We’re having a heat wave but it won’t stop us from enjoying our long Canada Day weekend. Day two is expected to be another scorcher and I’m on the hunt for more “cool” pictures. Happy Sunday.
“While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
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A question I often get asked is, “How did you get such deep faith?” The answer has to be that I seem to, without knowing it, have trusted God all of my life…and with my life.
Yesterday, I came upon this scripture which seems to sum it up perfectly for me: “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” Psalm 22: 9-10 NIV
I’m not sure that any better explanation is available. In whom do you put your trust? Happy Sunday.
I believe in angels…and why wouldn’t I? More than one personal experience has proven they exist for our help and comfort.
My most recent experience was while changing the cartridge in a dripping bathroom sink tap. Having been told it would be most difficult to remove the old cartridge, I went ahead and attempted the task. Sure enough when it came to the old cartridge, it would not budge…not one iota. After a great deal of twisting and turning the little strength I had left was depleted. That’s when I cried aloud, “C’mon, Angels, you have more strength than I, please help me do this!” It took one final twist and pull and…voila!…the cartridge was out. Any three-year-old would have been proud of my jumps of joy and hand-clapping.
After many thanks to my ministering angels, it wasn’t long before the tap was finally fixed. No more drips.
Now, before someone says, “There she goes again…imagination working overtime,” let me direct you to a few scriptures regarding angels:
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11-12
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, (hold him in awe) and he delivers them. Psalm 34:7 (brackets mine)
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. (Jesus) Hebrews 1:4 (brackets mine)
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2
Even angels long to look into these things. 1 Peter 1:12
Enough said. Just wanted to say I believe in angels all around us. Doesn’t everyone?
If wisdom is worth thinking about, it is worth having. Wisdom goes beyond being smart, intellectual, and/or knowledgeable. Wisdom is the sum total of all of these and yet is only available to those who recognize this fact. The following was gleaned from Psychology Today online:
Wise people generally share an optimism that life’s problems can be solved and experience a certain amount of calm in facing difficult decisions. Intelligence—if only anyone could figure out exactly what it is—may be necessary for wisdom, but it definitely isn’t sufficient; an ability to see the big picture, a sense of proportion, and considerable introspection also contribute to its development.
The Bible speaks often and well of wisdom:
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1;5 NIV
Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, Proverbs 3:13
Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; Proverbs 4:5
Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:10
For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 8:11
And then there is the age old adage: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Whether or not you place much stock in this verse, it is wise to consider the worth of wisdom.
I’m always in awe of butterflies…not only their beauty but their brain. It is said that the brain of a butterfly is the size of a pinhead, and yet the Monarch can travel three thousand miles to Central America and end up at the same tree its ancestors landed on a generation or two earlier.
A butterfly expert once said, “The creation of the body of a caterpillar into the body and wings of a butterfly is without a doubt, one of the wonders of life on earth.” Another expert states that this metamorphosis is “rightly regarded as a miracle.”
There is so much interesting information on this transformation one can only wonder if the caterpillar was programmed to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
Can we all be so transformed? Indeed we can…the secret is in the choosing. Why live like a caterpillar when you can soar with the butterflies?
Celebrating 200 Years of God’s Love. That is our slogan as we celebrate our two hundredth anniversary at St. Andrew’s Scarborough today.
We have been celebrating in many different ways over the past year in anticipation, and today’s the day!
The motto over our door is Jehova Jira – translated The Lord Will Provide. (Genesis 22:14)
For two hundred years this scripture has proven amazingly true for our congregation and we look forward to its continuation.
Just as our Lord welcomes all of us with open arms, we at St. Andrew’s also welcome all with open arms which is one of the reasons we are a growing congregation.
Going forward, we continue to celebrate Jesus who not only lived and died but who died and lives in our churches and in our lives.
Happy Anniversary, St. Andrew’s!
1818 – 2018 200 YEARS OF SHARING GOD’S LOVE
Long ago in my 1949 grade eight class, the lesson was about working together for the good of all. I can still hear the teacher’s voice intoning the above message and I’ve never forgotten it.
For all that’s going on in the world today, in some families, relationships, churches and businesses, and definitely in today’s governments, this message seems to be a timely one.
The popular motto “united we stand, divided we fall,” often shortened to “united we stand,” is commonly used to express unity and collaboration. The phrase is used to encourage and inspire, and sends the message that working together is easier, as there is strength in numbers, whereas doing things alone is harder and invites failure. This phrase has been used time and again throughout history to rally groups together and you will still hear it used today where the message remains the same.
This was gleaned from the Internet. And the following scripture says the same thing in different words. Happy Sunday.
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2: 3-4 (ESV)
Yesterday I wrote about a pleasant surprise that came my way on Sunday. Well, Saturday also held a pleasant surprise. I was expecting two of my daughters to come and have lunch with me and one of them suggested taking in a movie as well. It was a nice surprise. The day was damp and dreary so an afternoon movie sounded perfect…and it was. The movie, The Book Club, was hilarious and the actors were well on in years…Jane Fonda, 80, Diane Keaton and Candace Bergan, 72, and Mary Steenburgen (the youngest) at 65. These ladies not only look good at their age but their acting is still drawing in the patrons.
When we left the theater, a lady in a wheelchair, wearing a neck collar, and crying copious tears, stopped us in our tracks with the lamest sob story I have ever heard. Believe me, you would not want me to repeat it. Of course she was looking for a handout which we acknowledged, but not without telling her that she did not have to tell this long, drawn-out tale of woe…she only needed to say, “Please, I need help.” Some might help, as we did, and some might not, and knowing she was telling a tall tale made it hard to give to her.
One of the Bible’s many life lessons is, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” Matthew 5:42 ESV
The girls went on to the the car and I exchanged names with the lady and wished her well. Christine was her name and as she wheeled away she half-smiled and said, “God bless you, Pat.” Another pleasant surprise. I hope she meant it.
Suddenly there seems to be much sad news coming my way. Families of friends are becoming ill, some to the point of no return. In the news people are being randomly killed for no known reason. As one lady I know begins treatment for advancing cancer, she commented, “This too shall pass.”
Which brings me to today’s message…there is always hope.
Although we may be feeling unwell, grieving a loved one, facing another challenge, we are not alone in our distress even if it feels that way at times. Just knowing that there is a green pasture beside still waters and Someone to turn to for comfort and guidance should be blessing enough. Happy Sunday
My Precious Life 