Galvanized with Christ

God and I have been talking about some things lately...things He has put on my heart for quite some time. 

Things He has asked me to sacrifice to Him. At times, I have wavered, questioned and wondered why I am making some of these sacrifices.

Just last night, as I was going to sleep, I was wondering about the purpose in some of these things, knowing God was requiring them, but losing focus as to why.

This morning, I was preparing to pass over an article from Elijah List and save it for later, but felt I was to read it now.

There were so many answers for me in this, I get really excited when God highlights and brings clarity to things I need answers to so quickly! Below is just part of the article, but I thought it was such a cool and SIMPLE explanation of this seemingly mysterious mandate..."to Put on Christ".

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." Romans 13:12-14, emphasis added


"become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." (See 2 Peter 1:4)

We are to be "galvanized" with Christ! An iron chain is a very powerful tool; however it can be compromised through corruption and rust. When the iron chain links are galvanized they are coated with zinc, which is non-corruptible. Galvanized iron then becomes much more powerful because it is no longer subject to corruption; it will endure under the harshest of conditions that would otherwise compromise its integrity.

Likewise, when we "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" our spirits are "galvanized" with Christ and our flesh is coated with the anointing. Corruption will then take on the incorruptible nature.

Is that not a very COOL explanation?!?!

The whole article can be found here:
http://www.elijahlist.com

It was dated Oct. 30 and is by Paul Keith Davies

Time Flies

Maria 5 1/2...Jianna 2 years

Mark came across this and sent it to my computer...I almost didn't recognize these 

2 little dollies.

Maria's dimples gave her away though.

Where does the time fly to anyway? I wish it would hurry  up and come back!

Simple Reminder

Have you ever thought about the fact that God's Word is His Word no matter what?

The truth of what He has declared is just that, truth. It does not hinge on our belief, (though there are many instances in scripture where a promise is made based on Faith or our belief).

When God declares something as so, with no "ifs, ands or buts", it IS, just as He IS.

It really doesn't matter whether we BELIEVE it or  have given it much thought at all.

I was given a very simple reminder of this over the past weekend.

Galations 6:7 speaks of sowing and reaping. We are reminded that God stands by His word, that WHATEVER we sow, in the spirit that we sow it in, we will also reap. 

Now, as Christians, we often use this as a caution to ourselves, our children and others, to discourage bad behavior.

This is definitely one aspect of this scripture, but the same is true when we sow according to God's character.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week ago, dear friends were visiting from Minnesota. Not long before this, the girls and I had cleaned out their closet which involved the inevitable, shuffle of clothes outgrown, from Maria to Jianna and then from Jianna to...well, the sorting room. My bedroom.

I then sort, heirloom pieces, from worn out pieces from those with plenty of life left in them to be enjoyed by another little girl.

Sometimes this is difficult for me, (you know when you come across that piece, you wish they could wear forever, because of how cute they looked, or who gave it to them, or how much they loved it?), and only the idea of more clutter in my home propels me forward. 

In this purge round, there was such a piece...actually, a pair.

The cutest little gold ballet flats, they looked like little Tinkerbell shoes....SO CUTE!!!

I remember the shopping trip last year with the girls, where we found these little gems...we all fell in love immediately.

I almost put them in the heirloom bin, but realized that there are only so many pieces that can be given this designation...so, into the give away pile they went.

There were a few things in this pile that were difficult to part with.

My friend's little girl loved all the new clothes and had to try everything on, even though much of it would not truly fit for another couple of seasons.

I never thought anymore about it, after that, until today.

Last night, I had another friend and her teenage daughter over for a fun night. When she arrived, she had a box of clothes to give Maria from her daughters.

Now, this almost never happens, as Maria is so close in size to her older friends.

Maria was THRILLED to go through this box, and find all of her favorite brands, (Roots, Garage and a few others). Everything was just her size and had lots of  life left in them too!

As happy as Maria was, I was rather ecstatic!  Maria seems to have grown out of everything all at once, and it has been a struggle to figure out her size in Junior Ladies' vs children's. we have tried to rebuild her wardrobe piece by piece, but there was back to school for everyone, new shoes for everyone, class trips and school photos, and the list continues.

