Taste and see that the LORD is good.

Standing on Grace ( I Hope)

2012-03-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

This could push me over the edge...

Pity Party:

Let me vent...The last few weeks have been traumatic enough, My mom having a mini-stroke and then I start to have health problems myself. Now the prospect of moving across country has come up. It is only a slight possibility it is not confirmed happening but the thought of moving to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan ( yes this place actually exists in Canada) seems very daunting to me. If you have never heard of Moose Jaw maybe it would help you to know that the closest major city to it is called Regina. David Letterman once made fun of Regina on his late night show, probably because it's name rhymes with a female part of the anatomy. Probably not the most impressive claim to fame but that's all I can think of right now...anyways...

The timing of this hypothetical move appears to be bad. We will have to prepare our house to sell and find another house to buy around the time that I will be super pregnant and ready to give birth to our second child. We will also have to move cross country, potentially by car with a newborn and a two year old. This is not an appealing prospect right now. I am already fatigued and feel beat down by life as it is. Actually I have felt particularly under attack lately. I feel like the enemy really wants to take me out, not for dinner but to actually destroy me and my family. I am already struggling with coping with the day to day stuff and the prospect of an impending massive move makes we feel like I am drowning.

Though Satan should buffet,
Those Trails shall come,
Let this blest assurance control;
That Christ has regarded
My helpless estate,
and shed his own blood
for my soul...

The prospect itself seems kind of ridiculous... We currently live in the capital city of Canada ( Ottawa, for those of you who don't know about Canadian geography.) It seems ironic to me that we would have to move cross country to a seemingly remote place that sounds like it belongs in a Dr. Suess book for my husband to secure employment. I'm sure Moose jaw is a wonderful place, it is just that we are so well set up here in Ottawa. We have a great church, House, close to MY family and My MOM. Now that MY MOM is having health issues I feel the need to be close more than ever.

It is well

Grace:

But then I am reminded of our true callings as Christians. Christ didn't die on the cross so I can I live a comfortably stagnant existence. I do have to honour my parents but I do have to '' leave and cleave'' and follow the Lords leading for our family. The Lord has provided for us abundantly over the years, He is not going to abandon us now. Christ gave up a possibly lucrative and comfortable existence as a carpenter to go live as a nomad in random seeming places and get brutally executed for our sins! That doesn't seem comfortable or sensible.That is sometimes how God works, His ways are not our ways and they are definitely GREATER than our ways. I have to TRUST in that more than ever. So, miraculously, In comparison to Christ's sacrifice and the hope for eternal life because of it, the prospect of us moving to Moose Jaw doesn't seem that bad.

Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and lean not on your own understanding,
In all your ways submit to Him
and He will make your paths straight

Linking up with Ruth's Blog Gracelaced, for Grace Laced Mondays, Check it out!

Dietary Fibre

2012-03-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

Pregnancy seems to come with some complications. A common one is getting ''backed up''. Hey I'm a nurse that's one of our favourite topics of choice: bowel regularity! right? ( or so people think). A friend of mine who is also pregnant asked me what I do to keep everything moving as it should. I guess you don't have to be pregnant either to be bothered by this health issue. It is a universal human condition. When things are aren't moving as they should life just isn't right.

This is a very healthy and tasty, gentle,effective non medical way to keep things regular. If this doesn't work for you, sorry but I think you will need to invest in some actual dynamite.

1 cup All Bran Cereal

1 individual cup of vanilla or plain Activia yogurt.

A few chopped stawberries

Handful of dried cranberries

Maple syrup for taste

A table Spoon of soya or nut butter.

Enjoy with a tall glass of water

wait up to 24 hours for results.

Good Luck and

May the force be with you!

Electrodes

2012-03-02T06:57:00.001-08:00

Today as a follow up to my heart palpations I am on a portable ECG heart monitor. As far as I know, I haven't had any palpitations. I fear having more palpations but I guess if I am to have them it would be best to have them while I am on a heart monitor.

This experience has really made me aware of my own weakness and mortality. It has made me question if I should have more children after this one. I thought before that we would have more than two. I didn't feel like this is my last pregnancy or my last baby. Now I am not so sure. Apparently my grandmother was told that she had a bad heart and she should stop after having two kids.

She had seven children.

Voice of Truth

2012-03-01T11:39:00.001-08:00

Matthew 4:5-7 MSG
"For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone." Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."

Me: Under attack... by leaves

(Ironically I have written this devotional with many distractions. Mostly from a toddler. My writing has been very fragmented as well as split up over a few days. So I hope that you find this somewhat cohesive.)

Sometimes I think that the worst of sins start with the best of intentions. We may seek out things that are not bad in themselves: a good job, a good hairstyle, healthy kids and marriage; but when they replace God in our lives that is when we fall. I am also struck by how the devil uses scripture in this verse to try to deceive. It disturbs me that even using scripture with the wrong intent and context can lead to sin. I sometimes fear that I am being suckered into half truths sometimes. If it isn't little lies from culture, society, the evil one, then it is lies from my own self.

I often could not imagine myself in Jesus' situation, after 40 days and 40 nights would I have passed the test? If I did pass, it would have been by God's grace alone, as I am not confident that I could do it myself. I think back on many test and trails of my life and I see many failures.

As they say hind sight is 20/20. It is so easy to look back on times of weakness and spiritual failures as they seem so obvious. It is scary how oblivious I have been in the past to my own sin while living it out.

What is the key to not being deceived? It is always the most simple answers that are true. To stay in the Word of the Lord and to never seize praying and seeking out his will, seeking out his voice. Seeking out truth in a noisy world of lies. Sometimes it easier said than done.

my Prayer
Lord fill me with your spirit, give me wisdom, help me to to see what is true, noble, pure, praiseworthy and focus on that. Lord I want your will not mine.
In Jesus' name Amen

Embracing

2012-03-01T07:31:00.001-08:00

25 Weeks

Linking up with Emily's blog the Anderson Crew, Check it out for more Embrace The Camera!

Sugar High

2012-02-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some reviews of recent recipes I have tried.

Flourless Chocolate fudge cookies

I tried these cookies out. They did not go over so well. My husband described them as " not horrible".
My friend Caitlin who is Gluten intolerant described them as " kind of a Fail".
I thought they were ok, but don't think I will make them again since they really are not that healthy ( they contain 3 cups of icing sugar). It was an interesting experiment anyway... If you are interested in making them for yourself I have attached the link under the photo.

Recipe for flourless chocolate cookies

Pretzel Buttons

These are super easy to make and everyone loved them. They are a perfect yet addictive combo of sweet and salty. I made these around Valentines day so they are made with red and pink smarties but you can customize the colour combos to suit any occasion. I took these to a valentines day event and they went over very well. The Hershey Hugs used to make these are not nut free so I hid these from my daughter. I put the link for the "recipe" under the pictures.

Recipe: Valentine Pretzel Buttons

Sick Leave

2012-02-27T05:45:00.001-08:00

So I have been written off work by my family doctor for the duration of my pregnancy.

How did this happen?

Glamour shot! Me in the ER probably around 3am in the morning

I had an episode while I was working a night shift last Saturday. If you don't know I am a registered nurse and I work in palliative care. I walked out of a patient's room and into the hallway and suddenly felt like my heart was racing so I grabbed a pulse oximitery machine that was sitting in the hallway and put it on myself. I was expecting my pulse to be 120 or something but it was 220 and I couldn't get it to slow down! I sat down on a random chair that was in the hallway and starting coughing. I coughed deep guteral desperate coughs trying to stimulate my vagal never to relax my heart. My co-worker heard the pulse ox machine beeping rapidly and my coughs from where she was sitting in the nursing station and she came to my aid. The nurse I was working with that night actually works full time in cardiac surgerical ICU at the Heart Instsitute and sometimes moonlights on my floor. Thank God she just happened to be working with me that night! I don't think anyone would have appreciated the seriousness of my heart rate more than her. She listened to my apical pulse and told me that it sounded like I was in SVT ( Supra Ventricular Tachycardia) and that I needed to go to emergency. So, I called 911 from the nursing station and as I was talking to the operator I saw my heart rate start to drop on the pulse ox. When the paramedics arrived my pulse had returned to a normal rate. I was shaky, pale and sweaty. I told them that I have been having these heart palpitations on and off for seven months now. This is the second time in the last three months that I have had a significant episode at work. Due to my history of the palpations and the fact that I was 24 weeks pregnant at the time they took me into emergency for further tests. Of course when I has on the heart monitor all night I didn't have any more episodes of tachycardia for them to observe. It was determined that I probably do have a slight arrhythmia called First Degree AV Block, which usually is not serious and does not require treatment. I also had a low potassium level for some reason of 3.2 which can cause heart arrhythmias. My family doctor is following up with a 24 hour holter moniter and an echocardiogram.

This is my ECG: for health care dorks so you can admire my long PR intervals

My Family Doctor sympathetically wrote me off of work due to these factors:

( I feel guilty about being off of work so I feel the need to justify myself)

I've noticed the tachycardia is related to working night shifts, I started getting episodes around the same time I started working nights consistently. When you work nights it messes your whole system up. You often run on adrenalin and adrenalin surges can trigger heart palpations.

I have had an increase of STRESS lately due to my mother having a TIA/mini stroke last week, I am very close to her and she is the sole provider of child care while I work. Concern for my mother + no child care = Super STRESS.

STRESS seems to bring on the heart palpations as they increased in frequency after my mother's TIA/mini stroke, also due to adrenaline.

I've determined that work is also a major STRESS right now in my life

The work itself is too physically demanding. The patient`s in palliative are all mostly completely bed ridden and they require me to perform heavy lifts, turns, transfers. I feel like I can no longer do my job effectively without compromising my health or the health of my baby.

I have experienced uterine cramping while working because I was not able to sit down and rest when I needed too, due to workload.

STRESS and night shifts has been shown to increase the risk of preterm labour

These tachycardic episodes obviously affect patient care

Heart rates of over 200 are not healthy for anyone even while running a marathon. Not to mention it is not healthy for my baby either! Increased episodes of tachycardia will only cause damage to my heart and potentially send me to an early grave.

I want to avoid the triggers of these tachycardic episodes because if I ever have an enduring one of them and they give me the medication to slow down my heart ( adenosine) it is possible that it will knock out the fetal heart rate to almost nothing ( 20 bpm).ie.it could kill my baby!

What about Grace?

It is Monday after all so I`ll get into grace. When this happened I knew I had to stop working. I thought it was unfortunate timing because I was a few hours short of qualifying for maternity leave. In Canada, Mothers can go on government assisted maternity leave for up to a year but you have to have worked 600 hours in the last year before you claim your leave. I think I was at 566 hours or something. I thought it was unfortunate that I would not get a paid mat leave especially since I was so close to qualifying, but could't see myself working any more due to the health risks. I considered it a worthy financial loss if it is in exchange for my health and the health of my unborn baby.

Then we found out that God had a better plan: I do actually qualify for sick leave before my maternity leave kicks in. Since I am going off on sick leave at 23/24 weeks gestation ( the earliest you can apply for sick leave in your pregnancy ) they count back my work hours from that current date. Going back a year from now includes a period of time that I worked full time hours so it puts me way over the 600 hour mark.We are amazed at God's perfect timing and provision. Although this whole experience with my health and my mom has been somewhat traumatic it could have been a lot worse. I try to look at it all as blessings in disguise and see how God has probably protected us from more unfortunate circumstances.

Linking up with Ruth's blog Gracelaced for Grace Laced Mondays, Check it out for more Grace in the everyday!

Embracing 24 Weeks

2012-02-23T12:21:00.001-08:00

This week has been a crazy eventful week. God has really made his provision clear to us especially in the most difficult of times. I will explain more when I have more time.
Here are some Instagram pics for Embrace the Camera.

My daughter is happy in this picture and not in distress: it is hard to tell

Posing

Unravelling the TP roll = classic

Linking up with Emily's blog the Anderson Crew for Embrace the Camera, Check it out!

Finding Grace when Confronting Loss

2012-02-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:4 MSG

"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you."

My mother an daughter having a nap

This past wednesday evening I got a call from my dad. He said ''I don't mean to alarm you but I just took your mother to the hospital because she seemed to be having a stroke.''

He told me her symptoms: slurred speech, confusion, incoherence, weakness, obscured vision. She was in this altered state for about half an hour. When I got off of the phone my husband asked what was going on and before I could tell him I started to cry. I was recalling my brief days of being a neuro nurse and thinking of all the worst case scenarios. I thought of my grandmother who had passed away this summer who had severe dementia from multiple strokes. I was imagining my mother in a debilated state or worse.

