Tuesday, March 27, 2007 -
In Memory...

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

Catina passed away this morning.

She will be greatly missed. She was a sweetheart, had an awesome sense of humour, and was so full of the love of the Lord.

Please continue to pray for her husband Steve and their three precious little girls.

A memorium page can be found HERE.

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007 -
A time to pray...

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

A little over a year ago I posted a prayer request for my friend Catina, a homeschooling mom of 3 in PEI. She has an inoperable brain tumour, and has valiantly fought it for the last year and a half, almost.

 I would like to ask that you all take a moment to pray for her family once again. She is in a coma, and for some reason the Lord is letting her live awhile longer. Before going into this last coma (it's her second, I think), she had expressed that she is ready to go home. Her family is ready to say goodbye. And I know that I will see her again someday, completely whole and healed.

 I hope this is ok, but I want to share with you all the kind of faith this family has, even through a trial like this... it was written by her husband a few months ago, but each e-mail update I get points back to the same loving Father who has provided a Way for us all.

I love her with all my heart. I keep praying for a miracle because I know the time is short. Catina is in God's hands, and He is in control. Whatever happens will be right. We are trusting God. He knows better than we do. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. We love Him. He has been most merciful. And He is a God to be praised. "Oh, How I Love Jesus", is the song I am singing. Catina is my best friend here on earth, and Jesus is my Best Friend for eternity. I know He loves Catina, and has a home in the Glory for her. My will would be for Catina to be miraclously healed (even tonight) but I don't know if that is God's will. I keep petitioning the Lord for Catina to live a longer life, but God's ways are higher than our ways. God is Good. He is Loving. He is Merciful. And no matter what happens in our lives, God doesn't change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And He will always be faithful. 'We might change, but Jesus never. Glory to His Name.' This is not a time to turn from God, but to turn towards Him.

If you have never trusted Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, this is the day to call upon His name for forgiveness of your sins. Catina has done that, and she is absolutely assured of eternal life. There is a mansion in Heaven with a driveway paved with gold just waiting for her. How could we ever deny her of an end to her struggle, and a perfect peace without pain, or suffering, or tears. That is what awaits her the second she dies. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, the Bible tells us. There is no limbo, there is no purgatory, there is no condemnation for those who are born again by the Spirit of God.
But hell is just as real as heaven. And Jesus spoke more about it than He did about Heaven. Trusting Jesus to be your Saviour is the only way to be forgiven, and cleared from an eternal punishment in the lake of fire. God loves Catina, and He loves me, and He loves you. If you have never called out to Him, I urge you, I beg you, I plead with you to do so today.

Be sure that you ...
understand that you were born a sinner on your way to hell,
believe that Jesus came to shed His blood for the payment of your sins,
accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour (nothing you do can earn your way into Heaven), and
obey everything God has commanded you to do in His Holy Word, the Bible.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

This is all about God. This cancer battle is all about God. He wants every one of you to believe in Him, and trust in Him alone for your salvation. I believe in Him. Catina believes in Him. We will spend eternity with Him. You can too.

Amen.

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Tuesday, December 26, 2006 -
My kids, the youtube stars

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

The kids from our church sang this song at our Christmas services on Sunday (Christmas Eve), and I was able to take a video of them while at Castle Manor, a local seniors' home. The cool thing is, out of the 21 kids who took part, 16 are homeschooled!!! The 16 in this video happen to be all the hs'ed ones (the other 5 just couldn't make it to this afternoon service). 5 of them are our kids-- the 2 tall ones in the back are our oldest girls, then the boy in the plaid shirt, the girl in pink next to him, and the little girl in front of them in the black and grey dress.

**CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO**

I'm Glad I Know who Jesus Is

In a little town called Bethlehem so many years ago,
They told him there was no room in the inn;
They had no way of knowing who they had turned away,
The Lamb of God who would take away their sins.

