Happy New Year!

For weeks I had the idea that I would have been attending the Thanksgiving Service at my church on New Year's Eve... my 'wisdom teeth' (I'm sure there's a more scientific term for this) had other ideas. Natural remedies plus a few painkillers later, I am sitting here with throbbing jaw after DH already headed out to participate in the service.

Ah well! There is nothing to prevent me from getting a little thanksgiving going on in my corner of the blogosphere. ;)

• The year that was 2008 sent a couple curve balls in my direction, but - while I am sure I could have lived without them - I doubt I would have grown much spiritually. So, as the first order of business, I thank God for the 'curve balls' of 2008.

• Health-wise, I usually have a little something going on... but I am still here while others await the resurrection. I thank God for life... and even more, for abundant life in Christ.

• DH and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary this year. We had our fair share of rough patches in 2008 but with God at the helm... we made it! <:-P

• This year I watched SJ's interest in learning soar and he acquired some computer skills to take himself through some of his learning activities on the computer. Of course, that also means we worked on 'manners' to prevent him from shutting me down unceremoniously when it is my turn. I praise God for his wonderful gift of a son... the odds (of men) were against him from the outset, but there is nothing impossible with God. :)

• I started wordkeeping in 2008 and it became a habit that I can live with. Learning to hide God's word in your heart is always a good thing. Jehovah is absolutely amazing!

• I joined Ann Kroeker and some other delightful folks for Mega Memory Month in October. Romans 8 is still stuck on my brain as a result. Praise the Lord!

• All my known family members are still alive, although there are enough health issues to go around. While there is life, there is hope.

Not one person reading this will see tomorrow... Has anyone ever seen it? We can talk about it, make plans for it, but we will never see it. We awake from slumber to today... that is all we are given... today, the present. God alone knows tomorrow.

So, as we enter the new year, may we place all our cares in the hands of the One who alone knows tomorrow...

"...forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth [in faith] unto those things which are before... press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14 (emphasis mine)

HAVE A SPIRIT-FILLED
AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
(in spite of the economy)
AND MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS
YOU AND YOURS!
:D

Emmanuel In The Unplanned

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Matthew 1:23)

I did not make it out to church today... an unplanned absence.

My life has been taking a few 'unplanned' turns for quite a while now... and usually that would be disturbing to me. Sometimes I would even venture to think of it as an annoyance. Shaking my fist toward the heavens, I would direct my anguished cries to God... It was not supposed to work out like this! This was not supposed to happen! I need You... where are You?

The more it happened, the more I understood. It WAS supposed to happen like this... in God's plan, not mine. He was there. He always is. Emmanuel!

It is not all immediately clear to me. I still struggle to comprehend, but I am learning to see Emmanuel in the everyday.....

• In the pounding rain on my roof that muffles the sound of the passing vehicles, and induces restfulness.
• In the smiles of family and friends... a reminder that I am loved.
• In the painful injury that means I learn to be still.
• In the defective utility pole that disrupted electricity supply at this time... and not in the summer when I would have needed the use of the fans.
• In new acquaintances who do not share my views, because they are opportunities for spreading grace. Believe me... I need all the practice I can get!
• In the delicate rose... as well as the thorny cactus.
• In SJ's complaint in the midst of my 'busy-ness', because it means I get to take on another phase of my Lord's business... to serve as my Master served.
  

No... I am not there yet... but I am learning to pause, to be thankful for the curve balls as well as the direct pitches.

Rejoicing in trials is a little more difficult, but God is not finished with me yet.

How about you? Is Emmanuel only a worthy subject for holiday hymns? Or do you experience 'God with us' in your daily life? What does that look like? Please feel free to share in the comments.



Blessings,

The Blessing of Years: The Joy of 35

Three posts in one day. Oh dear!

What can I say? It is a good day to be alive, and a particularly good day to be 35. :D

One October - eleven years ago - my best friend in the world fell asleep to await the resurrection. She would have loved to be here to celebrate this milestone with me, but the Lord knows best.

