only by calm, quiet, trustful faith in God and obedience to him at every step.  Then no troublesome tomorrow can ever bring us harm.  those who do God's will each day God will hide under his wings when the storm breaks.


Thursday, March 14, 2024

News from home...

We are officially in autumn here, but it is still hot.  We've been having days in the high 20sC/80sF, so I'm glad for a cloudy day to go for my walks...



And some beautiful sunsets too...

A couple of weeks ago I went with Marnie and Tom to Tasmania Zoo.  Another very hot day (even the animals were seeking out a shady spot)... 





Still working on the 'colorful blanket'.  Have 4 of the 5 strips done...

But because I was getting 'color overload', I've put it aside for a bit to work on my 'calmer' crocheted blanket...
This is my 'Deloraine blanket'.  I bought the yarn a year ago, not long before I moved from Deloraine to Latrobe, in colors that reminded me of Deloraine: white (snow on the mountains and clouds), blues (river and sky), green (trees and grass/plants), greys (skies and mountains), brown (rocks and mountains).  The colors changed with the seasons, but it is always the colors of nature that draw me.


Picked up this delightful little book at the op shop recently...

makes me want to go out and buy a red geranium :)

And another op shop find, this bowl and jug ($9)...
which goes so well with my second-hand, old-fashioned wash stand (bought many years ago)


Had a lovely visit from two of the Mennonite ladies (and two of the young children), who brought me the books I had ordered from the Rod and Staff book publishers catalogue...
these should keep me going for a while :)


I recently finished re-reading Vera - The King's Daughter (previously read 2020)...
and have started From Wealth to Faith


I also received the head covering squares I had ordered from Michaela's Etsy store...
wore the brown one for church last Sunday

And Freya was not a happy cat, having cut the underneath of her paw and needing a trip to the vet (I was not happy either when I saw the bill!!) and bandage, so it could heal.  She also needed to stay inside for a few days which she definitely DID NOT LIKE!



She is all better now (but still not speaking to me), and is out exploring again...

And remember back in January I mentioned about my 'Bible Word for the Month' I was doing this year?  My January word being 'peace' (I found 29 verses); my February word was 'joy' (I found 42 verses); and my March word is 'trust' (so far, I've found 34 verses).  I'm sure there are many more, and it's been fun looking them up (in various concordances - KJV, NKJV and NIV) and writing them out.

Here are some 'trust verses'...

Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. (NKJV)

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,  And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. (NKJV)


"Lord, in your kindness, give me Yourself, for You are all I need." 

- Julian of Norwich (1342 - 1416)


Simply trusting every day;

Trusting through a stormy way;

Even when my faith is small,

Trusting Jesus, that is all.


Have a blessed week, and keep on trusting ...

xx

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Weekend Words

 From Amish Peace...

Jesus, the Way

Jesus told them, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

The Amish have a slower way of life, but slow and steady isn't the way.  The Amish build their lives around good morals, including telling the truth, but truthfulness isn't the way.  The Amish celebrate life.  They have large families and commune with others.  But living this way isn't what saves their souls.  The life they enjoy is good but not good enough.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life."

Jesus is the Way.  The Truth of God, the Word of God, come in the flesh.  Following Him is the way to live.  Dedicating our lives to Him is the way to eternal life.  And to walk in the way, we must read the Word of God and listen to the still, small voice of His Spirit.

It is within Jesus that we will find the life we've longed for.  It might be slower paced, but it also might have seasons of outpouring of love and giving of our time and care.  In Jesus we find life larger than we expected, both here and in eternity.  A life filled with people to walk with, people to circle around us, and people to serve.  To gain that life, we need to turn to Jesus - not to human ideas and rules.

Sometimes we are so busy trying to find the right way - or we're discontented because we believe that someone else's lifestyle is a better way - that we miss out on finding Jesus, the Way.

"Listen to me, all peoples of the earth.  Listen to me, young and old, great and small.  If you want to be saved, you need to leave sin, follow Christ the Lord, and live according to his will.  Christ Jesus came to the earth to teach men the right way to go ... He said: 'I am the way the truth and the life, no-one comes to the father except through me.'"

Ausbund, 82

From Beside the Still Waters...

Stirring Covetousness - Read: 1 Timothy 6

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." - 1 Timothy 6:6

We were driving through the country when we passed a model home that looked very attractive.  There's probably nothing wrong with a house like that, but a thought came to mind.  Can we be guilty of tempting others to covet when we spend extravagantly to dress up our home?  I do believe we need to be careful about our lifestyle, lest we cast a stumbling block before others by stirring covetous desires in them.

