He is faithful, I am humbled.......

Come September, 2007, by the grace and provision of God......
WE'RE MOVING TO THE PHILIPPINES!!!!!
(The city of Davao to be exact)
Stay tuned for the whole story(it'll be a long one!), but please pray for us! Be blessed...!!

Changing of Seasons.....another pic by Tim!

Sorry it's been a while since my last post! I got a nasty cold that knocked me out a bit and I am just now coming around again. I look forward to your comments!

It's amazing to me how fast things can change....not necessarily in regards to the weather or the leaves changing colors, but in the path our lives take....an unplanned pregnancy, losing a job, a death in the family, a blessing out of the blue....

As some of you know, Tim and I had been praying for God's direction and guidance in our lives and the more we prayed for His best, the more icky stuff came....we'd get sick or someone in the family called with bad news or Tim and I just seemed to communicate poorly. Ya ever have those days? Or years? :) Sometimes those periods seem to last forever and we wonder if God is still working on us...if Jesus is still interceding on our behalf.

As autumn came this year, I was filled with a sense of excitement, an anticipation that SOMETHING was going to change...change was inevitable...even if it was just the weather. But God was preparing my spirit for a change of heart....stretching me more in ways I thought I'd never survive. And it was in this stretching that He revealed His direction and His plans for me...and Tim, too! I won't share all those plans now, as I will have to leave that for another blog post, but I will say that when troubles and icky life junk happen....God is always just around the corner with the open door of peace and rest. It doesn't always appear when WE think it should, but His purposes for us are always for good and His times of testing are always necessary.

Hebrews 3:7-19 is a fabulous passage to read when going through trials......

"So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' "

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."
Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief."

When trials come...hang on TIGHT to your beliefs, your faith in God's precious plans for you stated in Jeremiah 29:11 or read James 1:2-6 and see that trials build endurance and perseverance for a life lived in Jesus' Name. That's a FULL LIFE! When the Creator God is running your life, you know that nothing is wasted. Going through trials right now? Know that God sees and is just around the corner with direction, rest, clarity and joy. Stay tuned and be blessed!

The artichoke flower.....

Last post I shared with you a picture Tim had taken of an artichoke just about to bloom...well, Tim took another and this is the beautiful flower of that pokey, onion-layered artichoke. Amazing, eh?

With all those layers to open and pull apart, who knew that all that work would give way to this awesome, intricate flower? Think about THAT when you eat another artichoke heart! Interesting how they call them "hearts"! Mmmmm.

Ahhh, God's beauty revealed. Uncle Bob shared a good comment last post....I'd encourage you to take a look at it (and I think I got it, Uncle Bob!).....sometimes the Holy Spirit gives us the energy, courage and joy to do the things we "don't" want to do by giving us the DESIRE to do them and by the power of the Holy Spirit...we do them! And then there are things we really don't want to do because our sinful nature tells us we don't and we end up not doing what we should.....it IS like a toilet seat (thank you, Uncle Bob!)...up, down....up, down....such an inner struggle. There is no one righteous according to Romans 3:10! Even our most "righteous", good acts cannot give us the identity of a "righteous one".....we are inevitably evil......APART FROM GOD! That's where we are redeemed.

It's not that God doesn't care or require us to be holy as He is holy.....it's that when we accept Jesus as the only way to salvation and admit we suck, God sees us covered in Jesus and calls us righteous...just like He called Abraham in Genesis 15:6, which says, "Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness." When we believe what God says, He covers us with His Son's righteousness and we are covered....redeemed. So when we do what we don't wanna do and we don't do what we wanna do, there is mercy, grace, forgiveness....we fall down in sin and when we repent, God picks us up in righteousness. Wow.....what an incredible gift. What makes a Christian different from the world? We KNOW our sins are forgiven, our debt has been paid and we can live without guilt, without fear.....we can be "right" with God through repentence.....but He does require something from us....a heart transplant....a desire to no longer sin....to love Him more than the world. He saves, but He is a holy God and will not tolerate sin.

Take a look at John 8:1-11. Jesus meets an adulterous woman about to be stoned and gives her grace. Mercy. He SAVES her from certain death as a punishment of her sins. He does not condemn her, BUT He gives her a command. He says, ""Go now and leave your life of sin."(vs. 11). That's what He calls us to do.

I am so glad we are under grace and so often I struggle with leaving my sin behind, but since I've known Jesus, sin is no longer my life, He is my life. And my heart desires to sin no more...... The blossom beneath the prickly artichoke petals.
Be blessed and keep those comments coming!

"Upon reflection I........"

am discovering how God is using this blog to hit me over the head! I started reading past blogs after saving them to my hard drive (an idea mom gave me for posterity purposes) and was hit with the fact that the very things I write about and think that somehow I have dealt with, still tempt me and cause me to stumble! Growing pains.....

