All posts by Gwenyth

I live on the outskirts of Whangarei, the northernmost city in New Zealand. I enjoy many things, ( writing amongst them), have been married to Keith for sixty-one years, have three married daughters, nine grandchildren and seventeen great- grandchildren who are scattered in various countries. No cats and no dogs as they would cramp our life-style.. We are obviously retired, but were farming further north before moving to the town over thirty-five years ago. We attend one of the local churches across the same side of town that we live.
Miracles

Heaven is a Beautiful Place!

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     My husband grew up as the eldest child in a family of three. The family had very little when they started off, and their father was planting tung-oil trees at a new plantation in the northern part of New Zealand at the time that he was born. There were three children in quick succession…..two boys and a girl. It seemed that the family was now complete with the three children.

The family then moved to a small cottage on a two acre property in a small settlement on the shores of one of the northern harbours.

When the little girl (Audrey) had got to the stage of crawling around the floor, they were living in this cottage. One evening as their mother was doing the vegetables for tea, a pumpkin seed fell on the floor. Audrey crawled along and picked it up and as babies do, put it into her mouth. But instead of it going down smoothly, she choked on it, and it went down the wrong way. Her mother picked her up and slapped her on the back to no avail, it just seemed stuck half way.

So they called  a friend from further around the road  who had a vehicle, and rushed her off to the local hospital. The oldest boy could just remember the kerfuffle of that evening, but not any real details.

The doctor looked at the child and said she had better be left in hospital overnight. Meantime, the next day the doctor went down the harbour on a fishing trip he had already arranged. That night however, both mother and father woke up with a start as they heard the most beautiful, unearthly music in their house.

Remember,  they had no means of playing music whatsoever. They  wondered  where this music came from, it had such a sweet haunting sound, and they discussed it together. How could it be?

But the next day  they had a message from the hospital saying that their  little girl had  died  the night before with  the pumpkin seed going  into   her  lungs. They  now had the explanation for that beautiful music they had heard at that time. They both felt that it must  have  been  sent from God as He heralded their little girl into His presence.

It was many years  before their mother could forgive herself for her carelessness in dropping that seed on the floor and she was always most particular when the grandchildren came along to never let  anything fall on the floor where they were crawling.

Many years later little Audrey’s namesake (another Audrey) suffered  from copious menstrual periods while a teenager. One day,  she  had  lost so  much  blood that she fainted while in the toilet. There was  no   way   the  bleeding   could   be stopped  and  they  rushed   her  into the nearest hospital. She was so far gone, that  she could hear the music of  heaven  as  she was  going  in she said….. it  was  the most beautiful  music she had ever heard. The doctors   were   horrified to find how little blood she had left when they  gave her the transfusion that brought her back to life.

These two small glimpses into the portals of heaven show us what a place of beauty and peace it must be

 

 

 

Daily Devotionals

Jesus Preaching and Healing.

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        Matthew 4: 18-25

         Our Lord had been baptised and He had been through His time of testing, coming out victorious. Now He was about to begin His time of preaching.

He felt the need to have a band of men with Him who He could teach the principles of His Father to. He didn’t choose them from among the well educated or important people of the region; He chose simple fishermen who could identify with the ordinary people around, and who would obey His word and follow him.

It is the same today with ordinary people responding to God’s word as it is preached. These are the people that God can use.

Our Lord went immediately into his teaching and preaching ministry, combining it with practical healing as well. Nothing catches people’s attention quicker than personal pain and relief from it. Soon there were crowds of people following this new preacher who could give relief from pain. As far as He was concerned, healing the physical pain was not His primary purpose….it was to heal the spiritual pain that mattered the most.

Our Lord was ready and willing to preach, To heal the multitudes and also  teach,

The men He chose were simple and true, How willing to learn and follow are you?

Random Devotional Thoughts

Disappointments.

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I’m sure you have all been disappointed at some time or other. There isn’t a person on earth that hasn’t experienced that let down feeling! These times often come just after a wonderful time, and we wonder why.

We can either become better for it, or bitter because of it.

If we think of the disappointment as a test to build our character, it makes it a whole lot easier to bear. Just as an exam has only two results…a pass or a failure, so these tests leave us with only two results…. becoming better from it, or filled with bitterness!

As for why it often happens after a great time, that time was given to us to make up for the disappointment that was just around the corner. As we remember the wonderful experience, it shows us that life will still have its high points, and that all is not darkness. There is an old saying that goes like this….. “This too, will pass”. Another one is “Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning!”