I think of the story about a man who used a very old and decrepit tool in his work.  His friend admonished him, saying, "You are not that poor; you can afford something better than that."  The man replied, "Yes, I can, but I don't want to be a stumbling block to my neighbor who cannot afford anything better."  Do we consider that when we set out to improve our situation, or do we think, "I deserve it"?  Very easily we can be an offense to someone without thinking.

The fact is that many problems in today's world involves coveting in one way or another.  This can include wars driven by people who covet power or land.  In contrast, we should willingly accept what God allows to come into our lives.  We show a lack of faith in God when we are discontent and we covet the things of others.  "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).

Fred Beachy - Crofton, KY

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. - 1 Timothy 6:8


From In Green Pastures...

Greatness in God's Sight.

The greatest men are but fractions of men.  No one is endowed with all gifts.  Everyone has his own particular excellence or ability.  No two have precisely the same gifts, and no two are called to fill precisely the same place in life.  The lowliest and the humblest in endowments is just as important in his place as the most brilliantly gifted.  The great life in God's sight is not the conspicuous one, but the life that fills the place which it was made to fill, and does the work which it was made to do.  God asks not great things; he asks only simple faithfulness, the quiet doing of what he allots.



If you have 15 minutes, grab a tea or coffee and listen to this uplifting audio from sister Aman at dontperish.com.  She and her husband (brother Tupos) are van dwelling, street preachers in the USA.


(all the illustrations are from my books I ordered from the Mennonite church (Rod and Staff publishers) which were delivered yesterday.  I hope to get a 'home...' post up about that and other updates in the next week.)

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Weekend Words

Sorry I didn't get a post up last weekend.  Lots of headaches/migraines to contend with but feeling better now.

Form Beside the Still Waters...

Facts or Feelings? Read: Romans 3:11-22, 1 John 1:5 - 2:5

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." - 1 John 2:16

"How could anything that feels so good be wrong?  It certainly doesn't hurt anyone."  Ward is a professing Christian who frequently uses recreational drugs.  He excuses his sinful behavior by the absence of any guilty feelings.  Mark, another professing Christian, is living with an unmarried woman, yet he adamantly defends this relationship since both of them are so very happy.  After all, there's a Bible verse that says, "If our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence towards God" (1 John 3:21).

Our Creator designed us with a variety of emotions, but He never intended that our feelings overrule the facts taught in His Word.  All sin is associated with some form of pleasure, whether it be material, sensual, or emotional.  But the fact remains that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4).  God's Word, not our personal feelings or preferences, is the only reliable standard to distinguish right from wrong.

Strong feelings, however, can also result in discouragement for no valid reason.  An overly sensitive conscience, a tragedy, or a difficult circumstance may result in feelings of God's withdrawal or rejection.  these emotions can cause serious discouragement and even despondency.  But Jesus is a Lord of compassion and mercy, not a vindictive tyrant like the false gods of heathen peoples.  "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

May we be fully convinced that the facts of God's word always outweigh personal feelings.  and may we allow the Lord to work through us to charitably admonish sinners and reassure saints with the same truth.

Pete Lewis - Halsey, OR

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy." - Psalm 16:11

From In Green Pastures...

Fault-Finding.

It is strange how oblivious we can be of our own faults and of the blemishes in our own character, and how clearly we can see the faults and blemishes of other people.  Finding so much wrong in others is not a flattering indication of what our hearts contain.  We ought to be very quiet and modest in criticizing others, for in most cases we are just telling the world what our own faults are.  Before we turn our microscopes on others to search out the unbeautiful things in them, we had better look in our own mirrors to see whether or not we are free ourselves from the blemishes we would reprove in our neighbor.  There is a wise bit of Scripture which bids us get clear of the beams in our own eyes, that we may see well to pick the motes out of the eyes of others.

In all thy Ways.

Do we make much of God in our lives?  Is God really much to us in conscious personal experience?  Do we not go on making plans and carrying them out without once consulting him?  We talk to him about our souls and about our spiritual affair; but we do not speak to him about our daily work, our trials, our perplexities, our week-day, work-day life.  We are to shut God out of no part of our lives.  We must have something besides human nature, even at its best, if we would be ready for all that lies before us.  We must get our little lives so attached to God's life that we can draw from his fulness in every time of need.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

Jesus Said, "I Am the Way" - Read: John 14:1-14

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." - John 14:6

Jesus is the way.  The way to where?  How do we begin to travel on the way?  Why would we want to travel on Jesus' road?  What is the destination at the end of the road?

