Time keeps on slippin', into the future

     

     Once again, Old Father Time is reminding us yet another year is coming to an end and a brand new one just on the horizon. 

     We look back over the last twelve months, perhaps with a few regrets, but, hopefully, with an attitude of gratefulness for all the blessings that have come our way. 
     

     How wonderful that we can begin our new year with a fresh, clean page!  

     I relate to the following:  

He came to my desk with quivering lip — the lesson was done. 
"Dear teacher, I want a new leaf," he said. 
"I have spoiled this one." 
In place of the leaf so stained and blotted, 
I gave him a new one all unspotted, 
And into his sad eyes smiled, "Do better now, my child."   
I went to the throne with a quivering soul. 
The old year was done. 
"Dear Father, hast thou a new leaf for me? I have spoiled this one." 
He took the old leaf, stained and blotted, and gave me a new one, all unspotted, 
And into my sad heart smiled, "Do better now, my child."   

— Author Unknown   

     
     

     Entering our New Year, we can face it with optimism or, with apprehension and fear. Fears are strong emotions we are all familiar with. We know, sooner or later, at fear of some kind will invade us. 
     It may be a fear of a natural calamity; a fear of a serious illness; a fear of losing one's job; a fear of not having enough money for retirement; or, a fear of dying. 
     Usually, we are fearful of what we cannot control. Fear can immobilize us and steal our joy. We will not be free of fear until our own voice drowns out its voice.   

     "Fear knocked at the door; faith opened it — and there was no one there."    

     Consider the following: 

Another year I enter, it's history unknown; 
Oh, how my feet would tremble,
to tread its paths alone. 
But, I have heard a whisper, 
I know I shall be blest; 
My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 
What will the New Year bring me? 
I may not, must not know; 
Will it be love and rapture, or loneliness and woe? 
Hush! Hush! I hear His whisper; 
I surely shall be blest; 
My Presence shall go with thee, 
And I will give thee rest.      

 — Unknown Author

     "The journey is better with someone who knows the way."    

     

More than 300 times in the Bible we are reminded not to fear.
     

     "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you."  

• 
  

• — Isaiah 41:13 

     
     No one is ever alone. God knows everything about our future. He is already there!


— beulah

Making babies, it's a boy!

     

     Earlier this year, a new member was added to the British Royal family. Baby George appeared to Will and Kate, causing much fanfare and excitement throughout the world. 

     The news media beamed his picture across the world for all of us to see. 

     

     Over two thousand years ago, when no one was looking, another baby was born. He, too, was royalty as He was the King of Kings.  
     But, his coming was simply announced by a beautiful concert of heavenly angels, to a raggedy, old bunch of shepherds outside of Bethlehem. 

     His birth was unlike any other in all of history. This baby was unique as he was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence before the world began. 

     For He is God, the Son, the creator of the universe. (John 1:1-3) "The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us."(John 1:14) 

     

     It is called, "incarnation." God, the Son, or the Word, became flesh — took on a human body and nature, and was truly God and truly man. After the broken relationship with His created human beings in the Garden of Eden, God willingly sent his Son to bring restoration. 
     I am always overwhelmed with this awesome, true love story! Jesus, knowing he would eventually die on a cross for the sins of the world — yours and mine — came anyway.     
     

     What unconditional love, unending hope and eternal life for everyone who believes in Him. 

     

     This poem someone wisely wrote, is a message to you and me from Jesus:

If you look for me at Christmas, you won't need a special star  

I'm no longer just in Bethlehem, 

I'm right there where you are. 

You may not be aware of Me amid the celebrations 

You'll have to look beyond the stores and all the decorations. 

But, if you take a moment from your list of things to do, 

and listen to your heart, 

You'll find I'm waiting there for you. 

You're the one I want to be with, 

You're the reason that I came, 

And you'll find Me in the stillness as I'm whispering your name.  



Love, 

Jesus    

     

     To all my blog readers — a big thank you!  May this Christmas season be one of peace and a renewed sense of our Saviour's presence in your life.  Immanuel.     

— beulah

Christmas therapy

     

     My busy December began as I hosted an early Christmas party for 17 of my sisterhood of friends. 

     Some of them are experiencing physical challenges and loneliness in their twilight years. We try to look out for one other with frequent phone calls and in other practical ways. 
     

