Meaningful Words this Season

Michael
Gideon
Deborah
regal warrior
royalty
Celtic
training
reclaim
fresh
Spirit
training ground
fierceness
steadfastness
walk
Candace
dignity
Truth
identity
Sword
quietness
King

Thankful This Day

Good morning!
...So, I have awaken to another beautiful morning where the snow is lightly and gently falling and everything has a blanket of white. The sky is grey, but towards the horizon, the clouds take on a soft pink as the sun rises behind them. I sit quietly before my King and listen, I am very thankful this morning for being here, my heart and mind have been preoccupied with prayers for those in Mumbai...I met a family yesterday whose brother is not accounted for and the not knowing is highly stressful for them. Please pray for his safety and for the safety of the others not accounted for...

I thought about how fortunate I really am in this place. All around the world, in this moment, people are laughing, dying, being violated, getting married, starving, mourning, rejoicing...and here I am typing on my laptop, looking out on a snowy day with many things on my list to do in the next 16hours, and yet I just want to sit here in an attitude of thankfulness and bask in the presence of my God. This is one of those days where I would rather spend the entire day in deliberate intercession, quietly away from all activity, but instead I will have to guard my heart, open my ears and my eyes to the leading of the Holy Spirit and pray while addressing my commitments. ...How about those (many) days where I do not feel like sitting in an attitude of thankfulness and I don't feel like interceding? Those days are full of friction and resistance as I battle with the Holy Spirit. But not today. Here I am Lord, I am listening. Guide me this day and help me to be obedient to Your Will.

I am truly thankful for this day, are you?

Thank you Jesus.
~mp:)

Colossians 4:2 [ Further Instructions ] Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:1-3 (in Context) Colossians 4 (Whole Chapter)

Happy Thanksgiving

To my wonderful American friends, may you have a truly Blessed Thanksgiving holiday!!!

Enter the Story: Advent Conspiracy

I came across this at "sound of a soft breath" blog and I wanted to share it with my readers...it is good stuff!!http://soundofasoftbreath.blogspot.com/2008/11/upside-down-christmas.html

Procrastination and Adrenaline Rushes...

I started this a few days ago...tongue in cheek...

Procrastinating Junkie...my new nickname...?

What does the Bible say about procrastination?
Okay...so in the NIV I have not found the word 'procrastination'
...in The Message I found:

Luke 9:62 Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."Luke 9:61-62 (in Context) Luke 9 (Whole Chapter)

Psalm 31:1 [ A David Psalm ] I run to you, God; I run for dear life. Don't let me down! Take me seriously this time! Get down on my level and listen, and please—no procrastination! Your granite cave a hiding place, your high cliff aerie a place of safety.Psalm 31:1-3 (in Context) Psalm 31 (Whole Chapter)

Those are pretty strong words "No procrastination"... can a person be addicted to procrastination kinda like someone who is addicted to an adrenaline rush?
Speaking of adrenaline rushes...wait for it...
It isn't that far down...I wish it were me;)

Philippians 2:1-11

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

~

I just wanted to remind myself of this as the "season of pandering" closes in...this scripture jumped out at me, not the most obvious of choices, I am aware, but it speaks to me. Perhaps it speaks to you as well...?

Be Original

Be original, be who you are, be the child of God you are called to be. For you are anointed and appointed for such a time as this...cry out, "Here I am, Lord!" Stand tall in the calling He has set before you, do not shirk back. If God is for you, who can stand against you?! Your calling is your own...own it! And give God the Glory!

tired...

I should be writing a paper right now, but I am tired. Tired of researching, tired of writing on a concept that seems pretty straight forward, tired of...well, you get the idea. I should be very thankful that I have this opportunity to write, to study, to research...and I am, it is just difficult to get something done that you have little interest in. It is like drudgery, offensive to my mind, and reframing my perception of the task is almost as equally oppressive. Yep. I am tired. What does Scripture say...don't give up doing good....would this apply here? Persevere, knowing your hard work will be rewarded?? (I am pretty sure I took that one out of context...) Anyhow, though I am tired, I will persevere...tomorrow morning...after my devotions...and a coffee...and a shower...and after I walk the dog...and feed the kids...and...this is not looking very promising...

Let the meaning of your work be obvious unless it is purely designed for your amusement...

~Howard Johnston

(who has nothing to do with the Pink Panther...totally random people...totally random...)