She was only 24, full of life, and she had looked forward to the thirties with eager anticipation. And now, here I am... living this part of her dream without her.

I had been silently afraid of aging before then. But her death gave me new perspective. I have learnt to be thankful for the blessing of years.

People usually wonder why I enjoy saying how many years I have been blessed with. Women whisper to me... "I could never do that." Then I tell them about my friend, her sudden death, and how much she would have loved to be alive... one reason why I embrace my blessing of years.

They usually respond along these lines: "I never thought about it quite like that. Thank you."

Incidentally, the thought of worrying about keeping my age secret just never seemed like a rational thing to me. It's more trouble than it's worth. Quite frankly, I seriously doubt that anyone loses sleep over whether I look older or younger than my age.

Rather than wasting a good bout of worry on who knows you are THAT old, spend some time reflecting on how you have used the many years afforded you. If you're anything like me, the many bumps and stumbles along the way will provide good fuel for reflection, and cause you to spend a little more time at the feet of Jesus. You'll look younger as a result too! ;)

Anyway, on to the point of this post...

Every birthday takes me back to John 3 verse 30 for some reason. This is the great measure of what I have done with each year I have been given, because it is the Law of Christianity that "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Have I decreased sufficiently to allow Him to shine through me in all my interactions? Have I allowed Him to increase so that I live only for His glory? Can I join the Apostle Paul in saying, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

As long as affirmative answers to these questions remain elusive, there is much to be done.

"Lovest thou Me?" my Lord asks.

Like Peter, I can only answer "Lord, Thou knowest."

In the face of His unparalleled goodness, I can know no self-assurance. All He asks is that I abide. Is that such a difficult thing?

Abide (stay, remain, don't move)... and I will bear fruit. Not by working hard enough, or by focussed concentration, but by abiding.

As I embark upon my 36th year, seeking to become more like Him each day, learning to abide... I pray that you will travel with me on this journey of discovery.

Praise the Lord for the blessing of years!



Indebted to Him,

Absent From This Place - Part 2

I rub my fingers along the smooth contour of this desk.

And I settle down a bit more in this chair.

To attempt to share more of my reflections on my time away from this place.

It is dark and much colder now. The window that facilitated my view of the great outdoors has since been closed. The sound of passing vehicles is now muffled.

I do not own a motor vehicle, so I have the extremely colourful experience of using the Jamaican public transportation system on many of the occasions when it is necessary to leave home. Oh.. and when I say colourful... I mean it in the nicest possible way. ;) But, of course, if you have never been stranded on a Sunday afternoon and found yourself in a (hatchback?) car - designed to transport 5 but loaded with 16 instead - you have no idea what I'm talking about!

On my way home on Monday morning, however, there were no issues with overcrowding. No reckless careening around the curves and turns in the Junction. No fighting or swearing passengers. An unusual picture of serenity.

It was the woman sitting beside me that got me thinking...

I had never seen her before.

An elderly woman. Pleasantly plump... in her sixties maybe? Her eyes were not lit as you would expect with one who had lived so long a life, and in a little while, I was to find that Understanding was not her close companion.

"How much is it to go to Portland?" she asked me.

I smiled and asked, "Where exactly in Portland?"
[She consults her travelling companion... an extremely skinny older woman sitting two seats across]

"Buff Bay," she says.

"Two hundred dollars, I think." Consultation with the conductor confirmed my thoughts.

After a few minutes, I overheard her asking the woman sitting between her and her companion, "How do I get to Balcarres?" She received what I thought were more than crystal clear directions. As a matter of fact, I could not have done better myself.

Then she turned to me. "I want to go back to Kingston today, will I get a bus from there?"

This is where things got a tad strange. Here are my thoughts: If I take public transportation that travels a particular route and it leaves me at Point A... then once I get back to Point A, I should be able to get similar transportation to go back the way I came. Right or wrong? In deference to her age, however, I try to explain in the simplest possible way.

