Monthly Archives: December 2014

Morning Musings

Bends in the Road….

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ShepThe big dog was curled up on the front deck of the house. He looked an absolute picture of misery, with no life or interest in anything. He knew that his family had gone away and left him, and he was going to guard things until they got back. He knew the day before they had left that something was in the wind by the way the missus was packing things up….there was just a general feeling of unrest around the place. And then those other people were back. He wasn’t too sure of them, even though they had been coming and going to their caravan that was parked up the back by the workshop over the last few weeks.

All day he lay there with his head on his paws, and one ear cocked just in case his family came back. He barked all night almost without stopping, at least the people in the caravan thought so. They said to each other, “He’s going to be a little horse (hoarse) in the morning”, and then laughed at their little joke.

Needless to say he was very tired the next day, and slept until mid afternoon. Then he got up and trotted down the track to the caravan with his ears up. He looked like a different dog. He was alert and back to his old happy self. He even smelt the new missus all over when she talked to him.

It was almost as though he had said to himself, “Well, it’s no use moping here by myself, I might as well make the best of it!”

From then on, he guarded the caravan and kept the people there company.

As we watched him lying there with one eye cocked on the goings on (not that there were many!) we couldn’t help thinking how like life this is.

We come to a bend in the road and all seems dark and miserable. We think that things are never going to be the same again, and maybe they won’t be. But there is no use moping about it. The dog couldn’t bring his people back by moping, and neither can we. We may as well get up and go on straight away instead of remaining miserable and making others miserable in the process.

There is a passage in the Bible that says …..          God’s way is perfect! The promise of the LORD has proven to be true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.         Who is God but the LORD? Who is a rock except our God? God arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like those of a deer and gives me sure footing on high places. He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend an [archer’s] bow of bronze. (Psalm 18:31-34)

Grandma's Stories

Christmas Story for 2014….

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Bobby came into the kitchen where Mum was mixing up a Christmas cake. It looked good, even though it wasn’t cooked, and Bobby smacked his lips as he thought of cleaning up the basin when the  cake was in the oven. He liked hanging around when Mum was baking, so he could lick the spoons.

“Why does Christmas only come once a year, Mum?” he asked.

“Well,” said Mum, “How many times a year do you have a birthday?”

“Only once”, said Bobby, “But I wouldn’t mind if it was more than that! What’s that got to do with Christmas?”

“Don’t you remember whose birthday we remember at Christmas, Bobby?” Mum asked.

“That’s right, it’s Jesus’ birthday isn’t it!” Bobby said as he sneaked a couple of raisins out the bowl when Mum wasn’t looking. “That’s why we get presents isn’t it!”

“Yes,” said Mum as she moved the bowl of raisins further away “And that’s why we try to make people happy at Christmas time too. But you know, we shouldn’t wait until Christmas time to do this, but we should think of making people happy all the year round!”

“S’pose so”, Bobby said thoughtfully, “But it isn’t easy! Specially when people borrow your things and don’t return them.”

“That’s true Bobby,” agreed Mum, “But there are other ways we can make people happy besides giving presents you know. We can make time to spend with them helping them. For instance, you can read a story to Betty when she is too tired to play with you…she’d like that you know.”

Bobby wriggled uncomfortably. “She’s such a pain, Mum!” he said. “She doesn’t seem to listen to me! Besides, I don’t always have time you know.”

“Now, now Bobby,” Mum said, “You can’t use that as an excuse. You know you can always find time to do the things you want to do like playing with your train outside.”

“Mmm”, said Bobby, “S’pose so.”

Mum put her cake into the oven thinking over what she had just said to Bobby. Our time IS the best thing we can give to other people such as to our grandparents when they come to visit, she thought. After all, we can play any other time during the week, but we don’t always have them to come to visit.

Bobby went off to his room with his mind on what he was going to get on Christmas Day. He knew what he wanted and he hoped that Dad would get it for him. After all, he had LETTER1given enough hints about it. But just in case he had forgotten, he would write a list for him.

He got out his pencil and started to write. He was right into toy trains, and he wanted to have  a set of railway lines for it to run on. Oh, yes, and a little station for the side of the rails, and a bridge too. His train was quite fun to play with just on the floor, but it would be so much better with these extra things. Another carriage would be good too. Oh, and he would need a whistle as well. So his list got longer and longer.

That evening, he sidled up to Dad and said, “Dad, I’ve made a list of what I want for Christmas.”

“Let’s have a look at it, Bobby,” Dad said as he took it from him. “Hmm, it’s quite long.”

He read it carefully. “You know Bobby, it’ll cost me a lot of money to get all these things.”  He kept looking at it some more.

“Tell you what Bobby,”  he said at last, “I’ll give you a choice. If I get all these things for you, it’ll have to do for your birthday next year as well, and there won’t be any party or presents either. But then I could get you just the rails this year, and we could still have the birthday party later.”

This wasn’t exactly what Bobby was wanting to hear. So he picked up the list again, and went off to his room to think it over. Half an hour later he came out to Dad again with a big grin on his face. “I’ve made up my mind Dad,” he said, “I’ll take just the rails for Christmas, and may be some of the other things can be for my birthday next year. I CAN have a birthday if I just have the rails Dad?” anxiously.

“I think you’ve made a good choice son,” said Dad, “and yes, we’ll wait and see about next year when the time comes!”

Bobby went off happy with his choice, and Dad smiled to himself. He knew that Bobby had learned a valuable lesson that we can’t always have what we want right now, and that we sometimes have to wait for the whole thing to happen. It doesn’t do us any good to always get what we want WHEN we want it…if we have to wait a while, we will value it more and appreciate it better.