A Blanket of Love

A quiet morning,
the snow flakes fall,
Hear the silence,
the song to all,
Look at the beauty all around and feel the warmth of this blanket of love...

Good morning.
Good morning,
May God Bless your day,
this is what I pray.

desire>choice>Faith

Romans 4:18-20 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[a] Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.

A friend and I were conversing about faith and what that looks like and do we honestly walk in faith or is it lip service? Now, my friend is a great thinker and he is in the process of writing a book where he addresses this concept of faith. We determined that if we truly were to walk in faith, our lives would look very different...I know mine would....which got me to thinking about walking the walk I talk. What would my day, my life look like if I walked in total faith? Knowing God will take care of all things? Would I get anxious about money, relationships, health...the future? Well, of course not! I would believe, I would not doubt. I would persevere through my day getting done what needs to be done in the moment.

Did you know that God gives you everything you need in every moment of the day? Think about it. In every activity that you engage in, you have all that you need, including desire. This is important because without desire, we would not do a whole lot. For example, if you are repairing your bike and you do not have the necessary parts, you still have everything you need because you have the choice to go get the parts because you desire to finish repairing the bike. Without desire, you do not have reason to choose, and you get nothing done. Make sense? Hang in there... So, in the moment you are living, God has provided you with everything you need including desire and choice. It is what you do with your desire, and consequently with your choice, that directly reflects your faith.

...I am going to go more extreme here...You are persecuted and tied to a stake to be burned. You have everything you need in that moment. Your desire and your choice determine your outcome and reflect your faith. Another example: you have your only son with you, who you love dearly, and you are commanded by God, Himself, to kill him. You prepare all you need in that moment and you raise your knife...or do you? Do you have the faith to believe that God will do what He said? Do you?

You have everything you need in every moment of every day. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (in Context) 1 Corinthians 10 (Whole Chapter) It is your choice to act upon your desire, but before you choose, think "How does this reflect upon my faith?" When you consider your day and all that you have done, can you honestly say you walked by faith?

...Just some food for thought...

Lions - White Lions

A regal couple observing...on the watch... Proverbs 30:30...a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;

Proverbs 30:29-31 (in Context) Proverbs 30 (Whole Chapter)

It would appear that it is all business with these two and you don't want to mess with either one; the lioness is looking particularly unapproachable...guarding her mate so he can do his thing? Somehow, I get the impression that he would have her back too...as it should be;)

Let Go and Soar

Speak forth your heart and soar...

Transformed and free!

~

God Bless Our Soldiers

I stopped by the local mall today to pick up a few things and while I was there, I was approached by a Legionnaire who asked me if I would like to write a special note to a soldier overseas.

Well, sure! I may not agree with the war, but I do offer my support the men and women who are in a career that unfortunately exists.

I sat down to create a special message to a soldier unknown to me, but who is important in my heart. As I started to write, I realized that I really knew not what to say. What do I say to someone I do not know, a world away, who is fighting in a war that I really have no real understanding of?

It was no easy task. It wasn't easy because I wanted to really offer true encouragement to this soldier...this soldier I know nothing about. So, I prayed about what to write and I wrote what I wrote, and with another prayer I sent it off.

These men and women are fighting for peace in the physical realm...I am only familiar with fighting for peace in the spiritual realm...And to offer one encouragement to do battle in the spiritual realm seems so much easier than offering words of encouragement to those on the physical battlefield.

On the physical battlefield, is victory sure? I think perhaps one must convince themselves that it will be in order to persevere. But is it true? One will only find out at the end of the battle.
Whereas, I am assured of victory in the spiritual realm because my Warrior King is the Great I Am. Victory is His. The battle has already been won. Jesus conquered death and sin and has cleared the path for anyone who decides to follow Him. The thing is, the enemy is still trying to convince us that the battle has not been decided.

I sincerely pray that our soldiers will return home safely and in victory (though I am not sure what "victory" looks like) and I believe that we should offer support and encouragement to not only the soldiers, but their families also.

May God Bless each one, ministering to where they most deeply need His Loving touch.

Numbers 6:24-26 May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; and may the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Psalm 44:6 I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;Psalm 44:5-7 (in Context) Psalm 44 (Whole Chapter)
Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?Romans 8:30-32 (in Context) Romans 8 (Whole Chapter)

I Was Challenged to Consider...

SERIOUS FOOD FOR THOUGHT....

John 12:24-25 (The Message)
"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.

