Sunday 24 March 2024

He Sees...

Rain comes down in raging torrents
Like the tears of God.
Puddling on the ground in rivers
Like His gentle love.

Rushing to the sea in torrents
Like His mighty arm.
Strong to save and rescue all
The small forgotten ones.

Injustice is all noted by 
The tender eye of God.
He holds His dear ones to His heart
And keeps them in His love.

The tears of each small lonely child 
Are cupped within His hands.
He weeps from heaven as He waits
With angels at command.

He sees their pain and watches close
To shelter them from harm.
Just like the sparrows, He knows them,
And keeps them in His arms.

He shepherds them so safely on
And bends to touch their hearts.
He holds them oh so gently close
Although we're far apart. ❤️


God sees the children. Those hurting in abusive relationships, ignored in broken families, terrified in war-torn countries, and starving in poverty-stricken places. 

Sometimes we have a chance to love some of these little souls for awhile. Let us be assured that God's eye is on each of them and we are responsible to love those He brings to us. When they leave us, He keeps them. 💔

One heart at a time. 


Monday 11 March 2024

My Dream...

I wish that I could change the world
Into a better place. 
I want to rescue all the kids
Who're ruthlessly displaced. 

I want to hold them, stop their cry
Replace it with some love.
If I could only take them in
And build a home of love. 

I guess I'd build a cottage
At a place beside the sea, 
So they could see God's handiwork
And play out on the lea.

Oh, I would need some workmates though
Who'd help me change some diapers, 
And cooks and bakers who would take,
The time for little fingers. 

I'd also bring the homeless in
(Perhaps we'd need expansion.)
I guess I'd need a carpenter
With cash hid in his apron!

And then I'd bring a pianist,
To add some joyful noise.
Of course there'd be a doctor too,
To bandage careless boys. 

If that were done, I'd fetch the teens
Who stand behind Tim Hortons.
I'd bring them home and play some chess,
While listening to their problems. 

I guess we'd need some more adults
To help with adolescents.
It really is a tricky thing,
To navigate those changes. 

Oh yes, I'd bring a preacher too
Who'd get down on their level.
And help them see the God above 
Who loves them from His heaven. 

Perhaps we'd also add a wing
For dear old lonely ladies,
Who pet their cats and sit and stew,
Abandoned by their families.

To that, we'd add a room for plants
So they could have some flowers. 
The children could learn much from them
And cheer their lonesome hours. 

Oh wouldn't it be completely grand
If all these dreams were true?
You see it just might be the dream
Of One who rescued you. 

I think He'd like to bring the boys 
And girls from off the street.
I'm sure He'd care about the lost
Teens living in defeat. 

So shall we go and help Him make
His glorious dream come true?
Perhaps we should begin by prayer
And ask, "What shall I do?"

If we would all go down the street
With eyes and hearts edged wide.
I think we'd find a lot of folks
That we could bring inside. 

You take your mansion, I'll use mine.
And rather than one place,
We'll reach the people all around 
And help them find God's grace. 

I think He'd be quite pleased if we,
Would bring His children home.
He really doesn't like to leave
Them crying all alone. 

You are a child of God the King.
You have His highest favour
I know there's more who'd like to come
And let Him be their Saviour

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40b












Saturday 2 March 2024

Beautiful Things in Empty Spaces

And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2

As I read this verse this morning, I was struck by the fact that God has always chosen empty, dark places to move into. He specializes in reaching the unreachable. The saddest, the hopeless, the impossible. 


And He adds light:

And God said, "Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. -Genesis 1:3-5



And brings life: 

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. -Genesis 1:11&12


And sets order: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule day and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. - Genesis 1:14-16


Isn't it absolutely beautiful when God moves in? 


Emptiness

Within us all there is an ache,
An empty wanting more.
A hole so large it drives us hard,
Pursuing something more.

So many souls strike out in search,
To fill the void within.
They dabble deep in pride and self
And steep themselves in sin.

They seek fulfillment in their work,
Or lose their heads in play.
Thinking they can fill the hole

That haunts them day by day.

Yet fear remains and truth obscured,
The gap is still the same.
The bitter sadness in their soul
Grips tightly with its pain.

They cry for hope and search for rest
Yet peace eludes their soul.
The aching void within their heart
Is still a giant hole.

I long to tell them of His love,
To bring them to His face.