We have family members living in other states.  When we want to visit them, we make sure that we travel the road that takes us there.  We travel the road because we have a certain destination in mind.  We also follow the signs and instructions along the way.  

In today's verse, the Greek word for "way" could be translated "road" or "highway".  Matthew 7:13-14 speaks of two roads that we can travel.  One leads to destruction and the other leads to life.  When Jesus said, "I am the way," He meant that His road leads to eternal life.

We all want to live in our present life, but we know that someday we are all going to die.  Jesus said in John 11:25, "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."  This means that even though we die here, we will live eternally if we have faith in Jesus.

We begin travelling Jesus' road by repenting of our sins and not living in those sins anymore.  We choose to obey the teachings of Jesus as found in the Gospels.  If we do these things, our life will be different from before.  Our heavenly Father will also send the Holy Spirit to guide us and to give us strength for victory over sin.

If we are not walking in the way of Jesus, let's make the choice to begin now.  By continuing to travel this way, we will finally reach Heaven, the place of eternal life.

Joseph Sharp - Adams, NY

There is no other way to the heavenly Father and eternal life than the way of Jesus.

Both the following devotionals are from In Green Pastures (J R Miller)...

(A little devotional book I have on my shelves, first published in 1890 under the title 'Bits of Pasture', but still very relevant today):

God's Plan for Our Lives.

God does not merely make souls and send them into this world to take bodies and grow up amid crowds of other souls with bodies, to take their chances and make what they can of their destinies.  He plans specifically for each life.  He deals with us as individuals.  He knows us by name, and loves us each one with a love as distinct and personal as if each was the only child he had on this earth.  He has a definite plan for each life.  It is always a beautiful plan too, for he never designs marring and ruin for a life.  He never made a human soul for the express purpose of being lost.  God's design for each life is that it shall reach a holy character, and do a good work in the world, fill a worthy place, however humble, and fill it well, so as to honour God and bless the world.

Making Others Happy.

The world needs nothing more than it needs happiness-makers.  There is a great deal of sadness everywhere.  The Bible is a book meant to make people happy.  Joy-bells ring all through it.  The mission of the gospel is to make happiness.  The angel's announcement of good tidings of great joy is going forth yet on every breeze.  The story of the love of Christ is changing darkness to light, despair to hope, tears to laughter, sorrow to rejoicing, in all lands.  It is the mission of every Christian to be a happiness-maker.  Each one of us has power, too, to add something at least to the world's gladness.  We can do this in a thousand ways - by being joyful Christians ourselves, making our lives a sweet song; by telling others the joyful things of the Word of God; by doing kindnesses to all we meet; by comforting sorrow, lifting burdens, cheering sadness and weariness, and scattering benedictions wherever we go.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

On the home front ... (in two parts)

 I started this on the 31st of January, but rather than delete and start again (now that its 14th February!), I will leave it and add an update...

Part 1: The local haberdashery store finally got some more of the wide, dark green, bias binding in, so now I can finish the mats I started before Christmas.  I have been using the one I did get finished, but it will be nice to get the rest done...



After a beak in knitting due to the very hot weather, I got back to it recently.  I have 2 strips (of the 5) done on the blanket...

And I'm still in Miss Read mode.  Although I've had these 2 on my shelves for a while (both picked up at the op shop) I hadn't read them, so it was nice to have a new read (even though I know all the characters) rather than a re-read...


The summer weather has been horribly hot and windy, resulting in LOTS of headache days for me, but on the good days, I made a start on this little area in the garden which I will edge with bricks (brought from the Deloraine house) so I can get the plants in the ground rather than in pots.  They do so much better in the ground...
the dead one is one that Marnie brought over hoping I could resurrect it, but it was too far gone, unfortunately


Part 2: Today...

As I finished on the garden report, I'll start this part with an update, that I did this morning...


hope I can get it finished soon...

I made it to the Saturday afternoon sessions of the Mennonite conference, and I've ordered some books from them (they sell Rod and Staff books).  They had to order some from the US (that they didn't have in stock) and will let me know when they are ready to pick up.

Speaking of books...  I'm still in Miss Read mode and bought this one (secondhand) from eBay.  Another one I'd not read...


And I've almost finished the third (of five) blanket strips...