If you are reading this, bear with me, I was greatly challenged today and I want to work through it and remember what stood out to me at the time.
One must die to be free...to live Life; one must die to truly Live...Die to self, die to sin, and have Faith that God can provide abundantly more than we can ask or imagine...Death=True Life (and I am not talking physical death...) Kingdom of God on Earth, in the now...
FAITH=LIFE=FREEDOM

Oi...

Beyond Imagination

If you can't imagine it, how can it exist?

If you can imagine it, is it real?

God's grace is beyond imagination.

Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)
20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Articulating God's Truth and Love

As I explore and apply this concept of bringing the Kingdom of God to all people, I am finding that my traditional way of thinking is being blown away by the revelation of God's Love and Jesus' presence in my walk.

A few days ago, I had a lively conversation with a couple of my colleagues that ended up going along the lines of - 'What about all those people before Jesus came along or those who died and never heard the gospel? And what about all those in different religions? Are they all in hell?'

It was at this point that I felt as though I was drowning....and I prayed, "Dear God in Heaven give me Your Words to speak."

Now, I would love to report that I was filled with the Holy Spirit and out flowed all the right answers and my colleagues saw the Light and were transformed...Nope. Someone came up at that moment and interrupted the conversation to gossip, which was readily embraced by the one colleague and the other (a professing Christian) seemed somewhat unconcerned that the conversation took a turn and, without missing a beat, joined in the new conversation.

I sat and listened for a few minutes before I gapped out into new a conversation with God.

"What just happened Father? and Why did I freeze at that point? I enjoy a challenging discussion...I really wanted to engage and share...?" As I replayed the questions my colleague posed to me, I realized that I did not have an answer, I mean, I am in a spot where I am seeing the Love of God in this world, in each denomination, in each culture, in a new way and I am still trying to make sense of it. And I could not come up with a short concise answer that did not challenge even me. "God loves all people...Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life..." I came to the conclusion that God wanted to get my attention as much as (or even more than) my colleagues. (He probably saved me from sticking my foot in my mouth as I am sorting out how God is working in this multi-cultural world and how He has worked in this world, not to mention how He will continue to work in this world and through His children.)

Am I making sense? To me, being able to articulate the Word of God and the Love of God is...well...it is a deep desire. I really wanted to have an answer for my colleague, but I didn't and I had to reflect upon why...I was disturbed, not because there would not be another opportunity, but because I am seeing God in a very different perspective than what I have in the past. A global perspective and this new perspective is stretching me as I attempt to apply all that I know from God's Word to all the world. Being able to articulate God's Love and Truth to individuals of all cultures is challenging...Goodness, trying to express myself to my friends and family is a challenge a lot of days!

Do I have a stuttering problem like Moses? No. But I do think too much. I make things more difficult than they need be. I was told I tend to be detail oriented considering many angles, many perspectives...oi...God can still use me right?! I believe so. So, as He teaches me how to articulate all that I need to articulate and express His Love with the giftings He has given me, I will continue to persevere and study His Word, seek Him out, and walk where He leads me...one day I will speak the Heart of God and someone will hear, to His Glory...and in the meantime, I will continue to glean from those that have these giftings already in fruitful use, thanking God for each one of them...for they inspire me as I hope to inspire others one day in their walk with God.
(Thank-you blogging community!)

Isaiah 55:11...so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.Isaiah 55:10-12 (in Context) Isaiah 55 (Whole Chapter)

God Bless Your Day!

A beautiful sunrise to a beautiful day ahead...with my King.

Good morning dear people and may God Bless your day!

~mp:)

Just For a Smile...

I just needed something to make me smile this day...cute pic eh?

Love What You Do

~

To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun?

~Katharine Graham

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

~1 Corinthians 10:31

~

Gentle Words

Gentle words. How often do you use them? What are they? Or rather, are they words or tone? Can you reprimand a person using gentle words?

Jesus spoke with gentle words to the woman at the well, the rich young man, His disciples, Zacchaeus...How did I come to that conclusion? Well, except for the rich young man (which the jury is still out on), each were changed by what Jesus spoke to them, changed for the better. He didn't humiliate the woman at the well or guilt her into believing who He was. He didn't angrily recite His lessons to the disciples so the importance of the lessons would sink in and the disciples would learn. He didn't scorn Zacchaeus for the fraud he committed. He spoke gently by acknowledging that each person has worth in His eyes. His words conveyed the worth He felt for them in His heart.

