Another tragic “disaster” headline was in the news today. Thousands of people washed away, presumed dead, after major floods following heavy rainfall and the collapse of a dam in Libya. Hawaiians are still reeling from the catastrophic loss of life and destruction of property in Maui, hundreds of wildfires are still sweeping through Canada, USA and several other nations, eating up thousands of acres of woodland and anything else in their path. And there’s been a devastating earthquake in Morocco, the dead numbering in the thousands… And the list goes on.

I haven’t deliberately left anyone out, but there are so many areas around the world now where people are suffering from natural weather and seismic related disasters, man-made disasters (reports of arson starting wildfires in some places!), drought, famine, disease, poverty, war…

Then there is the prideful arrogance of the “me first” culture, especially evident in the West. I AM is who God says HE is, but this has been hijacked by those who want to be their own god. Influencers, wealthy celebrities – and even quite ordinary people who proudly share every detail of their lives on tv or social media in the hope of being “followed” and gaining fame, money and adulation…

We are also seeing rampant inflation, debt and shortages in some areas which, though they seem so much less terrible when compared to those who really have literally lost everything, still cause enormous stress and worry to those who are affected. That stress can lead to anxiety and mental health problems, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, even suicide… But it’s all relative! The gap between the haves and have nots is getting ever wider.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

For Christians, all this echoes the end time events prophesied in the bible, which leads us to believe that time is short! If that is the case (which I personally think it is) what are we doing with ourselves, our time, our money, our relationships…? Are we looking for opportunities to pray, to speak, to feed, to bless?

This is an excerpt from a very vivid dream I had back in March 2019, which has been on my mind again lately…

I was getting ready to go away and I knew I had loads of stuff in my cupboards that I wanted to get rid of so I could travel light. There was a vast wok, about 3ft wide! Maybe I don’t need to feed so many? Perhaps a smaller pan will do. One that I already have? We are all part of the body for a reason, we generally have small circles of influence. The Lord says the pan you have is big enough, you don’t need to try to feed everyone! You are in the place I’ve put you for a purpose, but when you pray you influence the body of Christ all over the world and open doors. That’s why you should pray continually for all the saints!

He does not set us up to fail! He wants us to succeed and shows us how to stay in the journey. Throw out the junk, travel light,  keep your eyes on the goal and trust him!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So… in these darkening days, where it is easy to be afraid, to be selfish, to be thoughtless, to be influenced by others, to be prideful, to be too comfortable, to be spiritually blind, to think there’s plenty of time and it’ll all be alright in the end, won’t it…?

Who is in YOUR circle of influence? Who do you know who doesn’t know Jesus? Who do you know who does know him but needs your encouragement, love, support, prayers? You only need a small pan! Feed those in your circle, and other people will likewise feed you when you need it.

And keep praying for all the saints!

Please pray for our fellow blogger, Jacinta, from Light from the Word. I tried to share the latest message but only half of it is appearing here, so will just explain!

After a period of mysterious symptoms, it has been discovered that she has a large brain aneurism. The first treatment was unsuccessful and she’s awaiting a further attempt.

“Dear Father, nothing is too hard for you. Jacinta honours you with her words and time, and with all that she is. Father, protect her at this time and bring healing, either supernaturally or through the successful intervention of skilled doctors. I pray that you would comfort and reassure her and bring relief from the unpleasant symptoms. Keep her within your supernatural peace that surpasses all understanding and let her have a testimony that will be shared around the world and bring glory to your name!”

Jacinta, I declare that you will not die, but LIVE and proclaim what the Lord has done! Ps 118.

I’ve written previously on this blog about losing my husband back in October 2020. It helped me at the time to write about my feelings, but the first few pieces especially were very raw and I didn’t feel I could share them on here.