I prayed with my husband, I pleaded for protection and mercy. I told God that I was not ready to lose my mom. My mother and I are very close, we talk on the phone daily, She is our sole provider of child care while I work part time. Maybe I'm a bit too dependant on my mom. I think this experience has awakened me to that.

It's interesting what God has taught me from all this. I appreciate the value of forgiveness and grace. The night before my mom's little stroke, we had a fight about losing the body parts of my daughter's Mr. and Mrs. potato head dolls! We were both very tired and crabby and we were obviously not our best selves. It just goes to show that you should't let little arguments divide you from your loved ones as you will never know when you will lose them. We should never be too quick to extend forgiveness or grace as we will never know when it will be too late to do so.

Thank God that my mother recovered from her mini stroke with apparently no brain damage. She still has a headache though. I still pray for her protection from future strokes as I know she is extra susceptible to having them at this time.

I'm thankful for God's grace in keeping my mother around for a bit longer. I guess it would have been cool for my mom if she had gone up to heaven to be with Jesus. For right now, I'm happy that she is still here with us. I know someday I am going to have to learn how to live without her, I'm just thankful that day isn't today.

The prospect of losing one of parent makes me take comfort in God's eternal presence in my life, He will always be there for me. I'm in awe of how He is the eternal father to the fatherless. Even when I am "orphaned" I will still have the Lord as father. God Promises '' I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.'' -John 14:18

That is a gift of grace that nothing in this world compares with. Knowing I will always have the Father gives me comfort even when confronting the most devastating of losses.

Linking up with Ruth's blog Gracelaced for Grace Laced Mondays, Check it out !

Embracing Two Years

2012-02-16T06:31:00.000-08:00

Psalm 127:3 Children are a heritage from the Lord

February 14th 2010

This Valentine's day marked two years of parenthood for my husband and I. I think God really used Parenthood to humble us. It is definitely more challenging than we thought but more rewarding than we could have ever imagined.

One day old

One year old

Second Birthday party

Princess tent party with cousins

attempting to cut her own cake

With Cousin Alison

The only time I could get a picture of all three cousins together is when they were eating those crazy cheezies ( take note of my daughters mid party wardrobe change)

Linking up with Emily's blog The Anderson Crew for Embrace the Camera Check it out!

My Cheesy Valentine

2012-02-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Within this Christian vision of Marriage, here's what it means to fall in love. It is to look at another person and get a glimpse of the person God is creating, and to say, '' I see who God is making you, and it excites me! I want to be part of that. I want to partner with you and God in the journey you are taking to his throne." - Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage

I remember my first impression of you was not a very romantic one.

I remember that you also had many little pieces of toilette paper stuck to your face as you had cut yourself shaving several times that morning.

I remember thinking when I first met you that there was no romantic spark or possibility of love between us.

I'm so grateful that God opened my eyes to how wonderful you are and how perfect you are for me. Love like this can only be from the Lord.

I Love You Hubs!

Jen

WE GOT BEETS!

2012-02-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I had a bad first impression of beets as my parent's went on a fad diet that required they eat a lot of them. I was under the impression that beets were healthy but they tasted bad. I have memories of my dad coming home with groceries and sarcastically proclaiming '' WE GOT BEETS!!''. He actually carried that joke on for years after they had gone off the diet.

Skins fall right off after roasting

Beets are actually really yummy and nutritious and are high in folate, Iron and calcium so they are ideal food to eat while prego. I roasted beets for the first time and the results were very satisfying. I had tried boiling beets in the past but I have found that boiling takes away a lot for the flavour. Roasting is actually easier and preserves the sweet beety flavour. You can roast them with the skins on and afterwards the skins just peel off easily, so it saves time and effort.

I served the beets with steak making it a meal excessively high in iron.

I got the instructions for how to roast beets from localfoods.about.com I`m providing the link here:

How to Roast Beets

Bascially you wash them, soak them in oil, wrap them in tin foil then bake at 375C for 30-60 minutes, then peel cut and enjoy!

Embracing 22 Weeks

2012-02-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

I worked a lot this week so Photo opts were few and far between. I did manage to get a half decent belly shot. It appears that I have become bigger since last week. I'm starting to get really excited for the birth of this little dude. We haven't figured out what to name him yet. We have a few favourites but no name in particular is really calling out to us. My husband and I never agree on names, I prefer quirky and he likes more classical names. If only he would consent to Jethro, or Boaz we would be set for a name!

I still feel pretty energetic and mobile I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Glamour Shot

Linking up with Emily's blog The Anderson Crew for Embrace the Camera, Check it out!

Nut Free: Chocolate layered-Soya butter, Cream cheese Cupcakes

2012-02-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

My SIL Robin pinned this recipe on Pinterest. I thought it looked irresistible but it had peanut butter and my daughter has a peanut allergy. I substituted Wow butter for PB and they were a hit! They didn't last very long around our house. I finished the last one today for breakfast.When I make these again I think I will add chocolate chips to the chocolate cake mix in addition to just putting them on top and perhaps add more icing sugar to the cream cheese part as over all these cup cakes were not sweet enough for me. I have an excessive sweet tooth though.

After all that my daughter just ate the chocolate chips off of the top of cupcake, but she enjoyed it and at least that didn't result in a trip to the ER :)

Recipe
This is the recipe for the cupcakes! it is from Pillsburybaking.com
I didn't use all the specific brand name products that they listed I used whatever I had in my house.
I subbed, Olive oil for vegi, and Wow butter for PB, obviously I omitted the Reese peanut butter chips. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cupcakes

Cara Sapida Turtle Creek, PA Bake-Off® Contest 44, 2010 Finalist

Prep Time: 35 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Ready Time: 95 min
Yield: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Hershey’s® baking cocoa
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 EGGLAND’S BEST eggs
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup Reese's® peanut butter chips
1/4 cup Hershey’s® semi-sweet chocolate baking chips

Preparation Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 18 regular-size muffin cups.
In large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add oil, water, vinegar and vanilla to flour mixture, stirring just until smooth (do not overmix).
In another large bowl, beat egg, cream cheese, peanut butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar; beat until creamy.
Spoon 1 level tablespoon chocolate batter into each cup; evenly spread 1 level tablespoon peanut butter filling on top. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack; cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

Ending Bible Poverty at Home

2012-02-08T06:50:00.000-08:00

All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Tim 3:16-17

I did a quick sweep of our house while my daughter was napping and I came up with six translations of the Bible. I noticed that we have an excess of NIV translations 4/6. the other two are The Message and the NLT. This stack does not include digital forms or children's versions of the Bible. I actually read the word mostly on my iPhone with the YouVersion app. I have been reading the ESV version most commonly lately.

Looking at these Bibles I get kind of sentimental. The dog-eared glossy covered NIV is the first bible I received as a gift after becoming a Christian almost ten years ago. The Bibles themselves look so modest just sitting there, not reflecting their content that has forever changed my life. I do not want to know what my life would be like today if I had not started reading this book!Could you imagine what your home life would look like if you did not have God's word to guide you? I do not want to know the state of my marriage or family life if we did not have God's word!

I encourage you to gather up your Bibles and take a picture in appreciation of them. You can post them on your own blog or on One Verse's Facebook page. Think about how easily we have access to the word in our language and in so many different translations. Imagine if access to the word was somehow taken away? I know I would feel very lost and would do anything to regain that access.

Imagine the people who do not even have one verse of Scripture in their own language. People who are hurting and looking for truth, love, redemption, meaning and most importantly God. People who God is desperately trying to reach. People who cannot fully understand the freedom in Christ because it is not literally translated for them. Consider this when looking into the work of OneVerse. Their goal is to end bible poverty by translating the Bible for those most in need of it. There are over 2000 languages in the world that do not have even one verse of translated scripture. I'm linking up with a collection of Bloggers who are helping to raise sponsorship for Bible translation for the Vidunda people in Tanzania.

Even if you are not considering sponsorship your prayer for this cause would be appreciated. If anything I would hope that this post would encourage you to be aware of Bible poverty not just internationally but in your own neighbourhood, and home. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

God's Unfailing Love = Better Than the Superbowl

2012-02-05T17:33:00.000-08:00

I am working nights this weekend so I am missing out on church to save my energy to survive my shift tonight. I miss worship, so I was listening to some Jonathan David Helser YouTube clips to fill the void. I found this song '' You're Never Giving Up'' on God's unfailing love particularly moving. I also realized afterwards that I was watching this clip simultaneously as the Superbowl Half time show with Madonna. So sorry Madge, I missed your show...I heard you rocked it pretty hard for a 50 something year old. Jonathan's song is probably a lot more edifying though.

My Review of Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship, & Life Together

2012-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

''The problem with blockhead tough chauvinists of all sorts includes how they read the Bible. When they read about men being the ''head'' of their families they miss all the other parts about repentance, friendship, love, humility, and being like Jesus.'' -Mark Driscoll

I know the Christian world has been waiting for my opinion on the controversial book by Mark and Grace Driscoll for some time now (sarcasm). I was delayed in receiving the book as we ordered it by indirect means by donating to Mars Hill Church. So you may have gathered that if we have supported Driscoll's ministry financially that I would be favourably biased towards him. My husband and I don't always agree with everything that Pastor Mark has to say but we find him to be extrememly relateable. His ministry and speaking has blessed us in many ways.

I really enjoyed this book and found it challenging and stimulating on many levels. At the beginning of the book you gain alot of insight into the Driscoll marriage as they share all their struggles.They really dish the dirt on their lives and leave themselves pretty exposed. I appreciated them being so open about their trails as they are common issues that I know many other couples can relate too. They go into details about dealing with pre-martial sex, infidelity, sexual unfulfillment, and feeling disconnected and dissociated from thier spouse. One thing that surprised me was Grace writing about how her past experience of an abusive relationship affected her intimacy with Mark. Her abusive relationship with her first high school boyfriend was pretty much identical to my first high school boy friend experience. I thought I had forgotten about it and moved on as it seemed like a lifetime ago. I'm really grateful that she was brave enough to share her experience. It really gave me insight into my own self and how I interact with my husband in light of the history of abuse. I'm thankful that my husband is able to read this book to gain more insight into my perspective on this issue.

Mark and Grace Driscoll on the sleeve of Real Marriage.

I really enjoyed Chapter two, called Friends with Benefits. This chapter gave a brief historical and biographical look at Martin Luther's marriage to Katherine von Bora Luther. Martin Luther is the founding father of the protestant reformation. After he left the catholic church and monkhood he hooked up with a runnaway nun that he had helped escape convent life. Interestingly Martin Luther was not even particularly attracted or fond of his future wife when he first met her. He was quoted as saying he married her to '' Spite the devil'', Driscoll commented: '' which is perhaps the least romantic statement ever uttered.'' It was encouraging to read that the despite their unromantic beginnings their love blossomed tremendously over the course of their marriage. They even had six children! Driscoll emphasized that the Luthers had a very strong Christ centred friendship that held their marriage together.

A lot of this book is about sex. Not surprisingly Driscoll writes a fair amount on the topic of men, masturbation and pornography, as they are known to be the topics that he specialises in. I'm thankful that Mark Driscoll peruses these issues so openly as they are really prevalent problems that destroy people, marriages, families and entire ministries. The stats in his book on the porn industry are staggering. The effect that porn + masturbation has on men's abilities to relate and be intimate with their wives is described in great detail. He also theorizes that is why John Mayer is still single: His porn habit has made relations with a real woman unnecessary. Who knows maybe this book with save John Mayer?

The material in the book on sex is graffic at times but gets you thinking about your own married sex life and how to improve it. Let's just say I'm looking forward to my husband reading this book. The Last chapter of the book has some helpful guidelines and questions that Mark and Grace have compiled from their own experience and through professional counselling. My husband and I are also going to go through these questions as they will be useful for helping us determine our priorities, our future, and life changes we need to make.

This picture is for my husband and I's marriage book entitled: Awkward Marriage photos.

Mustard: A Priority Food Allergen in Canada

2012-02-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

Severe angioedema of my daughter's lower lip minutes after eating mustard for the first time. This picture was taken while we were waiting for an ambulance to arrive. We were in a remote location at a cottage and it took about 10 or more minutes for the paramedics to get to us. If the swelling had continued to her tongue or airway she could have possibly died.

I never knew that mustard was a common allergen until my 18 month old daughter had a severe reaction to it. If I had known it was a common allergy maybe I would have been more hesitant to give it to her in the first place. I have never met anyone in my life who has had a mustard allergy. My neighbour who is a family doctor was even surprised to here that my daughter is allergic to mustard.