So get up, stand up and keep up!!!

Random Devotional Thoughts

Why Bother to Pray?

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PrayWhy bother to pray? God already knows what we need or want.

But have you ever thought that God wants to give us what we ask Him for? Unless we ask, we won’t get it, and unless we get it, we won’t say thank-you!

Our prayers won’t change God’s mind, but they will certainly change ours!

When someone wrongs us, we say we will never forgive them, but if we pray for them we will find that we feel differently about the whole matter. Maybe not straight away. Maybe they don’t deserve to have good things prayed for them. But remember,  the benefit is not for them; in the long run the benefit is for YOU!

Perhaps you are thinking that God is too busy, and why should He take any notice of little old you! Ah, but God has told us to pray;  and not only that, but to pray continually.

He says, “Ask in your time of trouble and I will deliver you, and then you will praise and thank Me!”

God is looking for those who will give Him thanks

Adult Testimonies

One Man’s Choice

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The Lord said, “My Spirit will not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:3a. The following story illustrates this very clearly…..

“Hi Ozzie”, Bob sang out as he drove up to the house, “Are you coming out with me tonight to the church service?”

“Aw, I can’t make it tonight”, Ozzie said, “We’ve got a visitor coming for tea, so that cramps my style a bit. Maybe next Sunday.”

“OK, That’s a pity”, Bob said as he swung the car around.

He went down the road in a thoughtful mood. He had been taking his cousin Ozzie to the church services for nearly twelve months, and he had noticed a big difference in him in that time. His language had cleaned up, and he seemed to be more cheerful and not so complaining.

Bob hoped Ozzie had been really listening to the different preachers as they spoke each Sunday night, and not just been enjoying the singing and company of the other people there. After all, that was only part of it all. He thought of those verses in the New Testament where Jesus frequently said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”.

He knew it was one thing to hear what is being said, but quite another to let the words sink into one’s mind and then down to the heart and then put them into practice .

Bob knew what it had been like for himself….once he was faced with the facts, there was no turning back and now he couldn’t have been happier. Now he really wanted his cousin Ozzie to know the same peace of mind and heart that he had found.

But from that time on, Ozzie seemed to be making more and more excuses as to why he couldn’t make it on Sunday nights. The day came when he told Bob that he wouldn’t be going any more….it just wasn’t convenient, he said.

Bob was disappointed, but he knew that people have a free choice. He had made his mind up himself to continue going to the church services and as he did, his understanding grew. He wasn’t going to let Ozzie’s attitude change his mind.

Over the intervening years, they met occasionally and still did certain jobs together (both were farming), but the old camaraderie was missing. More years went by, nearly twenty in fact.

Bob was visiting his father one day. “You know, I had a visit from Ozzie the other day”, his father said. “He said a very strange thing. He told me that he’d had a very vivid dream one night recently…. He dreamed he saw a big blind coming down from the sky and he knew that it was between him and God. And then he said, ‘You know Unc, I couldn’t come to God now, even if I wanted to!’ I really didn’t know what to say to him”.

Bob knew the verse in the Bible where God says He won’t strive with people for ever, that there comes a day when He will take people at their word, and leave them alone. He was very sad to hear that, and yet he himself had been unable to pray for Ozzie for some time, and felt that this was indeed a message from the Lord concerning him.

We do well to take heed to the consequences of Ozzie’s choice and realise what a sad plight he was in. His attitude was still the same when he eventually died….he couldn’t call on God even if he wanted to!

Grandma's Stories

Differences !

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   This children’s story illustrates very important points that adults would do well to follow. When we think of all the bickering and fighting that goes on between the nations today, we should remember that we are all part of the human family, and all need each other with our differences and abilities. It is only as we do this that there will be peace in the world.…….

Boy with CarJack and his sister Sue were squabbling out in the yard. Jack was playing with his new toy car, and Sue wanted to have a turn. She got very cross when Jack picked it up and ran inside. She followed him and tried to take it from him.

“Leave it alone”, Jack shouted, “It’s a boy’s toy! Girls don’t play with trucks! They’re too dumb! They play with silly dolls and things!”

“Mum!” Sue wailed, “I’m  not dumb, am I?”

Mum tried to keep the peace. “Of course not,” she said, “But you ARE different to Jack just the same, not silly or dumb, just different! You are both part of our family and we love you both the same. We need you both”.

