He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. Psalm 23:2-3 How many years did I go about my life knowing and agreeing with this verse, but never experiencing it fully. Even in the few moments when I gained a glimpse, the realization that it was … Continue reading A Restored Life
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given. Isaiah 9:6 NKJV Here we are, a few days away from Christmas Day. The stress is rising, fatigue deepening, and frustration mounting as we wonder how we will get it all done. Today, let’s take a deep breath, close our eyes and … Continue reading Advent – Week 5
“For God so loved the world…” John 3:16 NIV Most of us get a thrill from giving gifts to those who are precious to us. Our hearts look forward to blessing them with something that will make them smile, comfort, or help them. God made us in His image. Therefore, it stands to reason God … Continue reading Advent – Week 4
“He was despised and rejected by men, A man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” Isaiah 53:3 NIV The faint sound of an infant’s cries, intermingled with the bleating of sheep, draws you toward the opening where the flickering of lantern light emits. The air, pungent with the lingering scents of animal waste, dampness and … Continue reading Advent – Week 3
“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 NIV God is a God of humility. During Advent, we celebrate that Almighty God, who needs nothing and lacks nothing, humbled Himself to be born as a weak, helpless human baby. Not a … Continue reading Advent – Week 2
"and they will call him Immanuel" -which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23 NIV In the next five weeks, I will be sharing a mini-devotional on the meaning and significance of celebrating Advent. In this first week, we will examine the word and its meaning. Advent. A word we often hear at this time of … Continue reading Why Advent? – Week 1
November. Leaves of red, lime-green, orange and burnished gold drop in blowing clusters outside my window. It is a visual feast for my eyes, but the underlying awareness that it is November dampens the pleasure and brings trepidation. Thanksgiving looms for my American friends and Christmas for us all. The word November brings the visual … Continue reading What Does Faithfulness Look Like?
I love puzzles. All kinds of puzzles. The challenge of figuring out the answer draws me like a lure on a fishing line. As cooler weather creeps in, I get excited about starting a new jigsaw puzzle. I have been doing them as long as I can remember. For some people, it causes anxiety, but … Continue reading Are You Puzzled by Chaos?
The LORD is the Lover of my soul. I have grown to know and love him because he first loved me and extended his grace through the Holy Spirit to me. But what have I learned about the Lord that causes me to increasingly love him? Let’s look at who the LORD is—his character and … Continue reading Why Do I Love Thee?
Are you in a season of waiting? Do you feel like a dry, withered stick, tired of waiting for the promised blooms to bud again? A dear friend gave me a beautiful orchid after I lost my mom four years ago. It had not flowered since. I watered, fertilized, tried different lighting, and talked to … Continue reading Hope Deferred
John 14:15-24 Some days, life feels overwhelming and like it is all up to you. The burdens of responsibility and busyness sap your strength and drain your soul. Loneliness settles in like a weighted blanket. How can I do it all? I’m dancing as fast as I can, and there’s still so much to do. … Continue reading Do You Feel Alone?
I gazed down, enraptured, at the picture book. The children were trying to bathe Mr. Muggs, but he wasn’t cooperating. Soapy water flew everywhere as he jumped out and began to shake. I loved this book. Many hours had passed perusing it with either my mom or one of my siblings. But this time was … Continue reading Eyes Wide Open
Suffering is hard. Watching someone you love suffer is also. Are you carrying a second-hand burden? Are you trying your best to ease your loved one’s suffering and smooth out their path? Does it feel like you are caught in strong spiderwebs? You ache to relieve their pain, help them walk, sit or lie down … Continue reading Second-Hand Burden
Jesus didn’t come only to sacrifice himself, but to show us how to live a life that gradually leads to holiness, and that includes prayer. This is an excerpt from Paul Miller’s book, A Praying Life, which shows what Psalm 23 without the Lord or the Shepherd reads like: my; I shall not be in … Continue reading Hi Dad -Part Three
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6 NKJV Prayer is: relational intimate important But do you flounder with how to pray effectively, intentionally, … Continue reading Hi Dad – Part Two
What is your prayer life like? If someone asked you about prayer, what would you say? I read a story once about a man restricted from working because of his faith. One night, his family had no food, and his children were crying from hunger. The man tucked his children in bed and prayed with … Continue reading Hi Dad!
Do you compare the lives of women around you to yours and wonder where you went wrong? Their homes belong on the cover of Home and Garden; they appear perfectly put together, energetic and organized, and the family seems happy, wholesome, and successful. They are like King Midas and everything they touch seems to … Continue reading Restored Reflections
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV Does something feel stolen from you? You used to feel more confident, capable, and sure in your walk with the Lord, but now uncertainty, fear, and confusion block … Continue reading Thief
As a baby, our granddaughter suffered from colic. Her constant, pitiful wails of anguish pierced our hearts but we had no way of appeasing the pain or silencing the cries. When she would, amazingly to us, finally fall asleep, we would lie frozen, afraid to breathe too loud in case we woke her. I worked … Continue reading Silence is Golden, Or Is It?