I have learned that mustard is actually common enough of an allergy that Health Canada has added it to it's list of priority allergens. It will make it mandatory this year for food companies to label products that contain mustard. This is kind of a relief to me as mustard is often a hidden ingredient in many prepared foods. It is often unlisted in the ingredient list or falls under the vague category of ''spices''. It is unfortunate when products only list '' spices'' as thier ingredients and don't specify what they are because basically I have to avoid buying them because it may contain mustard. It is also virtually impossible to know if food has been cross contaminated when processed in the same facility as mustard products. I have heard of people with mustard allergies reacting to ketchup and flax products that has been cross contaminated.
Basically not being able to trust food labels is very anxiety inducing and it also restricts my daughters diet considerably.

For more Information on Health Canada's new allergen food labelling protocols for 2012 refer to the link below.

Mustard: A Priority Food Allergen in Canada

Thoughts on Facebook Etiquette.

2012-02-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

''You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can not be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on it`s stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.''

Mat 5: 14-16

It seems as though Facebook has created a really weird dynamic to relationships. It has wonderful ways of connecting us to people and making us feel in community. It also has ways of making us feel rejected and unwanted.

When I first joined facebook I would add anyone I just met or remotely knew. Some of these endeavours have been very positive and I have even fostered some FB friendships with a few people. Nowadays I realize that I am a little more cautious about who I friend. The main reason for my weariness towards requesting friends is that I find it hurtful when I am unfriended. I have found that some people are very quick to friend and unfriend; Maybe I`m too sensitive, or I just invest too much importance in FB friendship. Some unfriendings hurt more than others. I know that I can't help to be a little hurt and perplexed when I notice that I have been unfriended. I always think, ''they probably never liked me to begin with'', or once ''they got to know me they disliked me.'' Then I look at the mutual friends that they have remained friends with and I wonder "why would they deliberately unfriend me and not any of these other people?" I`m trying to get over this hesitation to make new FB friends. I need to get over myself and still open the door for new friendships. I am trying to have a `you win some and you lose some' mentality. In fact, since writing this post I have already extended three new friend requests.

I have a really hard time unfriending people on FB. Even if I have only met them once in real life and will probably never meet them again. I'm kind of a FB friend hoarder. For me personally I find unfriending kind of cruel and insulting. I feel like I am in a way rejecting them and disposing of them as a person. I think that one day they will notice that I am not on their friends list and they will be hurt by that.

I give people a lot of grace periods before I unfriend them. Since having a child I have became more aware of security, so I unfriended people I really don't know at all. They are probably normal people, but you never know. It's kind of naive to let basically strangers have access to all these pictures and information about my child and family. I have unfriended people for repeatedly posting offensive content. When I find people are jamming up my news feeds with farmville updates then I hide their news feed. Hiding the news feed is the nicer alternative to unfriending. You still remain "friends" but you don't have to be bothered by unwanted posts. This is why I think unfriending is so severe! It just seems like unfriending is a deliberate intentional rejection of someone. Just now I thought of someone to unfriend and brought up the unfriend button and I couldn't bring myself to click on it.

The main reason that I don't like unfriending is that I try to be missional with my FB page. I sometimes share scripture that I like, christian articles, and I also sometimes post links to my blog. I try to do this tactfully and not be too aggressive or excessive in my posts. I have had the most unexpected people respond positively to Christian material that I have posted. I have actually had a non-Christian person thank me for sharing some gospel and inspiration in their life. I am afraid that I may be the only "light" in some people's FB friends list. Maybe it is thinking too much of myself but I think of that possibility. I remember once I looked critically at my own FB profile for evidence that I am a Christian and I found none. I was quite disappointed with myself, I hadn`t realized that I had gradually just blended in with the world and there was nothing pointing to Christ in my profile. So, I have changed that by putting in my religion, quoting scripture in my quotes and about me.

I got this from Facebook ( It should say ''post'' instead of ''speak'')

I have observed that starting a blatantly chritstian blog and sharing my posts regularly on FB has possibly not been good for my friends list. Contrary to my typical reaction, whenever I get the sense that I have been unfriended for being ''too Christian'' I feel a sense of joy and relief! Why would I hide my true self to prevent people from unfriending me on FB?

If you take anything away from this post it would be if you are a Christian to let your light shine on FB. There are tactful ways of witnessing on FB. From looking at your profile could anyone tell that you are even a Christian? Or even worse do you put ''Christian''or ''I Love Jesus'' as your religion but then your actual posts on FB don't reflect that or are even contrary to Christian morals and beliefs?

Are you using FB to connect with people, to build them up, love, encourage, inspire and point to Christ? or are you using FB to exclude, judge, snoop, and reject ? Maybe think twice before unfriending that person you have nothing in common with. Maybe they are on your list for a reason. Maybe you are the only exposure to the Gospel that they have in their lives?

The Holy Spirit

2012-02-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Acts 1:5, 7, 8 ESV

"for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

I don't really like to admit this but I have realized lately that I have downplayed the Holy Spirit or under appreciated the spirit. In the trinity I tend to get more focused on God or Jesus maybe because they seem more tangible? I have recently had a new appreciation that The Holy Spirit of God is our main comforter and councillor in this fallen world. The Holy Spirit was given to us by God when Jesus departed from us after his resurrection. I have been asking to be filled with the spirit on a daily basis lately.

My relationship with the Holy Spirit of God is really hard to describe. When I first came back to Christ almost a decade ago I had a very intense spiritual experience. Some people I have described it to have said it was a baptism by The Holy Spirit. I felt an indwelling, cleansing, embracing of the spirit. I felt like my mind was cleansed and I had clarity for the first time in years. I even felt the spirit washing my feet! Although I think there is a danger to be constantly seeking out intense emotional, spiritual experiences. It's more important to have faith even in absence of good feelings or experiences. I think at that one point in my life though God knew exactly what I needed to be redeemed to Him. I'm eternally grateful for that blessing.

my Prayer

Lord Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank your for Jesus. The trinity might be a mystery to us but I`m just thankful for your love regardless of my lack of understanding. Fill me with the spirit. Help me see the truth in the everyday. Help me live out your will and love with my life.

In Jesus' name Amen

This Lauryn Hill song was out a few years before I was saved and I always associate it with my experience with The Holy spirit.

Embracing 21 Weeks

2012-02-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

'' ...The joy of the Lord is your Strength'' Neh: 8:10

Hey! I`m 21 weeks impregnated! How did that happen? Time is flying! I feel pretty good overall. I have more energy and less nausea. It`s nice to kind of look pregnant now but not be too big to role over in bed yet.

Glamour shot

I saw a midwife yesterday who read my ultrasound report. Everything looks healthy except our son may have a mildly dilated kidney due to urinary retention. Apparently this is common in boys and usually alleviates itself before they are born.

My daughter reading the Word

Linking up to Emily's blog The Anderson Crew for Embrace the Camera. I love this activity it really motivates me to take pictures I would otherwise not take. Check it out!

Stuff Christian Girls say

2012-02-02T03:20:00.000-08:00

This is a clip made by Christians poking fun at themselves. I saw this floating around Facebook and had to share it. I have to admit I have said some of these quotes myself. I particularly relate to the journaling and the inspirational tweeting.

I actually searched for "Stuff Christian Moms say'' but unfortunately it doesn't exist.

Man Shall not Live by Bok Choy Alone

2012-02-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

Matthew 4:4 ESV

"But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Bok Choy stir fry tuesday night

I suppose this verse may justify why I hardly post any recipes on my blog. I think the food portion of my blog is pretty lame. But I would like to think overall that my blog is rich in spiritual food. I'm thinking once I go on Maternity leave I may have more time and energy to invest in trying out elaborate allergy friendly recipes. Right now as a working mom who works shift work I find that simple meals rule. I appreciate low effort meals. I was pleased with my Bok Choy stirfry and dumplings that I made the other night,. Bok Choy is hyper nutritious and delicious especially when fried with soya and oyster sauce.

Vermachelli noodles and dumplings (prefab from frozen) to go with Bok Choy

I decided this week that I would try writing daily devotionals on my blog. That's pretty ambitious. Probably too ambitious. considering that I have an attention seeking two year old who usually doesn't allow me to finish a thought let alone a sentence ( Did I mention that I love my daughter). I think I've been interrupted fifty times already just while writing this post. I honestly marvel how anything I write is in any way coherent.
I was hoping that writing chronological devotionals of a psalm, then a proverb, then a quote from Jesus and then a quote from the apostle Paul would be challenging and comprehensive. I honestly don't know if it will work out. It will be good for scripture study but I don't know if I will be able to write something interesting or insightful for every peace of scripture. So far on Monday I have started with Pslam 1, then Tuesday Proverbs 1, then today Mathew 4 because I wanted to incorporate more of the "red letters".

How about you? have you had some spiritual Bok Choy today?

mY Prayer
Lord Thank you for your word.Thank you for spiritual food that lasts for eternity. help me to be nourished by it daily. Sorry I am not as faithful as I should be with scripture study. Help me to thirst for your word. Help me teach my daughter your word, and to share your word with others who have not heard it.

Spicy Bok Choy recipe ( Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 pound bok choy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Trim off the ends of the bok choy and chop, keeping the white parts separate from the green as they will need to cook longer. Rinse and spin or pat dry. Set aside.
In a small bowl or cup, stir together the vegetable oil and sesame oil. In a separate larger bowl, stir together the water, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Set this aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy stems first; stir fry for a few minutes or until the pieces start to turn a pale green. When stems are almost cooked, add the leaves; cook and stir until leaves are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the bok choy to a serving dish. Pour the sauce into the skillet or wok, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour over the bok choy and toss lightly to coat.

The Beginning of Knowledge

2012-01-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 1:1-7 ESV

The Beginning of Knowledge

"The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

One thing that I have received from the Lord is wisdom from the word and through the Holy Spirit.
Before I knew Christ I had a lot of knowledge but it had no purpose or reason to it. All of the knowledge in the world was not going to give me a sense of meaning to life. The fear of the Lord put all of my knowledge into context.

When we Start with fear of the Lord our Knowledge has meaning and purpose. Without the Lord it is difficult for me make sense of anything. for me without His law, love, mercy, and grace the world seems kinda like a cruel pointless nightmare.

I`m currently reading ''The Meaning of Marriage'' by Tim & Kathy Keller. In the book Keller touches on fearing the Lord.

'' Obviously, to be in the fear of the Lord is not to be scared of the Lord, even though the Hebrew word has overtones of respect and awe. '' Fear'' in the Bible means to be overwhelmed, to be controlled by something. To fear the Lord is to be overwhelmed with wonder before the greatness of God and his love. It means, that because of his bright holiness and magnificent love, you find him '' fearfully beautiful''. That is why the more we experience God's grace and forgiveness , the more we experience a trembling awe and wonder before the greatness of all that he is and has done for us.''

I often times feel like I am lacking in this fear or respect of the Lord. That I have put God in a box, and only think of him in terms I can understand and at convenient times.

my Prayer

Lord Thank you that you have given us the word to live by, Sorry if I am not studying it has much as I should or could. fill me with your spirit help me to be disciplined in your word. Help me to Fear you Lord, as sometimes I am arrogant and I don`t take the time to be still and know that you are God. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness.

in Jesus` name

Amen

Meditating on the Law

2012-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

Psalm 1:1-6 ESV

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

No one plays Moses better than Heston

The thing that struck me the most about this psalm was the concept of meditating on the Lords law day and night. At first thought I wasn't sure how that would actually look. Would that be sitting with the ten commandments in hand mediating on all the Thou Shall Nots ? I almost found it comical to imagine someone delighting in ''Thou shall not Murder'' or'' Though shall not covet they neighbours ass ( KJV)''. It is usually not human nature for people to delight in a list of rules and guidelines. Actually it is more our nature to delight in breaking them.

Then I felt a profound appreciation for God's law. Without a sense of universal right and wrong I'm convinced that human society would justify all kinds of atrocities to suit it's own selfish wants and desires. We already do this and have throughout history.This aslo includes Christians, I don`t think the crusades demonstrated the `Golden rule`when they declared holy war on Muslims. Despite our best efforts we are fallen creatures and it is impossible for us to always uphold God's law. There is only one human in existence who has ever been able to keep all of the commandments. Thanks to God that He has given us Jesus as the example of a perfect life.

Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the law of the old testament but to fulfill it.( Mat 5:17) He also offered a simplification of the law: To love the Lord your God with all your Heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself ( Luke 10:27-28). By loving God above all else and loving others as yourself it would be impossible to break any of the ten commandments. Jesus enabled us to trump all of the rigid rules with one: To Love. There seems to be a relationship between loving God and obeying God (John 14-15). Naturally if we Love someone we do not want to disappoint them. There is also a direct correlation between keeping his commands and remaining in His love (John 15:10).