The nights are suddenly drawing in and I’ve been thinking about him a lot, and missing him very much. Reading back through my writings, I’ve decided to share the following, written 26 January 2021, in the hope that even one person who reads it, who does not know Jesus, might consider their eternal future and understand that this could be their last day on earth. Not everyone has a tomorrow…

~~~ ■ ~~~

On the loss of a husband… #8

Yesterday seemed like a pretty good day as it goes. I had a task to do, to take Mum to the optician and then to get some shopping. She came back for a bit of lunch and some company and I took her home around teatime, gave her kitchen a quick clean, sorted some dinner out for her and headed back home. It was exhausting, but I managed to get through it. First time in ages I’ve done so much in one day!

Halfway through my journey home in the darkness, however, I was confronted with an oncoming ambulance, blue lights flashing, siren wailing, looking for gaps in the traffic to speed on towards the hospital. I swung into a convenient bus bay to allow it to overtake and, as is my custom, began to pray for the passenger on board, the staff caring for them and the family.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, came a torrent of wailing and sobbing; waterlogged eyes that made it hard to see the road through the oncoming headlights.

As I tried to gather myself and assess what just happened, I realised I felt compassion for the person in their precarious state, possibly hanging between life and death, for whom that 10 or 20 seconds gained could have made a difference. I felt a wave of emotion towards the paramedics, gratitude for what they do, humility that they do it in often very trying circumstances for all in their care, and concern at the toll that takes on them as human beings. But mostly I think, it was that you never got to ride in the ambulance with blues and twos, rushing to the hospital to be saved, because it was already too late when they arrived. Though they tried their utmost, you were past any hope of resuscitation.

I will never know what happened with that patient; what their emergency was. If they survived or if it was too late for them too. And, if they had a family, how they were coping with the events that suddenly unfolded.

Life is fragile, and sometimes fleeting. We have such a responsibility to live it well. We can’t all be brilliant or famous, but we can all be kind, considerate and generous to others. We can all choose not to be selfish, mean or wasteful. We can all realise that the world doesn’t revolve around us. …And we can all choose where, and with whom, we want to spend eternity… so that if, some day, we are the one whose life hangs in the balance and the scale falls the wrong way, we know where we’re going, and our family knows where we’re going and has peace.

That has been the one thing that has comforted me through this. I know
where you are. I know I’ll see you again. I know your life on earth was cut short, but your joy in eternity is not and you used your life well.

How do people live without Jesus? No hope, no blessèd assurance, no promise that all will be well one day. No one lives forever in this life. For any one of us, this could be our last hour on earth. By all means, write a will, get your affairs in order, pre-plan and pay for your funeral if you must, but PLEASE… believe on the one who can save you, AFTER you’ve shuffled off this mortal coil. The ONLY one who can save you, who himself died for your sin, was buried, and rose again, to keep you for all eternity.

I’ve been sorting through some old photos taken decades ago by my late mother-in-law. These two “classics” were taken in Spain, so the envelope said, though who the lucky holiday makers are, I have no idea! It doesn’t matter if I stand back further or put them under a bright light, I will still be none the wiser! She was not renowned for her photography skills, bless her!

We often have frustrating times in our lives where we think we have a bit of an idea of what’s going on but just can’t see the whole picture with clarity. If my mother-in-law was still here, she’d probably say, “Oh yes, that was taken at (wherever) in (whenever) when we went on holiday to Spain with Jack and Jill (or whoever)! You need someone who was present who knows the details you are missing!

When we’re feeling lost, confused, directionless or just wondering about our lives, what we should do next or what is the right decision to make, we should ask the Lord for his vision and clarity in the matter. The Lord is outside of time. He sees the end from the beginning and knows every little detail in between. Sometimes we get ourselves into difficult situations, simply because we haven’t asked the one who knows the answer!

Proverbs 20:24 NKJV
A man’s steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way?

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

I’ve followed Robert Breaker’s channel for quite a while now and consider him to be a gifted teacher. He is very good at explaining complicated things step by step, in plain English! If you have any interest in the end times, this is very interesting! Let me know what you think!

In my church life group this week, we did a little exercise where we were supposed to bring something through which the Lord had spoken to us as individuals, or through which he may speak to us as a group. I was unable to attend the last session during which this was discussed, so was a bit perplexed, didn’t really understand the assignment and so didn’t take anything!

As the evening progressed and we’d worshipped and thanked the Lord for all he’d done for us, I kept thinking about my keys! This is what he wanted me to share to bring him glory…!

On my keyring I have three door keys. Two belong to my own front door. Nearly 28 years ago, as new Christians, the Lord brought us half an hour away from our previous home, which I will just say was in a “difficult” area where we didn’t feel safe and secure, to the house we now live in.

At that time, we had no plans to move, though it was certainly the desire of our hearts! We didn’t have the money to move or put a deposit on a house in a nicer area and had negative equity because of the UK housing market crash in the first half of the 1990s. We had no children, so weren’t even thinking about what schools were around us, yet here we are blessed with excellent local schools where our boys have thrived and made significant friendships. Here we also had a vibrant local church where we grew in faith and understanding over many years and made friends for life. Perhaps I will elaborate on this in another post, as it was a miracle we moved house at all, but the Lord kept his promise to us!

