Finding joy in the everyday

Safe in the arms of Jesus, Safe on His gentle breast; There by His love o’ershaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest. Hark! ’tis the voice of angels Borne in a song to me, Over the fields of glory, Over the jasper sea. Refrain: Safe in the arms of Jesus, Safe on His gentle breast; There by His love o’ershaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest. Safe in the arms of Jesus, Safe from corroding care, Safe from the world’s temptations; Sin cannot harm me there. Free from the blight of sorrow, Free from my doubts and fears; Only a few more trials, Only a few more tears! Jesus, my heart’s dear Refuge, Jesus has died for me; Firm on the Rock of Ages Ever my trust shall be. Here let me wait with patience, Wait till the night is o’er; Wait till I see the morning Break on the golden shore.

‘Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Romans 5:1 Charles Stanley tells of asking his waitress, ‘If you could ask God for anything, what would that be?’ Instantly she answered, ‘I want to feel at peace.’ Through tears she spoke of painful losses that turned her life into intense emotional turmoil. Many people, like this young woman, want inner peace without a relationship with Jesus, the Prince of Peace. They seek it in ways that don’t work—physical fitness, improving their appearance, financial security, fame, social status, or human relationships. Some seek it in alcohol and drugs. But none of these things can provide peace of heart and mind; only a relationship with Jesus can do that. Before we meet Jesus we are slaves to sin, living in opposition to God ( Romans 6:16 ).  Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of o...

In every place in the world and throughout time, God has raised up and pulled down various governments. God doesn’t ordain any one form of government, the truth is, whatever form of government you and I are under, God is behind it. This is true for governments that persecute Christianity, such as Soviet-style communism or in strict Muslim nations such as Iran, or the oppressive Roman governments at the time of Paul. There is NO government that can overturn God’s plan for human history.   God’s purpose will be accomplished even in the most godless repressive regimes imaginable (such as North Korea or during Hitler’s reign in Germany). Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (Romans 13:1) Even in the Old Testament book of Daniel, where the prophet stood before Nebuchadnezzar, a great autocratic king and said:  And He changes the times a...

Earlier this week I wrote about the importances of telling children the truth about world events. The article I linked to made a very important comment:   Point your kids toward all the good that is happening. This is so true because there is a lot of good happening around us, but sadly we usually only hear of the bad and that gives such a lopsided view of the world.  So, whilst it is important to tell your kids about world events, balance it with the beauty that is all around us. Just check out nature and it will blow you away: Sunsets Sunrises Thunderstorms Autumn (Fall) Spring However,  don't forget all the people that are doing great work every day and we simply forget to acknowledge them: The paramedics The  fire fighters The police Teachers Doctors and nurses Those who collect my garbage The lady in the supermarket The farmers growing my food The charity workers looking ou...

Joanna : who was she and why is she mentioned in the bible.  Only mentioned three times in the bible, Joanna was significant enough to be mentioned by Luke.  We don’t know her family, what village she grew up in, or if she had many children. This is what we know about her.  Firstly, Joanna was an wealthy upper-class Jewish woman and married to Chuza, an influential member of the staff to Herod Antipas, the Roman appointed ruler of Galilee. Secondly, at some stage in Joanna’s life she came into direct contact with Jesus of Nazareth who cured her of an unspecified illness. Luke’s gospel mentions ‘evil spirits’ and ‘infirmities’ , which means that Joanna’s illness could have been almost anything. And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,  And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. (Luke ...

“In today's media-saturated culture, families are surrounded by accounts of shootings, bombings and other mass killings. Our kids won't fully understand these stories, but they'll be frightened just the same. As parents, we need to help them have the necessary facts to process these tragic events and a larger understanding to ease their fears.” ( LINK : Focus on the Family) I am not one that believes in keeping children hidden from world events. I think they do need to know (and understand) what is happening around them (in an age appropriate way) so once older, it doesn’t all comes as a shock and they are unable to cope with what is happening around them. Children pick up bits and pieces from the news (TV, radio and newspaper), other sources on the internet and via listening into adult conversation, so adults do need to help their children make sense of what is happening rather than them trying to find it out on their own.  We cannot shield our children from ...

I have always wanted a wheelbarrow garden but didn't have an old wheelbarrow to make one in until our neighbour gave us her old one. We now use the one we were given, and turned our old barrow into this lovely garden. My husband painted it green, put holes in the bottom (lots) and here it is. Doesn't it look lovely.  I have planted pansies, sweet pea (which you can see dangling over the edge) and a few bulbs. It is a lovely splash of colour in my winter garden. I am also thrilled that plants have popped up underneath and now it looks like it has been here for ages.