Then it comes back to grace. Grace gives us the freedom to break all the rules but still remain in his love. This does not mean we read the Ten commands and then go break them intentionally. We are all prone to sin because of our fallen nature. Jesus had the advantage of being God, that is how He could not sin. We are obviously not God and despite our best efforts we will all fall into sin and break God`s laws. Thanks to God that He has given us the ability to repent and accept his forgiveness and Grace and be saved from our own selves. It`s amazing to realize, we are not saved by keeping the law alone, we are saved by his freeing gift of grace in Christ Jesus.

mY Prayer

Lord I know that as a child of God, as a mother, as a wife, I fall short. I am aware of my shortcomings constantly and it frustrates me often. I am so thankful that your perfect love has saved us. That you give us your grace so freely. I'm thankful for your law that keeps us from destruction.

Lord , I cannot thank you enough.

I'm linking this post up to Ruth's Blog Gracelaced for Grace Laced Mondays. Check it out for more experiences of grace in the everyday.

Embracing the Pudding Face

2012-01-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

I've been busy working night shifts in the hospital this week. I haven't had too many good or flattering photo opportunities.Taking pictures with toddlers can be very challenging. These are my best results from this week.

I also have a toddler crawling all over me right now, so I'm not inclined to write anything too deep and meaningful in this post.

Linking up with Emily's Blog The Anderson Crew, Check it out for more Embracing the Camera.

Grace Laced Mondays

2012-01-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

"My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Cor 12:9

My nurse personae ( so glamorous)

Riding the Wave of Grace

My most recent example of grace that comes to mind is from working my night shift last night. I am a nurse who currently works in pallative/end of life care. Before my shift I felt a real lingering dread and despair about going in. I really didn't want to leave my family. Mostly my poor mood was due to exhaustion from shift work and I was feeling sorry for myself. I prayed in the car for a decent shift and for protection. Funny thing is whenever I pray for a decent shift I tend to have a really horrible shift.

I feel like God isn't going to give me an easy ride, He is going to challenge me and help me rise to the occasion. So at 4am when my brain was beyond sleep deprived, when I was the only nurse on the floor and the call bells were all going off endlessly and a patient started having a psychotic episode and was screaming and smashing things on the floor; I decided to just ride the grace wave. I guess I could compare my nursing adventure to surfing. Surfing is pretty unimpressive when there are no waves. Actually surfing is virtually impossible without waves. God can take the "waves" in our life and turn it into something amazing. He can lift you up ande help you accomplish things that are awesome for his glory. When I got home from my shift this morning I thought that I had no idea how I survived. I realized that I was able to accept God's grace by acknowledging that I could not have handled those circumstances on my own, that I managed to perform under pressure by the grace of God. I prayed " Lord, Your grace really is sufficient for me." With Grace the Lord took this tired, grumpy nurse and helped her achieve the extraordinary.

Me in Tofino: This is the closest I have ever come to actually surfing

Real surfers in Tofino (Not me)

Extending grace

In my post last week for Grace Laced Monday, I wrote a bit about how it is difficult to accept grace. I basically said that it takes a lot of humility to admit that you messed up. but I forgot to include that it also takes a lot of strength to extend grace. Especially when we have been wronged or hurt. Our sense of justice and pride demands some kind of vindication. We know that the offender deserves punishment but we also know that we need to extend grace so that the cycle of hate can end and love can prevail. Our ability to extend grace is really a gift from God.

How about you? If grace is a wave are you willing to trust God enough to ride it?

Linking up with Ruth's blog Gracelaced, for Grace Laced Mondays. Click on above button to check out other experiences with grace in the everyday.

Thoughts on "Sanctity of Life Sunday"

2012-01-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

" The greatest destroyer of Peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between." - Mother Teresa

Our Son at 19 weeks

I realized today is "Sanctity of Life Sunday" at least in the states. It has been 39 years since abortion has been legalized in the U.S. as a result of Roe. vs Wade. I find it hard to approach this topic because it is so heated. Being pro-life isn't seen as being progressive, cool, or politically correct. I think being pregnant right now and being at a stage that woman actually abort also makes me very sensitive as well.

I had an ultrasound this thursday and we determined the gender of our baby at 19 weeks. If I was to misscarry at this point in my pregnancy We would be devastated. Knowing that people intentionally and willingly terminate their pregnancy at 19 weeks because of gender or any other reason is completely incomprehensible to me.

I find abortion deeply and profoundly upsetting. If you are reading this and have had an abortion I don't hate you. I feel incredibly devastated for you.

When I hear the stats on how many abortions are performed in north america I am so saddened. How have we become so hardened as a society? The majority of abortions are not performed because of medical reasons or because the mother was raped. Most abortions are performed for convienence. Also recently in the news it has been shown that abortions are performed specifically for gender selection. Not just in India and China but also in North America. I thought abortion was legalized to protect woman's rights?

It is also interesting that in countries where gender specific abortion is a widespread practice that infanticide is also fairly prominent. As is depicted in this documentary called " It's a Girl!"

Recent CMAJ editorial : Concealing fetus sex could curb abortion trend

Canadian Blog Awards: Thank You!

2012-01-21T13:05:00.000-08:00

WOW!!! I just saw the results for the Canadian Blog Awards and am very touched and amazed that I actually won 1st place for Best Religion and Philosophy Blog of 2011! This is super encouraging and I am definitely feelin' the love! I want to extend a heart felt Thank You to all my readers who nominated and voted for me. Special thanks to The Canadian Blog Awards for hosting!

Above all, I give thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ who gives me so much to write about and to live for. I feel truly blessed!

Book reviews

2012-01-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

Don't Waste Your Life
by John Piper

" I will not waste my life! I will finish my course and finish well. I will display the Gospel of the grace of God in all I do. I will run my race to the end.-Paul"- John Piper

I have to mention, this is the first book that I have ever read exclusively on my iPhone! This medium of reading books as changed my life! I downloaded it at work when I was on my break and read the first hundred pages right away. Very challenging book spiritually and theologically. Piper challenges us to step out of our comfort zone and encourages us to live for the glory of Christ. According to Piper you can waste your life by leading a self gratifying, self serving, self centred comfortable life that does not display the gospel. One of the catch phrases for Pipers ministry is " God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him". This type of satisfaction cannot be faked and he encourages us to seek out an authentic relationship with the Lord. He writes about making people "glad in God" and in order to do that we have to be glad in God ourselves.

"My joy grows with every soul that seeks the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Remember you have one life. That's all. You were made for God. Don't waste it.- John Piper

This book has caused me to question my own lifestyle and walk with God. I recommend it!

" It is about the greatness of God , not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about himself."- John Piper

Crazy Love
by: Francis Chan

'' Lukewarm living and claiming Christ's name simultaneously is utterly disgusting to God ''- Francis Chan

What I like about Fracis Chan is that he is so loving and joyful in his presentation that I think he can get away with saying just about anything. He speaks with a genuine smile on his face and even when he is telling you that you are going to hell, you still can't help but like the guy. That's what Chan is basically telling some of us in his book Crazy Love. Chan references Piper's book ''Don't Your Waste Life'' a few times in this book. Having read this book directly after reading Piper's book I felt like I was getting De ja vu and that God was really trying to drive home a message.

The message being that a lot of ''Christian's'' including myself at times have been missing the point. That we are willingly or unwillingly missing out on God. That we are Christian's only by label alone but otherwise our lives do not reflect the truth and way of the Gospel. We are missing out on an authentic relationship with the Lord and are also missing out on his salvation. Chan had lost both of his parents at an early age which made him realize the fleetingness and unstableness of this life. He has also preformed enough funerals as a pastor to have a real urgency about him that a lot of us are lacking.

Chan often points out that the values of the gospel are not really evident in a lot of Christian lives. He was disillusioned that when he compared what was actually in the Bible to how Christian's actually lived their lives that the two didn't usually add up. That Christian's didn't demonstrate any fruit in thier lives and didn't really stick out from non-christians in their actions and life priorities. Reading Chapter 4. Profile of the Lukewarm was particularly eye opening and convicting for me. He highlights characteristics of the lukewarm and then compares them to biblical examples. Here is an excerpt:

''Lukewarmpeople tend to choose what is popular over what is right when theyare in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside ofchurch; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of theirhearts and lives. “ Woe to you when all men speak well of you, forthis is how their fathers treated the false prophets” ( Luke 6:26) “Iknow your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you aredead” ( Rev. 3:1). “Everythingthey do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide andthe tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honour atbanquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love tobe greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them Rabbi”. (Matt. 23:5-7)''

I really appreciate Chan's writing and his genuine love of the Lord. This book is very encouraging, sobering and eye opening. I am looking forward to reading other books by Chan.

" Our greatest fear should not be failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."- Francis Chan

Intro to Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Embracing a BOY!!

2012-01-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

So we had an Ultrasound this morning and found out that we will be having a baby BOY in June! I`ll have to figure out some boy names and get accustomed to this having a son concept.

I`m mostly thankful that the baby is healthy and growing ! Praise the Lord!

Strangely enough, I didn`t think that I wanted a son until I saw the movie Super 8. I think the Lord actually used that Speilberg movie to change my heart. Watching a group of quirky pre-teen boys on screen really endeared me to the prospect of someday having a son. It is funny what God will use to teach you something.

My daughter and I had some semi-successful embracing the camera instagram shots this week so I thought I would share them.

My husband hates this picture but I look Ok

Father & daughter quality time

I`m linking up with Emily`s blog: The Anderson Crew, Check it out for more Embrace the Camera!

Grace Laced Mondays

2012-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 2:8

'For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith-- and that is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God'

This is my daughter and her cousins expressing their disdain for being placed in a playpen.
I see this as a metaphor of what the world could be like without grace: an overcrowded playpen of temper tantrums.

Grace in the Face of the Ungraceful

We have all been there: In line at Walmart. While at the check out I accidentally knocked the visa/debit machine while I was loading groceries into the stroller. The machine then needed to be rebooted, delaying my purchase and the customer behind me became very impatient and rude. I guess some people may have retaliated back and got defensive but I apologized to everyone and smiled it off. On the inside though, it hurt my feelings. I tried to make excuses for the rudeness in my head. " Maybe they are having a bad day or in a rush ?" but the thought did cross my mind: What is wrong with people!? Why would they think it's worth belittling me because they have to wait an extra minute in line? I think cashiers at Walmart must be saints by the way.

Thoughts on Grace

The thought occurred to me that we live in a society that is largely unaware of the concept of grace. I looked up the definition of grace on dictonary.com and was disappointed by how it was defined.

Grace is more than an elegance or beauty, it is more than favour, it is even more than mercy.

Grace goes beyond mercy. It gives undue favour or blessings where it is not due. It is more than withholding punishment. It is withholding punishment and then providing something good instead. An undeserved reward. It is giving someone a luxury cruise when they deserve the electric chair.

Grace is not fair and it is actually counter our sense of justice. That is why so many people including myself have a hard time accepting it. People generally want to work to attain rewards, or be recognized for our good works, so it is hard to accept that all of our "goodness" save. When really all of our best deeds are described in Bible as"flithy rags" compared to the glory of God. So, God is not impressed by what we do. We can not save ourselves with good deeds. God saves us and it is His gift to us.

The grace of God for us Christians is that we deserve to die but are saved by faith in death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I'll repeat that again: We deserve to DIE but are saved by God's grace. Jesus did actually face the death penalty for us and in return we get to go on a luxury cruise for eternity.

Grace in the family
How do we respond to this profound gift of grace? By trying to emulate it, by loving others as Christ loved us. As a wife and a mother I don't know how our family would stay together without knowing the grace of God. Grace allows us to get past our mistakes and mess ups, so we can forgive and keep on loving each other. Without grace our family would quickly fall into dysfunction. An example of how my husband extends grace to me is by support my blogging. At times while I write laundry, clutter, and dishes pile up. He sometimes also gets neglected, but he doesn`t give me a hard for it. He knows that it`s an important outlet and that it is preventing my brain from atrophying so he has been gracious with me so far. He could guilt me out for it or criticize me but he does not. I`m very thankful for this.I am working on returning this grace by prioritizing the wife and mom duties over the blog.

Grace in the World
I heard Ravi Zacharis say recently in a talk that Christianity is the only religion in the world with the concept of salvation by grace. In other religions, salvation is by works or indirectly by karma.

