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.
Grandma's Stories

Honouring God.

Leave a comment

Bobby came running up the steps onto the front deck and in the ranch-slider throwing his bag down in the corner on his way to the kitchen.

“Wow”, he exclaimed, ”it’s been a busy day! I never had time to stop and think. Our team has been chosen to represent the school in the inter school sports next month”.

“That’s great Bobby,” Mum said,” I suppose that will mean Saturday training each weekend”.

“Yes,” Bobby said sitting on the stool and taking the drink Mum had passed him. “It’s going to be a busy term”.

So it proved to be. Bobby found the training sessions very strenuous, but he enjoyed every bit of it.

As the family got ready to go to church the next morning, Bobby thought wistfully of his bed as he got dressed. Wouldn’t it be good to have a break from church just this once? he thought as he dragged his jersey on. But he knew it was no use to even suggest it. Going to church wasn’t an option in their household, there was never any question of what they would be doing on Sunday mornings!

Bobby mostly enjoyed going to church. The singing was rather cool, and their class leader was really neat. But he found his mind starting to wander this particular Sunday, and he visualised some of the passes he was to make in his next game. Slowly he pulled his mind back to the story the leader was telling. He was saying, “and so the prophet said to Eli the priest, ‘Those who honour God, God will honour’, and that is just the same for us today.”

Bobby stirred himself, and listened to the rest of the lesson.

That evening, Bobby picked up his school books and went out into the dining-room to do some home work that he needed to finish.

“I guess I should ask you to pray for me Dad,” Bobby said, “This work is really hard!”

“You know Bobby,” Dad said thoughtfully, “I don’t think I could pray this for you. You could have done that homework last evening instead of watching TV”.

“Aw, Dad, I was tired last night after all that football practice”, Bobby said.

“You know Bobby, if you put God’s day ahead of things you want to do, God will honour you for it”, Dad said.

“Funny you should say that Dad,” Bobby said, “Our leader said something the same this morning in class”.

“Yes, well this is one of the principles that always stands,” Dad replied, “If you make time to do your home-work ahead of things like TV, and keep God’s day special for Him, He will help you to get through your lessons and tests far better than if you spent time on Sunday for your homework! “

You can read about this in the Bible in 1 Samuel 2: 29-30…..

Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?  30     Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Grandma's Stories

Doing Things MY Way!

Leave a comment

Christine came in at the end of breakfast looking rather sulky. “Nobody is going to tell me what to do!” she declared, “I’ll do what I like!”

The   family sat there taken aback at this outburst. After all, Father had only said it would be a good idea for everyone to eat their breakfast together before going off to work.   Christine may have been only boarding there, but she knew what was expected of   her.

This is just like Cain that we read about in the Bible. Cain was the  eldest son of Adam and Eve. He had been brought up knowing the story of the Garden of Eden and how his parents had   disobeyed God. He knew that disobedience had planted the seeds of death in every person born since then, including himself.

Lamb 2Cain knew very well what sort of sacrifice God  wanted. He had been told many times that sin brings death, and that a lamb had to be killed as a sacrifice. But Cain was rebellious. He didn’t like animals; his forte was gardening. So he brought his best vegetables and fruit . Surely this would please God! Yes, he wanted  to offer God a sacrifice, but he was going to do it his way. No-one was going to   tell  him any different!

But Abel who loved his flock, was prepared to offer one of his best lambs as his sacrifice. It was a beautiful little lamb and Abel wanted to give God his very best. The Bible tells us that God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice, but he was not pleased   with Cain’s.

Somehow   the boys knew God’s feelings in this matter, and Cain was very sulky. Why was  God not pleased with his sacrifice?  His vegetables  were just as good as Abel’s lamb, they were beautiful!

But Cain had clean missed the point. Later in the Bible, we are told that to obey God is better  than all the sacrifices offered our way!

You can read about these things in the Bible in Genesis 4:1-7; 1 Samuel  15:22-23

Grandma's Stories

Are You Ready?