I won't have enough of the colors I've been using to do the rest, so will probably incorporate some other colors as I don't want to buy more yarn. Did I really say that!!! :))

Here's a photo from one of my recent morning walks...
I love a cloudy day...

And I'm loving these two that Natasha sent yesterday from snowy Connecticut...



While we're on a winter theme, from my Miss Read read :)

"It was Miss Clare who first pointed out that Fairacre School was one hundred years old.

It was a bleak Saturday afternoon, and we were enjoying hot buttered toast by the schoolhouse fire.  Outside, the playground, and beyond that the fields and distant downs, gleamed dully white in the fading light.  It had snowed every day since term started over a week ago, and from the look of the leaden skies, more was to come...

Indoors we were snug enough.  Between us, in front of the log fire, stood the tea tray, the cups steaming fragrantly with China tea.  The lamp glowed from the bookshelf behind Miss Clare's white head, making a halo of her silver hair.  Miss Clare knows Fairacre school well, as she was both pupil and teacher there for many years, and was serving as infants' teacher when I was first appointed as headmistress, until ill health caused her retirement..."


And speaking of hot buttered toast and tea, it sounds like a good idea...

xx 

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Weekend Words

Apologies for not getting a post on last weekend. I did get to the afternoon session of the Mennonite conference, but have also had a lot of headaches, home and garden chores, appointments, etc.  Hoping for a better run this week... (photos are from my walk this morning)

From Beside the Still Waters...

Don't Be Quick to Judge - Read: Romans 2

"Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment judge, ye shall be judged." - Matthew 7:1-2

Today's Bible reading and key verse tell us to be very cautious about judging other people.  The reason is that the way we judge others is the way we will receive judgement. This is a sobering thought that should cause us to use great care in our criticism of each other.  The human tendency is to feel that if you don't agree with me, you must be wrong.  We do ourselves and others a great benefit if we always remember what the Bible says about judging.  Many people have been wounded because others were more ready to judge than to listen.

Sometimes people carry deep hurts in their heart that cause them to look or act in strange ways.  Jesus the Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep.  Are we willing to lay down our life for fellow sheep - our Christian brothers and sisters?  We need to be charitable with their faults because we love them too much to judge without knowing all the facts.  It is always best to "wear the other person's shoes" before we judge him about something.  Is it kind?  Is it true?  Would I want it to be said about me?

Often we judge others wrongly because of our biases.  We tend to show favor towards ourselves and our friends, and disfavor towards people we dislike.  If our ill-tempered neighbor has a weedy garden, we consider him lazy; but if it's our friend's garden, we reason that he must have good reasons.  Judging fairly requires a heart that is sanctified and free from ill will and bitterness.  We do well to honestly examine our own hearts first; then our brother's problems will look smaller or even disappear.

Denver Yoder - Somerset, OH

Pray, don't find fault with the man who limps or stumbles along the road,

Unless you have worn the shoes he wears or struggled beneath his load.

- Mary Torrans Lathrap

The Way Home - Read: Romans 8:1-21

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." - Romans 8:6

On December 24, 2022, blizzard like conditions developed in southern Ontario.  I have a tractor with an enclosed cab, so I decided to venture out with it and remove some snow from our neighbor's driveway.  However, I did not realize the fury of the storm.  The distance was less than half a mile, but the visibility was so poor that I simply inched along.

I finally arrived at my neighbor's driveway, but as I turned in, something very unusual and disturbing happened.  Because of the frosted windshield and swirling snow, I became completely disoriented!  I desperately wanted to head back home, but which way should I go?  If I moved in any direction, I might get further away from home and end up some place that I didn't want to be.  Finally after much deliberation, I decided to leave the comforts of the tractor cab and look for a familiar landmark nearby.  I soon found such a landmark, and only then did I feel sure of which way to travel so that I could make it safely home.

On our spiritual journey, we also run into circumstances where we can't see clearly.  The visibility becomes foggy, we become disoriented, and we hardly know which is the right way to go.  There are so many elements swirling around that we lose our direction.  What should we do?  Today's key verse gives a landmark that is very helpful.

A spiritual mind enlightened by God's word is always a faithful landmark.  Following our carnal mind may be comfortable, but it is not safe.  Let's remember this when our visibility in life becomes unclear.  The Word of God and the Spirit of God are the only reliable landmarks to give us direction and peace and to guide us safely home.

Joseph Kuepfer - Newton, ON

The way of the cross leads home.