I had a wonderful conversation w/a relatively new friend today. We met a few months ago through our children who attend school together. She's originally from Quebec, where those who know the Lord are few and far between - maybe even fewer than further between, and then some.
Today finally I was able to ask, point blank, "So how does a Quebecoise like you come to know Christ? I mean, that just 'doesn't happen' very often..." And I got the "You're right, it's amazing, let me tell you!" story I'd been longing to hear.
In summary, God will find His children, no matter where they may be. And His grace is not only sufficient to save them, but also to sustain them in virtual spiritual starvation over time. May I not forget to pray for such people and those He's called, both to live there and to go there. My heart just SINGS to know He is at work in the French-speaking, and (most often) God-cursing culture, to His glory. Pray for her and her family, that He would use them to reach the many they know there still, such as her parents, who do not know God, but who are watching those who do, like she and her husband, wondering if He's real, and whether He can be trusted. May their blinders fall off and may they SEE HIM - truly see Him and love Him and KNOW His amazing grace.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
That's what faith must be
Here is the chorus from a Michael Card song I came across this evening. Very succinct and to the point I thought...
To hear with my heart,
To see with my soul,
To be guided by a hand I cannot hold,
To trust in a way that I cannot see,
That's what faith must be.
To hear with my heart,
To see with my soul,
To be guided by a hand I cannot hold,
To trust in a way that I cannot see,
That's what faith must be.
Immortal, Invisible
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all live Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish - but nought changeth Thee.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render - O help us to see
'Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!
A hymn from 1876 by Walter Chalmers Smith
In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all live Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish - but nought changeth Thee.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render - O help us to see
'Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!
A hymn from 1876 by Walter Chalmers Smith
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Introductions
In light of wanting to attempt to maintain some sort of privacy online, and the difficulty of blogging without using first names in particular, I've been trying for months now to come up with names for each of us. This is no easy task, especially when you want the name to say something about the person (which actually makes it flow more easily for blogging, hence why the effort). I am finally ready (or as ready as I can be) to introduce you to our family. I shall do so briefly now and I will elaborate over the course of the next few weeks as I'm able.
Papa Bear - that's Daddy, my husband, the head of our family.
Mama Bear (aka Shiloh)- that's me
Patience - our 10-year old daughter, the eldest of our four children. The dictionary describes patience as the quality or habit of being patient which in turn can be defined as bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint; manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain, not hasty or impetuous; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. Interestingly patience is not only a virtue, it is derived from the Latin root pati which means to suffer.
Andante - our 9-year old son and our true "middle" child. Andante is a musical term which means moderately slow, flowing along. This is certainly the tempo of this child's personality and behavior, described perfectly by this word. I'll probably call him Dante for short (it flows more easily and since he's so easy-going, it fits better). He is deliberate, thoughtful, cheerful, and moves at a slow and steady pace in all he does, much like the tortoise in The Tortoise and the Hare. Incidentally, the name Dante (as in he who wrote The Divine Comedy and The Inferno), comes from the name Durante, which means enduring - also a quality of this particular child.
Constance - our 5-year old daughter. Another virtue of sorts, this name is derived from Latin constans, to stand firm, to be consistent. It is the quality of being constant, which means to be marked by firm steadfast resolution or faithfulness : exhibiting constancy of mind or attachment.
Vivace - our 3-year old son and the youngest. Also a musical term, it's an Italian word that means lively or energetic. He is indeed vivacious - full of life and a delight to us all.
Papa Bear - that's Daddy, my husband, the head of our family.
Mama Bear (aka Shiloh)- that's me
Patience - our 10-year old daughter, the eldest of our four children. The dictionary describes patience as the quality or habit of being patient which in turn can be defined as bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint; manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain, not hasty or impetuous; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. Interestingly patience is not only a virtue, it is derived from the Latin root pati which means to suffer.
Andante - our 9-year old son and our true "middle" child. Andante is a musical term which means moderately slow, flowing along. This is certainly the tempo of this child's personality and behavior, described perfectly by this word. I'll probably call him Dante for short (it flows more easily and since he's so easy-going, it fits better). He is deliberate, thoughtful, cheerful, and moves at a slow and steady pace in all he does, much like the tortoise in The Tortoise and the Hare. Incidentally, the name Dante (as in he who wrote The Divine Comedy and The Inferno), comes from the name Durante, which means enduring - also a quality of this particular child.
Constance - our 5-year old daughter. Another virtue of sorts, this name is derived from Latin constans, to stand firm, to be consistent. It is the quality of being constant, which means to be marked by firm steadfast resolution or faithfulness : exhibiting constancy of mind or attachment.
Vivace - our 3-year old son and the youngest. Also a musical term, it's an Italian word that means lively or energetic. He is indeed vivacious - full of life and a delight to us all.
Monday, July 6, 2009
A Sad Day
My friend died today. It’s been a long time coming but the reality of it is numbing. Last night, knowing it wouldn’t be long, I was thinking about and praying for her and her family. It struck me that I’d never see her smile again. That was a difficult thought.
What I remember most about her was her life, her vivacity, her passion and her clarity. To be with her was to be with someone who knew what was really important. She knew that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And she lived it. Diagnosed with breast cancer of a very aggressive variety over 8 years ago, she knew in a way I find difficult to remember in the daily grind, that we’re all dying. Some get an idea of when it’s coming, as in her case, but biblically it seems we need to live with our death in view in some strange way (tho' not morbidly), for it impacts greatly how we live our life now.