A few minutes pass, and she asks me the same question that the other lady had answered earlier. As I looked into her eyes, all her fear and uncertainty was abundantly clear, and I attempted to do justice to the previous explanation. I could not wax eloquent since I was hardly as familiar with the area as the other lady obviously was, but she seemed more relaxed somehow.

Then she asks expectantly: "Are you going that way?" I wasn't, but I wish I was.

Telling someone the way is never quite the same as showing them the way. All the instructions we have about living victorious Christian lives would be meaningless if this lovely verse of Scripture was absent from our Bibles:

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)

Like Thomas (and my lady from the bus), we want to know the way. We want to be sure that we are, in fact, headed in the right direction. We yearn for the specifics, but our Lord answers... "I am the Way." In other words, I AM all you need... Follow Me.

Is that enough for you? Is there enough assurance in those words to set your heart at ease? The Way, the Truth, the Life... what else is there?

May we spend our waking moments getting to know the Way. Then, and only then, can we be sure that we are going in the right direction, and all who follow us (unwittingly or not) will be assured that they are - in fact - travelling on the right path.

Influence is power... use it well.



Blessings,

Absent From This Place - Part 1

I have been absent from this place for ages... it seems.

This desk.

This chair.

The open window through which I survey the flower garden out front, and the vehicles passing beyond the gate.

Quite a bit has transpired since I sat here last.

Sabbath afternoon (Dec 13) found me sitting in a congregation that was new to me... too late to participate in the entire service, but early enough to catch the last few points and to hear the preachers' admonition to "Choose heaven."

I left to meet my long-time friend with whom I was to spend my two 'days off' and we lunched with people who were new to me in a house that was equally new to me.

Late afternoon found me attending the Adventist Youth meeting in another congregation (you guessed it!... new to me) and participating alongside my spiritual brothers and sisters in a 'Singspiration' service unlike any that I had experienced previously. The energy was amazing!

We headed off to enjoy 'girls' night out' and returned to her apartment (also new to me) really late. As I hit the sack, I realised I was going to have a challenge... I could not sleep. I wanted to sleep alright. I just could not... and it took me approximately one hour of tossing and turning before I could manage to nod off. And what I achieved with hard work in one hour ended unceremoniously two hours later for no conceivable reason. Oh dear!

I made it through three hours the following night, but I have speedily come to this one conclusion: I am just not made for sleepovers. Seriously, it's true... and what is the point of a sleepover if you don't actually sleep? :-/

New situations are always very unsettling for me... although I am usually adventurous enough to try them out anyway. ;)

Strangely, though, I have no anxiety whatsoever when I contemplate the promise of a day when Jesus will make all things new. Every single phase of my existence throughout eternity will be new to me... but apprehension will have given way to peace, and restlessness to restfulness. Even the animal kingdom will be at peace. Here's how Isaiah puts it:

"Also the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the cub lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:6-9 NKJV)

What can I say? New can be a good thing... and so I look forward to an eternity with my Saviour... living next door to you in the earth made new... reminiscing under the Tree of Life... you, me, and my pet cougar. ;)

Blessings,

The Wonder Of It All

I love this time of year!

Not because of the holidays and all the trappings, since the economy has scaled everything in my area down to the bare minimum it seems.

I like the fact that the wonders of the night sky are still around when I awake.

As I stepped out onto the verandah this morning to take my daily dose of fresh morning air, the tiled floor felt ice cold to my bare feet. Why did I leave my slippers behind?

The shock of the extreme cold was quickly forgotten as I looked up to behold (much to my surprise) cloudless skies and the vivid outline of familiar constellations, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, affectionately referred to as Big and Little Dipper. They looked almost close enough to touch!

You know... from where I am standing, all the stars look pretty much the same (although differing slightly in brightness), but we are told that "one star differeth from another star in glory" (1 Cor. 15:41). And - wouldn't you know it? - God knows them all by name!

Oh... what an awesome God we serve.

Beholding the wonders in the heavens - albeit without a telescope - never fails to make me think of how very much our God loves us.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Psalms 8:3-4)

And if He can hang the planets and stars on nothing (Job 26:7), and set them in motion - with no risk of collision - can He not also do all that He has promised to do in and through us?