I'm glad I know who Jesus is,
I'm glad I know who Jesus is.
He's more than just a story,
He is the King of Glory;
I'm glad I know who Jesus is.

So many people still today don't know who Jesus is,
They've never felt his peace within their soul;
But I want my life to show them how his love can set them free,
He's the only one who can cleanse and make them whole.

I'm glad I know who Jesus is,
I'm glad I know who Jesus is.
He's more than just a story,
He is the King of Glory;
I'm glad I know who Jesus is.

He's the Alpha and Omega,
The Beginning and the End;
He's the Counselor, Deliverer to me.
He's the Everlasting Father,
He is the King of Glory;
I'm glad I know who Jesus is.

I'm glad I know who Jesus is,
I'm glad I know who Jesus is.
He's more than just a story,
He is the King of Glory;
I'm glad I know who Jesus is.

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Tuesday, November 7, 2006 -
Getting to know Jesus

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

My second oldest daughter, J, is doing the tan book of LLATL and has The Bronze Bow for her current novel study. I'm always up for a good book, so I sat down to read it too, but I was totally unprepared for this particular one.

It's about a young man named Daniel, who is bent on avenging his father's death at the hands of the Romans. He and many others are awaiting a deliverer, like Moses was, and are ready and willing to fight for the cause. Enter Jesus of Nazareth, whose preaching and teaching touch their hearts and minds, and changes all who hear Him.

It started out slowly... and I couldn't keep away from it. I had to find out what would happen next, particularly when Daniel  met up with or listened to Jesus. Several times, I just started crying (that never happens to me). Sometimes I got goosebumps. Mostly I came away feeling like I got to know my Saviour a little better, and really realizing what it means for it to be all about Him. One little sentence in the book pretty much sums it up: To know Jesus would be enough.

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Sunday, October 29, 2006 -
There's a new name written down in Glory....

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

It's not mine-- mine's already there, praise God!

Once upon a time there were two young ladies. They were bestest friends, which in today's language is probably BFF. They were both in band, both played clarinet, and both liked the boys. These girls drove each other insane much of the time, but loved each other nevertheless, in that way that best friends who get on each others nerves do...lol  One became a Mormon, the other didn't-- although she felt it only proper and loyal to support her friend in her newfound faith. They both eventually got married and started families.

Anyway, as time went on, their lives took pretty different turns. The one who wasn't a Mormon found herself in a Pentecostal church, and was confronted with her sin before a Holy God. She got saved-- Redeemed, how she loved to proclaim it!-- and it changed her life forever. She often thought of her friend from school, and wondered if she had ever left the Mormon church and gotten saved, but knew of no way to find out. So many moves, so much water under the bridge....

One day she found her. Or rather, she found her friend's sister, who then got them in contact with each other. So many years had gone by, but the girl who had gotten saved started to seriously pray for her friend's salvation.

And guess what? The Lord is still in the saving business, and her name got written down in Glory last Monday!!! My dear bestest friend is now my Sister in Christ!!! Praise God, Hallelluia,  OUR GOD REIGNS!!!!!

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Monday, October 23, 2006 -
Have you heard Alisha sing?

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

At my church we have this young lady we've watched blossom from a young girl to a beautiful young lady, full of a love for Christ and the saints. She also has an amazing voice, that is such a blessing to hear singing praises to her Lord and Saviour. Our church website has a recording of her singing In Christ Alone, although it simply does not do this girl justice. She is also the pianist in that song, and the guitar is played by a good friend of ours, Rick, who also has amazing talent. The Lord sure has blessed us with those who use their talents and abilities to His glory.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

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Tuesday, August 15, 2006 -
Genesis 12:3.... look it up, folks, and check out the linneage

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

Give me a break.

I just read a news story about a Holocaust Cartoon Fair in Iran. These people will not give up. There were already Christ-based revenge cartoons because of those Danish ones last year, and now they're picking on the Jewish folks too.

