Crushed

Gen.3:15 He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heal.

He did it ! This is a bit of a gruesome picture, but I need to remember the significance of the unseen battle that rages around us. I am grateful for the ultimate Truth of the Victory that Jesus won the day He poured out His Life to save me. Is. 53.

In a previous post by John Paul Jackson, the point that the Lord brought home to me was the statement that, ''they have not come against you, they have come against Me. I will deal with it.'' And He did.

I am thankful for the reminder that it is not always me, (though sometimes it is,) who has messed up, or missed God. There are other forces, always working, trying to cause us to stumble, trying to cause us to doubt the Word of God Himself, to accuse Him of all manner of things.

My journey has been a struggle having difficulty seeing the path even remembering the promise in the first place.
There has been a spirit of fear that has been dogging my steps, trying to have me accuse God of His ability to provide and accusing myself of not hearing in the first place so why should He ? It's crazy ! Truth is He is Always here and it is the voice of my pain that deafens me to this awareness sometimes .

I wonder at the mystery how sometimes God seems silent but really He is shouting in our ears.

Amazing!

John Paul Jackson

Welcome, King of Peace
By John Paul Jackson
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.—Psalm 9:10

Trust is an act of worship, one that can be incredibly difficult because to fully trust God, you have to embrace a virtue no one enjoys very much: patience in the midst of trial.

Over and over again, the Bible highly suggests we trust God in all things—especially when life seems more “prunish” than peachy. The inference is that when we trust Him, our issues will fall into place. We will have some semblance of order (wouldn’t it be nice to have that again?), and we will know the peace of God.

In other words, life will be good. Obviously, that doesn’t mean everything we’re struggling with will suddenly correct itself and we won’t have tension anymore. Not at all. All of us have seen life be uncommonly hard and dirty and sweaty and difficult. All of us have bled all over the place and have been wounded and are still being wounded.

However, when our priorities are straight, we see with the eyes of God. Do we see everything? Again, not at all. But when our priorities are straight—meaning, God is God in our lives, and we know it and let Him be—we see what He sees, at least in part. We know suddenly that He is completely, absolutely, and irrevocably in control—and because that’s so, we have nothing to fear.

At one of the early churches I pastored, I learned an important lesson about letting God be in control of my problems. I had some elders get upset with me, and for one night I thought they might be right in what they said. But that night, the Lord came to me in a dream and spoke to me.

“Do I know everything about the future?”
“Yes, Sir, you do,” I replied.
“Did I know you would do what you did?”
“Yes, Sir, you did.”
“And I knew that, and I still called you to be the pastor at this church?”
“Well, yeah . . . Are You sure you wanted me to do that?” But I knew He did. I knew that I knew that I knew. “Yes,” I finally said, “You did.”
What He said next I will never forget. “Therefore, if I knew what you were going to do, and I still chose you, then they have not come against you, but they have come against Me, and I will deal with it.”

So I backed off, and God dealt with it.

So what does all of this mean? It means that what you are going through right now is led by One and One alone. Does He know your future? Yes. Did He know you would do what you did to get yourself into the mess you’re in now? Yes. And—even though He had plenty of opportunity to rat you out and write you off as a failure—did He still choose you to be where you are and do what He’s called you to do?

Yes.

You have nothing to fear. God is perfectly able to keep your head above water, even if the mess you find yourself in was entirely your fault. He can keep your checkbook in the black, your name on His roster, your hand in His. Never let the enemy convince you otherwise. Your destiny is worth far more than that.

Copyright © 2006 John Paul Jackson, Streams Ministries International. All rights reserved.
posted by Streams Ministries Online at 11:21 AM

Where are You Today Girls ?

Remembering good friends. Distance is not an issue when hearts are knit in Jesus. Love you and miss each of you.

Toronto

Today my sister JoAnne and I took a little trip to Toronto. Jo had to see a doctor, so I accompanied her for moral and prayer support.

We travelled by Greyhound Bus. This is a much easier mode of transportation when going to the heart of the city. The bus depot is about a two minute walk from Eaton Center, where, of course we walked our small town legs off. Oh...and we did a bit of shopping and a lot of browsing.

Later we walked north on Yonge St. in search of a certain little specialty shop. It is a strange experience to walk on Yonge Street. The day was lovely.

Saw this.....for real.


I whispered a prayer, and wondered if that was Jesus in disguise.

Of course this person is only one of many , but today in the midst of this busy city, I was only aware of the lost. It seemed to me to be a multitude , and I wondered what it would take to bring True Salvation and if there would be any who would say yes .

Sometimes the Mystery is overwhelming.

Reflection

This past week I had the opportunity and priviledge of working an earlier shift with my overnight Lady. I worked from three until nine p.m. and then did the overnight. This afternoon/evening shift is very different in that I prepare an evening meal and get to take my Lady for a walk twice during this time frame.

The location is a small village about twenty minutes from here. A lovely picturesque little town with a river flowing through the centre of it.

My lady loves these walks.

Funny how the Lord can give us a 'ministry', and all the while, HE knows that it is actually these circumstances specifically designed to work His changes into our lives.

My Lady (89) suffers from dementia, a type of short term memory loss.
I overheard her talking with her husband (91) the other night,( I am required to listen ) concerning the challenges they have in remembering,( he suffers from early alzheimer's ) and the daily care they require having someone always present in their home.

Sometimes they experience great frustration. A word won't come to mind, or the same questions are asked over and over and over. Loving and tender words once whispered sweetly, now spoken loudly into deaf ears. These aging hearts remember that love still lives here.

My Lady was heard to say.'I am just so thankful, and I just enjoy everything.' And she really does! She has a wonderful sense of humor, and when we go for a walk, she soaks in as much as her impared vision will allow.