Words are powerful, more powerful than most people realize.

Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:13-14 (in Context) Psalm 19 (Whole Chapter)

Beautiful Creature

Beautiful creature

awesome and great...

Beautiful creature

where did you come from?

where will you go?

the mists that surround you reflect light at your feet

the path that unfolds as you tread closer and near

reveals your true strength

though rocky and steep there is no sign of fear

you are steadfast and strong

Beautiful creature

I dare not go near

I watch and I wait

Beautiful creature

awesome and great...

Josh Groban Little Drummer Boy

I am sitting here this morning listening to my favourite musician, Josh Groban. I absolutely love his voice! And even though it is a little early for Christmas songs (though my mother would disagree as she is of the opinion that Christmas songs are for every day of the year...I can hear her singing now...;)), I am listening to Josh's Noel CD. The Little Drummer Boy is playing and as I am listening (and singing along), the part where he sings "....I played my drum for Him, I played my best for Him...Then He smiled at me, Me and my drum..." stands out to me. This boy's (seemingly) only gift is given...with his best effort... to honour God... and God is pleased! Our Father is pleased by us using the gifts He has bestowed upon us! If you have been reading the different links to the different blogs I recommend, you will see different people honouring God by giving their best by choosing to use the gifts He has given them. I would encourage you too to use the gifts God has given you to honour Him...He will be pleased.

Last year, I drove to Florida at Christmastime listening to this CD (it made the drive go quickly). I highly recommend it!! You can buy it here: http://joshgroban.com/noel/

Fearless in the Face of Danger - Unaware

See this child, fearless in the face of danger. Only a wall of glass separates this hungry tiger from devouring this little one. Yet the child is not intimidated.

The child is captivated by the awesomeness of this creature, unaware of the danger...unaware.

Is ignorance bliss in this instance?

The child has had the opportunity to view this creature from a perspective that most haven't. And, this child will walk away unscathed.

What a memorable moment. I am sure the child will subconsciously, if not consciously hold this experience close to his heart and it will have an effect on the development of his character, to be sure!

Now, what if that child was you? What would you be thinking? Would you be so fearless? So brave?

When my oldest daughter was 3, we were visiting a zoo near Gowganda, Ontario. And as an unlikely place for a zoo as it was, it did have tigers. Three tigers. We were separated from these tigers by two fences that were each about 10 feet high. The distance from the tigers to us in total was about 10 feet. It was amazing to see these creatures so close, but as a mother, it was also very terrifying. You see, one of the tigers paced the fence closest to the path that visitors walked by. As my daughter and I came close to this fence, the tiger immediately locked its gaze on my daughter. It watched her and panted as it paced, and you knew that if there were no fence between us, my daughter would have been dinner. It was horrid! I quickly walked past this area with my daughter's hand firmly in mine to get to a safe distance out of the sight of the tiger. My daughter in the meantime, just looked on with casual interest, unaware that she was the object of this tiger's instinct. Unaware.



Many of us are facing hungry "tigers", something wanting to devour us. But God is protecting us. He is that glass that separates us from the creature that seeks to devour us. He is our parent who keeps us safe. We can trust our Father to protect us from danger unaware, just as we can trust our Father to lead us to safer ground when we are aware of danger.


I have commented on this scripture before: 1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.1 Peter 5:7-9 (in Context) 1 Peter 5 (Whole Chapter) Unlike this little child in the picture and my daughter, we are called to be aware. Aware of the enemy of our soul who would come like a thief to steal, kill, and destroy. John 10:10


We may be surrounded by tigers, lions, and bears (Oh my!), but know this:
God is protecting us. We need to be aware of and confident of His presence and protection. God has wonderful plans for us...do not become fearful, but trust Him. Keep your eyes on God, on His promises, on His character, and rest in the knowledge that God is faithful.


Psalm 116:6 "The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me."
Psalm 116:5-7 (in Context) Psalm 116 (Whole Chapter)

John 17:14-16 (in Context) John 17 (Whole Chapter)

Trusting Becomes More of a Test...

Trust.

God works in mysterious ways.

The battle intensifies...trusting becomes more of a test...

The regal warrior is becoming tired...the battle has taken its toll.

Deuteronomy 31:6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."Deuteronomy 31:5-7 (in Context) Deuteronomy 31 (Whole Chapter)

I received permission from this talented artist to include her picture, you can find more of her work at http://svera.deviantart.com/

How Will You Respond?