Leave a comment

And the Lord saw that the sin of man was great on the earth, and that all the thoughts of his heart were  evil. And the Lord had sorrow because he had made man on the earth, and grief was in his heart.

And the Lord said, I will take away man, whom I have made, from the face of the earth, even man and beast and that which goes on the earth and every bird of the air; for I have sorrow for having made them. Genesis 6:5-7

Noah was hammering away at the last few boards to go on the large boat he was building. Some of his neighbours walked by and said sarcastically, “Well Noah, still waiting for this stuff you call rain?”

Noah straightened up and said,  “It’s going to come, and I don’t know what it will be like, all I know God has told me to get this boat ready and there will be enough room in it for anyone else who wants to get on board”.

“Aw poof!” said the man again, “I’m not going to make a fool of myself like that!”

The time came when Noah and his sons hammered the last nail in place.

The Bible  tells us that two of all the different sorts of animals came along to Noah and went quietly into the boat. Birds too, came flying along and went into the departments that Noah had built especially for them. Noah and his sons had gathered a lot of straw  and other dried food and stored them in the special bins that God had told him to build. At last all was ready.

People were gathering around at the sight of these animals all so docile and tame, even the lions and tigers were just like big cats and were so quiet as they filed inside the boat.

“Ho, ho”, the people laughed, “That won’t last! Noah will have some fun in there after a few days!”

The last animals and birds had gone on board. Noah felt God telling him it was time for him and his family to go in behind them. He turned around as he went up the ramp and spoke to the people watching. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in too?” he asked, “God says there is going to be a dreadful flood and you won’t have any chance”.

But they wouldn’t listen.

Soon the people heard a clang as the door swung shut on its hinges. The sky had been getting darker and darker as storm clouds rolled across it. The people began to wonder what was going to happen.

Then the rain started. They had never seen rain before. At first they thought it was fun, but then the water started to rise as well. It came higher and higher. People started to hammer on the sides of Noah’s boat. “Let us in!” they cried, “Keep us safe!” But there was no reply. God had shut the door and Noah couldn’t open it. They weren’t ready and it was  too late.

And on the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was dry. God said to Noah, Go out of the ark, you and your family and take out with you every living thing which is with you, birds and cattle and everything which goes on the earth, so that they may have offspring and be fertile and be increased on the earth.

And God said, This is the sign of the agreement which I make between me and you and every living thing with you, for all future generations … I will put my bow in the cloud and it will be for a sign of the agreement between me and the earth.

And whenever I make a cloud come over the earth, the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will keep in mind the agreement between me and you and every living thing; and never again will there be a great flow of waters causing destruction to all flesh.

                                        You can read this full story in the Bible in  Genesis 8:15-17;  9:12-15

Grandma's Stories

Are You Feeling Down?

Leave a comment

“I need encouragement, you need encouragement, we ALL need encouragement!”

The words of the speaker wafted on. I little dreamed how  these  introductory words would stick in my mind for over fifty years.

I can see now after a span of years, that to encourage  others is one of the best gifts that God has given to each one of us. No matter how old or how young we are, we can all say nice things to others, especially those in our own family.

David, in spite of knowing God so well, is a classic example of one who needed encouragement. Jonathan and David were best friends. They had clicked right from the start of their first meeting in Saul’s court . Jonathan liked David very much, with his youthful freshness and good looks that took everyone’s eye. As they talked together that they both felt the other was a special friend. They thought alike and Jonathan loved the way David appreciated God, while David felt he had someone he could trust in the  dangerous court of King Saul.

Even more than Jonathan looking after David’s needs, was his appreciation of  God’s plans for David’s future. He not only knew that God’s plan was for David to be the next king, but he was happy about it and planned that he would be second  in command. When David was on the run for his life, he would meet him as often as he could, and encourage him in the Lord looking to the future when he would work with David as King. They were so sure of this that they made a covenant (promise) together before the Lord promising that they would always keep it.

But the time came when they were separated, to see each other no more, and David was left without the comfort of Jonathan’s encouragement.  Perhaps you are missing friends you once had and now you are separated from  them.  What can you do?  What did David do?