I guess I should explain the picture...Tim and I went to a pumpkin patch that not only grew pumpkins, but artichokes, too! Ya ever see an artichoke flower! They're purple!!! No kidding...this one is almost ready to burst forth with a beautiful flower, but notice the many layers? These veggies open VERY slowly, layer by layer and only at the very end of the blooming does the flower appear. Pretty amazing veggie! I often feel like God is opening me up layer by layer....and the more He opens me up, the closer I get to bearing fruit...or flower. The more I allow Him to pry open my petals, the prettier the Lord seems to become in me...on the inside...that's where the beauty lies. But so often I settle with the not-so-pretty-closed-tight outside because of fear or intimidation. But God still lovingly pries me open....to reveal more of Himself....His beauty within me. Whoa.

I think He is using this blogging thing to do that. Just today I was struggling with wondering how God was going to provide something very BIG and specific and then I read about Joseph from a previous blog and was humbled. Oh, I have come full circle! Again needing to trust God in the very same way I struggled with way back in March of this year....you'd think I'd GET it. But that is the very nature of life...we repeat things we don't wanna do over and over again, but God's grace is soooo sufficient and He gives us gentle reminders of how far we've come and yet, how much we need Him to take us further. Is God using a re-run episode of your life to help you bloom? He is me! Be blessed. The story of my life... Romans 7: 14-25:

14"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God, —through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

As promised....the deflating pumpkin.....

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that when Tim and I went to the pumpkin patch with the kids, we found the "deflated" pumpkins more interesting than the plump, choice pumpkins!

And here they are....just a few that caught our eyes...Tim really enjoyed taking pics of them. When the slugs come and eat a hole through the bottom of the pumpkin, they start feeding on the innards of the squash and then the veggie deflates....it gets soft and collapses.

It's kinda like sin in our lives.....it eats small holes in our soul, appearing docile and hardly threatening. But if we don't get rid of the parasite, it starts feeding off of us, it begins to devour our souls leaving it empty and without foundation. This leads to a soul crippling.... and collapsing. And then, we rot. The sin takes us. BUT, when the pumpkin farmer finds the small slug gnawing away at the skin of the pumpkin, he picks up that slimy slug and squashes the HELL out of it (I used hell for a reason). God's doing that in us when we yield to His care....He SQUASHES hell in us and continues to provide for us what we need to grow.

This happens to me a lot. Sin's slow intrusion makes it comfortable for a while...ya hardly notice it's there, but when it threatens our innards and tries to steal our soul, we gotta call on the Master Farmer and yield to His loving pesticide....the work of the Holy Spirit. Got slugs? Call the Farmer. Be blessed and keep those comments coming!

I'M AN AUNT AGAIN!!!!

Once again, a new baby has been born into the family! Baby Micah was born to Ben and Holly (Tim's brother and sister-in-law) yesterday! This 10-pounder is one manly cutie! Both parents are doing great and Micah is a gift and a treasure. We are blessed to be Aunt B and Uncle Fuzz for the fourth time! Crazy! Will the excitement NEVER end?? What a joy to see a family grow!

This new life is just another way God speaks to us.... telling us to keep going....to continue growing....The poet, Carl Sandburg once said that "A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." It's true. This big guy (or little baby, depending on whether you're holding him or just looking from afar!) is just another testimony to the faithfulness of God....His delight in creating, His joy in new life. *Sigh* Tear*
What a great God He is.

And yet, what a responsibility! A little life ready to be shaped and a tapestry woven. We pray that Micah will be surrounded with the presence of God wherever He goes....that his little heart will overflow with the joy of intimately knowing His maker....that his love for Jesus would be reflected in all he does throughout his life....that his parents would have wisdom in parenting and that Micah would always bring them great joy, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Be blessed and thanks for sharing the joy!

Thanksgiving already???

Ya know, Canadians are strange..."Thanksgiving in October? You can't have it BEFORE Halloween!" That's what I THOUGHT before I heard the real explanation of why this "American Holiday" is celebrated in this sometimes "anti-American" country I live in.....the simple explanation is that Canada USED to be a far more "Christian" country and desired to give thanks to God for the bountiful harvest....the trouble was, the harvest was collected from late August to early November.... "why?", you ask....because our winter comes sooner than yours! That's why.

What's even better is that we actually have time to digest the Thanksgiving meal BEFORE the Christmas meal whereas in the US, Christmas and Thanksgiving mean severe weight gain and neverending leftovers. Don't get me wrong, I love my American Thanksgiving memories....at least in the US you can get decent decorations! Anyways, yesterday was the Canadian day of thanks and I thanked the Lord for a successful Thanksgiving party of 16 people. We had a gas and all the food was hot and ready at the same time! That's a first! Our house was crowded, but joyful and everyone got to take home some leftovers! A great end to a very busy week and a great beginning to our favorite time of year....FALL!

Yes, Tim and I LOVE FALL! The kids are back at school (YEAH), the weather cools down, everything is picturesque, and drinking a maple latte while walking around Stanley Park is a blessing few can compare to. It is also the time when the craziness of the coming holidays haven't set in yet.

This picture was taken when we took our girls to the pumpkin patch out in Delta, BC. We were more interested in the smashed pumpkins than the really nice round ones. Ya know, pumpkins deflate!? Take a look at Tim's blog and you'll know what I mean! They had some great ones! I'll post more later as I think there are some God-given lessons to deflated pumpkins....stay-tuned! But for now, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and do take some time to enjoy this incredible gift of Autumn. Take a walk. Be blessed.