~

Every disappointment is an opportunity.

How will you respond?

~

After I wrote this, I crawled into bed and was just settling in when this feeling that I needed to qualify the above would not release me, so...let me suggest: Think, what would Jesus do? and How will my response glorify God and draw others to want to know Him more? Focus on God and not on Man. With God, all things are possible. Believe it!

I am going back to bed now - God Bless! ~mp:)

His Ever-Reaching Love

So, I have started 3 posts today. This is the fourth. I would like to write a few things, but I can't. I would like to share, but I can't. My personal trainer, Michael, would reprimand me for using the word "can't". It is not a part of his vocabulary, yet lately for me, it echos deeply in my thinking. I am tired in the place that I am at, tired and weak. This is suppose to be a good place to be in right? When I am weak, God is strong through me... yeah, I know, it still is unpleasant to be here though.

So, to get out of this funk, I am going to write about God.

God is great, God is good...My King, you can call Him Jesus, He accompanied me to a Hindu celebration and showed me His ever-reaching love. He was with me while I was at the hospital helping me to encourage and bless as I worked away. He reminded me that everyone has a story and I saw His ever-reaching love there.

His ever-reaching love.

I am so thankful for His ever-reaching love. Without it I would not be here. Today, I will go about my day and try to keep my focus on God and His ever-reaching love, in fact, I think I will reach back. I need Him more than anything. May I encourage you to look for, receive, and share His ever-reaching love in your world today...God Bless. ~mp:)

Diwali

My eldest daughter has what I like to call the "united nations" for her inner circle of friends. China, Russia, and India are represented as well as Canada...They are very supportive of each other and look out for each other. Tonight was a showing of support for the friend of East Indian heritage. She was performing a dance. You see, today was the celebration of Deepavali or Diwali. This is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness in Hindu religion.

Now, I was a little hesitant to send my daughter last year when we were invited to go, but I couldn't attend, but I prayed about it and sent her off. This year we were asked if we would like to attend again and my two daughters and I graciously agreed to attend. But not before asking the Lord to protect us spiritually and to let me see His Truth and Love in this event.

It was beautiful.

The welcome address included recognition of the major holidays from October to December which included a wish for a Merry Christmas to the Christians. I was a little surprised by this only because this was a Hindu celebration, so why mention other upcoming celebrations that may or may not be celebrated by Hindus. (Including Ramadan and Hanukkah)? However, it was further on after some prayers and the singing of the Canadian National Anthem that the Brahma (or the closest thing to a Hindu priest in attendance) spoke. What this man said was that all people are to...get this..."Love one another"...and "To do unto others as we would want done unto us, just like what the Bible says." At this point, I knew Jesus was letting me know that He was very present in this place.

I smile when I think of it. This group of Hindus welcoming "outsiders" to simply celebrate with them. It was like a Christmas pageant - the kids performed dramas, songs, dances, and even a stand-up comedian. Kids ran around changing their costumes and the women wore beautiful saris and most men wore traditional garb also. Everyone was looking out for each other's children (men included) and it was interesting to see how the men were very encouraging of the children and their performances and in expressing their adoration for their women also. You don't see that in typical "European-Canadian" culture, not with the consistency and sincerity that the East Indian men expressed. I don't know if this was an "odd" experience or whether this is how they always behave towards their women and children. It was wonderful to observe though.

After the performances we moved into the cafeteria to eat traditional East Indian food. Yum. Chick peas, green peas, mixed veggies, tofu, and mixed beans in differing degrees of spicy curry. Oddly, I did well until I choked on a "pickled" lemon that had chunks of hot red pepper in the mix. I did say it was HOT red pepper, right?! I was able to avoid making a scene and as I looked around, I felt much better to see a plethora of red faces and watering eyes around the cafeteria trying to avoid making a scene, most of whom were not East Indian. (Misery loves company...)

All in all, it was a great night. I knew that if Jesus was invited to attend, He would go - and since I asked Him to accompany me, I know that He was definitely there. I saw love, I saw hope, I saw people that God loves and desires for them to know and love Him. I pray my attendance will open a door of opportunity to share that Truth with someone in the future. And not just me, but I pray my girls too will have an opportunity (and the courage) to share the Truth and Love of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No comes to the Father but through Jesus. John 14:6 John 14 (Whole Chapter)

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.1 John 4:17-19 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)