Accepting grace takes humility, as you have to admit that you messed up somewhere. I think about those who are great in their own eyes, who are " good people" who do not think they require grace. I have been one of those people and still am at times. I wonder sometimes, How could a person that has never accepted or felt the need for the grace of God ever know how to extend grace to others or even themselves?

If grace transcends the law of vindication and justice but we do not accept or practice grace then how will we ever have peace? Either on a personal level or a global level?

Where is your gift of grace?
How about you? Is grace a concept that you find difficult to accept? What's preventing you from accepting your gift?

my Prayer
Lord Thank you for your grace through Christ. Thank you is not a strong enough word. Forgive us for being ungracious. Help us to extend that grace to our family's and others.
in Jesus` name Amen

I discovered a sweet blog that has a link up to posts about encountering grace in the everyday. It`s Ruth`s blog called Gracelaced. Check it out by clicking on the grace laced monday`s button! It is very encouraging.

Prayer Request

2012-01-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

Please Pray for my upcoming Ultrasound next Thursday. That I would have Peace of mind. I usually am filled with anxiety before my ultrasounds. I start to worry that something will be wrong. I shouldn't worry. I should trust God. Also pray that the baby's legs will be open so we can determine the gender. I hate surprises!

Also pray for my husband's job situation as there is uncertainty there. Pray that we continue to seek God's will for our career paths. Also pray for

help for me to survive work until I am able to go on maternity leave.

Thanks Jen

If you have a prayer request that you would like me to post for you please e-mail me:

Jenmac1980@gmail.com

I can post your request anonymously if you don't want your name out there or I could just pray for you and not post it on the internet.

I will also be posting my own prayer requests. I really appreciate your prayers.

James 5:1 Therefore confess your sins to each another and pray for each other so you may be healed.

Embracing Winter

2012-01-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

So, It's mid January in Canada. Christmas is over so the novelty of a white Christmas has worn off. This is the time of winter that kind of drags.

I have been reading the book 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan the last couple of days. It's a good read, I recommend it! In one of the chapters you are referred to watch a YouTube video of Francis walking along a beautiful California beach front with a surf board in hand. I found myself drooling at the scenery. Imagining what it would feel like to have the coastal breeze blow against my bare arms and legs. If you want to see the video watch Here.

In contrast when we go outside we cover almost every square inch of bare skin. Our fingers go numb, and our noses go red.

I'm trying to appreciate Winter.
God made winter. He must have good reason. It really is beautiful. fresh snow is so white and so pure. It's amazing the whole miracle that no snowflake is identical to another.

You get to wear fashionable toques.
The sub zero temps are so clean and so sterile. It refreshes you to breathe winter in.

I have to appreciate that some people in the world will never see snow in real life.
We are blessed.

My garden Angel must have a really cold bum

If I lived in a place without Winter I would miss it. I feel like we need a time of hibernation, of subzero temps, of freezing over. There is something so serene, divine, and pure about it.

I'm linking this post up to Emily's blog: The Anderson Crew. Check it out!

Ending Biblical Poverty: Local and Abroad

2012-01-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

... and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, " Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."

-Romans 15:20-21

So, funny thing... The day after I declare that I won't put ads on my blog, I put an ad on my blog! I couldn't resist. I was really moved by the blog posts that I saw about OneVerse. It moved our family to support and sponsor this program and I want to tell you about it.

OneVerse is a non profit program of The Seed Company. They provide bible translation for those in the world who do not even have one verse of the bible in their own language.

Although I think it is important to provide tangible, food, and aid to those in need. Providing the Gospel satisfies the most important eternal need.

Could you imagine not having access to God's word in your own language? we are so spoiled in North America. I think that we have at least ten bibles of different translations in our house alone. It makes me really appreciate the preciousness and power of scripture. It made we really sensitive to our own culture's biblical poverty/ambivalence. We take for granted that we have access to the word. We are too distracted by our life of abundance and comfort to think we have a need for God. Compared to a lot of the world we live in a Disneyland full of pleasure and amusement. We don't see death and suffering on a daily basis and don't realise the fragility and fleetingness of life.We have become complacent.

The community that this blogging program is helping to sponsor is the Vidunda people in Africa but OneVerse has programs in several other countries. If you want to sponsor click Here or in the poster link above. If you are unable to sponsor this program for $26 dollars a month, I would encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can share the Gospel in your own life and community.

I can't watch this video without crying. Some of these people in Gamo, Africa are probably being exposed to the gospel for the first time. The raw emotional reaction from the audience is truly moving.

Thanks for reading and God Bless!

About

2012-01-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

Me:

It's hard to really sum up a person... people are complicated, and ever changing, here are some random facts:

Jesus is my personal Lord and savoir ( This one is permanent)

I've been told that I look best as a blond
I'm Canadian but people tell me that I have an American accent?
I met my husband on-line, so I definitely believe in the internet's ability to unite people
My husband and I got engaged after three months of dating
We have been married since 2008
I've been told that I have a sarcastic tone to my voice and it's sometimes hard to tell if I'm joking or being serious...it's both a blessing and a curse. I can get away with saying a lot of things because people think I'm joking, but then people don't believe me when I'm being sincere.
I've been a Registered Nurse for four years and have change specialities five times.
I currrently work in palliative care ( end of life care, symptom & pain management)
Since I now specialize in palliative care, when people ask me for free medical advice ( e.g. on hang nails, constipation) I sometimes tell them that they are probably dying and should come to terms with that.
I'm like the tooth fairy: I only work at night
I have seen enough people die to know that humans are not great, we are pretty weak and fallible; God is great.
I went by my middle name Margaret in high school ( it seemed like a good idea at the time)
I am a work a progress
I have been a size 14 and a size 4 and I refuse to let my size determine my worth as a human being
I am a mother of a toddler who is running around naked in our living room as I type this.
I'm 18 weeks pregnant but that will change
I went to an alternate high school for juvinille delinquents
I graduated from university with honours ( grace of God)
My husband has a PhD in a topic I don't really care about, but i'm trying to find it more interesting.
My husband is an elder in a church plant called Celebration! Church Ottawa
I love my husband, He is my best friend
I have an unuseful amount of knowledge about 80's music
My daughter is deathly allergic to mustard and peanuts, it's stressful but we deal with it.
My daughter is almost two and I'm still breast feeding her
My daughter is almost two and she has never slept in her crib, she has always slept in our room in a playpen or bassinet or in our bed. I didn't plan it this way, it just kind of happened organically

Why I Blog

I have wanted to blog for some time but for the longest time I could think of more reasons not to blog than to actually just do it. Some of these reasons are real and some are imagined.

I thought that I didn't have anything interesting to say, that I couldn't write very well, that I didn't have time, that no one would read.

One evening in the fall of 2011 I was at church. I had a bunch of ideas floating around in my head and I jotted them down. I felt prompted to take these topics and write about them. I've also felt that God has given me an Awesome, Mind blowing Testimony and that I had not been sharing it with anyone. I knew the best and most efficient avenue for sharing this was blogging. I prayerfully wrote my first post and posted it and felt at peace about it. Most of my readers are my FB friends but It has become one of the most fruitful things I have ever done. I have found out that the candid sharing of my struggles, thoughts, musings in my faith walk has actually somehow impacted people in positive ways. I'm thankful that I decided to just dive into blogging as I really needed the outlet for expression and for worship. Read more about my blog intentions Here.

I'm actually in love with blogging right now bordering on obsession. My husband says I spend about as much time blogging as he does writing his book.

I'm still pretty new to blogging so in a lot of ways, i'm learning by trail and error, so bear with me as I change the blogs look and layout multiple times. I would love to connect with other Christian bloggers and share in some kind of community outside of my FB friends.

Thanks for reading!

Journaling Through January

2012-01-08T18:28:00.001-08:00

Proverbs 3: 5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge him, and He will make straight your paths.

Beach in N.S.

I think the main thing that God has been teaching me through self reflection is to trust in him. We have a lot of uncertainty in our lives right now. We don't really know where we will be working or living in the next year. We have made our requests to God but, we have also asked that His will be clear for us. We trust that He knows what we need and when we need it. I've grown to appreciate that God's timing is perfect. Sometimes He doesn't make His intentions clear. Sometimes a time of uncertainty builds trust and perseverance.

P.E.I

Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back on God's provision in our lives gives me a hope that He will continue to provide for us in uncertain times. Not necessarily in the prosperity sense but He will continue to provide for us according our needs. If we need a time of trail and hardship to strengthen us then we will have to except that with joy. I've concluded that regardless of where we go or what we do; as long as we serve the Lord we are still on the right path.

my Prayer

Lord thank you for your provision. Wherever we go in this world we really desire that we be with you.

In Jesus' name Amen

This post is inspired by the Journaling Through January series on Laura's blog Along for The Ride. Check it out!

What I'm Reading...

2012-01-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not Catholic but Mother Teresa has always fascinated me, as I'm sure she fascinates a lot of people.

I have catholic lineage from French Canadian relatives so aspects of Catholicism resonate with me. I am a true protestant though.

I also relate to her as a nurse, she served the Lord by nursing. Unlike me though she was not paid to nurse it wasn't her career it was her ministry. She nursed the poorest of the poor in India for most of her life. she was amazing.

She is an inspiration for me to be more missional in my nursing practice, and love patients for Christ.

I am taking my time reading this one as it is full of such precious gems from Mother T.

Her life, her love, her service is very inspiring and humbling.

Her love of Jesus is so beautiful, pure and exemplary. As a married woman I think it is easy to put our love for our husbands and children ahead of our love for Christ. It's refreshing to read of someone who has not forgotten their first love.

" To me, Jesus is my God. Jesus is my spouse. Jesus is my life. Jesus is my only Love. Jesus is my All in All. Jesus is Everything" - Mother Teresa

Although she was elderly and meek in her appearance, and very loving, she did not hold back on speaking out on injustice. She was a real straight shooter, she was capable of dropping TRUTH BOMBS that only an elderly nun could get away with saying:

"The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between" - Mother Teresa

BOOM!! Ouch! that hurt... The truth hurts.

Mother Teresa is following me on Twitter but somehow I don't think it's actually her as she died in 1997.

she is often still referenced today as a Christian who truly lived out the Gospel faithfully. I actually read an article via Twitter that I will share entitiled Why People Can't Stand Christians. He sites a talk that took place at Harvard University years ago. The Guest speakers were the late Jerry Falwell and the late Mother Teresa. He said that Falwell's speach was barely audible because he was booed the entire time he spoke. In contrast the the unruly crowd then respectfully listened to Mother Teresa in silence.

I think in a time when Christians are despised as being judgemental hypocrites, the faithful service that Mother Teresa demonstrated with her life really shows the glory of God. The late Christopher Hitchens criticized Mother Teresa and actually wrote a book against her. He wrote an article calling her a "fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud" I guess Hitchens could say what he wanted about her but when it comes down to it; did we ever see him helping the sick, dying or poor with his life? Did he donate any proceeds from his book on MT to orphans in India? or was all of his work for his own gain, fame and agenda? Mother T truly gave up everything for the love of God and to serve others. Service and self sacrifice like that cannot reasonably be explained as a selfish pursuit for fame and glory.

I highly recommend this book it is a beautiful read!

The Great Commision

2012-01-06T15:11:00.001-08:00

Mathew 28:18-20

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

These are the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples after conquering death on the cross. Could you imagine the impact that would have had on them at the time? Imagine the conviction the disciples must have had after witnessing such a miracle. Many of them went on to be persecuted for the cause of the Gospel.

So, Why does it seem that we do not have the same conviction? Why do we often cower at sharing the gospel for as trivial of a reason as it being awkward or uncomfortable?

Are we just too caught up in our own pride? or the pleasures, distractions of this world?

pretty things

Why do we not have the same sense of urgency as the disciples?

Do we not realize that we are running out of time? Although we may be young, our life could end at any moment. That we could waste our lives, and disappointed our heavenly father. That we could be guilty of not acknowledging our saviour.

Life is short:

We will soon have to stand before Him and be accountable.

my Prayer

Lord, Thank your for Jesus and for your Holy Spirit. Thank you that you are with us until the end of this age. Thank you that nothing can separate us from your love. Forgive us for our complacency. Help us to share your love and salvation with others. Lord give us a sense of urgency and really break our hearts for the lost in the world.

in Jesus' name Amen

Food for Thought: On Loving Ricky Gervais

2012-01-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry if this picture offends you, it upset me at first as well.
I think it's interesting/sad that it's socially acceptable and even cool to bash and mock Christianity but it's not the case for ANY other religion.

There has been a lot of twitter buzz about Ricky Gervais so called " defence of atheism". Some how the British comedian is now the poster child for Atheism? anyway I thought I would see these Tweets for myself.