'When I consider the heavens' my trials lessen in significance for I am reminded that God is faithful.

As the week draws to a close, may we seize every opportunity to reflect on His faithfulness, lay our worries at His feet, and truly rest in Him.



Blessings,

A Mother's Work

Ann Voskamp over at Holy Experience has arrested my attention yet again with a thought-provoking piece entitled A Mother's Work: A Model for True Work, as a contribution to the Mother Letter Project. Here is an excerpt:

Because all work is sacred work, worthy of the diligence, the effort. I pick up lost legos, dry the pots, whish the toilets and this serves God. For if I can’t meet God in my work, where do I meet Him? If I don’t serve Him here, where do I serve Him? Are we not called to serve God in the work – not merely in some imagined, mirage place outside of work?

In a model of Christian work, we live one-piece lives, all weaving together into a sacred cloth as unto the Lord with no false seams between God and our days.

And in our work, sacred work because there is no such thing as secular work, we first serve God. I’ll put away the laundry, sweep the crumbs, polish the windows not to serve my family primarily, but to serve God.

You have just got to take the time to read her post in its entirety. I know you will be glad you did. Click HERE.

The Wordkeeper Has A Face

You know... I've been thinking. (As usual) :D

I may be really old-fashioned, but it is very hard for me to be comfortable interacting with anyone without having the slightest idea of what they look like. Not for the purpose of discriminating, but rather, because it is comforting to me to be able to associate a face with the words or voice.

So for the sake of all my readers, known and unknown... and especially for those of you who 'speak' to me via instant messaging... enough of the 'headless horseman'.

Instead of waiting around for the day when I become the proud owner of a digital camera... a day which - incidentally - seems to be slipping further away into the unforeseeable future, I will go ahead and see what this li'l ole webcam of mine can do (in combination with a little photo editing to eliminate the annoying graininess).

Looking for the voice to go with the photo? Click HERE or HERE.

By the way, if you never noticed the "Who Am I?" link near the top of the page before... now would be as good a time as any to pop by and give it a read... and, of course, it would not be a bad idea to share who you are in the comments while you're there. ;)



Blessing,

' Tot-ified' Utterances

There are two types of conversation that remain constant in this house... Scripture-related and computer-related. We talk about other things, of course, but these remain constant.

As a consequence of this (or so I imagine), SJ makes the strangest associations. Here's what I mean...

• Show him a photograph of a fox (for the letter F) or a video of the same on National Geographic for Kids... and he exclaims "Firefox!"
• DH makes some reference to an 'image' on the computer screen and it evokes a recital of a portion of the second commandment: "Dow shalt not make unto dee any gwaven image or any wikeness of anything..."

Get the idea?

Recently though, a new one came to my attention. I did not actually notice it until it happened a couple of times either. It goes something like this:

Ruth: "SJ... please bring a roll of tissue from the closet."

SJ: "Okay." [the pitter-patter of little feet going to and from]

Ruth: "Thank you."

SJ: "Welcome, Mommy." [bursts out in song] "When the woll is called up yonder...."


This has been going on for a while now. Can you believe I didn't notice it until it happened for the umpteenth time?

It finally hit me... my son thinks a roll call is the same as a tissue roll. Oh dear!

Toilet paper in heaven? Who knew?

Yes, I am waiting for him to age a bit before attempting to explain this one. What can I say? I love the song! ;)

Is Your Lantern Lit?

Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.

-Francis of Assisi-

Today, I came across this strange quotation from one Francis of Assisi. Well... maybe not too strange.

It reminded me of a story I had heard years ago of a train wreck that took place way back in the days when there were no automated systems, and everyone was dependent on the faithfulness of the lone railway worker and his lantern to know whether to stop or move through intersections during the night.

His ability to stay alert at all times meant the world to those who used the railway at night.

On the night in question, he was weary and nodded off (there is no cure for sleepiness but sleep). In the stillness of the night, a loud blast from a (train horn?) jolted him back to consciousness and he awoke to find that a family car was also approaching the intersection.

