Natural and Spiritual Challenges

When a child has been talked to, given nourishing food, 

listened to, kept dry and clean with proper clothes, and warm, 

that child will feel much more secure, more ready to go to school, 

play with other children and have a good time.


When children have that kind of training developing in their lives 

they will be ready to survive the realities of life.


When we allow the "Power of God" developing within us,

we can better survive our spiritual challenges as well.


Once we are born we will always have our natural and spiritual challenges. 

Think of it this way - 

You and I have the same God, 

let's let Him transform our lives.

God's Husbandry

'It's the people not the building. 

'The building might be important, 

but it is what goes on inside the building 

that really matters.'

This is a quote from Rev. Allan Huband, of the River Heights Church here in Winnipeg.

How important is that!

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:10: 

We are laborers together with God: 

You are God's husbandry, 

you are God's building.

Imagine that - 

We are what really makes up the church;

 for you and I are the church.

Let us remember to always act or behave like the body of Christ.

Knowing we are God's husbandry. 

What a challenge that is!

Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18:

Thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; 

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Happy New Year!

"Whatever life throws at us, 

our individual responses will be 

all the stronger 

for working together

 and sharing the load." 

-Quote by Queen Elizabeth II

How true is this. 

Let us, in this brand new year, 

look forward 

to working together in our communities,

 our work places, 

and especially in our own homes.

This is a New Year:

 2016! 

New opportunities are coming for us. 

Let us go for them with our minds saying, 

'We can make it work.' 

If in 2015, things didn't work out, 

like we expected,

 let us all say, 

with God's help, 

and a little more effort: 

'Things will work out for us in 2016".

My grandfather told me:

"Be positive, 

strong,

and have a mind to work."

This, I believe, will be a good and prosperous year for us all.

 Remember to put God first by attending church on Sunday. 

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Loving in Your Heart

'The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart,
 the less capable you are of loving in the present.'

Quote by Barbara De Angelis (King Features Syndicate.)

What a very serious and provoking saying.

The Bible says in Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 7:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. 

Matthew 15:19 says:

 For out of the heart proceed 
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 

These are things that defile a man; making him less capable of loving in the present. 

Proverbs 4:23 says, quoted by Jesus, 

 "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

And Matthew 12:34 says:

 For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

    First, before all this, we must believe that God's word tells us: 

"If ye declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord, 

and Believe in your heart that God raised him (Jesus) from the dead, 

you will be saved. 

(Romans 10:9)

    Listen to Proverbs Chaper 19 verse 11: 

The discretion of a man defereth his anger. 

    Out of the heart flows all the issues of life. 

After giving our lives to the Lord Jesus, 

we now can allow God to help us learn how to master our anger.

It's letting our discretion defer our anger. 

Now think of it - that's God's way.

Like a Palm Tree

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. 

Psalm 92:12

He shall grow like a tree in Lebanon.

They say a palm tree grows from the inside out. 

The bible says: 

Out of the belly (or out of the heart) 

shall flow rivers of living water. 

-John 7:38

Out of the heart or inside out, shall flow our relationship with God. 

An extraordinary one is my desire. 

Why compromise with mediocrity 

when God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit 

were brought together 

to make God personal to you and me? 

A palm tree can be well over sixty feet high 

with branches spreading out a great distance. 

We too can grow in God by believing and reporting God's Word in our hearts. 

Matthew 19:26 says: With God all things are possible to him that believes.

I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. - Philippians 13.  

Our spiritual branches will be spread out. 

We will grow tall and our roots will be strong like a palm tree.

God definitely does work through the trials in our lives.

 He's slowly shaping me and my family into tree lights for His Glory. Praise God!

By renewing our minds on the inside He is teaching many people on the outside.

Let us therefore keep renewing our minds

 so we can help many more people that will grow in the Lord.

In a Day that is Drizzly

We can see beauty in a day that is drizzly again;

 like a lot of circumstances, we have to make an effort to see the beauty.

There is truly beauty in a day that is drizzly.

You may say, I cannot see the beauty. 

But God has said to take the good with the bad. 

We know it won't last. Tomorrow will come with its sunshine, laughter, and peace.

Don't allow the drizzle to cramp your day.

It may not be what you would like, but God can turn it around for the good.

Look around, and make someone's life a blessing, 

cheer them up, it's amazing what it will do.

In the spiritual, we also need the spiritual rain. 

 There are times to stop and allow God to pour out; 

not always his blessings; 

but we need to be disciplined as well, 

so we can see beauty in the way God is disciplining us.

Let us not be in a hurry to see His beauty. 

There was beauty in the way God dealt with Job.

Job didn't see it all at first, but kept on being himself. 

We can actually say in the end, after much distress, Job came out and saw

 the beauty in the drizzle of the rain.

Let's all be encouraged today and let God show us the drizzle in the rain.

Stay Strong

When Joshua was by Jericho, it tells us in Joshua 5:13-15, 

 that he didn't know he would encounter such a sight. 

What a surprise he received that day --- 

a man with a drawn sword. 

Would he do like he did -- talk to him?

Now Joshua was no ordinary person, he knew he could succeed

 with God by his side and a great deal of persistence.

As we read on, we find Joshua talking and like a reporter, taking down notes -

1. Humility was big for Joshua, and like you and I, should be big in our lives.

2. He stopped and worshiped God.

3. He asked God (Commander of Army) what he should do.

This was no small matter for Joshua.

 Thank God for men like Joshua. 

Let's be more like him!

The bible says in the Old Testament that the victory was their's. 

Years ago, I didn't realize what the Commander of the Lord's Army meant

 when he said "NO" to the question, 

Are you for us or are you against us?

Now, I think he meant it's up to you, make up your own mind.

First, you and I need to know God is for us, not against us.

No matter what we have said done, 

God is always for us!

Let's keep remembering I'm always for you even in the most trying and difficult situations.

We may wonder why God was using a drawn sword?

Was it to draw Joshua's mind to take his attention off himself 

and on to the battle that was to be?

Yes, I think so.

I read in the Winnipeg Free Press by Og Mandino -

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough. 

What do you think of that?

I think it is very good.

Let's stay strong.