Tag Archives: Bible

All Things are Possible

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I was asked to post more of my poetry, specifically the above title, so here it is.

All things are possible

to those who believe,

to those who have faith

as a small mustard seed.

All goals can be reached,

all dreams can come true

when you call on the Power

that’s inherent in you.

All life can be lived

to the fullest extent,

all wishes fulfilled

as you know that He meant

all things are possible

to those who believe,

to those who have faith

as a small mustard seed.

©1984

With God, all things are possible has been my mantra for many years, and what began as mustard seed faith is now as big as the tree depicted in Matthew 13:31,32.

 

 

 

In Love with Love

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Of all the four letter words bandied about in everyday life, my favorite is…love…L O V E…love.

I love to say it, I love to hear it, I love to feel it, I love to express it.

Love is the most mentioned word in the Bible.

Love makes up most of the world’s songs.

Love means the same in any language.

Love is like wisdom; there is nothing better to be gained.

I will always be in love with love; it really is a many splendored thing.

Don’t you just love it?

 

Up For the Challenge – Part II

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As promised, here is my response to a young man’s thoughts on the Book of Job, and Christianity in general:

First of all, let me direct you to Biblica.com and the links Biblica/Home and Bible FAQs. It explains the writing of the Bible.

My core belief is that God is the author of the Bible, writing through all the people who chose to record the happenings of the day as they were inspired by him. (Just as I have been inspired by him to write my book.) This is borne out in the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered within a ten year period between 1946 and 1956. The Bible is also a wonderful history book, crammed full of hisorical events and happenings. And yes, it certainly is subject to interpretation, and many translations. But at the core, when you sort the grain from the chaff, is God’s basic love for mankind, which only comes to light fully in the New Testament when he stopped being mad at us for being such a bunch of dunderheads.

Christianity survived in spite of political leaders, even though those leaders had an innocent man put to death because he was a threat to their governing, and the god they believed in. Christianity still survives in spite of political agendas because of that murdered man.

God does not “hold it all together”. We are all given free will to choose how to behave, what to believe, and how to live our lives. This is why you believe what you believe and I believe what I believe. And that’s okay, providing we are open to learning everything we can in the short time alloted to us on this planet. It is why we are here.

I suggested reading the Book of Job because of Satan. Most people think it was God who dumped on Job, but as you read, it was Satan’s aim to cause as much harm in the world as possible, both way back then and to this day.

Life is a battlefield of Good and Evil (take an “o” out of good and add a “d” to evil). You can see that in our day to day life, and we all wage our own battles every day.

Please don’t make the mistake of not believing in the devil, because that is just what he waits for. (Aha, I just got another one!)

A little humility is good, and a little less ego is even better.

I’m not here to tell you what to believe or not, but please don’t shut the door on the possibility that there is a God, and that he loves you more than you’ll ever know, and waits for you to give him the chance to tell you so. He is telling you now, through me!

I trust you are intelligent enough to not let “intelligence” get in the way of a great learning experience.

These are my thoughts on your thoughts, and my opinions/beliefs on the matter.

P.S. Have you figured out why you celebrate Christmas yet? It is because of that murdered Man. It’s all in the history book!  🙂

And may I add here that it is my hope that we have continued conversations when circumstances and time allow.

Up For the Challenge, Part I

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The following is a result of challenging a young man to read the book of Job, after a lengthy discussion about God, Jesus, Satan and the Bible in general. Because of  his claim to atheism, we agreed to disagree on a number of things, but he did agree to read Job and here are his thoughts, posted with his permission.

Above all else the Book of Job is an allegory for people to appreciate what it is that they have, and to persevere when times get tough. This, in my opinion, can be understood by believers and non-believers alike, since the main message is quite clear. However, I don’t think that you need God in order to use this story in every-day life. Every person goes through trials and tribulations, some that are more challenging than others, but in the end one has to persevere and continue to work hard to make those hard times pass. For me, a deity is not the main source of either good or bad times, and it is only through what we do during those hard times that shapes and influences us as a person. Ultimately, I believe that we as humans must accept all that happens as our own responsibility and not blame or praise any one or any thing else since we can only control what is in our power to control.

There are many things from the Bible and the Scriptures that we can take and make good use of, since the main message is to be a moral and contributing member of society. However, that message was passed down from mankind for centuries since it helps to serve our own needs and our own purposes, and we do not need a God to tell us not to hurt other people since we fully understand that hurting people leads to a dysfunctional community. When the Bible was written some 1800 years ago (and as early as 1500 years ago), society was quite primative in that clearly defined laws were still rudimentary and people were still trying to figure things out. Societies around the world rose and collapsed as they tried to codify laws that worked for their civilization. Christianity survived because the main political leaders found utility in it (yes, I know that makes me sound like a cynic) and that’s how it was able to spread. But the message, the essence of the Bible, to be a good person is something that should be instilled, but I do not think that an omnipresent and omnipotent God is needed to hold it all together. To give praise to a supreme being for when things go well, and to accept full “blame” for when things go bad is in complete contradiction to human nature and human ego. You are right in that humility is something that all people need to practice–to know one’s limitations and to accept one’s shortcomings–but, again, for me, God does not factor into that.

