What makes us, "us"?

What makes you, "you"?  What makes me, "me"?  Water, blood, bones, cells...sure, physically speaking.  But that's a shell for more; personality, convictions, preferences, looks, thought patterns, etc......  What makes each person so individual?  I propose our life experience makes us unique.  No two people have walked the exact same path, and even if they are conjoined twins they'd have different points of view on the same situations.  I like how D.G. Fulford put it in her book "One Memory at a Time"  

"Our minds are always going home.  Family stories are our points of reference in every situation.  They are involuntary responses, like sneezes....When you give your stories, you are giving yourself...."

I've always enjoyed listening to a good story.  They can be hilarious, or heart-wrenching, relate-able or totally foreign to my own little "world", but there's nothing like a good story.  You feel closer to people when they've shared an embarrassing moment, or a personal struggle first hand.  It deepens your connection to them, it strengthens trust; and rather than two strangers, your lives become more intertwined.

Well, my life is a story being written, as is yours, to be sure.  It's impossible to write every little common thing down, and what a bore that would be anyway.... but there are gem of stories in all our lives that bring a smile, that warm our hearts, that remind us of miraculous provision, or a time of character building, or just plain silliness.....

Have I got a story for you.  It's just a few days ago kind of history..... literally.  Two neighbour friends and I went out shopping, on a lovely sunny "suppose to be Spring kind of Owen Sound" day.  It was a random, unscheduled kind of "Let's pick up and do this kinda thing."  Which in my opinion makes for some of the best kind of fun.

Little plans, and the open road..... We stopped here and there along the way, spotting deals, seeing the new styles, and enjoying changing seasons along the way.  Getting to a bigger mall we each enjoyed some luxuries we don't have so close to home; Target (new to Canada :)) Bath and Body Works, Starbucks, Chapters, and more.... Aaah, yeah!  :)  Good times.

Then our adventures took us to a pet store, just to look of course.  Well, let me tell you, the variety was so sweet to check out.  Gerbils, and piranha, parrots and dragons (no, there were no lions and tigers, and bears.... Oh my!).  We were enjoying the little zoo, when we came upon...... the hamsters.  My friend's reaction was priceless.  :)  She bubbled over with words; her kids had been asking for one for years, she told of growing up with all kinds of animals at home, and the joy they brought to their lives.  She took a picture, texting her husband about the great price they were at.  She was smitten, no question.  Okay, I was too, tiny fur balls of cuteness.  Who can resist pets, right?  We chatted, and moved onto the next store, awaiting a text back from her hubby.  "He didn't say "No!".....  Understandable, rational hesitancy.  Men-level headed, God-given balance to a woman, and God's design.

The pet store was closing in a half hour......  More chatter, pro-ing and con-ing out loud, "It's on sale."  "And the cage, wheel, and feeding dishes are all free.....(another friend moving had offered a few days earlier."  So the happy to be free for the evening troop of ladies head back to the pet store.... Yes, you can guess... we came out with the hamster, the cutest one in our opinion....

I'm sitting in the back with the little cardboard box with venting holes, and off we go.  The lady-banter keeps on flowing as we drive, with the occasional "Gee... that hamster is scratching a lot" type comments peppered in.  I had the box sitting on my lap, and there was a lot of movement, I figured it was just all wound up.  It'd nip my finger if I put it over a vent hole too, silly little thing.  Jokes about names, and the kids reactions of my friend were fun to predict.  We get right into the circle drive where we all live, and low and behold the hamster is on my lap, in a small pile of cardboard shavings, next to the box..... Oh dear!

I try to gently push the wee critter back into the box, but no, it couldn't be that easy.  We park, and friend A and B are in the front seat, I in the back... three ladies and a loose hamster in the mini-van.

Baahhahaahaaahaa!  Friend A is texting her husband who is caring for their son inside, 100 ft away.  "It has begun" his text reply.  Laughter, swopping hands, and plans to capture the loose pet are the making of memories.  He scurried, we leapt, he made his way behind the console.... we waited.  My hubby came to help with gloves and flashlight, and we caught it.  It was mere minutes, but hilarious ones to be sure.

Those next door kids are so enjoying their new friend, and boy the tale of the purchase.... so glad I was there.

So, I am sure you have a bazillion stories of your own too, we all do.... they are the fabric of us.  But is that all?  Stories?  I have dark stories too, bad times, wrong choices..... So, then, do we just live out these stories and hope for some cosmic balance to even it all out?

I suggest to you, there is a sovereign God who orchestrates all the stories of all humanity over the course of all time.  He is the Author, we are His created characters, and He deserves the recognition in the form of belief, following, worship.  Here's a video of another story.  My husband and I really like this show on A&E, Duck Dynasty.  Though their life experience in Louisiana feels foreign to us, there's a connection we share with them though we've never met......     