It appears that Ricky has been bantering with the type of "Christians" that I am embarrassed to be associated with. They are the " God hates fags", " You're all going to hell" types...you know what I mean. The ones that are all about judgement and scorn and not about Loving people for Christ's sake and loving them into the kingdom of God. I think it's unfortunate that these people are representing Christians. I fear that non believers may get a bad impression of what a Christian actually is. I found it particularly amusing that although Ricky is an Atheist he even recognized that the hateful remarks of his tweeting foes were very unChrist like. I even re tweeted this tweet of Ricky's:

Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais)

12/23/11 2:37 PM

I'd love to know what real Christians think of @GodsWordIsLaw.

I remember it being about love and forgiveness - not hate and persecution.

Some Love for Ricky

I'm actually fond of Ricky's work as a comedian, I loved the Office, and I thought the series Extras was brilliant. I have always found him to be charming and hilarious. I can see from some of his work that he does have a sensitive and insightful side. I realize that making fun of these types of hypocritical Christians makes good comedy. I just pray that people don't get too mislead by this. I hope that Ricky too of course finds the truth. Jesus loves you Ricky, so much so that He died for you.

Prayer Requests

2012-01-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

If you have a prayer request that you would like me to post for you please e-mail me:

Jenmac1980@gmail.com

I can post your request anonymously if you don't want your name out there or I could just pray for you and not post it on the internet.

I will also be posting my own prayer requests. I really appreciate your prayers.

For this reason, let us not stop praying for one another and asking God to fill us with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

To Advertise or not to Advertise?

2012-01-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

It's not like advertisers are seeking me out or that I would ever really profit from advertising. I'm not against advertising on blogs as a whole. I understand and appreciate why people do it. I think using ads can be brilliant! I'm also for supporting good, ethical and local business.

BUT: I have concluded that advertising doesn't fit with my current vision and purpose for this blog.

I started this blog because I felt prompted by God to do so. The purpose of it is to encourage Christians (particularly woman) and point non-Christians to Jesus. This is my little ministry and mission right here. I was also hoping in the process I would find some kind of sense of community and connect with new people.

In reality this blog is a labour of love. I really don't want people to get the wrong impression that my motivations are not authentic and are just entrepreneurial. It is all for the Lord. I just want to be clear: if I endorse Jesus, or a product, company, ministry, charity, website, blog..etc I'm doing it because I want to, not because I'm getting paid to do so.

Acts 20:33-35

"I coveted no one's silver and gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ' It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

So, apparently I'm pregnant?

2012-01-02T02:48:00.000-08:00

''Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?'' Mat 6:27

16 weeks+5 days: Is that a baby? or did I just eat a big lunch?

Welcome to the neurotic mind of pregnant female: I guess I'm kinda concerned that I'm not showing very much at this stage in my pregnancy. I don't think I showed very much with my first pregnancy at this point, but I thought the second time around I would be showing more. I'm trying to just smile it off when people still say that I don't look pregnant. I try not to compare myself to other expectant moms who are as far a long as I am. It's hard not to do though, especially when their bump is so much more pronounced than mine. Sometimes, I doubt if this baby is really going to happen.
I don't know if I feel the baby move yet, but I didn't feel my daughter move until I was past 20 weeks. I don't really feel nauseated any more. I stopped feeling nauseated at this point with my first pregnancy as well, so that's normal.

When I was pregnant the first time I had access to dopplers at work in the hospital, so I had a constant reassurance of finding the baby's heartbeat on my own. I don't have that access any more so I have to wait for my next appointment with my midwife to hear a heart beat again.

I'm trying not to worry. As it really won't help. There is nothing I can do. I pray for a healthy pregnancy. I have to trust God with this one.

I heard that pregnancy brain is not just due to hormones. It is also due to the mental distraction and preoccupation that growing a life inside of you takes. So, if I seem more distracted and forgetful than usual be graceful with me, I have a lot of stuff going on in my little brain.

Another one of my babies is in this photo: My iPhone. Yesterday my daughter put my beloved phone in a glass of water while I was busy loading the dishwasher. I'm ashamed to admit that I actually cried at the prospect of losing my phone. My husband wasn't very impressed. I wasn't very impressed with myself either! I'm totally addicted to it! Talk about idols in my life.
I use it for everything. It is literally my Bible ( thanks to YouVersion), my journal, my atlas, my gps, my camera, my music, my calender, my library, my connection with the outside world. It's turned into too much of my world actually. I gotta say as a mom of a toddler, it has been great for staying in the word. It's nice having a handheld bible that is always easily accessible.
So, my iPhone sits idle in a bag of rice, drying out, and I pray that it is not fried. A friend of mine said her son had thrown her's in the bath tub and it had been completely submerged for 5 minutes and it was still salvaged after 24 hours of drying out. There may be hope yet!

my Prayer

Lord, Forgive me for my worry and doubt, help me trust you. Forgive me for my fixation on technology. Forgive me with my obsessions, including with this BLOG! Lord help me see what's important and focus on that.
in Jesus' name
Amen

I'm adding this first baby bump picture to The Anderson Crew's Blog feature of Embrace the Camera. This is my first Embrace the Camera experience. I feel so adventurous.

Simple is Best

2011-12-31T07:56:00.001-08:00

Gluten and nut free and actually has nutritional value

I wasn't sure what to bring to a church gathering, and I wasn't feeling very ambitious so I made chocolate covered strawberries. They are classic! Simple yet delicious.

Do I even need to include a recipe? Recipe is Chip-its melted in microwave for a minute or so. Then dip strawberries and let them cool on wax paper. Trying to keep things simple.

Reflection: Lessons from 2011

2011-12-31T07:56:00.000-08:00

A lovely gift from my husband : from Dollarama

Often times at year end I have reflected on past events. For a change I am going to

reflect on some the lessons that God has been teaching me this year.

God created me to be myself and not someone else. I need to stop comparing myself to others. appreciate my own unique gifts and abilities. Stop trying to fit into someone else's mould or trying to be someone else to impress someone else.

Please God first, then please people: If you are a people pleaser like me you can relate to this one. Pleasing people first can lead to sin basically. If I seek to please God first people may be disappointed but at least then I'm not a hypocrite. God's will is perfect so I would be safe to seek that out. People on the other hand do not always have perfect motivations.

Stop trying to fit in

My worth is not in other people's opinions of me: Once again my value and identity is in Christ.

Forgive so you can be forgiven: forgiveness is more for my own benefit than it is for the one I'm forgiving. Otherwise bitterness and resentment sets in.

Judge not, least you be judged: Kinda the same vein as forgiveness. trying to let God do the judging, trying to be merciful. trying to be discerning without the judgement.

In all ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. My path seems less convoluted now.

As for me and my house: It doesn't matter if you live in a small apartment or gigantic house, or a cardboard box, as long as your family serves the Lord and Love lives in your home, then it's all good.

Don't be Lukewarm: God spits the lukewarm Christians out of his mouth. I don't want to be vomited out by God! the time for ambivalence has ended.

Be in the world but not of the world: I'm to be a "friend of sinners" but I don't have compromise to my beliefs to do so, I can be myself and stand firm and stand out for truth in a world full of lies.

Be a joyful giver: not just of money but also of time and self

Joyfully share that half eaten Viva Puff

A family that Prays together, stays together: really aware of the importance of praying with my spouse. especially in uncertain times.

It is better to Love people than to impress people

Tell people about Jesus: Otherwise what is the point? of life? of your faith?

Love, Love, Love and more Love: Love God and then Love people. Love never fails

How about you? What Lessons have you learned this year?

Happiness is a Messy House?

2011-12-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

My version of tidy

Luke 10:38-41

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, " Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, " Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

A constant battle with stray toys and socks

I think at times I have been a Mary and at times I have been a Martha.

I don't think that this story is saying that domestic housework is unfaithful. I think the mistake that Martha made was to value her service over her relationship with Christ. She put the wagon before the horse so to speak. Her efforts were not going anywhere. All her hard work was fruitless and would have no eternal significance. It would not last, it would all be taken away some day.

The laundry basket that has been staring at me all week

I guess there is a fine balance between efficient home making and making your home your idol. I admit I have been preoccupied with appearing like the perfect hostess or home maker at times. My saving grace, if you can call it that, is that I'm kind of naturally inclined to be messy anyway. I've never really leaned on the immaculate house side of the spectrum of home making. Once I had a toddler in the house I realized I had to lower my standards. Keeping a house tidy with a toddler is a frustrating task. You could drive yourself insane trying to keep up.

When I often get overwhelmed with house work and the little frustrations that arise. I sometimes think, In a hundred years when I'm dead and gone. No one is going to care if I had a perfectly clean house. It's true,

keeping a home in a non chaotic state is an all important and all consuming task sometimes. If I do it for God's glory, I hope that my work will last or count. I hope I didn't miss the good portion for empty service. I hope I chose relationship over meaningless tasks.

Where is the Love in your home? Do you open it up to strangers? Would you open your home to Jesus? Is Jesus the head of your home? Are you sitting at his feet?

veiw from out living room

my Prayer

Lord Thanks for all you have provided for us. Sorry if I have valued our home more than I have valued you. Or sought approval from people instead of seeking your will for my life. sorry if I have been unloving or inhospitable. Please come into our home and teach us Lord.

In Jesus' name Amen

Canadian Blog Awards

2011-12-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

Somehow I made it to the final round of The Canadian Blog Awards in the Religion and Philosophy category!

Many thanks to those who voted! Your support is deeply appreciated. Here is your link to vote.

To check out the other blogs nominated go to http://cdnba.wordpress.com/.

My friend Bradley has a blog called All Ears that is nominated in the Music and Pop Culture categories so I recommend voting for him too of course!

God Is so Good!

Christmas Hangover

2011-12-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

My baby with an Anne Geddes doll

This Christmas was very remarkable and enjoyable. We were so busy though! the combination of me working night shifts on the 23rd, 24th and 25th + Christmas activities = exhausting. Our house was a disaster. It looked like Christmas had thrown up on our living room, with boxes, toys, wrapping paper, everywhere.

Memories: After pitiful snowfalls all winter, on Christmas day there was finally a long anticipated white Christmas.

Watching my husband speak at the Christmas eve service at church.

Having my family all there at church.

Opening presents in the morning and being very sleep deprived.

Having a good time at work.

Hearing Ravi Zacharias's Christmas message in the car on the drive home from my night shift on Christmas morning.

Christmas dinner at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Mark's beautiful home.

Down town Ottawa on Christmas morning: my view from work

my Prayer

Lord thank you for the many blessings this Christmas

Thank you for Christ most of all. Forgive me for my complaining and grumpiness.

We have been so blessed.

I'm adding the photo of my daughter to a collection entitled Favorited photo's of 2011 in Sam's noggin & finding joy's blog. It's such a nice idea! It's hard to choose a favourite.This is my most recent fave photo. It encapsulates my hope and joy of the prospect of our upcoming baby due in June 2012.

Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus!

2011-12-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

Playing in the cardboard box the gifts came in

I'm working this Christmas so we pre-opened some Christmas gifts to take the pressure off of Christmas day. It's hard to feel sorry for myself about working Christmas when I look at the strength of the patients I care for. They are literally on their death beds and are handling it very gracefully. God Bless Them!

Wearing my gratitude wrap from my MIL..Love It!

My daughter did the typical childhood thing of not appreciating her gifts and instead played in the cardboard box they were mailed in.

We were spoiled by my husband's parents...as usual...Much Love!

What Joy!

Tuckered out, ready for a nap in her cardboard box

Mary's Prayer

" My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, For he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me- holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has preformed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty...

Luke 1:46-55

Blessings to you and your family this Christmas! Above all be thankful for Jesus!

Peanut Free Christmas

2011-12-22T12:43:00.001-08:00

After spending last Saturday night in the Children's hospital ER we have decided to make our house peanut free. Our daughter had an accidental ingestion of Reese Peanut Butter Cereal. She started vomiting profusely a sign of anaphylaxis. This resulted in us calling 911 and giving her an Epi Pen. As a nurse I have given hundreds of injections without finding it traumatic.Giving an injection to your own child is awful. It was the first time I had given her epinephrine. I was kind of freaking out... Ok, I lost it! I was a crazy person for a few minutes. Miraculously, I was able to give her an injection properly. I prayed that her heart would not explode from the epi. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Being a nurse and knowing side effects and complications of medications just increased my anxiety.Thank God she responded well to the epinephrine! The nurses in the ER applauded me for giving it so promptly.

This is our fave Christmas treat that usually involves peanut butter

I substituted Wow butter for PB and they taste just as good!