Sue quietened down and left Jack to his truck while she ran to get her doll.

“Not silly”, she thought, “My dolly is the best after all!”

Jack made loud engine noises, and ran his  car around among the cushions on the floor.

“Silly girls!” he muttered.

That night, after Jack had got into bed, he started thinking about what he would do with his truck the next day. His thoughts got fainter and fainter as he drifted into sleep.

Suddenly he heard voices. Somehow he knew it was his head talking. It was saying to his feet….. “I don’t need you! I’m the important one! I’m at the top and you are only at the bottom end of Jack!”      “Don’t be silly”, said the feet, “Where would you go without me? But I’m a lot better than the hands, they are only halfway down Jack!”   The hands answered in a high crabby voice, “And what would put the socks and shoes on you if it weren’t for me? Besides, my fingers are a lot longer than your toes!!”      “My toes might be short, but they are just as important as your silly fingers! Remember when my little toe was sore last week? I had to hobble around to save it getting hurt worse!”

“Be quiet!” the head commanded in a loud voice, “I’m getting tired of listening to you fighting! You ALL need each other. And I need you all too. Who would put the food in my mouth if the hands didn’t work? And where would we all go if  the feet didn’t take us? It’s quite true that when one thing hurts, we all hurt with it. Why, I felt that sore toe too when it got hurt. So be quiet, and be satisfied with what you are. We are ALL important, we are just different, that’s all.  And we are all part of Jack!”

Jack woke up with a start. It had all seemed so real. His different parts all arguing with each other? How silly could they be! As he snuggled down under the blankets again, he thought how glad he was that he had all those parts and that they all did different things for him.

He still remembered that dream the next morning, and then thought how he and Sue had been fighting the day before. Of course they were different! She was a girl and he was a boy. But they were all part of the same family. Perhaps he could let Sue have a turn with his truck  today after all.

   The Bible says:-

Don’t forget to do good things and to share with each other….God is very pleased when when we do this!     Hebrews 13: 16

 

 

 

Adult Testimonies

Bob’s Challenge

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 “If only”…. 

As Bob came to in the darkness, he wondered where he was. There were unfamiliar sounds going on around him, and a distinct disinfectant smell. He  realised he was in a bed, but he was sure it wasn’t his own. He tried to turn over and nothing seemed to be working. Whatever had happened to him?

Ah, he remembered now. He had left the local pub at closing time and found his way to his car. He remembered driving towards home and over the bridge that spanned quite a sizeable river on the way, but nothing more after that.

Bob had indeed driven over the bridge, but he had failed to see the corner immediately after it, and continued straight ahead up the bank where the car had flipped over. Bob had not been wearing his seat belt and he was thrown out. As a result his spinal cord was badly damaged leaving him a paraplegic. He was in hospital for a long time, and it took him several months before he admitted that his situation was actually his own fault.

First of all he railed against the fact that his seat belt wasn’t on, but he was the one who had not buckled up. It never occurred to him that if he hadn’t been drinking until closing time, he would have been capable of driving safely, so that was another nail in his coffin of blame, as it were.

No-one knew when it finally dawned on him that perhaps God was speaking to him through this accident. It wasn‘t that he was a stranger to the things of God. There had been a time when he had made his decision to follow the Lord, and was enthusiastic in his attendance at his small local church. But the older men tended to curb his youthful enthusiasm and he became discouraged. There came a day when he heard some more criticism, and that was it as far as he was concerned. He had had enough, he said. If that was how they felt, then he was finished.

Bob never attended a church service on a regular basis again, and in time, no-one would have recognized him as being a Christian. Years passed by, and his family arrived and grew up. In his time of reflection now in his hospital bed, he remembered different times when he felt that God was perhaps speaking to him.

There was that time that he had been feeding hay out to his cattle and carelessly thrown the loose bailing twine into the cab of his ute. As he drove onto the road, he got out to shut the gate behind him, and as his feet became tangled in the twine he fell onto the road. A car came around the corner and nearly caught him before he got up. Bob wondered at the time if the Lord was speaking to him, but he mentally shrugged it off as coincidence, and let the opportunity go by.

Then there was another time not long before this, when a visiting evangelist had come to the district. Bob attended one of the meetings, and was strongly moved to respond to the appeal when it was given at the end, but he thought of his drinking mates and what they would say to him. Just the same, he had to hold tightly to his seat with both hands to keep from making the move along the aisle when others were going down to the front.