There are many things in this world that I will never understand, and there are things that humans cannot understand, and may never understand, but thats OK since the fact that we live on this floating rock orbiting a giant star is the most random occurrence out there (in my humble opinion).

I am curious to hear what you have to say about this, and look forward to reading what your opinions/beliefs are on the matter.

My responsive thoughts will appear tomorrow. (God willing).

 

Perseverence with a Capital P

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This post is for those who have not already read My Precious Life. It is Chapter Twenty-Nine, The Way I See It, in its entirety. It is about laying down our lives for our friends.

I need to persevere in promoting my book if it is to become a best seller some day. So here is Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Way I See It

A Lesson in Laying Down Your Life

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

The way I see it, this doesn’t mean that you trade places with the guy tied to a railway track with an oncoming locomotive barreling down on him, or with Jesus on the cross.

In 2004, I worked three days a week at the Canadian Bible Society book store. It was a part-time job that I loved, and had done for close to five years after my forced retirement from the Mustard Seed Gift Shop. It was a perfect match for my spiritual beliefs, retail background, and love of books.

Volunteering at Providence Health Care Centre every Tuesday morning was another activity I loved. A dedicated man and wife team conducted a hymn sing for the residents of the long-term care facility there. My responsibility was to help bring the people to the hymn sing, turn pages for them if they were unable, and just generally encourage them to sing along. Again, it fitted perfectly with my love of music, and a closeness I felt with the older generation, (of which I am one).

Lunch or coffee with friends or family was also a weekly occurrence. At church, I was a member of the Worship Committee, and sang in the choir.

That life gradually changed when Jerry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2000. It wasn’t debilitating until symptoms of dementia became noticeable in 2002. A once strong and active man became a victim of the dreaded disease known as Alzheimer’s.

In January, 2004, it was obvious that he could never be left alone again, and my life took on a whole new dimension. God had given me an awesome responsibility as Jerry’s full-time caregiver, and in order to carry it out, I was forced to give up my part-time job and the volunteer work I loved so much. Church, choir, and committees were put on a back burner until only God knew when. Likewise, all social activities became painfully few and far between as the task at hand took its toll on the life I once knew.

I had, in fact, laid down my life for my friend. That’s the way I see it.

“….whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)

My Precious Life is available in E-book, soft cover, hard cover, and can be purchased online at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk, Barnes and Noble, Westbow Press, and numerous online book stores as well as your local book stores.

Thank you for persevering with my perseverence!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shadows in the Wind

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I love love; not necessarily just romantic love, but love of all kinds. I love babies, animals, friends, family. I love sunshine, moonlight, stars, trees, flowers. I love oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. I love singing, dancing, laughing, writing, daydreaming, night-dreaming, holding hands, hugging, being happy and seeing others happy. I love God and how he spent so much time talking about love in his Book of Books. Love is the most written about topic in the Bible, and the greatest commandment of all time is “Love one another!”

I’m going to share another of my poems here, and what’s it about? Love of course.

SHADOWS IN THE WIND

Perfect love is fulfillment

in perpetual motion,

seeing with the heart’s eye

that which the mind cannot grasp,

acknowledging the human need

for closeness under all conditions,

realizing that aloofness is a

suit of armor worn by those

who fear perfect love

is beyond their realm,

understanding the merest

reaching out of a heart’s desire,

passion and compassion hand in hand,

longing and belonging heart to heart.

Will it ever be reality

or are we pursuing shadows in the wind?

©1982

Will it ever be reality? I’d love to think so.

 

What Would You Say?

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This will be a series of short posts tying in with everyday life.

A guest Pastor at our church, on Sunday, asked this interesting question. He was relating the story of how blind Bartimaeus received his sight in Mark 10:46.

Rev. Livingstone then asked us this question, “If Jesus asked you ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ (verse 51), what would your answer be?”

A question well worth pondering, would you say?

My immediate answer was, “Please heal my friend of her cancer.”

What would you say?

 

Who Am I to Cry?

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It is so easy to throw a pity party…just invite me, myself, and I, a few bad memories, a couple of hurtful comments, a large box of super soft tissues for the tears and you’re off to the doldrums!

And then some uninvited guests show up. People who actually care about you; who are ready to cry with you, if needed, but more importantly, are there to let you know you’re not alone in sadness.

