Some people....

Ya, some people drive like mad people, like they have a death wish or something.

Pulling out in front of you from a grid road when we're travelling 110 km/hr.

Tailing our vehicle so close you can see their nose hairs in the rear view mirror.

Weaving in and out of traffic into oncoming vehicles, making them hit the ditch.

Passing us in the left lane but not staying in their own lane..... and husband has to honk to get them over from our lane.

Nearly everyone going 130 km/hr.

And then, coming across an accident where one small vehicle with it's side pushed in was on top of the back end of a half ton and another vehicle in the ditch.....with unknown numbers of people hurt.

And we wondered how that accident could have happenend????!!!!!

Those were just a few observations from our trip today down to Regina. A few more trips like that and I'd be lookin' for something to relax my muscles and help me to forget reality......cheers!

May God preserve our sanity on the roads and keep us all vigilant and safe.

Sometimes you're the windshield....

Sometimes you're the bug.....as the old song goes.


And today I was the bug.


It's OK to be that sometimes. You get lambasted full on and you know you've been whopped but good. It actually felt like I needed it though. It didn't splatter me too badly, just enough to let me know I'm so much smaller than a windshield and hitting it makes one rather lifeless.

Truth can be like a bug hitting a windshield.....it disassembles it into tiny little pieces. It can be that wretched.

But Truth can also be like a cool rain on a dry land. It refreshes and allows growth.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life"........the Truth.......he reveals it so we can grow and be refreshed...................but not before we hit a windshield or two.

Sleep well..........

For my son...

Psalm 43:5-11

"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.

I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?”

Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!"

The prayers go to the Father this night......prayers of a mother for her son....

The Desk.....Q&A.....

Question: How important does one have to be to work behind a desk such as the one above?

Answer: Apparently, much more important than the likes of me.

Here's a toast......... to a piece of furniture that looks like a good solid chunk of wood on the outside but is nothing but a bunch of cheap particle board on the inside.......come to think of it, I know some people like that. Funny.

Cheers!

Election Eve.....

A mini service of prayer for the anticipated new President of the United States of America - our neighbor:

From the book of wisdom - Proverbs 4:18-27

I'll read the light print.....you read the dark print.:-)

"The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them.

Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.

Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil."

A hymn of guidance for this new leader:

"Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim thought this barren land,

I am weak but thou art mighty, hold me with thy pow'rful hand.

Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.

Fee me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow;

let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through:

strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield,

be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside;

bear me through the swelling current, land me safe on Canan's side:

songs of praises, songs of praises I will ever give to thee,

I will ever give to thee. Amen."

And now, I offer my own prayer for this new leader:

May you, O God, watch over this person, the man that you have chosen for this difficult position of power and authority. Keep him humble in your sight. Let him seek your wisdom and may he stand firmly as he leads his people with all insight and grace that comes from your Mighty Hand. May he have eyes to see and ears to hear..........I pray in the Name of the Christ, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End........Amen.

May God show mercy on and give wisdom to, the people of the United States of America this night.

Confession.....

Ya. It's just strange visiting Randall's blog where he has a link to his sermon, where he's speaking to a whole new group of people.....and not to us, at Gateway.

So many feelings I had as I sat there and listened to him talk to them about love...loving the unlovely, those whom we dislike....but loving them because Jesus said we should.

And in the middle of listening to that, I began to cry. Not sure what it was at first, but there were great sobs that just went on and on.

I must confess I was feeling envious, perhaps jealous of and angry at those people in Malmo. Randall and Lauralea were OURS and now those people have taken them away from us and we are left to fend for ourselves........and we all loved them so much........and why did God have to call them away anyway.........and we all felt so comfortable with one another.........and now these, these, these OTHER people get to enjoy their fellowship .........and ........and..........and........

Ya. As I said.....I had to confess those feelings.

I know that their call to Malmo was from God. I know that God will provide for us and IS providing for us daily. Marc and Linea and the rest of the speakers have and will continue to bring us the Word each Sunday and we are blessed. I know my feelings of envy and jealousy are wrong. But still, I feel abandoned........even though in reality it isn't true. God never abandons us, but I FEEL like a little child, left without a parent.

These feelings will eventually disappear, but in the meantime, I grieve. I miss them. They are still in my heart and are loved. I just need to continue to work through this whole thing. And of course, grieving my dear Auntie at the same time, doesn't help either.

Thanks for hearing my confession................may God have mercy on me..........

Saints....

Florence.....and Grace

This being All Saints Day, and knowing these two saints (in the picture above) don't read this blog, I thought it pretty safe to talk a little about them today.

These two women have had a very significant impact on my life over the many years we have been friends. I've known both of them for over thirty-five years.

I was privileged to work with Florence at the Bible College for ten of those thirty-five years. I watched her live. I watched her love students to the point of self-sacrifice. Many times their needs came before her own. She lived with and cared for both her parents until their passing. She taught the little children Sunday School for many, many years and everyone still calls her "Auntie Florence"..........even now that her students have become adults. She has lived a life of unconditional love, of total giving of herself and her resources. This dear lady offers grace to all, rich and poor, old and young. And even though now she is in a care home, walks with a walker and with her memory fading, she faithfully attends church, Bible in hand and greets all who come to speak with her. She is a saint of the finest quality and I am proud to call her friend.

Grace has been a constant in my life. I always said she should have been a teacher!! She has a gift for teaching and has taught many Bible classes over the years. She was Dean of Women at the Bible College when my young brother, Dale, attended. Grace has qualities that come from knowing God. Her motives are most often Christ-centered and when they're not, she admits it. I have learned a great deal about the importance of prayer. I have watched her work through difficult circumstances and have seen her faith be at the centre of all she is. She is a believer in people. She prays for people. She wants the best for those in her care and those no one cares about. How can a person go wrong having a friendship with someone with those qualities.

So, may God bless Florence and Grace. May they continue to be looked upon by God favorably, here and in the world to come.

Thanks God, for true friendships........and living saints.