For only He can fill the gap
That begs His saving grace.

The hope they seek lies in my soul
For Jesus' grace is there.
The blood He shed on Calvary
Is hope for our despair.

The bitter ache within my heart
Is filled with joy divine.
For He alone has set me free
His precious peace is mine.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
He'll be your Strength and Guide.
Embrace His truth and let Him lead,
True joy and peace you'll find.

For only He can bring new life,
To every troubled soul.
And only Jesus Christ can fill,
Each giant aching hole. 

Written September 1, 2018










Saturday 17 February 2024

Bring Them Jesus 🩷

A couple days ago, as I was spending some time talking with God, a picture came to my mind. I saw a large, hairy beast, with gray leather skin, growing bigger and bigger in front of me. He didn't really look that ugly, but he took up space. A lot of it.

I recognized the representation. Just like the big beast in front of me, that gradually and steadily presented itself, Satan has been taking over North America. The trouble is, he really doesn't look that horrible at first glance; he just takes up space. He twists a bit here, moves a little there, smudges a couple lines and it's really not too bad. After all, small details don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Until one day, things do look horrible. We look back and realize that Satan has been deceitfully scheming all along to crowd out as much of God as possible.

I believe North America has slowly been hijacked by the Devil himself. He likes nothing better than to twist leaders in parliament, sell souls to the gods of entertainment, money, and fun, and render influential public organizations void of morals. He has stuck his sticky fingers into marriages, families, and churches. Warped, torn, and trapped until suddenly there was not much of God left. The ashes, pain, and absolute brokenness he has left in his wake require a miracle of aid.

We see children, confused when their family and security is broken by divorce, teenagers selling themselves to cheap love and entertainment simply because they don't know any better way, and older people bent on making the top dollar because they've been taught that's what matters. Our world is in disaster because they've left God behind. Let those of us who still have Him, remind them of who He is.
    
    Oh Christian friends. We owe it to them to help. We owe it to them to make a difference. We carry the Light within us. We have so much to share, so much to give, so much to care with. Let us give our lives for this cause. There is no nobler or greater calling than that of rescuing spiritual souls from the brink of destruction. Reach them where they are. Hear their pain, share in their stories, and bring them JESUS! Oh bring them Jesus. He is able to shatter darkness, mend broken hearts, and redeem lost situations. He will miraculously change the impossible, restore the shattered, and bring hope to the hopeless. Oh let us bring them Jesus.🩷 






Wednesday 4 October 2023

Beautiful Death


Leaves are dying, crimson, red,

Orange and yellow, bright instead

of green, old green, the colour true

that speaks of life in every hue.

There, in the midst of crimson gold

We see death bring out beauty bold.

Dying factories, shutting down

Lacing on their final crown.

Leaving glory in their wake

Leaves drift down and make their grave.

 

    These glorious fall days are reviving the spirit of poetry within me and I chanced to tap a couple lines into the notepad of my cellular mobile device. (Yes that's what we dubbed it a couple years ago which in plain English means cellphone.) Indeed, 'tis almost a pity how much that wretched sound vibrator gets used these days, yet on the other hand it is quite a useful and brilliant object to have on hand when quick access to a writing tablet is in demand. I penned these lines after a sequence of events that led me to thinking. That age old type of pondering of the brain that turns a subject round and round, adds slight trifles to it, makes a couple adjustments and Voila! We have a new blog post that must be shared.

    I've been thinking about death. The sometimes slow, sometimes quick procedure that ends this thing we call life. But besides the death that leads to a cemetery, I've been pondering death IN life. In fact, before I wrote the lines above, I wrote a shorter version that went like this:


               Leaves are dying, crimson, gold,

              Girding colours, turning bold.

              Could it be that we must die?

              Our wretched selves to crucify?

              Choosing truth o'er selfish things,

              Moving on to nobler things?

              Could it be that when we die,

              We raise the cross of Christ up high?