     We have learned that friends are important, no matter what age.

     Usually, we are surprised at the varied offerings of food that appear at our potlucks. Whether we were telling tales of Christmases past, learning the origins of the holiday symbols — such as, the candy cane — or Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, exchanging our five-bucks fun gift, or trying to answer Christmas riddles, no one seemed in a hurry to leave. 

          Why not try these fun ideas with your family — perhaps, around your Christmas dinner table.

1. What did the gingerbread man use to make his bed?
    A cookie sheet.  

2. What do elves learn in school?
    ELF-ABET. 

3. What does Jack Frost like best about school?
    Snow and Tell. 

4. Who is never hungry at Christmas?
    The turkey, for he is always stuffed. 

5. What do snowmen like to do on the weekend?
    Chill Out. 

6. What do you get when you cross Santa with a duck?
    A Christmas Cracker. 

7. What kind of bug doesn't like Christmas? 
    A BAH HUM Bug. 

8. What is white and floats up?
    A confused snowflake.   

     

     A recent visit from my Calgary comrade Norma, found us traipsing off to Washington State to go Christmas shopping at the Bellis Fair Mall. We also visited the Lights of Christmas, at Warm Beach, during our three-day coach tour. 

     

     The sights of Christmas were alive with over a million twinkling lights and animated characters, including the talking tree. Situated at a Christian camp, this holiday event is open to the public. 

     Each year it takes five months for workers to hang the festive lights. It's absolutely too beautiful to adequately describe. 
     

     Upon returning from our jaunt, (at just the right time) we took in the Nutcracker Ballet at our local theatre. It featured many of our local actors; what an awesome performance! 
     Visiting the Caravan Theatre has been on my wish list for some time. The opportunity came this month with the help of the Friendly Bus, taking us on a scenic drive along the back roads to Armstrong for our visit to the Caravan Theatre. 

     We enjoyed a winter sleigh ride taking in the heart-warming holiday show, Little Brother, Little Sister. 

     

     The outdoor stages were uniquely set against a backdrop of evergreen trees, as magnificent, prancing horses enticed our winter sleigh onward.

     

     As each Christmas season arrives, I find myself revisiting memories of earlier times, especially of childhood experiences. 

• The Christmas Concert production in my one-room school was a big deal to us country kids. 

• Having a new outfit to wear was a must. You can read the story of my childhood agony, while waiting for a new dress to arrive, (page 35 of my book, Seeds of Love). 

• We proudly memorized recitations and acted out the Christmas story. 

• We presented acrostics as a group, proudly holding up our large letters— seeking to impress our doting parents. 

Someone creatively found the right words for this acrostic:  

C - is for Christ, the Son of God and Lord of love. 

H - is for heavenly blessings to each and all from above. 

R - is for remembering the words to your favourite carol. 

I  - is for the icicles hanging inside every barrel. 

S - is for the stockings stuffed to the knee. 

T - is for the tinsel that Mom wraps around the tree. 

M - is for the mistletoe, hung from the wall. 

A - is for all the photos that decorate the hall. 

S - is for Santa and his love for us all.   

     

     As Santa would say,"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

— beulah

It's not a holiday song, it's a Christmas song

     

Recently, passing by our local International House Of Pancakes (IHOP) Restaurant, I saw a bold sign reading, "Keep Christ in Christmas." 

     I applaud merchants who promote the true meaning of Christmas.  These are the ones I wish to patronize. 

     To me, Christmas is one of the loveliest seasons of the year. I enjoy seeing the beauty of decorated homes and trees with their twinkling, colourful lights. The age-old carols that warm our hearts every year, I never seem to tire of hearing them. 
     What gracious reminders they are, that Jesus came that first Christmas, bringing the very Presence of God into the world — "Immanuel... God with us." (Matthew 1:23) 

     Many, now-a-days, want to replace the greeting, "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays."  

     Don Murdock from Colbourne, Ontario, has got it right, in the song he composed, entitled, "Christmas To Me." He emphasizes, "It is not a holiday song." It is a "Christmas Song." The words are great! 
     
