Graveyard sprinting

I only saw it for fleeting moment but when I did it made me think.  On my way home I pass a graveyard and there is saw a man jogging through the park.   

At first I thought, "you're nuts!"  Then I started thinking about the logic.  No cars, no exhaust fumes, no other people getting in your way.....bottom line....great idea! Sometimes the best ideas are the ones we get that are truly 'far out' and we shouldn't be afraid to take risks.   

Ask the Holy Spirit today to give you great ideas in season to turn around difficult situations in your life.

Kissie time

For all her naughtiness Topaz can be really cute! Her hardened behaviour when she first came home was really difficult to deal with and trying to give her love was impossible. One thing however that she enjoyed early on was being kissed, so kiss her I did, over and over.

Now the cutest part about bed time is is when she decides it is kissie time. She'll pop out of her basket and jump on the bed next to me and give a small little whimper, then I know she's ready for a bit of love and I can kiss and tickle her for a while before she climbs back into her basket.

Learning to give love to people that are hard of heart can be really difficult, but if we truly do want to love them then we have to learn how to show them love in a way that they will be willing to receive it.

If you have someone in your life that is hard to love, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your actions so that you can do what will be best for them.

Shattered glass

Any weekend that has gardening included is simply amazing.  Not to mention spending great time with the Canadians, my good friends Bridget and Greg....and there was some shopping involved, all in all...a great weekend! 

What surprised me this weekend was a small little glass candle stick.  After the gardening on Saturday I was ready for a good early night and the quickest way to unwind is with candles and wine.  I had noticed that the one candle was a bit low but I figured it would just burn through and drop to the bottom the way it did with one of my ceramic sticks.  I was wrong!  As I was dozing off a loud bang gave us all a fright and the stick had shattered. 

Would it surprise you then that we do this with people too.  Sometimes we are not as cautious with our words because, ag, we figure that person can handle it.  Before we know it, the words are out, the shock on their faces tells us immediately that we were wrong and there are shattered hearts all round because we know now the friendship will never be the same again. 

Can I encourage you not to judge what you think others can handle.  Be gentle and kind to all and most of all guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus and remember to lift others up. 

Dead spot shop

There is a shop in the small centre near my office that is designed for a restaurant. It is well located and although there are other eateries nearby the area is most certainly not saturated. What amazes me however is that without fail, every restaurant that has opened in that in that spot has closed. This is most certainly not the first time that I have noticed this phenomenon.

In our spiritual lives this can happen as well. We can have an area of our lives that for all intents and purposes appears to be dead. Well I have wonderful news for you....challenges like this are just Jesus sort of specialty. We all know the story too well and I am sure you will get the same goosebumps that I do when I think about, but there is something very special that Jesus has to say to the “death” in your life.....

John 11:25 Jesus says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

Speak this very powerful promise over the dead areas in your life. Jesus word is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and if He can raise our mortal bodies then He certainly can resurrect our hopes, dreams and every area of our lives that need His resurrection power!

The good fairy

If there is one thing I appreciate with all my heart it is a good, reliable domestic worker.  When I partner with a lady my first words to her are that I respect her as a person and that the only difference between me and her is the job we do.  I also let them know that there is nothing I am asking them to do for me that I am not willing to do for myself as I have done so for many years.  I simply need the help as I don't have the time to take care of everything.

After parting ways with my previous lady, I asked my neighbours lady to assist me at times when she is not working for my neighbour and we have set things up.  I had worked with her before while my lady was on maternity leave and I was truly delighted to have her come back again for the first time this year.  Having good help is like having a good fairy who waves her magic wand and the house is clean.

Good help is so unbelievably valuable and as Christians we need help to live life too.  That is why God sent us the Holy Spirit.  The word of God says that He is our Helper and our Advocate.  When life gets difficult, the Holy Spirit comes along side us to do the things that we simply cannot do and He stands by us through thick and thin.

Will you call on the Holy Spirit to be your Helper today?

Art of affection

There are plenty of things to love about little miss Topaz. Her energy, she's talkative, she's playful, she's always the first little kitty face I see when I get home, when she is happy she purrs real loud and she loves to eat....tee hee!

For all that though there is one very important aspect in which she is very difficult to deal with. She does not like to be picked up, touched other than at feeding time and cuddling turns into a whining and growling session. It is truly sad for me as I love being affectionate to my kitties. Although Ginger does not like being picked up initially, he has learned that if he just gives in for a few minutes he'll get a nice tickle and that usually makes us both happy and then I'll let him down and give him more tickles. Little Topaz still needs to learn all about the art of affection.

I have resolved never to give up, I will love her, hug her, cuddle her and tickle her every day until, one day (I am hoping) her heart will soften and she will become willing to receive love from me. Do you know what? That is exactly what God does with us. When we come to him and are born again, we too have no idea how to receive the overwhelming love of Christ. It takes much time before we learn to receive the love of Christ in its fullness.

In the same way that my heart breaks for Topaz, God's heart breaks for us! He longs to fill us up with His love but we are often unwilling to receive it. Let us choose today to open our hearts to being willing to receive the wonderful affection and love that Jesus has to offer us, every day.

It is what it is

I'm a very planned and organized type of person,  so when my domestic worker was a 'no show' on Wednesday and again on Saturday after she promised to come in, it really threw my weekend plans out of whack!  

As a result of the disruption I did not get everything done as planned and will only get to finish my Sunday blog on Monday.  I really feel God challenging me to just say, "It is what it is."  Why is acceptance of certain difficulties so important?  Because acceptance brings with it change.  When we accept the situation we empower ourselves to look at the setback in a positive light and find a new path to move forward on.  

Acceptance also helps to eliminate anger.  Anger is a powerful emotion and it is there to tell you that someone has violated your boundaries, but even if they have, staying in the anger zone will not help you to move forward.  When anger is active it traps you where you are.  

I agree there are times when we need to respond with authority to a situation but that reaction should still not be an angry one but an authoritative one, we have the right to insist on good service and to have our rights respected. 

If you want to be free to move and grow then join me in saying, "It is what it is."