"Honey, have you seen my Depends?"

Growing old....Mmmm....Tim took this picture a while back and I kept coming back to it....I really like it and I'm not sure exactly why. The lady in the picture is probably not the wife of the man, but maybe she is....It got me thinking, though.

Why is it that our culture preaches to us that growing old with one person isn't desirable, beautiful, or exciting?

Isn't that what they say when they make claims that we "need" or "deserve" happiness and therefore should do whatever we need to do to achieve it? Isn't that what they mean when they advertise cheap young seductive sex in commercials and television shows? "If she doesn't make you happy...there are plenty of other fish in the sea", they say. And where do those people who ascribe to this lifestyle end up? Alone and empty...dying in old folks homes without anyone coming to see them. Maybe it's because that no matter how hard we try to find happiness, we still have to live with ourselves and seeing ourselves as we really are makes us unhappy. Our sinful nature is pretty filthy and sitting in our own filth is awful...ask any old person now waiting for their underpants to get changed!

It isn't the responsibility of our spouse, our ex-wife/husband, or our "new" girl/boyfriend to make us happy...our troubles still follow us wherever we go....But the One who can make us happy is the One who can show us His way to holiness and the way He sees us.

I think part of the reason Tim and I are enjoying married life so much is because we have fought (and I mean FOUGHT) to find out what God thinks of us....both individually and as a unit. We have FOUGHT to be happy in harsh circumstances like the many times I've ticked him off, annoyed the b'geebers out of him, or hurt him deeply.... and vice versa. The other reason is that we have developed a STRONG fear of God. No really. Not a King Kong-running-for-your-life fear, but a fear that says, "God cares more about my obedience and my holiness than my happiness". He is Holy, I am not....that's a BIG enough reason to fear Him....to obey Him....to stick like glue to my spouse...the one God picked for me to sharpen me "as iron sharpens iron".

There are times when the days are rough, the tension is thick and my sin is great....when those times come, it takes an act of God and a fight for obedience to stay here. If you are thinking on leaving your spouse or removing yourself from a certain relationship, just remember that God cares more about your holiness than your happiness....because He gives GREAT JOY when repentance and obedience become your yoke. Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

And like me, it could be that the problem isn't the other person....it's you and your sin. If you leave, you might just walk out of His wave of grace....go to Him who takes your sins, your burdens and replaces it with obedience and holiness.... Read Romans 1-2....there is no excuse not to do the right thing....powerful, ya know? I can't wait to grow old with Tim....and I pray he won't have to help me with my "Depends"! Be blessed.

Ahhhh, sleep.......zzzzzzzzz

Thank you, "moms", for the comments on last post! I was truly blessed! I always learn so much more when you comment!

Here's another shot Tim took from our walk with Uncle Bob and Auntie Sylvia this past week....this seal was inches away from us! He didn't seem alarmed by our presence at all! He was totally content to bask in the sun.....moved very little....his body a giant slug. Makes me sleepy just looking at him!


As I have been sharing the last few weeks, I am learning to set up boundaries.....chew only what I can swallow....deal only with what God has placed on my plate....and I am finding my plate is getting smaller. Good! More rest! However, I get stuck wrestling: "But what about all the things I want AND must DO for God?"...... and He answers, "Don't you think I am BIG enough to handle it ALL without you?" DUH...no, DOUBLE DUH! And yet, just yesterday I found myself feeling guilty and overwhelmed that I wasn't DOING enough.....overwhelmed with what I "needed" to do for God....to pick up everyone's burdens, give away all my possessions, empty my bank account to the nearest charity, house every homeless, abused child in the country....what else could I do? I just wanted to be that seal lazily moping on the rock at that point! And then I felt a tug from the Lord....

"Do you know Me?....Do you REALLY know Me? I don't need you to DO....but I need you to BE....when you BE all that I've created you to BE, then what I'VE called you to DO will be clear and not fueled by guilt or responsibility 'cuz I've told you that your life is to be a labor of love and guilt does not breed love. Spending these "smaller plate" days with Me is sowing love into you that will fuel all you DO through Me, for Me...because you love Me."

Ya know, God is so faithful to speak....and when He speaks, I "try" to hear, I "try" to listen.....He knows my desire is to comfort, help, fill myself with busy "goodness", but He hasn't asked me to do that. He's asked me....no, INVITED me to know Him and in knowing Him, DO what He asks of me....in His timing.

Do you ever feel pressured to DO more...to bite off more than you can chew because it's the noble thing to DO?

Ya know, Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(Matthew 28:16-20) But He didn't give us a time limit....or a specific number...or even a specific region to start with.....we spend our whole lives with this commission and yet, He gives no formula or "program" as to how to get this done.....so what do we do? We get to know Him....develop a DEEP relationship with Him...so He flows out of us without programs and leaflets....making disciples out of showing Jesus....through knowing Jesus....am I making any sense...? Throw out the pressures from others and look to the relationship with the One who moves you.....He never "pushes" or "shoves"....He mooooooves (say that out loud...it's goooood that way!).....He inspires and RELEASES your life as a labor of love. Ya think?