The wooden deck creaks slightly beneath my deck chair. Reflected trees, sky and clouds shimmer on the smooth surface of the lake. A slight breeze whispers across its surface causing mild ripples that travel languidly to the shore. There is no splash in response, no sound of water lapping, just a visible representation of movement. … Continue reading Quiet Waters
A winged cherub is poised with a bow and arrow pointed at a heart. Your heart supposedly. A prevalent scene on many a Valentine's card. Elegant heart-shaped boxes of mouthwatering chocolates, fragrant long-stemmed red roses, and vibrant bouquets of flowers, all fly off the shelves. Romantic candle-lit dinners, specially planned dates and proposals of marriage … Continue reading What Rules Your Heart?
Gray days are not my favourite. They have a heaviness, like wearing a weighted blanket all day. They lack spark and I long impatiently for the light to blaze again. However, gray days provide a backdrop, allowing the beauty of nature to pop. Dark greens of the drooping fir, vibrant burgundy of the red maple … Continue reading Gloomy Days
I have been silent for the past month because our family suffered a tragic loss. Processing loss takes a lot of energy and head space. No words, only tears and a deep, deep ache. Words departed and grief took their place, that strange beast which changes colours with each visit. We grieve not for what … Continue reading Dark Matter
What colour are you? Colours, colours everywhere. Bright, flashy orange; blazing, fiery red, deep, calming crimson; brilliant, glowing yellow, or background wallflower green.They all add to the feast for our eyes, which almost overwhelms. A tapestry of colour woven together. Beyond the science of how, is the question of why? What purpose does it serve? … Continue reading Colours
I am not a brilliant theologian or philosopher. I am just a simple girl who read my Bible stories, looked up at Jesus crucified, and realized He did it out of love for me. I am just a simple girl who struggles to reckon the world she sees with the God who loves her. Loves … Continue reading Simple
Who do you measure yourself against? Your best friend, the Pastor’s wife, your favourite celebrity? Who flashes in your mind when you wonder if you're good enough, have done enough, or are succeeding or failing? Your mother, the superwoman at work, that perfect church lady who seems to do it all? How does that ideal … Continue reading Living Stones
Have you had one of those days or weeks where you are just done in by the end of it? Your feet are cement blocks, thinking like stirring porridge, words quick to fly and tears ready to fall. The urge to fly away somewhere quiet and secluded pulls strongly. I feel your pain, Sister. Busyness, … Continue reading Running On Empty
The pungent, sweet smell of blood, mixed with sweat and dust permeated the air, The noisy crowd had dwindled, but Mary only heard the throb of her heartbeat as it reverberated in her ears, and thudded in her chest, alongside the sword of pain that had pierced it. Across her bent knees lay the pale, … Continue reading Custodial Living
Are there times you would love to be outside your head? I know I do! Imagine the sweet relief of quiet and rest there. Freedom from the noise of; comparing and measuring yourself up against other people in your life second-guessing decisions and wondering “What if?” fretting about what others think of or say about … Continue reading Lick ‘o Paint, Lick ‘o Paint
Do you feel like you are going through life as a Jane Doe? You’re pretty, “in a plain sort of way.” Are you feeling drab and colourless in a world of beautiful, perfect women? Do you feel unheard around others, even when you try to join in? Going unnoticed can be a good thing. A … Continue reading Going Unnoticed
Hands clasping the wheel, cars, people and scenery dissolved into the background. My mind replayed the recent Biblical counselling session, where awareness of a particular idol, embedded in my heart for years, had been revealed. Talking to the Lord about it and asking for forgiveness and guidance, a barrage of awareness of my many sins … Continue reading One Battle at a Time
Who are you, when there are no mirrors to tell you differently? When no one is looking at you, and you don’t have to wonder what they are thinking about you; assessing, judging, labelling, for good or bad? Who are you when it is just you, Creation, and God, in a stolen sacred moment? Alone … Continue reading Who Are You?
Newborn babies, non-stop toddlers, toilet training, learning challenges, school drama, hormones, and learning to let go, step back and coach from the sidelines. We often don’t know what the right choice is. Conflicting opinions and studies ping-pong inside our brains causing taut muscles, clenched bellies and restless souls. We are left wondering how we are … Continue reading Does Life Seem Messy?