The bright colour of the flowers, the grass, the trees, the birds, the water flowing quietly in the evening as we sit and observe. People are friendly, smiling and waving to her , sincerely happy to see her.

The simple things. This Lady who cannot remember a few moments before in time, the Lord has used to teach me something lovely.

The need to stop and become aware of the small and beautiful moments, even while the world around us is at war, and remember that His eye is on the sparrow, and upon my Lady and myself as we walk the hidden places in an obscure little village somewhere in Southern Ontario.

I find myself smiling a lot more when I am with these dear people. Thank You Lord Jesus and thank you my Lady, you have blessed me today.

Pic's Mix

The big let down after the wedding celebrations has passed now, and I have a couple of departure shots. Julie and the boys flew out last week and life here has settled back to normal, with work and sleep , and not much else lately.



Later while visiting my sister she had a visitor. JoAnne is a cat lover with a heart for all little critters. She has six of her own and she feeds 3 neighbourhood cats who drop by on a regular basis for treats. Then there is the baby racoon who who was brought by his mother one evening. But this little one takes the prize.




This last one was in response to one of the indoor cats coming over to the door to take a look. Thankfully this baby is not primed to spray yet.

Left over from the wedding .....a parking ticket that Yvonne got for me the day of the wedding.

Beautiful Day For A Wedding

This is the front of the Chapel/School where the wedding was held. Gracie went to this prestigious all girls school , and that was a pre-requisite for being able to be wed there. It is the female equivalent to the Upper Canada school for boys. There was a chap playing the bagpipes outside as the guests were arriving.
Before the ceremony began the groom and his best man, Jason, were shut up in a little room by themselves where the brothers had some last minute time together. Jason told me, he would take the bullet for his brother this day by protecting him. Today was all about Jack. As I tried to sneak some pictures through the glass, Jack discovered my camera. This was so fun!!!

As the Bride made her way down the aisle toward her Bridegroom , the trumpet sang the wedding song, 'Here comes the Bride'.


The Rings

The Dip

He 'dipped'Gracie with a big kiss here and as they walked down the aisle as husband and wife. Too funny Jack!
A Few Family Photo's

Julie, Jack's sister and the very happy Mother of the groom.

Yvonne and Jason, the Best man for his brother.

A very wonderful day ! This mother's heart wept more than a few times throughout the day and evening. To be sharing the happiness of these two lovely and devoted children was a dream come true for me. I wish them both 'Happily ever After' and pray that as they encounter the challenges and trials of their life together, they will remember to 'Default to the Romance' , as God does with us and He invites us to do as well.
I was reminded of the scripture from Song of Solomon 3:11. Go forth , O Daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day of the gladness of his heart.
So I crowned them with my Love and my Blessing , and experienced the gladness of the Heart of the Jesus as He rejoices over us, His Bride. Yes Lord, it was a wonderful day for the wedding of my son. Thank You.

There's Gonna Be A Wedding!

Jack and Gracie are getting married this week! I am so excited at the thought of my 'baby'(now 31) getting married to the 'Lovely Lady' he has searched for since he was a young man so eager for 'true' love.

I have found a beautiful dress and shoes that I need to practice wearing so I will walk like a lady should.

Family is in town ! My daugther Julie and the boys arrived last night, Jason, the best man, and Yvonne, are arriving soon as well. My sister Joanne and Julie and I are driving to Toronto on Thursday. I will be driving around Toronto ! Another fear will bite the dust I pray ! Help God ! Get me to the church on time!

For a few days I will step into another 'world' and bless and celebrate the happiness of my children. A welcome change and as valid a reality as the other world of my work.

Yay God ! There's gonna be a wedding !!!!!

Seasons Change

In the fullness of time ....God
Blessed be the Name of God forever and ever....
HE CHANGES THE TIMES AND THE SEASONS; He removes kings and raises up kings;

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals what lies in darkness, and Light dwells with Him.

Lately I find myself crying out more and more for these things.
Wisdom. Understanding. Knowledge. Light.
The Light of His Presence within and upon my frame.

I have just finished working a seven day shift of overnights, combined with some short day shifts. Yes, I am toast ! The world is in a state of war, gas prices are soaring, and yet we are somehow compelled to go about life as if all of these things have no affect on us directly, except for the gas prices .....give me a break !

I wonder at the contrast between the big picture, trusting that the Lord has it all in His very capable hands. The little picture being the strange world I find myself in with dear people on the edge of eternity who have little or no remembrance of what they had for breakfast this morning, and who ask many times as I am dressing them, what day is it ? And your name is ?

I wonder if in my own life I have tried to change the times and seasons in my own strength. Grasping the vision or the dream, and in my zeal, finding myself in the position of Joseph, who perhaps unwisely shared his dream prematurely.

Then I read Psalm 105:17.
He sent a man before them, Joseph who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons.

Until the time that his word came to pass , the word of the Lord tested him.

All that to say that when I seem to think all I can see is the mist obscuring my vision, the veil lifts for a brief moment, and the purpose is revealed again.

The goal of the Lord I believe is to form us to be His Image Bearers, and in so doing create those who will be trustworthy in the coming days to walk in His power and authority without defilement. Clothed in the character of Jesus , walking as He did in abandonment to His Father and jealous for His Glory.

So I am tested over and over again, as these things are being worked into my being.

When I understand this , I am at peace once again, even though I do not understand the journey towards this goal.

Here in my home town that is not really home any longer, I am very aware that I am not who I used to be. Faced with the many memories of my past I am confronted with the choices to once again, forgive, and leave all bitterness and wrath at the cross, and at the same time finding those places in me still alive with the pain of brokeness and betrayal.

So I will press on as best I can relying on Mercy to carry me .