I was so happy for her that there were so many things that she LOVED in her "New to her " wardrobe, and felt such a relief that we now, just needed to add pieces to a base wardrobe, not replace everything.

Until this morning, I had not drawn a correlation between the two incidents, but you know what?

It didn't matter that I hadn't thought about it. 

The simple truth of sowing and reaping was no less effective.

Simple reminder, but it's got me thinking about all of the things that God has declared to be so, in scripture. God will not be mocked...He does what He says He will do, whether I see it, think about it or understand it...or not.

I am Thankful...

What a GORGEOUS weekend!!

I LOVE Thanksgiving, it is one of my very favorite Holidays, 

it's all about friends and family and being Thankful to our God for each one and all of the blessings He has given.

The weather could not have been better this year either!

 

I spent Sat. enjoying some girl time with Rhonda, (which was so nice), then back to her place to enjoy a wonderful meal that her hubby had prepared while we had our fun.

(Your Awesome Mark)

Sunday, we enjoyed connecting with lots of old friends around a huge Thanksgiving Feast out at Moira Lake..the leaves out there were spectacular!

We ended our weekend by taking the whole 

family and Kallie out for a big hike at a local conservation area. This was such a treat for me, as Jonathan had been working SOOO much lately. He's been finishing out the season at the golf course and working his winter job at the rink, and had been working every day for over a week...He's loving his bank account, but I was missing having him with us.

We got up and got going so Jon could join us before work and it was  a wonderful way to finish out such a terrific weekend.

I am TRULY Thankful! 

Wishing You All A Wonderful Day!

Another One in the Family

After teasing his mother mercilessly over blogging, My 16 year old has joined the ranks.

Mind you, I am sure he would present quite an argument as to the validity of his particular blog over mine. Jonathan's blog is not what you might expect from a 16 year old boy...unless you happen to know this teen, (and his dad)!

No talk of school, friends, sports, cars or girls...nope! This is a political blog. Let me tell you, living with this young man...he definitely has a thing or two to say about politics, both Canadian and American!

So, check him out at:

The Right Side of the Spectrum

If you have any questions about the issues or how to vote, Jonathan is the guy who will tell you...respectfully, I hope!

Welcome Jonathan, I am proud of your ability to search out why you believe what you believe and to stick by it despite the pressures of  the popular opinions around you.

I Love you Big Guy!

Happy Birthday Babe!!

My hubby's birthday is today!

Whenever I think of Mark's birth, I am in awe of the truth that the steps of a righteous man truly are ordered of the Lord.

Mark is a man of dreams and visions, but he has coupled his dreams and visions with Faith, tenacity, perseverance, hard work, wisdom and the courage to take would be chances in order to see those dreams and visions come to pass.

I have been stretched beyond recognition by this process over the years...but that was part of God's purpose in bringing us together, to mold one another into the individuals He has designed us to be.

Mark adores his family and would go to the ends of the earth for any one of us. 

Just recently, the kids found and showed us the pictures from the car accident, 7 years ago.

Mark was moved to tears, as he once again remembered the events of that day and how close we came to losing Michael.

Mark is a leader.

He is a leader in his profession, his family and simply by definition of who He is and what he represents.

He is my friend and confidante, 

the person I treasure spending time with more than any other.

Mark is a man I am proud to call my husband,

I Love You Babe!

Out of the Mouths of Babes!

There is a Door of Hope

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there...as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt." Hosea 2:14-15


The valley of Achor is a physical location but it offers us a wonderful spiritual lesson. Achor means trouble and disturbance. Do we trust that all these tribulations are destined to produce joyful confidence and eternal hope? Will we follow Him into the wilderness knowing that our only door of hope is a door of troubles and tribulations?

I see a bridal army that has been resuscitated by the Breath of God after receiving the kiss of life within their inner man. As we worship Him, warfare is taking place in the spirit. I see the silver sparkle of a sword as it swirls around the dance floor breaking through the opposition.

