Calvary Love

Talk about a challenge Dianna, today at church I was severally challenged to not only love with my lips and with words but with deeds and in truth. We had the Love chapter, Cor. 13.

Many years ago in Airport I found this in the garbage behind our new house. I was just doing some Friday cleaning and I sat down on our porch to read it. I was moved to tears because of how far off I was from knowing anything about Calvary love. It helped change me and the direction that I wanted my relationships to go. I read it often because it always keeps me reminded of where and what real love in action is.

Calvary Love

If I am perturbed by reproach and misunderstanding, if I cannot commit the matter and go in peace and silence remembering Gethsemane and the cross,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If I hold onto a choices of any kind just because they are my choices: if I give room for private likes and dislikes,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If I am soft on myself and slid comfortably into the vice of self-pity and self-sympathy; if I do not by the grace of God practice fortitude,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or the twentieth): if I cannot take the first place without making a fuss about my unworthiness,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If I take offence easily, if I am content to continue in cool unfriendliness, though friendship is possible,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If a sudden disturbance can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
(For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill one drop of bitter water however suddenly jolted.)
If the care of a person or a community be entrusted to me, and I consent to subject it to weakening influences because the voice of the world..my immediate Christian world…fills my ears,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If monotony tries me and I cannot stand drudgery; if stupid people fret me and little ruffles set me on edge; if I make much of the trifles of life,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If interruptions annoy me and private cares make me impatient; if I sadden the souls about me because I myself am sad,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If souls can suffer alongside me and I hardly know it, because the spirit of discernment is not in me,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If I become entangled in matters of the world; if things or places or people, hold me back from obedience to my Lord,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If my interest in the work of others is cool; if I think on terms of my own special work; if the burdens of others are not my burdens too, and their joy mine,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If I wonder why suffering is allowed, and press for prayer that it may be removed; if I cannot be trusted with any disappointment, and cannot go in peace under any suffering,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.

Sisters

So how do you tell from a skeleton if it’s a man or woman? The woman’s jaw is slightly more warn.

The wedding was strangely uninspiring, I guess because I missed the sermon and was more involved in the fun part of the entertainment. You know with all the kitchen work you get kind of busy, and there’s not so much social time either. It was a pleasure seeing the Acadia women again and working with them, but I never was a Martha. I can play her part, but not quite with all my heart though ‘Ich mus mich zwingen’ so that I don’t fall too hard on the lazy side. In truth I would rather sit with Mary and have my sole and spirit fed.

My friend Sonya stayed after the wedding for almost a week to give me a hand at making a much needed bed. It turned out awesome with my mother-in-law teaching us how. Sonya has a real eye for color so she designed a jean rug to complement it. We had a wonderful time jabbing over many a cup of strong coffee. Melissa is also here for a week at Melinda’s to help out with her sewing so we are celebrating sister month (whenever that is) in a real personal way.

I watched My Secret Garden over again for the third time in my life, and I think I finally got it (minus the whitchcraft, always spoils a good movie). When we get to know each other and relate, we can get a glimpse of the other person’s inner beauty. We can walk in their secret garden and discover the beautiful flowers that grow there. We can share or scatter seeds and even help with the weeding.

Pumpkins

My sister Melissa sent this forward and I'm head over heals about it, it really spoke to me....

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

It must be a process, and I, according to my third last blog, must be at the opening up stage. It is my prayer that His knife cuts off the pride and my own will at the top that prevents Him from getting to all that yucky stuff beneath. His promise is to give me the will and the strength to accomplish, so I will rest assured that He who has begun this good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Update

We will be celebrating a wedding here in Wingham next week on Sunday. They are busy building a new three family house for the young couple, Derrik and Rachel, who will be moving into the kindergarten house till the new one is ready. He went to ask the parents for his bride today.

Joni and I have been working for the last month on a mouse play movie that we are going to show at the wedding. Joni is doing the technology work and I the art. It's turned out pretty sweet, I think we are done.

Hans turned 3 on the 29th of September and I made a snowman cake for him because he is forever asking if it will be winter soon. We had all the kids over and we played "I wrote a letter to my friend" and hide and seek. He got some more toys of course, sweet John deers and a teeny Cat loader from his babysitter Audrey, she's a gift herself.

My house is slowly getting cleaner by the day because I'm taking every minute I can get in to have it done before the wedding; I've got all of next week to work on it. I was backing buns on Saturday and in the afternoon by mother-in-law helped me rack up the lawn and my sister-in law mowed it, so that's behind me. Thanks to God for them.

The Wing-ding women were in US last week...shopping..nice hotel..two nights. The highlight was the last evening where we had a little get-together because we had voted for a secret sister and gave out our 3 dollar gifts. I gave them all a back rub and was the only one enjoying the pool.