"Though we do not deny that fact that Jews were killed in the (second world) war, why should the Palestinians pay for it?" 

said Masoud Shojai, head of the country's "Iran Cartoon" association and the fair organizer. Go talk to the penpal I had in Dachau, Germany, buddy. She seemed to be under the impression that the world hated Germans for it. I may have been public-schooled, but I don't seem to remember anything in my world history course that even remotely connected the Palestinians with the Holocaust. And this???

Iran's fiercely anti-Israeli regime is supportive of so-called Holocaust revisionists, who maintain that the systematic slaughter by the Nazis of mainland Europe's Jews and other groups during World War II was either invented or exaggerated.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also prompted international anger by dismissing the Holocaust as a "myth" used to justify the creation of  Israel.

Hello!!!

I suppose when you come from a culture that elevates the "personal sacrifice" as a noble ideal, millions of bodies in mass graves don't really seem excessive. I'll take Jesus. He died so we don't have to.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [Romans 5:8]

 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. [Romans 12:1]

Sounds good to me.

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Monday, April 3, 2006 -
Marking and other priorities

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

I really hate marking work. In fact, I'll clean the kitchen so I can put it off. I know marking needs to be done; it's a poor testimony to the kids if it's not... if the schoolwork was important enough for them to do, it's important enough for me to mark, right? But I really hate it.

How many things in life do we put off that needs to be done? How many things that are important, but not high on our list of priorities (or have even made it to our list of priorities)?

The Number One thing that many put off and shouldn't is settling their debt with the Lord. Salvation. They think it's A. unimportant, B. non-existant, or C. out of reach. If you are a non-Christian, may I suggest it's none of these? It is the single most important decision of your life and if you put it off too long, it's called rejection-- and it leads to something awful, permanent, and very very frightening. It's called Hell, and it's a real place, not a state of mind.

Now, if you're already a Christian-- and I mean one who consciously chose Christ, not one who says they're a Christian because their family always went to church-- then there are other things we put off that have high priority. A lot of these will affect our testimony, how others will see our faith and how we live it out. I am a procrastinator extraordinaire... and this is not a good thing. The marking WILL pile up. The laundry will pile even higher (major reason why my dear husband does most of it). You'll stick to the floor. The children will start hollering that they're hungry ("Didn't you just eat yesterday?")  A friend will feel neglected and forgotten.

How did I get here? I mainly wanted to talk about marking.... I guess I needed to think these things through, to get it into my head that if I want others to take their responsibilities seriously, I need to give them due regard myself. And model it for them.

Uck. I think I better scrub the floor tomorrow.

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Friday, March 10, 2006 -
:: prayer request ::

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

Please pray for Catina, a homeschooling mom of 3 from Prince Edward Island. She has a brain tumour and is starting to undergo treatment. I can't remember exactly what kind of treatment, but I think it's a combination of naturopath and what you might call "standard" treatment. She is a born-again, saved by grace Christian, and has been such a wonderful encouragement to those who know her. She has an incredible sense of humour, and wants only for her Lord and Saviour to be glorified no matter what.

I never met Missey Gray, but it hit me hard because of what Catina's going through and the potential loss. She and I met for coffee one day last summer when she was passing through my city, and somehow, you pray fervently for those whose lives have touched you in a personal way. She is such a sweetheart.

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Thursday, March 9, 2006 -
The Pearls

... Posted in Faith and the Gospel

:: warning: tearjerker below ::

    The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.
    "Oh, Mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"      Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
    "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp

dollar bill from Grandma."
 

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

 Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had  a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

 Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.  One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
    "Oh yes, daddy! You know that I love you."
    "Then give me your pearls."
    "Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you  gave me. She's my very favorite."
    "That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

  About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
  "Daddy, you know I love you."
  "Then give me your pearls."
  "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
   "That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves
you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
 

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
  "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
   Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said,

   "Here, daddy, this is for you."  

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.
 

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.
 
Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one

thing .
 

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.
 

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