What wakes you up at night? I really want to know, as I gaze out over The moonlit snow. What makes your eyelids pop in the dark of the night? Moths in your brain seeking a path of light? What makes your heart thump-thump, tap-dancing in your chest? A fist of anxious fear stealing your … Continue reading What Wakes You?
How was your Mother’s Day?Was it all you dreamed it would be, surrounded by your children being showered with love, gifts and pampering? Or did disappointment fill your day instead, from being slighted, underappreciated, overlooked or forgotten? Were some missing due to estrangement, neglect, or health problems? Is there a lingering hole in your heart … Continue reading Happy Mother’s Day?
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive To my cry for mercy. If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” Psalm 130: 1-4 With each stumbling … Continue reading Out of the Depths
Word and Light. Those are the two main descriptors John uses for the Lord in the opening verse of his gospel. THE Word, THE light. It seems inconceivable that the One who created the universe, galaxies, our world, and us, came into it and was not known. Yet, it still happens now. Even as one … Continue reading Word and Light
Lately, I have heard, and read a lot about only women being present at the foot of the cross, and all the men deserting Christ. Satan likes to divide. And he finds easy prey in the battle of the sexes. Oh, how we love to puff ourselves up, by seizing any opportunity to prove women … Continue reading It’s a Trap!
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2 NIV My stepfather was an impulsive, eccentric, no-nonsense, but intelligent man. Once he got … Continue reading Becoming Fruitful
I quickly glanced at my watch to confirm the date was the 16th, and that is what I saw. But it didn’t jibe with my devotional reading for the day. I rechecked my watch, and it read the 17th. Things aren’t always how we first perceive them. I was a nurse for many years. Once, … Continue reading Assumptions
The grey asphalt with its twin ribbons of yellow stretched out before us. Outside the passenger window, various heights, lengths, and shades of green nourished my soul. Resting on the horizon above stretched a fluffy white vista of mountains and valleys, like another land or a far-off, unknown world. As a girl, I loved lying … Continue reading A Far-off Country
A new year. 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days. It feels like a fresh slate, a horizon of possibilities spreading out before us. But it is just another day. No magic to it, or much different from the day before. There is nothing more special about New Year’s Day than any other day. Each morning … Continue reading Fresh Starts
Recently, my sister sent a cartoon meme. The picture is the nativity scene, but instead of three wise men, there are three women with diapers, formula and casseroles. The title is ‘if there had been three wise women instead’. While amusing on the surface, a red flag went off in my soul. Several lies lurk … Continue reading Good Gifts
The day was like any other, despite the butterflies and spontaneous smile that crossed her lips whenever she thought of Joseph. Soon they would be married, and she would begin the life she had dreamed of since she was a young girl; a godly husband, her own home, and children, by Yahweh’s grace. Her little … Continue reading Mary Most Favoured
I love the changing seasons. They each provide unique beauty and gifts. Fall spreads a change of colour to the trees and plants. Some shout their beauty, while others remain muted. Without the one, however, the other becomes mundane. Pewter skies and cooler air bring an appreciation for the rarer days of blue, and the … Continue reading Changing Seasons
“Oh, Lord, please help me get there on time!”, I prayed aloud as I sped along the city streets to get home. My firstborn son, in kindergarten, was due to be dropped off. Daniel was a shy, anxious child. I knew if I was not home to greet him, it would cause him stress. The … Continue reading Forget Not
Ghosts, witches, goblins, spirits of the dead wandering, and evil spirits lurking. It's the time of year when there is a lot of talk about spirits. Most of us don’t believe in these things and laugh it off. But the Bible tells us that there is a real spirit world. In 2 Kings 6:13-17, we … Continue reading Do You Believe in Spirits?
Soft, pliable dough squishes through my fingers as I massage it into a round ball. Pleasure sings in my heart as I sense the smoothness of it under my rolling pin. Using the right amount of pressure, I stretch the elastic mass at different angles, slowly forming it into a circle. I drape the unwrinkled … Continue reading Perfection
Obedience is not a four-letter word. For many of us, however, it has the same connotations as those well-known derogatory ones, and submission is right there with it. I was quiet and obedient, as a child, with a rebellious heart. I followed the rules but inside I chafed and grumbled. Mostly inside. As an adult, … Continue reading Four-letter Words
September. Back to school. My first experience with school was when I was five. There was no kindergarten where we lived, and so my mom, being my mom and the mother of seven children, pushed to have me put in grade one. As a result, I found myself on a hard, cold seat in a … Continue reading Schoolyard Angst
I was struggling, and sleep eluded me. My mind was whirling with the scenario on repeat in my brain. My insides were in knots, and a heaviness sat on my chest. I felt misunderstood, hurt, and unloved. Sinful thoughts and desires rose up in my heart for self-glory and justification. I knew my thoughts and … Continue reading Perfect Power