So, to minimize the risk of another stressful life threatening allergic reaction. I got rid of all of our peanut and mustard products.

Yes, Mustard, My daughter is actually deathly allergic to Mustard of all things. I know it is weird. I don't understand it myself. The thing about a mustard allergy is it is not common so people are not cautious about it. Mustard is an insidious ingredient in many foods. Technically anything with unidentified spices could contain mustard.

I have started making slow cooker chilli for my daughter. It is hyper nutritional and mustard free. I'm amazed she actually eats it! considering how picky she is. it's basically chick peas, kidney beans, red onion, broccoli, sweet potato, stewed tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, a dash of sugar, salt & pepper. It has replaced kraft dinner!

My prayer

Dear Lord, Thanks that my daughter is OK after that encounter with Reese. help us to be more attentive to what she eats and protect her from allergens. Lord I pray that she outgrow this or they find a cure.

In Jesus name Amen

Soya butterscotch square recipe

How to use an Epi Pen instructional video

Why Not Evangelize ?

2011-12-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

"... Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" 1 Cor 9:16

A duct taped Shane Claibourne

If youare like me then sometimes you have a hard time sharing your faith. Iknow I have put it off at times in fear of seeming offensive or socially awkward.I didn't want to seem “too preachy” or “uncool”. Sometimes I have held out because of fear that I could not defend my faith effectively.

I know it sounds cliche butI have found from experience that when it comesto fitting in or being cool, it is better to just be yourself and people willrespect you more for that. Mostly when I try to be something I'm not just toimpress someone, I often fail to impress that person and also fail atbeing a loving Christian. It's a double fail. Or even worse, I impress the person but for all the wrong reasons and feel like a fraud. I have learned throughmy relationship with Christ that loving people is far more importantthan being cool or impressing people.

But...it's not cool to share my faith

While Iwas writing this a quote from Shane Claibourne came to mind and Ithought I would share it with you.

" A few years back, when I had multicolored dreadlocks, I got up to speak to several hundred people after being introduced as " the coolest Christian ever." Startled and a bit distressed by the intro, I asked for a pair of scissors. I stood on the stage, took my cherished dreads in my hand, and said, "Dear ones, I am afraid I've become too cool. Christians are not called to be cool. We are called to be extraordinary." and then I cut them all off. ( And, of course, the kids thought that was cool.)"

- The Irresistible Revolution

AsChristians we are not called to fit into social norms. We are called to be different. We are tobe IN the world but not OF the world. There is a fine line between eating with tax collectors and prostitutes and actually being one yourself. We have to be relateable to the world but we shouldn't compromise our faith to do so. We are actually referredto as the light of the world. It is a shame when we fail to sharethat light due to our insecurities or social pressure. I have found whenI have tried to be anything other than light or to love people forChrist's sake the results have been pretty bad and unfruitful.

LoveNever Fails

So, Whatis the best way to love people? If we truly love people then why notshare the message of Christ?

Evangelizingout of love for others is the best motivation. If people knew that youhave a genuine desire to save their lives and help them they usually appreciate your efforts. Love is respecting not condemningor judging. Love is listening to the person and meeting them wherethey are at. Love requires sensitivity and tact. It is true thatbeing too preachy or self righteous or judgemental does totally turnpeople off. By prayerfully listening to the holy spirit's guidanceand speaking the truth in love you could really influence someonetowards Christ.

A friend of mine said the people who led her to Christ really impressed her because they were the first religious group who actually cared for her. Their motivation for sharing Christ was not self seeking, it was out of love for her.

I'm not a sales person

I want people to understand that I don't really have anything to gainby them knowing Jesus. I won't make some kind of commission on thier conversion. I'm not asking anyone to buy a product or support acertain political party or even a specific church. I'm not asking formoney. I'm just sharing how Jesus can save their lives.

If I call myself a Christian, if I really believe Jesus conquered death and He is the only way to eternal life then wouldn't I be a jerk not to share that with everyone?

But..I don't know all the answers

Ithink we also fail to evangelise out of fear that we will be asked questions for which we fear we won't have the answers. It's important to be honest about things wedon't understand. God's ways are not always our ways. This is whyit's important to pray and know scripture. It is hard to share thegospel if you don't have a basic understanding of scripture. Youdon't have to be a theologian but not knowing scripture can be a realweakness. It's OK to say "That's a good question! I don't know the answer, can I get back to you on that?". and refer back to the bible or other Christian resources. Also let the gospel speak for itself. It's powerful, God breathed, and life changing; you don't have to alter it, or make it something it is not to increase it's appeal. Everyone also has their own unique testimony of how God saved their life. Share that! It could change someone's life as well.

Leavethe Hard work to the Lord

Relyingon your own strength and not seeking the Lord's guidance is also acause of failure. After all no one can save anyone except by thegrace of God through Jesus Christ. You “ plant the seeds” and Goddoes the rest of the growing. I don't think I have ever actually hadanyone come to Christ through my guidance directly. I hope that I atleast helped someone somewhere along the way by “ planting aseed”. I realize sometimes we do not see the results of ourefforts in our lifetime. I realize most people are like me: VeryStubborn. They have to make up their minds about God on their owntime and on their own terms.

But...WhatIf They Hate Me?

It'strue that not everyone you share your faith with is going to respondpositively. In fact we are told in The Bible that people will hate usbecause of our faith. Actually we are told specifically that theworld will hate us. It's true we will be persecuted for sharing ourfaith, but we can't let that stop us. We are told in the Bible we should be happy when persecuted for our faith. I'veoften heard that if we are not being persecuted in someway it is verylikely that we are not actually sharing the gospel. Look at the flip side: What if they love you for sharing the gospel? What if they want to have a relationship with Christ? What if you really bless or encourage someone? I've actually been amazed at the positive responses I've gotten from sharing my faith, I would say the positive out weigh the bad significantly. God has a way of blessing those who share his message so don't be afraid to share it.

YouGotta Have Faith

It'seasier said than done. But simply having faith and trusting God thatthe person you are sharing the gospel with will be saved is reallyimportant as well. When I think it's impossible for someone to knowChrist. I'm reminded that I was once very lost and was found. If itcould happen to me it could happen to anyone.

A Gift of a Bible

Myfriend Robin mentioned this Youtube clip in a sermon he did a coupleweeks ago. I have added it as I think it is a real eye opener. It iscelebrity/ magician/ atheist Penn Jillette talking about an encounterwith a man who gave him a bible. You would expect him to respondnegatively but he actually was very fond of the man. He seemedto truly appreciate his genuine efforts to save him.

He said “ I donot respect people who DO NOT Proselytize... if you believe thatthere is a heaven or hell and people could be going to hell or notgetting eternal life...and if you think it's not really worth tellingthem this because it might be socially awkward...How much do you haveto hate somebody to not proselytize?” Penn was not converted toChristianity on the spot or anything , but you can tell that encounter reallyleft a deeply positive impression on him.

Demented Gingerbread Men

2011-12-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

My mom gave us some Gingerbread men. They are awesome! They were decorated by my brother.

Macho Ginger Men

Disgruntled

Lazy & Sketchy Christmas "Baking"

2011-12-14T11:37:00.001-08:00

Brown Surgar Fudge

Sketchy Brown Sugar Fudge

My first attempt was Brown sugar fudge. I usually have had bad experiences with stove top fudge recipes. They are usually high maintenance & time consuming and then they never solidify or turn out. I was feeling brave. It would have turned out perfect but the bottom of the fudge kept burning so I had to take it off the stove preemptively. I thought it was a failure. Miraculously it solidified! It is a little more grainy than usual but it is still good. My husband said it tasted like toasted marshmallows. Another surprise was that I noticed that the sweetened condensed milk I had put in the fudge had actually expired a month ago! Oops! Yummy! We are still alive so I guess it's all good!

Brunt Brown sugar fudge

The Best Microwave Chocolate Fudge Ever!

I just tried this recipe and I was very impressed. I have also had bad experiences with microwaveable fudge that didn't turn out. This fudge took five minutes to make and turned out great! I highly recommend if you want to save yourself time and energy. This is the most efficient fudge delivery system! Yay! Calories!

Simply The Best!

I usually make almond bark but now we have to deal with nut allergies so I am making White Chocolate Cranberry Bark. I didn't bother looking up a recipe for this one. It is basically. A bag of white Chip its, cranberries, cinnamon, salt. Melt the chips for 2 minutes in microwave on 1 minute intervals. Add cranberries, cinnamon, salt to your preference, stir with spoon, then spread on wax paper and let set. Pretty hard to mess up. That's why I make it. It always looks really pretty next to other desserts and is so tasty. There you go: nut, gluten and nutrition free!

White Chocolate Cranberry Bark

Recipes:

Brown Sugar Fudge
Microwave Fudge

What Hope is There in Death?

2011-12-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

Romans 6:3, 4 NIV

"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

He Stopped Breathing

It is early in the morning around 4am. I walk into a room with two patients in it. One is watching television and the other patient has stopped breathing. His death is anticipated and I am not surprised. I get another nurse and we adjust the pillows under his body, we straighten his sheets and put his hands out on top of them for his family to grasp. We find a rosary at the bedside and place it in his hands. We inform his neighbour that his roommate has passed away peacefully in the bed next to him.

Wake Up

I then walk down a darkened hallway to find his family sleeping in a family lounge. I wake them up to give them the news. Their loved one has passed away. The family tearful, mourning go to say their final goodbyes.

They leave a few hours later, sad yet relieved and hopeful. Relieved that his suffering is no more. Hopeful that they will see him again, renewed and restored.

Hope

I'm so thankful for Christ and his sacrifice for us. We know that death is not death. It is not the end. We have hope and a purpose. We can live for eternity not by what we do or say or how much money or fame we have. We are saved from death by simply believing in our hearts and professing with out mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. That He died on the cross for us. After His execution He came back to life three days later. He conquered death.

Simply Lord Thank You! How could we ask for anything more!

I Love my Church Family: Celebration! Church

2011-12-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

Myslef with some members of Celebration! at a wedding

A few weeks ago at my church we had a real special blessing. Three members of the award-winning Christian band Casting Crowns played a live intimate show to our small church congregation. On average our church's attendance is around fifty people. This type of event in the Christian community is equivalent to Justin Bieber playing personally at birthday party for a 13 year old girl. I felt it really demonstrates God's grace and love that one of the biggest Christian bands in North America would come and personally play at our humble little church in Ottawa, Canada. How did they end up here? Well Mark Hall ( leading singer of CC) is a student pastor at a support church called Eagles Landing First Baptist Chruch in Mcdonough, Georgia, U.S. How amazing!

Members of Celebration! church with Mark Hall

My church is called Celebration! Church. I have been attending Celebration! for three years now and I am amazed at how God is using this little church.

History

I will share a brief history: Celebration! Started as a Carleton University bible study in 2003 that eventually became a church plant that branched off a south Ottawa church called Sequoia. Up to a few years ago, it mostly consisted of university students reaching out to other university students. Initially Celebration! was lead by a missionary from Georgia named Ashley Thaba who served the church with her husband Percy for four years. Over the years Celebration! Church has been in several locations including a funeral home, the basement of First Baptist Church, and we currently meeting in St. Paul University on Sunday evenings.

In 2006 Celebration! acquired a permanent pastor when Jason Byers with his wife Carrie transplanted to Ottawa – also from Georgia! Jason who has a BA in religious studies and had experience as a missionary in Malawi is technically considered a missionary in Ottawa as well.

Ottawa, Canada is a Mission Field ?

It's kind of surprising to hear that the stats are not very good when it comes to numbers of practising Christians in Canada and that we require missionaries to come to us. Youth in particular are walking away from faith at a remarkable rate. This is alarming because the youth of today are the future church. Investing in youth is paramount for the sustainability of gospel of Christ for future generations. Celebration! has traditionally focused it's ministry on reaching those on campus. Recently we have seen a shift in our focus towards outreach to the community of Ottawa as well as students.

Personal Impact

My Husband started attending Celebration! In February 2007 when he moved to Ottawa to start his PhD, and I started attending later that year. My husband has had tremendous spiritual growth and discipleship, especially from Pastor Jason. He was baptized at Celebration! in 2007 and became a member of the pastoral team as an elder in 2009.

Pastor jason officiating our wedding

Jason and Carrie have been a great support and christian counsel throughout the years. They did our per-marital counselings and Jason officiated our wedding in 2008. I remember I felt so amazed and blessed by the support that the church body provided for us with our wedding. Members of the church provided an amazing amount of free labour and services including DJ'ing and photography.