 

 

 

Morning Musings

What is Truth?

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The modern ideas of what Truth is, is that it is relative…what feels right for you, is truth! They say absolute truth doesn’t really matter; partial truth is good enough! People rewrite history to suit present day concepts; e.g. no holocaust, and religious truth is what suits you, what you “think” !

People don’t like the  truth because they are innately rebellious and the truth shows them up….it is light in a dark world.

These popular ideas are so prevalent that even Christians begin to subscribe to them. We are being brainwashed every day by what we watch on TV, until we too have the same ideas without realising it. We just dress it up on the outside so it looks more “Christian”!

All these ideas are contrary to what the Bible teaches, and we must continually put the measuring rule of God’s Word against them. It is God’s standard  for truth; God’s Word is true from the beginning and the Lord Jesus is the prime example of One who stood for the truth in every way!  He was completely honest and open in every word, thought and action, and completely without sin. He is the only way to God, and the world says this is too narrow.  They say we must be more liberal and tolerant. Sin is NOT tolerant once it has a person in its grip…it is merciless and cruel.

Jesus said that the way to life is on the narrow road which only a few find, because the majority are not willing to follow God’s rules. Common sense tells us that certain “narrow” rules must be adhered to…road rules must be followed to prevent carnage, football rules must be adhered to or there won’t be a game, phone numbers must be correct or the right person won’t be reached, and natural laws must be obeyed (fire will burn you, and if you fall from a height you will get hurt). Truth IS narrow!

Let’s make sure that we as Christians do not allow the world to “squeeze” us into its mould and way of thinking.

 

Morning Musings

Your Dream Home ?

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      IMG_2097 As I went for my morning walk each day, I watched the new house at the end of the road taking shape. First the land was prepared, and then the floor laid…everything on the plan was put in place from the drains to the power cables before the walls went up At last the house was completed down to the last new curtain and all the floor coverings. What a lot of care and thought had gone into the planning of it all! Later on, they asked us inside and proudly showed it all off. It was indeed a lovely home.

Can we say that about the home we are building with our lives and what we do? Make no mistake, we are all engaged in building this home whether we know it or not. Is it going to be a place of comfort or a place of regrets? Is it going to be a place where we can invite our Maker to come into and show it off to Him? Or will it have some secret corners that we would be ashamed to show anyone?

The lady of this new home flung open the cupboard doors to show how it had all been planned to the best advantage, and how every  bit of space had been utilised. Can we do that with the cupboards of our lives? Or do we just throw things inside without folding them, and shut the doors on the mess?

Everything was colour co-ordinated with not a thing out of place. It made me wonder if my life was in as good order with colours of everything complementing the rest? We  may say that we haven’t got the gifts or wherewithal that others have to do this, but we ALL have something we can start with. Let’s make sure that we do the best we can, with what we have….no-one can expect more than this of us. We all have attitudes and concerns we can build on….let’s start with those and then go on to find other things we can do to help and build up other people.

 

 

Random Devotional Thoughts

All or Nothing!

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“I’m trying to lose weight!” the young man announced to his grandmother one day, “I’m counting the calories and watching what I eat, and I’m starting to lose a bit. But, boy, do I get hungry!”

“Well, I know all about that” his grandmother said, “I used to do that for years until I thought I was too old to worry about my shape! But you know there’s another way you can do it where you can eat all you want and never feel hungry!”

“Yeah,” he said disbelievingly, “How’s that?”

“Well”, she said, “I’ve been eating this way for over a year now, and I know it works! But you know, it has to first of all start in your mind. Until you make up your mind you are going to eat this way and that you are going to stick to it, it won’t work. It’s an all or nothing thing….you can’t make a start and fall back into your old ways of eating because you can’t mix the two ways together. It just won’t work.”

“H’mmm”, he said, “Tell me about it, Gran”.

“Well”, she said, “It’s quite simple really. No grains, no dairy and no sugar. If you stick to that rule, you will never get hungry again, and you will be able to eat as much as you want. You won’t be eating anything with preservatives, or any pre-packaged foods. What you will be eating is the most un-tampered-with food you can find…fish, eggs, meat, vegetables (except for potatoes which are too starchy) fruit and nuts. You can fry in coconut oil and use it in your recipes as much as you want”.

“But what about bread?” he wailed.

“No bread at all….it’s all loaded with preservatives and sugar.   Even the flour we buy  has had the wheat genetically modified and is bad for you.There are recipes with alternative flour which will be different, but it will fill the gap. Use almond flour and coconut flour. You will find that you feel better and fitter, no more headaches, or bloated feeling and best of all you don’t need to feel guilty about what you are eating!”

“It seems awfully hard”, he muttered as he turned away.

“Well”, she said, “Give it a try for twenty-eight days. Tell yourself you can always give it up at the end of that. But you might just find by then that you don’t WANT to give it up. I know, because I’ve done it!”

You know, this story is a parable in a way. These principles are just the same in the Christian life. It’s an all or nothing thing….so many people have just tried it for a short time and then gone back to their old ways. This is what causes other people to point the finger and say there are too many hypocrites in the church for them.

You will find that although it starts in the mind, it has to continue to the mouth (for the diet) or the heart for the spiritual. Just as the new way of eating satisfies all the hunger and cravings, so the Bible will satisfy your soul and you will never feel spiritually hungry again.  Once you really mean what you say to the Lord, you will find that the old things will just fall off, and will be replaced by better feelings, attitudes and places to go. You won’t WANT the old things any more. But be warned, you can’t mix the two ways…it just won’t work!

You might be like this young man and think it is too hard to even begin, but the benefits far outweigh any hardship. You won’t know until you try it and mean it with all your heart!!!

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!!!