The GRACE of God connects people that know it.  All over the world the grace of God reaches hearts in all kinds of life situations, stories and offers a hope, a new framework on which to view and hang those stories of life.  Is the grace of God in your story?  We are thankful this Easter season and every day for that grace, it weaves it's way through every thread of our life stories, because He is good.       

Happy Easter!!

From our home to yours we want to express......

With LOVE for Jesus, and all our family and friends.  We pray your Easter is HAPPY wherever you are. 

GUEST POST: In Christ Alone

This blog post is written by Karen Gaul; a NANC certified Biblical Counselor that I respect and appreciate though we've only met in person once, her life and ministry has blessed me.  With her permission I share with you.   

 This past week the news had some great headlines.  White smoke welcomed in the new pope in Rome.  Exciting days for the Catholic Church.
As well I have been taking a course at Heritage Bible College on Philippians and this week we spent our time talking about the completeness of the Gospel.
In my small group we are studying Timothy Keller’s  “The Prodigal God” and we are at a place where we are talking about the elder brother wanting not merely the father but the things of the father; the same as the younger brother.  The challenge was/is for us to look at what we want as well as God?
Do you think God is trying to tell me something?
Then I get to church on Sunday and the message also added to the theme of the week for me.
We tend to have a hard time with “did God say”.  We have been challenged to question that since the fall.

  Is God enough?  Is the work of Christ on Calvary enough?

Being believers who understand truth of course we will say yes, but does that get lived out in the daily routine of our lives?

• Does it get lived out at the office when things aren’t going smoothly,
• at the grocery store when the lineup is too long and you are on a tight schedule,
• or in the kitchen when what you are looking for is not in the cupboard,
• or in the entrance-way when your children get home from school and just drop everything,
• or in the family room when hearts overflow?

That is our rub.

We will be adding things like…if life is smooth then God is enough, then I can reflect Him, then I can represent Him.  We self-righteously think…”I don’t deserve this, I’ve done this and this so why God”.  All additions!  We assume that a certain behaviour will warrant favour from God.
It also happens in our churches.  It is easy for us to add something like …baptism, church attendance, being involved, dress, where you go…and much more to that list of things that set us apart.  And some of those things may set us apart but are not part of our salvation and are not indications that God is well pleased or honoured.

I think we can look closer to home.  Even in our own hearts we tend to add things to the Gospel and then when a time of struggle happens we use that as leverage with God.  Either Jesus is enough or He isn’t.

I am grateful that Martin Luther protested against the additions to the Gospel, he brought about the Reformation.  But I also need to look inside myself to see what I have added to the finished work of Christ.  We are really good at taking good things and making them rules to follow.

“Oftentimes the Gospel is wrongly reduced to rules, many of which are extra-biblical.”  Tim Lane

A class mate of mine writes…”Personally, I think the idea of a salvation by works is deeply embedded within the sin nature of every human being….”  M. Sealy
We live in a world that is all about doing something to earn or get something else. That was the life of the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal son.  He worked hard, he did was he was told to do, he towed the line, he was obedient.  Externally he looked very righteous.  However, his obedience was not born out of a love relationship for the father rather it was about what he could get from the father instead.
I like lists.  I have often said to God, just tell me what to do and I will do it.  I don’t need  a relationship with Him for that to happen.

If we add things to the Gospel it will ultimately leave us in bondage.  If I just do this or that then God will bless or save me. If I get baptized, or go to confession of faith classes, if I attend Bible studies then I have my ticket for heaven.   But how do we determine what those things are?  What happens then when we fall off the turnip truck and really mess up – then what?  We question our salvation. We question whether or not God loves us, we question all sorts of things.

I’m not saying those things are wrong to do because they are all good things to do for certain, but if our heart is doing them because of what we get from it and not for love of Christ it will end in chains.  You will get frustrated, and angry and bitter.  You will still be empty.

 

O thank God for His grace. 

I’m not good enough and I never will be that is the whole point of the Gospel message.  Jesus came for me because I’m not good enough.
We live in a world that rewards good behaviour and good deeds, and we can so easily and quickly add that to the Gospel.

Phil 3:8 Paul says “I count all things to be loss for the sake of Christ… and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” 

We will not gain a relationship with the risen Lord as long as we place unbiblical value on the to-do list.
“Paul  knew this better than anyone.  He did not fail to earn salvation for lack of trying, he gave it his best shot and could match his effort against anyone”. [see Phil 3]  “To add to the cross of Christ is to rob Him of His glory”.  Michael Sealy
From the 95 thesis that were nailed to the church door in 1517 we learn

• that it is the Word Alone that is the ultimate authority.  Sola Scriptura 
• that God alone gives and dispenses His Grace.  Sola Gratia  
• that We are saved by faith alone Ephesians 2:8,9  Sola fide
• And it is all in the name of Christ alone.  Solus Christus
• and ultimately All to the glory of God alone. Soli Deo Gloria

In Christ Alone My Hope is Found.