Pastor Jason

Pastor Jason doing his thing

It is apparent to me that Pastor Jason is gifted in several areas. To name a few: music, speaking and writing, and the arts. This has served the church well but required him to wear many hats as lead pastor. He has had to step in and be worship pastor sometimes as well as teaching pastor; he often apologizes in church for it becoming the “Jason Show”. He has also designed our church website, logo and signage. And he does it all while maintaining articulate and well researched sermons. He really is a triple threat in ministry terms, he seems to do all of these things very well and very gracefully.

Church Demographics

Our church is made of university students and young families. Most of the young families are former students that started out at C! and graduated got married and had kids. C! Recently has had to start a children's ministry to accommodate all the new children being born. One of the beauties of the church is seeing young students who are basically teenagers grow and mature in Christ and become fruitful Christ centred young adults.

Our church has a congregation of around 40-55 people for Sunday services so it is very “hands on” and requires practical help from church members to operate service on Sunday evenings. Student's have taken on leadership roles like logistics, and greeting, and leading small groups. I think this is great because in other larger churches young people may not have the opportunity to take on such responsibilities. The expectations of church members to serve is high regardless of a person's age and I think this leads young people to flourish.

Men's and Woman's Minsitry

Other ministries at C! Include bi-weekly men's ministry called “Fight Club” it focuses on discipleship and teaches young men to step it up. The 7 rules of fight club are 1. Know yourself 2. Trust your saviour, 3. fight your sin,4. Carry your sword, 5.Stand with your brothers, 6. Do hard things, and 7. Be a hero. There is also a woman's ministry that encourages woman to live in biblical ways through bible study, accountability and fellowship.

Outreach

C! has had outreach events for international students, students on campus, and for the surrounding community around St. Paul University. The children's ministry had weekly outreach for children and their families on Saturday mornings at the community farmer's market for the entire summer and fall. C! has also hosted, organized, and aided numerous events to promote awareness of human trafficking.

Point! Groups

The small group ministry at C! consists of Point! Groups that meet in people's homes around the city of Ottawa. Their content is based on the current sermon series and there is also a focus on accountability and fellowship.

Mission

Impromptu bathtub baptism

I really value that C!'s Mission is on discipleship: “ Knowing Christ and making him Known” or helping Christians mature so they can help make more Christians. I have really benefited from this approach and have found it has challenged me and stretched me spiritually. It is the first church I have ever attended where I have played leadership roles and help disciple people.

Future

Often times being part of small church plant can be challenging especially when you start to compare your small church to larger more established churches. Currently Celebration! does not have the resources or the money to become a mega-church by any means. Owning a building like he Crystal Cathedral isn't really our goal either. As long as we see people come to Christ and grow in faith we know that God is at work in our small church family. I'm appreciative to the Lord for Jason and Carrie's service and dedication to our church community as well has the Lord's work through their ministry. I'm excited to see what God has in store for Celebration! In the future. We currently have plans to eventually expand children's church and to change to a morning service.

Anything is possible with God

Last week Mars Mill church posted a documentary of their church's story from beginning to present. Mars Hill started out as a bible study in Lead Pastor Mark Driscoll's Seattle home in 1996. Mars Hill today is one of the fastest growing churches in the U.S. Myself and several people in our small group watched the entire hour long documentary and found it very encouraging. It’s mind blowing to see what God can do when a small group of people are committed to sharing the gospel. Keep in mind when watching this that the church went from being a a bible study to hosting an Easter service that had around 20,000 people in attendence. I posted a clip from the documentary, I hope you also find it as encouraging and moving as I did.

A Consumer Christmas

2011-12-11T19:15:00.001-08:00

Each year at Christmas I have the same internal conflict. Consumer vs. Good steward or giver. Actually this conflict is not just isolated to Christmas it just seems to get magnified at Christmas. As a result each year Christmas gets less and less about buying useless stuff and more about Christ and giving to those in need. I am going to be a super lame gift giver to my direct family this year. Some lucky person is going to be the recipient of Misty Mints or a Toblerone bar. In the last couple years we started donating money to buy a gift for impoverished children in Africa in the name of a loved one. This seems to be the most practical and charitable option. All of my loved ones are really well provided for. I don’t feel the need to indulge them in more stuff. More stuff they possibly don't want or need. This does not mean I will not graciously accept gifts. I appreciate anything I get and I know it is an expression of love. I have requested that loved ones not go over board with their gifts for me. I know we are not the only ones who practice charitable giving at Christmas. Most charities rake in the majority of their donations this time of year.

What does the bible say about giving

Luke 3:11 NIV

"John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.""

Matthew 6:19 NIV

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

Luke 12:33, 34 NIV

"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

James 1:27 NIV

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Matthew 25:44, 45 NIV
""They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"

What does that mean to you? Where is your treasure?

My prayer

Lord Thank you for providing for us, help us to not be selfish with our "wealth". Help us share in help those in need.

In Jesus' name

Amen

Advent Conspiracy

This is a great clip made for churches on giving a Christmas. It pretty much sums up with alarming statistics that we could provide the world with clean drinking water for a fraction of the cost of what we spend on Christmas.

This is really happening!

2011-12-06T17:10:00.001-08:00

Chritmas tree is up

I visited my midwife for the first time today. The baby's heart rate was picked up by a doppler! Very reassuring as I was starting to have doubts that I was actually still pregnant. I remember with my previous pregnancy it never seemed real even when I as huge and could feel the baby kicking my ribs. Pregnancy is such a miracle it's really hard to fully appreciate what the Lord is creating inside my own body. It's just mind boggling. Now that I am 13 weeks and the baby is still doing fine, I'm starting to feel like this is really happening, I'm really going to have another baby! It's exciting and scary!

I gotta say If I had known then what I know now I would have gone with midwifery care with my first pregnancy. Their model of care promotes continuity and personal preference. They are billed differently than OBGYNs so they have no incentive to overbook or order unnecessary tests or procedures. They create a warm welcoming, family friendly environment that makes you feel comfortable in their office. They advocate for you if your working conditions are not favourable for pregnancy ( i.e. If you are a nurse). |The best part is: They allow you to leave the hospital four hours post delivery if there are no complications and then follow up with your family at your home! They actually save the health care system a lot of money and have better statistical outcomes for less complications and C-sections than OBGYNs. If you are wondering Midwives are also covered by OHIP so you get all of this extra care for actually less cost to the government than an OBGYN. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to bash OBGYNs, there are some excellent ones out there. I just know that the public and even health care professionals have had a misunderstanding of Midwifery care. So, I thought I would give them a little plug and highlight their services and benefits.
.

My Prayer

Lord thank for this healthy child! Thank you for the care that I am receiving. Sorry for doubting you. Give me strength and energy to carry on with my work at home and at the hospital

In Jesus name Amen

For some reason one of my cravings with this pregnancy is Ramen noodles

This picture doesn't do it justice, my daughter has also removed some of decorations

Where is Your Spirtual Fruit?

2011-12-05T15:18:00.001-08:00

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

I was feeling creative

I often check myself for spiritual fruit as I think it is a healthy practice. It's a good idea to ask other Christians whom you trust what fruit of the spirit they see evident in you. I am often disappointed in myself when I find myself acting out in unfruitful ways of the flesh.

What is not fruit? If you can tell a bad tree by it's fruit then what does that fruit look like? What are actions that are evident of not living in the spirit?

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. ( Galations 5:19-22)

I myself have been guilty of just about every one of these acts of the flesh, except maybe the witchcraft and the orgies. I'm ashamed to say that I have been guilty of these acts even while I professed to being a christian. Truth is I am a carnal being and I am naturally going to act out in the flesh in moments of weakness. The most I can do to avoid this is to be disciplined, self aware, and rely on the Lord. I'm aware that I am not capable of producing spiritual fruit in my own strength.

Below are effective ways that I have found to avoid grieving the spirit and as a result stay spiritually fruitful. You may find them helpful, as I know when I look back on the least fruitful and most selfish times in my life I realize that I had not been doing any of these things to help me keep on track. These are some of the practices that keep me from falling into debauchery or worse.

Having a purpose

I read a book by Dave Kraft called “ Leaders Who Last.” He has over 35 years of experience in the ministry and coached pastors like Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill church. He emphasized the importance of having a purpose statement for your life. Having a purpose keeps you focused and prevents you from getting off track. My purpose is simple: To point others to Christ and honour God with my life, service, gifts, and abilities.

Putting God first

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 NIV) . This is difficult and requires discipline and persistence. An example of how I'm trying to put God first is when I wake up in the morning before I read the newspaper or anything else I will try to read some scripture. If I’m not too busy changing diapers and making breakfast I will even read a devotional. I will also say a little prayer, not a long one just a little one as I usually don't have time. When major decisions arise I consult with scripture and pray for wisdom and guidance seeking the Lords will for my life. I usually seek him in the A.M. and P.M. When I wake up in the morning and then before I go to bed at night. I'm getting better at developing my daily prayer life but it's something that I need to work on more. These disciplines are not something that come naturally, I have had to force myself to do them, but I have found it an enriching habit that has actually changed my life in very positive ways.

Being reminded of scripture throughout the day

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in

righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NIV). I try to be intentional about what material I read and watch on television and internet. I have set up my media time to be nourishing spiritually. Little things like following Christian pastors on Facebook and Twitter or putting on Christian programing can be a real blessing and encouragement. I try not to live in a Christian bubble as I also watch the news and secular programming. It is important to be aware of what is going on in the world but it's a fine balance of being in the world but not being of the world.

“Be still and know that I am Lord”

It's important to have quiet time but not realistic to have hours of solitude. As a mother I appreciate the moments here and there in my day where I have some silence. I take advantage of these moments to listen to the spirit of the Lord. When I grieve the spirit it is usually because my own spirit is not quiet and is not listening for guidance. I usually fall short when I am wrapped up in my own worries and agenda. I believe you can still have a busy life but have a quiet spirit. The key is to quiet yourself before the Lord and listen for his voice. I have also found it useful to journal or blog and reflect on things that I feel the Lord is teaching me in my life. It's a useful thing to reflect on so I don't keep making the same mistakes.

Praying and worshipping continually

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-20 NIV). I find it hard to grieve the spirit of God while worshiping and giving praise. Worship to me isn't necessarily singing songs. It is acknowledging God's love and just being in awe of him and offering up love in words, or prayer, or in gestures of kindness or service.

Service

I also find it hard to grieve the spirit while serving others. It could be serving my family at home, or serving patient's at work, or serving the church. However, my heart has to be in the right place for the service to be fruitful. No one says it better than Mother Teresa in this quote, if she is not evident of a fruitful life I don't know who is.

“The Fruit of silence is prayer

The Fruit of prayer is faith;

the fruit of faith is love;

the fruit of love is service,

the fruit of service is peace,”

Mother Teresa

Fellowship and accountability

Having fellowship and accountability has been key in my Christian walk. It's important to have a few Christians who you trust for sound advice, encouragement, and who you can be accountable to. I also have non-Christian friends but I think I have had to be wise to their influence on me as well. I have to ask myself if I am being a witness of Christ to them or am I just trying so much to fit in with them that I have started to become a hypocrite by compromising my morals and beliefs ?

Repent, turn away from temptations and distractions

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 NIV)

Often times unconfessed or unrepented sins stand in the way of union with the spirit of God. Often it is helpful when I ask the Lord to reveal sin in my life so I can repent and change my ways. Repentance is the wilful and intentional turning away from a sinful behaviour or influence. I recently listened to a great sermon by Ravi Zacharias called “ The Problem with Pleasure.” He was talking about how our biggest obstacle to finding God is that we are too distracted by the pleasures of our own life to seek him. I think this can be very true. Over the years I have turned away from many pleasures, behaviours, relationships, activities, media, that are fruitless. Turning away from the distractions and the noise has enabled my relationship with the Lord to deepen and my faith and love to be increased.

How about you? Where is your fruit? What is standing in the way of you becoming more fruitful?

My Prayer

Lord thank you for your spirit , sorry that we grieve your spirit, help us prioritize your will being done and seek comfort in your spirit and not in the spirit of the world or the desires of the flesh.

Amen

Family Photo Success and Failures

2011-12-03T12:07:00.001-08:00

Success!!

Each year I get anxious when it comes to the annual Christmas family shot. Getting a half decent pic with a toddler is very challenging indeed. Last year we did the sitting on the stair case shot. This year we wanted to go for an outdoorsy look, seemed lower maintenance.

Here are some of the results of our efforts.

Fail: I accidentally hit the camera when I was running to get into the shot and cut out the rest of the family

Fail: Hat is in my daughter's face and she is screaming

Fail: Having a tantrum, she is actually kicking me as we stand there smiling