David told  God all about it. Things couldn’t have looked blacker for him. His friend  was gone, his enemies were still after him, and they had taken his wife and family captive and his own men had turned against him.

We have times when we feel like this. We all have enemies of fears, doubts, and other problems, even not feeling well; these enemies  seem about to swamp us at times. David may have wondered where God was in all this mess…..where  were His promises now? However could he get out of all this?

But he took himself to task, and sang these songs….”Why are you so cast down O my soul? Hope in God!”

“Be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart”.

“My heart is fixed O God”, he would say, “I will sing and give You praise in spite of my enemies!”

So we too, can fix our hearts and minds on the Lord and not be afraid of bad things. We can think about Him and count our blessings. Think of all we can be  thankful for in spite of our circumstances and we  will be encouraged with a fresh outlook on things. It is surprising what a difference a thankful spirit makes, and being thankful for the outcome of our prayers BEFORE we see the answer will give the peace of God that passes all understanding.

Stories for Littlies

A Live Birthday Present.

Leave a comment

Lamb 2        When Robin  turned eight years old, he was   given a live birthday present. His father owned a sheep farm and he had promised Robin, ever since he was very small, that someday he would have a lamb of his  very own. Robin’s birthday came in the middle of lambing season and the day he turned eight, twin lambs were born. One of them was given to him for his birthday present.

How happy he was! Probably no lamb had ever been loved so much Robin thought and thought about what name he would give it. Several were suggested, but none seemed to be just what Robin wanted. Finally his mother said, “Why not call the lamb ‘Treasure’ since you like him so much?” When Robin found  out that treasure meant something very precious, he decided that that was a good name, and when he told the Iamb what his name was to be, he added, “And don’t forget to come running when I call, ‘Treasure.”

But, alas, Treasure was not able to do much running. The mother sheep was unable to care for two lambs, and Treasure was the one who went short. His little wobbly legs did not grow stronger, and his bleat was weak and pitiful.

Treasure was some days old when another lamb was found dead beside its mother.

“Well,” said Robin’s father, “here’s a mother that has no lamb, and a lamb whose mother can’t feed it. What do you think we should do, Robin?”

Even an eight-year old could figure out the answer to that question.

“Why not put my lamb with the sheep whose lamb died?” said Robin. So they tried doing this.

But Treasure wasn’t welcome. The mother of the dead lamb refused to take any notice of him. So Robin’s dad tried putting the foster mother and Treasure in a small pen. “We’ll see what a night together will do,” he told Robin.

For hours Robin lay awake listening to the bleating of his hungry lamb. It made him sad to hear his pet calling for its supper. In the morning they found that the mother sheep had jumped out of the pen and deserted the lamb. Robin was angry with her, but his father explained, “It is the law of nature, Son. She knows this lamb doesn’t belong to her. But there’s another way, and we’ll try that.”

Robin’s Dad took the dead lamb, took  the skin off it and put it over Treasure like a jacket. The lamb looked very odd in it. The skin didn’t fit very well, so they tied it on with some twine. Robin only knew his Treasure by its wobbly legs and the weak bleating that went on continuously. He was most excited as his father carried the lamb over to the mother of the dead lamb and put it down beside her.

At first, she turned away as before; then she sniffed cautiously at him, and as she caught the scent of her own lamb, all was changed. She welcomed Treasure and poured out her love on him like any other mother sheep  would  do. From that day on Treasure was looked after very well, and every time Robin went to play with him, he seemed to have grown even bigger.

That’s the story about Treasure, but   Robin thought a lot about the whole thing and  asked his father more about it.

“It’s just like a parable from the Bible”, his father said, “ Remember how I told you that it was a law of nature that kept the mother sheep from wanting Treasure for her lamb?”

Robin DID remember and said that every mother sheep only loved its own lamb.

“Well, it’s like that for us”, his father went on, “Just as it was nature that kept the mother sheep from taking Treasure for her own, so it is sin that keeps us from becoming one of God’s children. We have to be covered in what the Lord Jesus has done for us before we can be accepted by Him”.