My friend lived a life full of hope, even in the face of death, nasty thing that it is. It may be appointed to man once to die, and then the judgement, but those who love the Lord and who have life in Jesus through the cross know that the grave may be necessary and inevitable, but it is not the end. She gave an inspiring Christmas message a couple years ago entitled “All I want for Christmas is Easter.” The baby of Christmas was born to die years later for the sins of men - the cross of Easter was part of the Father's plan - and so was the victory over death and sin and the grave in the resurrection. The story isn't about a baby; it's about God and his love and his power; we can trust in our Father through all life brings. I have a copy of this still and know right where it is; no doubt I’ll listen to it again soon. She knew what she wanted was life that could not be taken away and she pursued it – and a relationship with the one true God who could give it to her - with all her heart.
It is my hope that this sad day will be but a seed in my own life to encourage me to pursue that same God. He is the giver of life, the savior of my soul, the gracious one who forgives the undeserving, the one who loves perfectly as I Corinthians 13 describes, the one who gives hope that does not disappoint, and who enables true and lasting peace that passes all understanding in any and all circumstances, even death. He has done all this for her, and brought it to completion this very day. Her earthly life is over and for me today this is definitely sad. But my sadness is but temporary. I rejoice that her suffering is truly over and she is with her heavenly Father in glory, alive forever. It is a "happily ever after" ending, and that is so good and so encouraging and gives me such hope. In my own life; he has done and is doing the same for me as well, and someday will bring my story to a happily ever after completion as well.
May I run the race so as to win the prize, and may I like my dear friend spur others on to do the same. May we run like the wind and live dangerously alive in Christ, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus…
P.S. Her obituary, which she penned herself, is worth reading.
What I remember most about her was her life, her vivacity, her passion and her clarity. To be with her was to be with someone who knew what was really important. She knew that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And she lived it. Diagnosed with breast cancer of a very aggressive variety over 8 years ago, she knew in a way I find difficult to remember in the daily grind, that we’re all dying. Some get an idea of when it’s coming, as in her case, but biblically it seems we need to live with our death in view in some strange way (tho' not morbidly), for it impacts greatly how we live our life now.
My friend lived a life full of hope, even in the face of death, nasty thing that it is. It may be appointed to man once to die, and then the judgement, but those who love the Lord and who have life in Jesus through the cross know that the grave may be necessary and inevitable, but it is not the end. She gave an inspiring Christmas message a couple years ago entitled “All I want for Christmas is Easter.” The baby of Christmas was born to die years later for the sins of men - the cross of Easter was part of the Father's plan - and so was the victory over death and sin and the grave in the resurrection. The story isn't about a baby; it's about God and his love and his power; we can trust in our Father through all life brings. I have a copy of this still and know right where it is; no doubt I’ll listen to it again soon. She knew what she wanted was life that could not be taken away and she pursued it – and a relationship with the one true God who could give it to her - with all her heart.
It is my hope that this sad day will be but a seed in my own life to encourage me to pursue that same God. He is the giver of life, the savior of my soul, the gracious one who forgives the undeserving, the one who loves perfectly as I Corinthians 13 describes, the one who gives hope that does not disappoint, and who enables true and lasting peace that passes all understanding in any and all circumstances, even death. He has done all this for her, and brought it to completion this very day. Her earthly life is over and for me today this is definitely sad. But my sadness is but temporary. I rejoice that her suffering is truly over and she is with her heavenly Father in glory, alive forever. It is a "happily ever after" ending, and that is so good and so encouraging and gives me such hope. In my own life; he has done and is doing the same for me as well, and someday will bring my story to a happily ever after completion as well.
May I run the race so as to win the prize, and may I like my dear friend spur others on to do the same. May we run like the wind and live dangerously alive in Christ, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus…
P.S. Her obituary, which she penned herself, is worth reading.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Blogging has not come easily these past months - sorry to leave any of you in the dark as to how we're doing. We ask you to extend us lots of grace and eventually (someday) we'll either blog more or get out an annual family letter updating you so that you can see God at work in our lives. Suffice it here to say that he is working (lots), things are fine (details forthcoming but only God knows when), and blogging can really be a foolish endeavor. There is a lot of wasted time online (I know, I'm one to waste it and working on doing that less). There are many blogs full of foolish "nothing", people spouting their opinions as though they were absolute truth (this goes for many well-meaning and good-sounding blogs as well as those obviously neither of those), and just plain drivel (this blog of mine probably falls into this latter category, truth be known). Anyway... at least I'm writing something. I figure three posts in six plus months can't be too bad in the wasteful arena.
So here's a thought with which to leave you. For context, I began reading Proverbs about two weeks ago, seeing as I have a noted need for and lack of wisdom in particular just now. I also decided to read all the introductory notes in my study bible prior to diving in and was struck by the description it gave of a fool. As expected there was discussion of wisdom which was contrasted naturally with folly, and there was description of different kinds of fools, ranging from the naive and uncommitted to arrogant scoffers. It concluded thus:
So here's a thought with which to leave you. For context, I began reading Proverbs about two weeks ago, seeing as I have a noted need for and lack of wisdom in particular just now. I also decided to read all the introductory notes in my study bible prior to diving in and was struck by the description it gave of a fool. As expected there was discussion of wisdom which was contrasted naturally with folly, and there was description of different kinds of fools, ranging from the naive and uncommitted to arrogant scoffers. It concluded thus:
The fool is not mentally deficient;
He is self-sufficient,
Ordering his life as if there were no God.
He is self-sufficient,
Ordering his life as if there were no God.
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