Like the 'faithful' worker that he was, he grabbed his lantern and ran out waving it high for all he was worth... to no avail. There was a head-on collision, and the family perished.

An investigation ensued and the railway worker was asked to give his recollection of the details of that fateful night. He spoke the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth... from the time he clocked in, to his nodding time, to his faithful waving of the lantern.

"I grabbed my lantern, held it high," he said. "I waved it vigorously... but I didn't realise... there was no light in it."

Now, I do not know the origin of the story, but the friend who shared it with me made a salient point. He suggested that we (knowingly or unknowingly) hold our 'lanterns' high and wave them on a daily basis... at home, in the workplace, at church, in our communities... but it is important to ensure that we are actually lighting the world rather than contributing to the gross darkness that prevails.

This brings me back to the 'strange' utterance of St. Francis: "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words."

It is customary to associate 'preaching' with oratory skills of some sort, but the way St. Francis tells it... even the mute could preach.

You certainly would not find my name in the same sentence with the verb preach (or any variation thereof), but yet I now need to revamp my thinking and examine the content of my 'sermons'.

There are days when the only member of my congregation is a two-year-old boy whose blog name is SJ, but the substance of my 'preaching' cannot be deemed less important because he is only one person. The preparation must, of necessity, be the same... quality time spent at the feet of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

DH, other relatives, friends and numerous acquaintances have watched, felt, and heard my 'preaching' over the years. Sad to say, much of that preaching ought to have been abandoned in its entirety.

I love new beginnings, don't you? Well, so does our Lord. He is the Originator of new beginnings, and He gives the unction we need to begin aright.

I'm off to wave my lantern and 'preach'! Ahem... to prepare dinner. ;)

How about you? Is your lantern lit?

Be Still

SJ has lovely black, curly hair (evidence of his mixed heritage), but he would rather be bald. As soon as his haircut wears off a bit and the nice curls start showing, combing time starts sounding something like this:

Ruth: "If you move around like that, I can't brush or comb your hair."

SJ: "I need a trim."

Ruth: "Would you just be still for a minute?!"

SJ: Trim my hair, pleeeeeeez!"

Ruth: "Your hair is soft... just hold on one second"

And, in the event that Daddy is home....

SJ: [Runs off wailing] "Daddy! Trim me pleeeeeeez!" [sobbing]

No sweat, I know of another family member with equally beautiful hair who has trouble keeping still too. (Sis, I'm looking at you) ;)

Dare I hope that the drama will diminish as he ages? :-O

You know, the inability to be still seems to be an inherent human weakness... not confined to the realm of grooming.

On every occasion in Scripture where God wanted to reason with His people, to have them contemplate His works, or to do something HUGE for them, He has need to tell them to "Be still" or "Stand still." I don't know about you, but I am envisioning some very fidgety people (my imagination works like that).

I would think that, since they were already acquainted with the greatness of God, they would just be still on these occasions without being told... if only to stand in awe. :-?

Well... apparently the human mind doesn't always work in a logical fashion, because.... you know what?

I fidget.

Constantly.

No... I don't call it fidgeting. I call it 'being busy', 'having a lot to do', 'leading a productive life'. That's a good thing... right?

Sure it is! As long as it does not become one's sole focus.

I have found that is extremely easy to get all caught up in the 'busy-ness' of life. So busy, in fact, that the Creator of the universe has to 'shout' to get our attention.

Sometimes the things we perceive to be setbacks (more cause for complaint) are the very things He uses to shout "Be still!" From the toddler who wants 'Mommy-time' just when we are in the middle of an important task, to the flu that hits when we have so much to do, to the funds that don't turn up in time so we can meet our deadlines, to the alarm that doesn't go off when it should... I am sure you can think of many more. ;)

Is it a coincidence that when we seem to be assailed from every side, the only place left to look is UP? I think not.

So... the next time things fail to work out as planned, take a break. Walk in nature, or sit back. Relax. Send up a prayer. Be still, and see what God is working out for you.

You will be glad you did. :D

Blessings,