Robin had just seen this happening with Treasure so he knew exactly what his father was talking about.

“Yes, I guess so”, he said slowly, “That means that until Treasure was covered with the dead lamb’s skin, it would have had no mother sheep to look after it”.

“That’s right”, said his father, “And each of us has to take the gift , the “covering” that God has given us for ourselves before we can become one of His little lambs too”. 
“Oh, now I understand”, said Robin, “I do want to become one of God’s lambs!”

Random Devotional Thoughts

Which Gate to Choose?

Leave a comment

    “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

As I read these verses from Matthew 7:13-14, it made me realise that every person is confronted with the gates of choices in their life. One gate is wide and the way looks easy with crowds of people going along in a downward direction, while the other gate is small, with a narrow path beyond leading upwards and not many people going that way. But what a difference the end result is! One leads to destruction and the other one leads to life.

Our Lord tells people to seek to enter the narrow gate leading to life but this gate is too narrow to allow any baggage through. There is no room for the suitcase of possessions or the bag of good works. There is not even space to squeeze through with the backpack of pride, to say nothing of towing in the trolley of sinful ways and habits! All these have to be left on the outside of the narrow gate….there is only room for the under clothing of contrition and a broken spirit with confession of our need. All our good deeds and self righteousnesses are nothing more than filthy rags in God’s sight!

Once through the gate, the Lord provides clothes of righteousness and a robe of salvation. He gives us new songs to sing, and peace of mind with a light and joyful heart to travel up the path of life. When trials and difficulties come (and they will) He is there to help and to take us by the hand, telling us that His grace is more than enough to see us through. There really is no option as to which choice is the better one of the two….let’s make sure we all find this way that leads to unending life and peace with the Maker of the Universe.

Adult Testimonies

Audrey’s Story

Leave a comment

This story shows how God works in different ways to bring people to Him.  Audrey’s story shows a different angle of God’s workings in a human heart to what we might be used to.

Audrey was a  middle aged home help and addicted to smoking, coffee and T.V. when she wasn’t working.   She never gave God  a thought.  She began  working for an elderly God-fearing  lady. This lady never spoke to Audrey about her faith, but Audrey saw the Bible beside her bed, and noticed  her gentle loving manner.

One day she gave Audrey a CD  of  testimony to take home and listen to. As usual that evening, Audrey immediately turned the T.V. on, made her coffee and lit a cigarette. Before going to bed, she decided to listen to the CD, and heard the speaker tell how God had given him the strength to give up smoking.

She thought, “If God did that for him, perhaps He could do it for me too!”

Waking up the next morning, she didn’t think of her cigarettes once. After a while, she thought in wonderment, “I haven’t had a smoke yet!” and stretched her hand out for the packet.

While taking the first breath of smoke, she found it was utterly horrid to her, and she  threw it down. Twice more she tried to smoke with the same result.  After this, she never smoked another cigarette. She took the CD  back, not telling the lady of her experience.

Shortly afterwards, her daughter arrived back from Australia and stayed with her. Usually they wouldn’t be together  for five minutes without verbally sparring with each other. But this time, Audrey held her tongue when her daughter baited her.

“What’s happened to you Mum?” she asked “You’re different!”

Without even stopping to think, Audrey replied, “It’s the love of Jesus”.

With that confession of the name of Jesus, the light dawned on her soul, and Audrey was never the same again.  She found she had a totally different outlook on life. Now she wanted to be with other Christians, and to go to church services….something she had never done before. She wanted to learn what was in the Bible, and found it was a really interesting book to read….she just couldn’t put it down.

Audrey had heard vaguely about Moses….after all they had made a film about the story of crossing the Red Sea, but she had no idea what led up to it. Of course she had heard something about a boy called David killing a giant, but she didn’t have a clue exactly what happened. Then there was the story of the whale swallowing Jonah, but she had thought that no-one with any sense would take any notice of a story like that! But now she read in the New Testament that Jesus had said it really had happened.