RESPONSIBLITY.....

Oh the word.... RESPONSIBILITY.....What emotions do you feel when you think of the word?  Admittedly, when I was a teen, this was favorite song of mine;

Makes me tehheeeheee laugh in that sort of self conscious, convicting kind of way......  OUCH!  The truth hurts.  So, I'm getting older, and hopefully, Lord willing wiser.... my music preferences change with the times/moods/seasons of life/desires/needs/etc..... Here's a newer song I've been listening to these days;

Different song, different year, different genre....   But the truth still remains.  I am responsible.  God says so.

  
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 
Hebrews 3:15 ESV

I like to read around a verse (context) the history, and bigger picture around this verse is pretty incredible.  That same God is God today.  He is calling out to this generation.  Will we follow?  What's my role?  I've created a little visual representation  (learned this in Biblical Counseling class, and use the idea often to determine what I need to do, and what I need to leave to God) on this concept for my own self-evaluation/reminder.  This is very personal, and I'm putting my heart out there to post this......  You would have your own circles/opinions/growth patterns/etc......  But this is my blog, and my view at this time.  God is teaching me, and I pray that my life experience would be a tool of teaching in the lives of others.  I am imperfect, I am struggling, I know this...... in the light of all of that though, GOD is a constant......

GUEST POST: Me or the Circumstance?

This blog post is written by a dear friend, Jessie.  Her honesty is so refreshing, and I am encouraged by her words, I am sure you will be too.  With her permission I share with you.

 

Often times, during the dark spots in our lives, we wonder what's to blame for the emotions raging inside of us. Often times in the middle of the dark, we see it as the circumstances surrounding us; the lamp that broke or the friendship that failed. However, later in life we look back and, more often than not, see that the dark spot was due mainly to an attitude we had or our outlook on life.

Especially in Christian circles we're encouraged to never place blame on the outer but on the inner. It seems the trend now-a-days in this great nation of America is any dark spot is a spiritual issue. Spiritual leaders and desciplers like to pick apart poor souls going through their dark spots finding ways to prove it's their lack of faith or something missing in their spiritual walk. But is it ever just the circumstance?

We see countless times in the Bible that Satan is a deceiver, the enemy, even a prowler (1 Peter 5:8). Is it so unfathomable to believe that he would use circumstance around us to create our dark spot? I think almost everyone would agree with me.

 I'm not a theologian, I can't debate or defend or exegete till the day's end. All I know is dark spots exists; they're real, they're deep, and they're painful. Why do we add on the pain and guilt of a "spiritual" failure? Are we not human? Are we not prone to wonder and make mistakes? But when the phone never stops ringing and you feel like your home life is falling apart, can your spiritual walk really be to blame? I look to the example of Job who, by definition, did nothing against God (Job 1:8). Yet Satan was allowed to rain pain, suffering, and loss into his life. Job was judged by his friends saying he must have cursed God in some way, yet Job had not. Job sat in soot, scraping boils off his skin. Even the example of Christ headed to the cross; in the days and moments before his suffering, He Lamented to God to take this cup from Him (Luke 22:42).

I do think it all comes back to our response to the situation. How do we handle the dark spot? Where do we turn to when dark and twisty starts to take a hold? Why do we harp on spiritual failure when a person is going through a hard time in life? Not every person has a deep dark secret they are keeping. Sometimes Satan just wants to deceive and make us loose.

By Jessie

A song that the Lord has been using in my life, and fits perfectly with these words......

BRING IT ON!

Oh the powerful, beautiful WORD of God.  Hope indescribable, joy inexpressible.  The WORD of God.  The only eternal literature......  This morning I am thinking on Ephesians 2:10.  Here is that passage in a few translations and a paraphrase (my own added emphasis);

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

" For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

"Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing."

WOWZA!  Amazing.  Not much more really needs to be said.  And often times someone wiser has already said it better anyway.... So here are two quotes that I have posted reminding me of this truth;

"Faith isn't flashy, it's not loud.  Faith isn't an overwhelming sense of well-being that everything will turn out okay.  Faith is knowing that God is good even though circumstances may seem to say otherwise.  It's not believing that your plans match God's plans.  It's not even approving God's plan.  Faith is quiet, and sturdy; almost stubborn.  It is the unshakeable knowledge that God is, and He rewards those who diligently seek Him.  It's Job's unwavering trust in God "though He slay me, yet I will trust Him."  It's Paul's request that the thorn be removed, God's answer of "no", and his continued life of service.  It's an infinite response to a finite condition or problem.  It's the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  
      Author Unknown 