Worship is not your typical warfare, but it is an effective strategy and one the devil is hell-bent on destroying. I'm not talking about turning on some music. By definition, worship means to bow down, to prostrate oneself before a superior in homage. Worship is a weapon that has the power to change the atmosphere from hopeless to hopeful.

The above are excerpts from a word of God written by Tiffany Ann Lewis and posted to the Elijah List.

You can go and read the entire word if you like, but these were the parts that God highlighted to me...they have me thinking and looking a little more closely at this seemingly lengthy season of troubles and tribulations, (both personally and globally).

Sometimes, we can only see what we are going through as it seems on the surface...tiring, difficult even hopeless.

We often don't see what God is doing in us as we go THROUGH, (we go through these things, they are not us or our dwelling place) our personal wildernesses.

What we don't see, is what God is doing, not only in us, but through us as we bow down to Him and trust in Him worshipfully.

The Spiritual weapon we are becoming through this refinement.

These words and thoughts are a great encouragement to me today.

Hope some of you, find them to be as well!

Learning Independence

My mom used to say she couldn't boil water when she got married, and was determined to teach us all how to cook and fend for ourselves.

I made my first cake by myself when I was 8, and tackled a "Blitz Torte" by 10.

I guess my mom's ideas about teaching independence live on in my own parenting.

I have had a lot of fun with my kids in the kitchen, (and many others as well, try making mini gingerbread houses with 5 kids 2 and under!)

This morning, I woke up rather hungry, but really not knowing what I wanted.

Maria and I came up with the idea of  scrambled eggs with left over ham and green onion mixed in, topped with shredded cheese.

Maria prepared,  cooked and served these for me all by herself.

They were very yummy!!! Oh! She also

 made me my tea...perfectly.

Miss Jianna, did not think the ham mixed in would be very good, and proceeded to cook up her own version, sans ham.

Especially with Jianna, I offer my assistance, but the girls love to do this by themselves.

Jianna did need help remembering which knob went with which burner, but I know adults who struggle with this!

As she was nearing completion, she called out to me:

"Mom, I need your help to get me a plate, but do me a favor, and don't look at the mess!

Unless, you want to help me clean it up, then you can look at it."

It really is amazing how shredding a small amount of cheese can cover one whole side of my kitchen!

As she finished cooking, I helped her clean up and praised her for being able to do such a great job...(actually, both Maria and I have been known to have Jianna make our eggs, because she really does do the best job in the house).

Jianna pipes up once again, "I wish you'd teach me how to REALLY cook, so I don't have to survive on eggs and toast in university!"

I assured her, that between 6 and university, there was lots of time to learn to make lots of meals, she would not starve.

We also made plans for her to go to a culinary college as she declared she wanted to be a chef in a restaurant when she grows up...that may just be her calling too, the way that kid thinks of and enjoys food!

Safe...

Little One

You came into my life only a few short weeks ago.

I prayed for you from the moment I suspected you existed.

So many others have prayed and done battle for you.

I hope you know that you have changed me...forever.

I lay awake at night thinking, worrying, dreaming and praying for you and for all those who's lives you touched and changed.

I hope you know that you were truly loved here on earth.

I hope you know you WERE chosen, first by God...and by so many who wish it had been their choice. I wish you had been my choice.

My head knew a week ago that it was likely your time here on earth would be short....far, far too short...but my heart never really gave up.

I had a dream about your mommy Tuesday night...she told me "you were fine"...I was so happy to hear that in the dream, but I was still so worried about your mommy.

By the time I had my dream, you really were fine....safe in the hands of Jesus for a full day.

I know that you are happy and safe in Heaven, I believe I will get to meet you there one day...

But right now, my heart grieves and aches as if you truly were my own.

I am a little taken back by the strength of this grief...I hope you know that you are grieved and that although your mommy is happy to "be back to normal" after the "surgery", she just does not fully understand. I worry about your mommy and I will do my best to be there for her and to watch over her. 

To help her start making really good choices.

I hope you know that I miss you very much, and I grieve what could have been for you.

Your introduction to my life has been one of the toughest experiences of my life and certainly the toughest of my job...but even in the pain, I am so glad you and your mommy came into my life.

You were a blessing "Little Baby C"