     In case you haven't heard it, here are the words:  

Christmas to Me

It might be a holiday to you, but it's Christmas to me. 
A time filled with tradition, love and family. 
I put it on display each year, for all the world to see. 
It might be a holiday to you, but its Christmas to me.  
I remember as a child, every Christmas eve, 
We'd sing our favourite carols as we decorate the tree. 
Mom would tell us stories, we'd bow our heads and pray. Jesus our Saviour was born that holy day. 
We prayed for peace in the world, so all can enjoy, 
The true meaning of Christmas, the birth of a baby boy. Politicians try to tell us, take Christ out of the day, 
To hide all the symbols we used to celebrate. 
They say it might offend, those who don't believe. 
Let me tell you Mister, now you're offending me. 
Why must everything be politically correct? 
All we need to do, is treat each other with some respect. 
It might be a holiday to you, but it's Christmas to me. 
A time filled with tradition, love and family. 
I put it on display each year, for all the world to see. 
It might be a holiday to you, but it's Christmas to me.  

Merry Christmas to All!

— beulah

December in our town

           

     December is a time when the twinkling lights of Christmas begin to appear throughout our neighbourhood, reminding us to pull out our own last year's glitter. 

     Merchants remind us — usually just after Thanksgiving — that it's time to get on with our Christmas gift list. Their offers of special sales — while creating the perfect ambience with nostalgic Christmas music playing throughout their stores — is to get us in the mood. 
     We are then faced with the dilemma as to who should be on our gift list, and, how to keep within a decent budget. The needs of those less fortunate loom before us, and we try to remember to be generous.  
     

     Since Christmas is the one time of year it's intended we connect with old friends and distant relatives, another predicament arises: should we send greetings via e-mail, or, keep our postal service in business and buy expensive stamps?

     A story is told of a lady who bought 50 identical Christmas cards, hastily signed and then posted 49 of them. Days later, she looked at the message on the one remaining card. To her horror it read: "This card is just to say... a little gift is on the way."   

     
     Shopping can be a tiring, time-consuming effort, especially battling crowds of Christmas shoppers.

     I heard of a mother who was Christmas shopping with her two children. After several hours of looking at rows of toys and hearing them ask for everything they saw, she was feeling quite overwhelmed. So relieved she was, when she made it to the elevator but, as the doors opened, there was a crowd already inside. With determination, she pushed her way inside, dragging her kids and packages. As the elevator door closed shut, she couldn't take it any longer, and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up, and shot." 
     From the back of the elevator a quiet, calm voice responded, "Don't worry, we already crucified Him." 
     The rest of the trip down, the elevator was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.     

     "Nothing destroys the Christmas spirit faster, than looking for a place to park."   

Wife to Husband: "Let's give each other more practical gifts this Christmas — like socks and a fur coat."

— beulah

Honouring Madiba

     

     This week the world is mourning the loss of a champion for human dignity and freedom — Nelson Mandela. 

     A remarkable South African, Mandela is being honoured world-wide, for leading his people to freedom, ending the apartheid rule of the white minority regime. It would be difficult to find anyone, anywhere, at anytime whose life would match his. 
     Twenty-seven years in prison, enduring solitary confinement and hard labour, he emerges with this forgiving spirit saying, 
     "There's nothing to be gained by retribution. I'm just interested in building a better country for all its citizens." 

     

George H.W. Bush

     Becoming their president, he sought not revenge, but racial peace for both blacks and whites. As former president, George H. W. Bush said, 
     "I watched in wonder as Mandela had the remarkable capacity to forgive his jailers, following years of wrongful imprisonment, setting a powerful example of redemption and grace for us all."  
     He obviously had made peace with himself and peace with the horror of what he went through, deciding that "hatred corrodes the container it's carried in." 

          We all could learn much from this man's attitude as he further stated, 
     "Resentment is like drinking poison, and then hoping it will kill your enemies." He also stated, "A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dream of." 

WATCH: The most touching Mandela tribute came from the least expected place

     
    I've heard that during his years in prison, with just bread and water for breakfast, he would lift the bread to God and say, "I receive this in remembrance of your body, Lord Jesus, and with the water, I receive this in remembrance of your blood." 
     

     We know little of this man's prayer life, but something or someone kept his mind steady and at peace during those long solitary years. 

     

CLICK TO READ,  New York Times story: Mandela'a Body Arrives in Home Province for Funeral Amid Cheers 

     Could Mandela's deep and mainly private relationship with God have been the secret of his amazing strength of character?  You decide!