"Into all our lives, in many simple, familiar, homely ways, God infuses this element of joy from the suprises of life, which unexpectedly brighten our days, and fill our eyes with light.  He drops this added sweetness into his children's cup, and makes it to run over.  The success we were not counting on, the blessing we were not trying after, the strain of music in the midst of drudgery, the beautiful morning picture or sunset glory thrown in as we pass to or from our daily buisness, the unsought word of encouragement or expression of sympathy, the sentence that meant for us more than the writer or speaker thought,-these and a hundred others that are every one's experience can supply are instances of what I mean.  You may call it accident or chance -it often is; you may call it human goodness -it often is; but always, always call it God's love.  For that is always in it.  These are the overflowing riches of His grace, these are His free gifts."   
     S. Longfellow

This morning as a new day dawns on freshly fallen snow, I anticipate with open hands all the good things the Lord has in store, and together Nate and I walk (not run, not tip tow.....) walk in confidence that the Lord who has guided us this far goes before and has much more exciting things in store. 

GUEST POST: Why you don't need to travel

This blog post is the wonderful artistic work of a friend of mine, Julie.  With her permission I share with you.



At breakfast, an acquaintance asked me how many countries I've visited, and I had to stop to count. It was a new situation, that of not knowing how many countries I've visited. At the end of 2011, I had only been to 3 countries, but by the end of 2012, the count was at 11. Sounds like 2012 was a fascinating year, right? The stuff of many daydreams.
There were crunchy macaroons, famous historical sites, entertaining moments and encouraging conversations. There was light from The Good Book. My life was enriched and deepened by the knowledge I acquired and the people I met. But to be realistic, traveling also meant diarrhea for over a week, rain and cold, the re-wearing unwashed socks...and the regular weight of being a sinner living in a dark world. In many ways, traveling was not so different than everyday life. 

I hope that last sentence didn't just ruin your life.

It's just that my perspective on travel has been gradually shifting. 

North American culture teaches that travel is all that. It's the cool thing, to take a gap year to save turtles on a beach in Costa Rica and to sail around Caribbean. I had a coworker who told me that she “lives to travel.” (I couldn't help but pity her, because that means she only “lives” one or two weeks out of the year.) I don't need to tell you that travel can be an idol for many.




As a TCK, I have perceived travel as all that in a different sense. I often have thought that people who've never travelled need to get out more in order to gain the Father's heart (and to be more interesting dinner companions). Need to get on a plane and discover a place where the apples aren't polished and the tap water isn't potable. I could relate to Mark Twain, who stated that, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

We all have this idea that travel changes things. 

 But the truth is, the Father changes things. Not travel. Travel can have positive effects, but the moving of your body to another corner of the earth doesn't necessarily mean the moving and transforming of your heart to better reflect Him.

 This was aptly illustrated by this post from an American living in Asia. For two years, she has been a first-hand witness to her neighbours' suffering and deception. Yet she still finds herself listening to a friend talk about how her husband is beating her, and then being upset because her internet is slow. (What is slow internet after spousal abuse?) She gets so frustrated with disruption of her neighbours chanting to idols in the night, that her heart fails to grieve for the blindness around her. She reminded me that a change of heart is the work of G0d. Not the work of travel. If it were the work of travel, she wouldn't be struggling with wrong attitudes anymore.

 It is good that we would hold lightly to our physical location and tightly to the One who cradles the earth in His hands.

This photo taken by my traveling buddy, Christie

 Our tour of Paris was led by a Bulgarian in a beret. She guided us between gold-covered monuments while we munched on baguettes and soft goat cheese. I had no expectation of what the Louvre would look like, but when I saw it, I was impressed. It surprised me when my travelling buddy was notably unimpressed. I questioned her reaction. She surveyed the structure rising from the cobbled courtyard and said, “It's just that the things of man cannot compare to the things of G0d.”


I think her reference was to how grey stone buildings and glass pyramids couldn't begin to compare to the endless spread of the Yukon territory. How the sparkling Eiffel Tower could never rival the a sky showcasing the Northern Lights. How all the most elegant bridges in Paris could not offer competition to the formations of the Giant's Causeway. She was right.

  "The works of man cannot compare to the works of G0d." That sentence spoke truth on various levels. Travel will never finally change the world. Travel can't answer the world's problems. Travel won't heal the ache of the soul. If you're discontent, bored, jealous or selfish, travel is not the solution. What I'm saying is, you don't need to travel. Carrying a valid passport doesn't hurt. Getting it stamped multiple times can be fun, challenging, and perspective-broadening. If you have the opportunity to travel, I recommend it; you can tell me your stories at dinner.  

But what you need, my friend, is J'esus. Only He can answer problems, heal aches, and transform the human heart. Only He can cure "prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness" once and for all. Let's keep that straight. 
 
By Julie