One such guest showed up this morning, online, and shared with me the story of her cousins who were momentarily about to lose their precious seven-year-old son to cancer. This dear little boy is losing, or has lost, as I write, his battle with that demon disease. I’m crying for this friend and her cousins.

A similar story came my way a couple of years ago, via another friend who witnessed almost the exact same scenario with friends of hers and their seven year old grandson.

A fellow blogger reminded me of the story she posted of her mother succumbing to cancer’s clutches, and the crushing feeling of helplessness she experienced at that time.

And then there was Kristiana, a dear little member of our church, whose face I can see to this day, who also left her family and friends in a state of sadness for her loss, but also a state of happiness for Christ’s gain. She was thirteen and had fought her battle for nine years.

 

And so I’m reminded, although we don’t expect to be hurt by the ones we love, it happens: whether by death-which is out of our hands-or unkind remarks, which are also out of our hands, we are, if we are caring people, going to be hurt. Guaranteed. It goes without saying, if we don’t care we won’t hurt.

As always, God has a way of catching me off-guard and causing me to smile through my tears. It happened at nine o’clock this morning, when the child in me began to sing “Jesus loves me, this I know…” and that’s all I needed to know. Everything else is secondary.

So, who am I to cry? Just another person who bleeds when cut, and thankful for those who come by with bandages.

May God bless all those who stand by with those boxes of tissues. I love you.

 

 

 

Is Anyone Listening?

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Yesterday I posted a blog about a friend of mine who is dying of cancer. I described her plight and asked for prayer. Guess what? The blog received 0 comments and 0 likes….with two exceptions; one via email from a friend who said this:

WOW, that was powerful! I found this blog especially
poignant…….You have really missed your calling! I get far more
out of your blogs than going to church and listening to a sometimes
boring sermon. You have really had a positive influence on my life.
So, maybe you should continue on with what you are doing and get the
word out there to people like me. I am serious about this! Keep up
the good work.
Your forever grateful friend….Sandy F.

And this from a friend on Facebook: My prayers were given…God bless her! Gail J.

For them, I will continue blogging.

Other than that….Nothing. Zero. Zilch.

So I’m wondering…what are we doing with all these messages coming our way? Reading them and saying…”Oh, that’s nice” or “What a load of crap!” OR thinking, “that’s not my problem, I have other things to write about.” Is anything getting through to us?

That ZERO day almost caused me to give up on my goal of one hundred blogs in one hundred days. But thank God, Jesus did not give up on me because he was too busy doing other things or thinking of other people, or attending His own agenda. So I won’t give up either.

King Solomon said in Proverbs 1: 5–let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance–

My friend is still dying of cancer, and I am still asking for prayers–please and thank you–is anyone listening?

 

 

 

Advice Well Taken

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On July 5th, I posted “Some Good Advice”. It seemed to be a bit of a flop. Always curious as to the “why” of things, I wondered if a different title and some serious editing would change the results; so here is my first reblog….

The first time I was asked to prepare and present a prayer to our congregation a few years ago, my knees knocked, my voice trembled–no–shook, and my mouth was so dry the words seemed to stick to the roof of it.

Once, I was asked to write a poem and read it aloud to over two hundred and fifty people. The thought terrified me, but it was for our Pastor’s tenth anniversary, and rather than disappoint, I pushed through the same fear and symptoms as the first time.

At some point I came across the following advice taken from different sources, and it eased my speaking burden somewhat. It also appeared to put a new slant on my writing; I found words seemed to come much easier. I’d like to share it with others who may sometimes feel the fear of facing an audience with their own written word.

ON SPEAKING/WRITING–

Polish and elegance can sometimes leave an audience quite cold. Experience and sincerity never fail to move them. We can never bring to anyone else an experience which we have not had ourselves.

We must always be willing to learn about ourselves. The last thing that most of us know is ourselves. It takes humility to know oneself.

Ask God for a calm spirit and the right words to say.

Unlock your inner strength; talk of those things that will make people the better for listening to you (R.W. Trine)

God gave you a message to share…don’t keep it to yourself. (Our Daily Bread) (I think!)

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. (Isaiah, 50:4)

I am the Lord your God…I have put my words in your mouth…(Isaiah, 51:15,16)

Even as the Lord was preparing you to serve in his church, he was preparing others to be in a position to receive what you have to give them. He has paved the way for your ministry to be effective. In other words, others need what the Holy Spirit prompts you to prepare and give them. (Relying on the Holy Spirit…Charles Stanley, page 90).

Looking back, I can see how all of this advice worked for me in three talks I gave: Not to Worry, The Way I See It, and one about My Precious Life, before it was published.

Was it advice well taken? I think so.