“There’s still plenty of time”, he told himself.

Now he wondered if things would have been different if he had made that move back then. It began to dawn on him that perhaps all this was his own fault, and all because he kept shutting the thought of God out of his mind.

“Perhaps God IS speaking me” he said to himself, “If I had taken the step when that preacher was asking people to come forward, perhaps none of this would have happened!”

How right he was! He wouldn’t have been at the pub this particular night if he had done that!

By the time Bob was discharged from the hospital and able to go home, he had confessed his willfulness  and disobedience to the Lord and received full forgiveness for it all. Bob was full of joy in his mind and heart now….not for the position he found himself in, but in the fact that now he had made his peace with God once more.  He was able to pray again, picking up where he had left off when a young man. But in spite of that, nothing could give back the years he had wasted, and this was a constant regret to him.

He enjoyed the visits he had from other Christians who knew him, and to talk about the things of God was one of his greatest joys.

He now spent his days in his wheelchair looking out of the large windows of his living room across the town to the harbour in the distance. He had once served on the local harbour board, and was particularly interested in watching the container ships and tankers moving in and out of the harbour.

He lived for a few more years, and told one of his visitors not long before he passed into the Lord’s presence, “You know, I would sooner be like I am now, and able to enjoy these times with the Lord, than to be what I was once, able to walk but still running away from God. It doesn’t pay!”

Grandma's Stories

The Little Red Boat.

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Sally had just come in from school and was munching an apple that Mum had given her. The kitchen was lovely and warm and had the wonderful smell of cooking Christmas cakes.

“How did the Kid’s Club after school go today?” Mum asked.

“It was really cool” said Sally as she took another bite.

“What was the lesson about?” asked Mum.

“It was all about ..re..redemshun, I think the word was”, Sally said.

“Oh, you mean redemption”, Mum said, “That’s a really important word to know. How did your teacher explain it to you?”

“Well, she told us a story about a boy who had a little red sailing boat. He took it down to the river to play with and the string broke and it  went off down the stream and he couldn’t get it back”.Little red boat        “Oh,” said Mum, “and what happened next?”

“Well, after a long time, he went down town past the second-hand shop, and saw his red boat in the window for sale. He went inside and told the man it was his. He was sure because it had a little scratch mark near the front of it where it had scraped past the rocks when it got loose from its string.”

“Really,” said Mum, “What did the man say to him?”

Sally took another bite of her apple, and said, “The man said it was too bad because he had just paid good money for it and if the boy wanted it back he would have to pay the price on the ticket.”

“Well, that was bad luck”, Mum said, “What did the boy do then?”

“He wanted it really badly, so he went home and emptied his money box out, but it wasn’t enough, so he got extra jobs after school and saved every cent he could get”, said Sally. “After a while, when he had saved enough money, he went back to the shop to get the boat. It was still in the window so he paid for it, and took it home. He was so pleased, he said it was twice his now. It was his because it was given to him in the first place, and it was his the second time because he had worked hard to pay for it all over again.”

“Well, that’s a neat story,” said Mum, “Where does the word redemption come into it?”

“Our teacher explained that it means to buy back something that once belonged to you and then got lost. The boy had to buy back his little boat, and then it was really his all over again. That’s what re…redemption means.”

“That’s right,” said Mum, “but there must have been more to the lesson than that. What else did the teacher say?”

Sally threw the core of the apple into the rubbish bin. “She explained that is what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross. When Adam sinned, people became lost to God like the little boat going down stream, and that is why the Lord Jesus came to earth to pay for people’s sin. God had always said that those people who sin will have to die to pay for it. He knew they would never be able to be good enough on their own. And Jesus was the only person who never sinned, so He was able to pay for everyone’s sin if they ask Him to. I wonder why people wanted to kill Him when He only ever wanted to do good things for them?”

“That’s what sin does to us,” Mum said, “It makes us all bitter and twisted inside. So what was the point of the lesson?”

“Just as the boy had to pay redemption money for his little boat, so Jesus had to pay for our redemption by dying on the cross, and if we come to Him, He will have bought us back from being lost.”

“That IS a neat story,” said Mum, “And you’ve learnt it really well. Now it’s time for chores so off you go and do them”. She watched as Sally skipped away from the room and smiled to herself. She was so glad that she had learnt this lesson herself when she was a little girl; now she was a Mum and she knew this was the best thing she could have done.