— beulah

Come on ring those bells

     

     I've just returned from taking my turn manning the Salvation Army collection kettle at one of our local stores.  I really enjoy volunteering at this time each year. 

      
     I like people, so greeting them with a smile comes easy for me. It's great watching them throw in their loonies and toonies as, "every little bit helps, and no amount is too small." 
     

     But, I am especially pleased when someone digs down deep in their pocket, pulling out a whole handful of change or better still, a shiny, large bill. 

     Today, I had a delightful helper for a short time. Four-year-old Hayden — fascinated with my bells and the coins as they clinked into the bucket — began encouraging other passersby to donate too. Many did, giving him the opportunity to place their donation into the bucket, which was part of his plan. Of course, his charisma helped, special to a child his age. 

     

     The history of the Salvation Army kettles began with Captain Joseph McFee in 1891. McFee wanted to help the vulnerable in San Francisco during the Christmas season but, he didn't know where to get funding. 

     During his earlier days in Liverpool, England, McFee recalled seeing a large kettle, where passengers of boats that docked nearby, could toss coins in to help the poor. 
     Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing, and encouraged the public to "keep the pot boiling." He collected enough to host a Christmas dinner for the poor. 

     The first time a kettle was used in Canada was in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1906. 

     These kettles give the public an opportunity to donate whatever they can to support the work of the Salvation Army.

     The money goes to help their annual Christmas toy and food hamper fund, and also supports many other programs that the Sally Ann provides year round.  

     So, why not sign up as a volunteer and ring at a kettle!

— beulah

Report card on God

     

     I've been hearing from the teachers in my family that report card time has arrived once again. This always brings a wave of nostalgia, as I recall my own busy teaching days. 

     
     I continue to find children at any age, interesting and so very special. The following article is too precious not to share with my blog readers. 

     Again..."out of the mouth of babes"... often comes truth. Could we describe God any better? This was written by an 8 year old from California for his Grade 3 homework assignment.      

     The assignment was to explain God.  

     "One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies. 
     I think because they're smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers. 
     God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. 
     God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or T.V. because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off. 
     God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps him pretty busy. So, you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have. 
     Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in my church. Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. 
     They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But, he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK. 
     His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself, without having to bother God — like a secretary, only more important. 
     You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time. You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. 
     If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know he's around you when you're scared, in the dark or, when you can't swim and you get thrown into deep water by big kids.    
     But, you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases. And that's why I believe in God."   

     

     Quite mature thinking from a young brain. 

     As Art Linkletter said many times, "Kids say the darndest things."




— beulah

So, this is my prayer for you, Rob Ford

Another day.  Another apology.  Join the conversation.    

     Since we live in a fallen world filled with imperfect people, another fiasco revealing more imperfect leaders — blazing the news headlines — shouldn't surprise us anymore. 
     I confess, I have been watching this painful drama unfold each day, with compassion and heart-felt sorrow. I see Rob Ford, mayor of one of our largest cities, continuing to damage his own reputation. He is trying to be relevant and stand tall against a "no-win" situation; it has caused him to exhibit erratic behaviour, using vulgar language, and revealing a lack of self-control. He is carrying a heavy load of pressure no man should be under, and my prayer is that he will soon relent and seek the needed help.  

     

     Today, during my Bible study, I was directed to the book of Titus. Paul's letter to Titus gave instructions as to qualifications necessary for "overseers"(those with authority over others).

     He first describes what they must not be: not over-bearing, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not addicted to much wine, and to slander no one. 

     On a positive note, they must be: worthy of respect, self-controlled, disciplined, peaceable and considerate, show that they can be fully trusted, show integrity, seriousness, soundness of speech, so that those who oppose may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about their leader. (Check out the three short chapters of Titus). 

     
     Sounds to me, our today's leaders would find helpful guidance if they chose the right source. I believe God has appointed us, not only stewards of his physical creation, but also of his design for society. We are to respect those he has placed in authority, giving honour to those who have earned it. 

     
     The aforementioned character traits cannot be produced on one's own. Rob Ford's greatest need is to have Jesus' Spirit and Power in his life, thus, helping him to find calm, peace, humility and sensibility he so desperately needs. 

So, this is my prayer for you, Rob Ford.   

     "You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."                                                             

 – Isaiah 26:3

— beulah