Rodney is all relieved that another batch of turkeys are gone off to market; he is now getting the barn ready for more.

Give Thanks

Now that my cook week is done I have time to reflect on what I am most thankful for. Thanks for the challenge Diana and your comments are always appreciated.

#1. Health of myself and all in my family (Judas stepped into another rusty nail on Friday)
#2. Faith, even as a mustered seed. A little faith brings earth to heaven, but great faith brings heaven to earth.
#3. God's word, I know I'd be lost without it. Jesus is considered as the word made flesh.
#4. Fellowship with friends and family.
#5. A free country and Steven Harper, whom I pray for.
#6. My husband and sons.
#7. Food, clothes and shelter.
#8. Smiles, sunshine and laughter.
#9. God's faithfulness and protection.
#10. Wisdom and understanding.

The Invisible Fight

Sometimes I wish I had a black stone for every word I said that was not up building and a white on for everything I've said that was encouraging, and see witch house would be erected first. Isn't it strange how we can break a heart, shatter trust, deeply hurt someone, or loose a friend and not see, hear, or perceive it in any physical way.

There are meager battles going on in each of us, everyday, and we simply cannot see how the other person is fighting with his burdens. Paul talks about fighting the good fight.

So what are we fighting?

I know my personal giant is in my head, and I must daily scramble to keep gracious, positive, forgiving and unselfish thoughts in my mind. Mustering up to keep pride, envy, criticism and worry from entering my heart. Romans 12 warns us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed be the renewing of our minds.

Who am I fighting?

"Not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers." So does this mean that I'm not to be at odds with a sister or brother but with the devil? The struggle is not against one I strive to love who is made of flesh, but against the evil one who would have discord and sews seeds, in the form of thoughts, to destroy unity.

Lies, Lies, Lies
I'm so sick of lies,
is that all the devil can do.
Spare me
Never do I ever want to hear another lie
There isn't one I haven't heard.

That's from Elisa Doolittle, I sing it when I'm fed up from listening to the enemy tell me how worthless I am.

Why should I fight?

I know there is a war between evil and good, and if I don't try fighting for the good, evil will overcome me. It's like a house, if no one keeps it up, it will be destroyed. The kingdom of heaven is in my heart, if I let The King rule in it, I will reap the blessings. Oh, but where is the new heart I was promised? Will I always have to fight? Out of the heart come all kinds of unclean things. I will just have to do battle till the Lord sees fit to change my heart. He's the one who hardened Pharaoh's heart and I'll leave it in His loving care

It is incredible how silently and subtly the battle is lost or won. How vast and invisible the work of the Lord. I read a passage in Sirach the other day that said we shouldn't look down one people because the Lord does wonderful things that human beings never notice. Wow!!

Born again

I’ve been wanting to blog forever about my beautiful butterflies. I wanted to explain what I meant in my former blog (see Butterfly house) about how the life cycle of a butterfly reminds me of our new birth in Christ. Remember Nicodemus’ talk with Jesus in the night about being born again? I find a great example of this in the metamorphosis of butterflies.

First of all, they are born once, as we are from our mother’s womb, they are born of an egg that their mother has laid on the milkweed. They are just a tiny warm at first and grow to be a fat two inches by feeding on the milkweed.

Well, the milkweed is significant to me because the word of God is referred to as milk in one of Paul’s sermons. We, as spiritual babies, also need this milk to help us grow and become mature and strong. One interesting thing here about this milkweed is that it makes the larva poisonous to its predators. Our souls also have a ‘predator,’ is it not Satan? Is there safety from him by feeding on the word of God?
Once the worm is fed and fat it finds a safe place and spins a web that will hold it in place while it is changing. It attaches it’s back end to the web and hangs in a J, (for Jesus of course) until it is ready to become a new creature. “If any man is in Christ he is a new creature” Off with the old....... .....and on with the new. Since "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" we are to put off our old sinful nature and become a new person. The worm sheds it's skin while it hangs from it's anchor......this is what I’d call the second birth.

Just as the cocoon stays fastened we must hang on to the rock through any weather, storm or wind. We must cling to the word of God through temptation and trials; stay still and focused on our source of strength in sunshine or rain.
It takes about two weeks for the chrysalis to become a butterfly depending on how warm the temperature. The warmer the sooner it will turn. And all of a sudden……
The skin or house it was in dries up and dies, and out comes something beautiful that can take to the skies. This stage reminds me of our death, our body, or earthly shell, becomes old and useless, and when we die we can go to the mansion that God has built for us somewhere in the heavens.
The butterfly then reproduces (lays more eggs) and migrates all the way to Mexico. Jesus mentions a “regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory” but that mystery is far beyond me. I just know for sure that the butterfly goes into a warmer environment for the winter.