    I can't get it out of my mind. This thing called dying to self and rising to NEW LIFE in CHRIST. I remember listening to a CD a few years ago and they sang a song about dying to self. I remember thinking, "What do they mean?" I didn't get it. It seemed like a foggy sort of concept to my young inexperienced and uninformed brain. Now there is a part of me that is beginning to understand it more and more as I walk the Christian road up and down, around bends, through rain, in sun and deserts, through jungles, across tiny bridges spanning ravines, beside quiet lakes, and even around cacti. You see, the Christian life is not all easy or beautiful. In fact, parts of it are quite the opposite. Sometimes they hurt. A LOT. Sometimes they make no sense. AT ALL. Sometimes people are simply frustrating or cruel. Life looks unfair and unjust. Why, if we're children of the King do we suffer? Why doesn't He just heal me or take away my problems? Why doesn't He convict the prodigal sons, or change the stone-cold husband's heart?  We kick and scream and lament at our lot in life. We begin to question our Maker. We fuss and fume and sometimes quietly simmer. 

    But what if? What if North American Christians would begin to embrace pain instead of running from it. What if we would begin to see trials or hard things as gifts from God to mold us into His character and train us for kingdom combat? What if we would begin to thank and ask Him to help us trust and love and give inspite of pain? What if we would truly look at the agony our Saviour endured and begin to count it all joy to fellowship with Him in suffering?

    Anyone could see He had completely lost any good reputation as He hung on the unforgiving Roman cross with nails sticking through His wrists and sharp thorns gorging into His skull. Nobody would have thought that He came straight from the throne of God when he hung there a shrivelled, bleeding, bruised, corpse. Why do we think we deserve less? Soldiers of all nations count it a great honour to fight and die for their countries. Should we not swell with joy at the thought of laying our lives down for the King of Kings? Soldiers for the world's countries know they will go through boot camp. They know they might face death. They know they'll be far from comfortable. They know they'll have to help their teammates in combat. They know they'll go hungry sometimes. They know they'll leave family behind. But they go anyway. Why? WHY? The simple answer is: They care for and love their country and the people in it. Really, that sounds a lot like the reason a certain Son of God left a heavenly throne and descended to a cursed human world to give His life.

    If He gave His all, should we not join Him? If He endured chastening as a Son of God, should we not glory in tribulations? 

    "Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4 NASB1995







Thursday 30 December 2021

Looking to Jesus

 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." - Acts 4:20

This scripture come from a chapter in Acts where the religious leaders of the time were telling the apostles to be quiet. They were not ready to here the good news of Jesus Christ and neither did they want others from their synagogue to hear the message. Status, control, and politics had clouded their vision. 

What about us today? What clouds our vision to the good news of Jesus Christ? 

Daily worries and concerns? The current state of our world? The fear of how it will all end? 

Our minds can quickly find a multitude of dilemmas and problems to dwell on instead of finding "the peace that passes all understanding." 

Let us "fix our eyes upon the Author and Finisher of our faith." Let us "run with patience the race that is set before is." (Hebrews 12:1&2) Let us boldly walk forward, claiming our position, inheritance, acceptance, and safety in Jesus Christ our All in All. 

Keep courage brothers and sisters! Our redemption draweth nigh! 

Monday 18 October 2021

Beautiful...

 "AND I JOHN SAW THE HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN, PREPARED AS A BRIDE ADORNED FOR HER HUSBAND.

AND I HEARD A GREAT VOICE OUT OF HEAVEN SAYING, BEHOLD THE TABERNACLE OF GOD IS WITH MEN, AND HE WILL DWELL WITH THEM AND THEY SHALL BE HIS PEOPLE, AND GOD HIMSELF SHALL BE WITH THEM, AND BE THEIR GOD.

AND GOD SHALL WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS FROM THEIR EYES; AND THERE SHALL BE NO MORE DEATH, NEITHER SORROW, NOR CRYING, NEITHER SHALL THERE BE ANYMORE PAIN: FOR THE FORMER THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY.

AND HE THAT SAT UPON THE THRONE SAID, BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. AND HE SAID UNTO ME, WRITE: FOR THESE WORDS ARE FAITHFUL AND TRUE."  - Revelation 21:2-5

Isn't that absolutely BEAUTIFUL?

No more pain, no more crying, no more doubting, no more anger, no more sinful human nature. All will be peace, and joy, and love. I don't know about you but these verses bring so much joy, hope, and peace to my heart. These may be troubled times but God is here. He has a plan and will see it through to the end. As His children we can rest in it. Amen. 


He Sees...

Rain comes down in raging torrents Like the tears of God. Puddling on the ground in rivers Like His gentle love. Rushing to the sea in torre...