Huddled around the piano we sang- Ranjan and Meshak on guitars, Mike on the piano and me bursting forth in praise! And the piano knew that we would find every excuse to sing to God the Father!
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I recently had a friend share that she has been reflecting on what it means to “redeem the time” as is described in Ephesians 5:16. Time is precious, especially in a world consumed by busyness. As believers, we are called to live differently. Our lives are to look differently. So what does it mean to make best use of the time?
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There's a certain beauty in God's love, which I, yes, do love. Consider the picture of marriage, which is the physical counterpart of the relationship God has with His bride, the church.
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We do a variety of things to try to be accepted by others. Whether it’s exercising so we can fit in with the cheerleaders, reading popular books to have something to talk about with nerds (like me!), or wearing new kicks and clothes to ingratiate ourselves with fashionistas, we all have a desire to fit in. To belong.
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Somewhere between playing cars and cowboys, a lot of boys learn that showing emotion is a sign of weakness. Whether it’s through upbringing or society’s pressures, they learn they need to be strong for the girls. I think this mentality slows them down. Guys need to forget this way of thinking.
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I have a confession to make: I am a perfectionist. Not a minor perfectionist either, liking things done well and making deadlines on time. I am the kind of person who literally does not know when to stop, because things could always be better. I could always be better. Do more. Get more done in a day.
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This chorus to the song “Lamb of God,” by Vertical Worship encapsulates beautifully just what Christ did in dying for our sins on our behalf. In connection with this passage, it serves as a reminder that Christ’s death was a gift. For us.
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I was asked to review Grace Valentine’s book “What Will They Think? Nine Women in the Bible who can help you live your life boldly”. This book was amazing and Grace was so talented. If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I can be incredibly picky about books - especially books that fall into the psychology and self - help category.
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You have finished the laundry; the cooking is done and you are enjoying your coffee time as you look at your little ones playing. ‘Is this where I am supposed to be right now?’, you wonder as you massage your tired hands. ‘Or should I be at work, using all my degrees to bring in money to the family? That may make it easy for us to buy a home and maybe have another car too.’ You ask yourself. ‘Does God want me to start a business or take up this job offer?’
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I’ve recently celebrated my 40th birthday with an international travel-themed party. In decorating the cake, a friend and I created icing cut-outs of famous landmarks, using embossed cookie cutters. We didn’t want family and friends to look at the cake, and ponder, ‘What have they done here?’, but rather to readily identify the icons we’d represented.
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Imagine yourself in a courtroom where you are being judged – perhaps by God (yes, I am aware that no one has seen God at any time; just imagine the context of the scene). You know that you are guilty of disobeying the law – again. You know there is no hope for you, and shame and fear fill your insides as you contemplate the just punishment that awaits. Maybe this is something you know is wrong, but keep doing despite your desire to do the right thing (Romans 7:15-17).
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I remember the special words my sister said to me before walking outside for the ceremony. I remember crying with joy as my new husband and I came walking down the aisle. I will forever remember the sweet few moments my husband shared right after the ceremony alone just having been proclaimed husband and wife. Mostly I think of God’s faithfulness to me my entire life, including that glorious day when I got to marry the best man in the world.
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I told them that many children don’t get regular meals and may even go without food for days. I hugged them tight as their faces saddened and asked them if they would help me make and distribute meals for families who had it hard. Their little hearts were super excited!
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Though intimidated, I admired her spirit and generosity. So we left our door open. As girls walked by to go to dinner, they would invite us to come, too. When they came back from their evening classes they would come into our room to talk. I remember one night perched on my bed, stunned by the number of girls that could fit into our tiny room. They sat on our desk chairs, and our beds, and spilled onto the floor. All because of an open door and my roommate’s welcoming smile.
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In Acts 8:26-40, we see that an angel of the Lord told Philip to go south along the road that went from Jerusalem to Gaza, to a deserted place. Philip obeys and encounters a prestigious Ethiopian official, a eunuch who had charged all over the Kandake’s (Candace in Latin) treasury and was returning to Jerusalem. Ethiopian doesn’t necessarily refer to the modern country of Ethiopia; the Greeks used the term to refer to all of Africa south of Egypt (likely similar to Sub-Saharan Africa today). In this case, this eunuch came from the kingdom of Kush - we know that from the word Candace, transliterated from the title Kandake, which the Kushites used as their term for the queen.
Read MoreThis month we started asking why we didn’t receive more answers to our prayers. Then, God issued a challenge - are we ready to RECEIVE the answers to our prayers. It’s funny how that works. As Christians, we talk about prayer and the mighty work God can do. However, we forget the second half of the verse…believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. All of these years of prayer - and we forgot the second half of the verse!
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About 5 years back, when returning to Auckland after a holiday in India, I was told much to my surprise, in Kuala Lumpur that my ticket on the connecting flight had been given away to another passenger and that I had to stay on and board the next flight. The next flight was the following day at 9 pm. I was given a room in the airport hotel and some food vouchers. I called my very distraught and angry family and explained the situation before sitting at one of the airport cafes for a breakfast of pancakes and coffee.
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This woman of the Lithuanian folk song helped me. I am twenty years past the birth of my fourth and last child. My children are all taller than me, growing strong and brave and beautiful. I planted the flower of my youth in this little house. I spent my youth on four precious souls and on loving a husband. With the Lord's help, I've disciplined, encouraged, confronted, planted, painted, procured, thrown away, and prayed. And now we are twenty years on.
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Do you trust God? He is the ultimate definition of trust. We can count on Him, even when we cannot rely on others. But like anything else, even trusting in God in certain situations is much easier said than done.
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John 4 tells us that Jesus had to go through Samaria to get to Galilee from Judea. When you consider the subtext, that fact shines brilliantly with beauty. Jesus, as a Jew, would have been perfectly justified in not going to Samaria. The Jews hated Samarians, who believed only in the first five books of the Old Testament and were considered (prejudicially) half-breeds, being Jewish and Gentile. The Samaritans, too, hated Jews.
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