fragments of joy...places of rest

In the constant treadmill of my current schedule, one must often wonder if I ever do sleep (as I write this at one in the morning!) There comes seasons every once in a while where you must persevere thru the most trying and energy sapping times. It is then that a morsal of joy or rest is heightened by the rareness of the occurance, and you are reminded how blessed you truly are. Today was one of those days. Exhausted, I made the hour trek to Kitchener to spend time with two of my closest friends. They have been a constant source of encouragement and spiritual strength regardless of what I am facing in life. It is always neat to see how when one is weak, the other two are strong enough to carry them thru. Even though it seemed like a very short amount of time together, God renewed and refreshed my spirit. And for a brief moment I caught a glimpse into the beauty of His plan for my life...set upon a solid foundation of friends and family. If one's wealth is not measured by his pocketbook, but rather by the true friends they have, I think I could rival Bill Gates!
ps. Thanx Lady K and Mer for such an awesome day (and pina coladas to boot!) I treasure you and your wisdom. Thanx for trying to get me to nap...I probably needed it - but spending time with both of you is rare and precious...Sleep can wait!

lost and found

good news....SOMEONE FOUND MY BIBLE!!! Talk about AMAZING!!! Life can be so random. It seems some neighbours from the trailor park found it on the road and picked it up. I am planning to retire it - after all its been through - but it won't be replaced easily. Still, I want to have fresh eyes for God's Word...may You continue to speak! I am still amazed that no detail is too small for God...even the safe return of a Bible from somewhere in the great white north!

A Moment of Silence...

Something tragic happened to me today - I lost one of my closest companions. From England, to California, to South America, across Canada and the US...wherever my travelling feet have wandered it has been a part of my daily life and journey. A guide, a comfort, an advisor - I am at a total loss without it...my Bible.
I can't relay the feeling of total loss...thousands of pages tracking my spiritual life over 10 years. Verses from friends and family underlined...favourites highlighted. Notes penned throughout the pages to mark growth and revelation. It was irreplaceable.
It all began with a cup of coffee and being late for the morning service up at the cottage. Caffeine is important to my sleep deprived body...and in my haste I had placed my Bible on the roof of my car. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!! Well, obviously I wasn't, and since I am a professional at misplacing and forgetfulness, I didn't realize till much later that my Bible was missing for good. In my moment of panic, I pressed into the presence of God - begging a miracle. It was in that moment that His voice spoke gently to my heart. "Maybe I allowed your Bible to go missing because I've been trying to speak to you, but you're too familiar with your Bible, and have so much underlined that sometimes you can't read between the lines!" Ouch...
Here I'd become familiar with where things were in my Bible. I had been relying on past experiences and verses to encourage my growth that I couldn't hear what God was trying to speak into my spirit. Retirement was forced upon me, and the prospect of beginning a new journey of listening with another Bible lay before me. But couldn't someone just find my Bible...just so I can keep it as a memento? like an old tattered photo or journal? Silence...
And so I bid adieu to a good friend. Wherever you are - thanx for the journey. I hold a moment of silence in your memory...sniff sniff...I'm such a dork!

Coming out of the Closet...

I got an interesting email in my inbox today that caused a myriad of thought to circulate through my brain...someone I knew decided to "come out of the closet". I imagined how much courage it must take to take that first step out and stand up for what you believe - especially when you face the ridicule and rejection from those around you as you make a choice that may go against your family, your upbringing, and everything "normal".
In saying this, the email I received ended up being a hoax, but it still didn't stop my thought process of what it takes to "come out of the closet". Reminded me of closet Christians...wearing two faces and enduring the long haul of identity crisis. We want to appear "normal" and accepted by the world, and yet a battle wages within our heart that cries out for truth. Are we so sold out to our cause that we could deal with being rejected by those closest to us, ridiculed by society and prepared to be "different" from the norm? So many of us are too comfortable in our closets that we'll live there for the rest of our lives and the world will never know the truth about us...or the truth about God. What will it take to step out? And what will the world look like if we do?