Every page she read opened her understanding further. She couldn’t get enough of it. As she read the book of Psalms, she found to her amazement that David was just like we are because sometimes he was terribly happy and other times he was right down in the dumps.

She found that Peter was always opening his mouth and putting his foot in it. He never knew when to shut up! Then there was that young man called Saul who hated the early Christians so much that he was dragging them off to prison and if he could,  he would have their heads chopped off.

Yet one day God called out to him from the sky, and he fell to the ground. When he got up he found he  was blind. He knew that it was Jesus Himself who had called out to him. Then there was the man who went to him and touched his eyes, making him see again. What a difference it made to  him once  he believed in Jesus and began to preach about him!

Audrey knew that she was like each of those people she was reading about, and she knew that what God had done for them, He would do for her. As time went by, she realised that her old life held no more appeal for her…her new life gave her all she had been looking for. She now had new ideals and aims, new friends and new attitudes. Her old life had gone now that she knew Jesus Christ as her own personal friend and Saviour. She found she could talk to Him each day and tell Him all her problems, and He gave her the strength to do the right thing.

Adult Testimonies

“What are you Going to do About It?”

Leave a comment

                        And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man.   (Genesis 6:3a)

The men were working together sweating in the hot summer sun. They were carefully edging the small cottage that was on the trailer into the position where it was to be unloaded. Peter was helping the other two (Keith and Des) to move this cottage onto Des’ property up the gully. They had left early that morning and had towed the trailer with the tractor several miles from where they had picked it up.

Des and Keith had known Peter for quite some time now, and had struck up a friendship with him and his family. As time went by they asked him if he would like to go to the little church services where they were both going. He was happy to do this, and their families all had a good interaction with each other. There would be shared meals together and BBQs at one or the other’s homes.

The children went to Bible camps together, and Peter’s wife went too as a kitchen helper. There seemed to be complete harmony between Peter and the other Christians he was fellowshipping with as they all got on so well together. Anyone looking on would have thought that Peter was indeed one of the group.

Des continued to take the family to the Gospel messages Sunday by Sunday, but Peter never made any commitment verbally.  Keith and one or two others met with Des regularly together on a Monday night for prayer for different matters they were concerned about, and Peter was high on their list at these times.

This particular weekend, there had been a preacher who had given a strong Gospel sermon, and Keith and Des were talking it over as they worked.

“What did you think of the message last night Peter?” Des asked.

“Pretty hard hitting wasn’t it?” was his non-committal reply.

“Did you understand it all?” Keith asked.

Peter straightened up from his job, “Yes, I understood it alright, I could see what he was getting at quite plainly”.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” Keith persisted.

There silence for a moment, and then Peter said flatly, “Nothing!”

To say that Des and Keith were flabbergasted would be an understatement. What more could they say? Here was a man who had heard and clearly understood the call of God on his life and was refusing it point-blank.

They got on with their job in near silence now, and finished getting the cottage into place before leaving the site.

The next time Keith saw Des, he asked if he had seen Peter lately.

“Yes, I have”, said Des flatly, “and his language was shocking!”

“What do you mean?” asked Keith.

“Well, he was swearing terribly, and even using the Lord’s name in vain”, said Des sadly, “And he’s never done that since he started coming to the Sunday services over twelve months ago. It almost seems that the Lord hasn’t answered our prayers for him”.

“Oh, yes He has”, said Keith definitely, “Our prayer was the Lord would speak to him and bring him to the point of salvation, and that was the point he had reached last time I saw him. But the choice was his, and he has made the wrong one! God never forces anyone to do the right thing. You must remember that everyone has free choice in these things.”

“Yes, I guess you’re right”, said Des, “But it’s sad to see it happen right under your nose, and to such a nice guy as Peter too. I had such high hopes for him!”

From that time on, Peter never went near a church again. God had indeed spoken to him for the last time that Sunday evening, and he had refused once too often. Be sure that you don’t make this same mistake, as the results will last with you throughout eternity, and eternity is a long, long time to be full of regrets and memories of what might have been.