The third key is for my sister in law’s flat. She is sadly very disabled following a number of strokes at a relatively young age. Now my husband has gone to be with the Lord, I have sole legal responsibility for her. When her son was only very young, and she was in good health, I felt the Lord told me I would become a parent to him. He is now a young man who has been through many upsets and struggled through his teenage years, due to his mum’s illness. We have built a close relationship and I have become a parental figure to him in recent years, as his mum had not been able to discuss things with him and nurture him herself, as she would have wanted. 

Finally, my car key… I have already told the story of my car,  how I lost the last one,  gained this one, what it means to me as a place where I pray and worship as I drive, and how God prepared me for the loss of my husband, through the loss of my car (see “Let go and let God… part 2”) The Lord is so, so good…

I have a wooden key ring with the word JESUS on it and an icthus on the reverse. Each key is on a separate ring and the rings are all interlinked into the main key ring. He holds all the aspects of my life, linked together through him!

Col1:17  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Every promise and prophecy that has been given since we moved here, our provision, our security, our children, their circles of influence… All in his hands!

I had to apologise to the Lord for thinking that this exercise seemed a bit silly and a waste of time, because it certainly wasn’t! It reminded me of his constant love and faithfulness and was an uplifting testimony of the goodness of God to the rest of my life group too! 😊

Acts 4:12 NKJV
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

That name is Jesus! Yeshua! His name means salvation. Emanuel means God with us. How much clearer could it be?!

When I was a new Christian (born again 8th March 1994 around 8.30pm!) the church we were attending used a lot of simple and biblically accurate worship songs. One I remember well was “There is One Name” by Robert Critchley; beautiful both musically and in sentiment. These worship songs planted the word of God in me, and the truth of salvation, when I was very new to scripture and just a baby in the faith. When I hear someone quote certain bible passages now, I’m often taken back to a song that contains those words!

There are, of course, still many biblically sound and melodic new worship songs being written, which inspire faith and a heart filled with praise. There are also some others which seem to say the right things, but have the air of a rock anthem and are “performed” by the band, rather than being lifted up to the throne room by the body of believers with the help of the musicians. I think this is where discernment comes in. When the Holy Spirit in you witnesses with both the words and music and you can enter into a place of genuine worship, you can call that song anointed.

There are a few songs where I have to pray and not sing, or sing in tongues, over particular lines or verses because I’m aware that there is power in the tongue and I don’t always totally agree with the sentiments, therefore I don’t voice them! Obviously I don’t choose these songs for times of personal worship, but some of them are very well known and do seem rather popular for corporate gatherings!

Psalm 145:1-7 NKJV
I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. [2] Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. [3] Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. [4] One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. [5] I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. [6] Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. [7] They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.

So, like many of the outstanding old hymns, which have stood the test of time and inspire worship today as much as they did when they were first written, let’s exercise discernment over what we chose to sing to our Beloved, and teach our children to do the same! Our words matter; the state of our hearts matters…

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There is One Name by Robert Critchley from Catch the Fire, Toronto album.. “Mercy Over Me”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1h1wQAG1zbY&feature=share

We have just passed the first anniversary of the death of Judith Durham, lead singer with The Seekers, a musical group formed in 1962 in Australia. They had a string of memorable hits, including Georgy Girl, I’ll Never Find Another You, and The Carnival is Over, and became widely known and loved. I remember hearing their songs on the radio as a young child and especially enjoyed the harmonies. Listening to music like this, plus hearing my dad often whistling harmonies to classical music, is probably what has enabled me to be able to sing harmonies to practically anything, even songs I don’t really know and even though I can’t read music! My brain just knows how!

A dear elderly friend I used to visit, passed away and into the arms of Jesus whilst being serenaded by her daughter and myself as we sang along to her favourite Seekers CD, which was playing in the background. Every time I hear their music, I think of her and look forward to meeting her again one day. ❤

I did wonder about the name of their group though… What were they seeking exactly?! I have yet to find any clues to that question, but it did get me thinking!

For a Christian, or indeed any person who has faith in someone or something, a “Seeker” is someone who is looking for the same thing but hasn’t yet found it. However, the bible has a few things to say about seeking too…

When warning the Israelites against idolatry…

Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV
But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Chronicles 16:8-11 NKJV
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! [9] Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! [10] Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! [11] Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Matthew 7:6-14 NKJV
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
[7] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. [9] Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? [11] If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! [12]

Even when we have believed on the Lord Jesus and are saved, we are still to keep seeking. To seek a deeper relationship with Him, to seek spiritual gifts, to seek to grow in holiness, to seek Him in times of trouble…

Imagine a child seeking out a beloved parent when something has gone wrong or made them frightened or sad, and snuggling in close to their side without even speaking. The loving touch of the parent as they enfold the child and draw them close provides comfort and reassurance, and a sense of protection and shelter from the big, bad world. The world won’t get any better, but knowing that someone strong and loving is providing shelter, as a hen covers her chicks with her wings, soothes, reassures and restores a sense of calmness and balance. There is a physical reset as the fight or flight reflex subsides and hormones settle, when someone is shown love in this way. The Lord knows this because He made us! He wants us to seek Him and be comforted and restored.

In these last days, Isaiah 55 has wise words for all!

Isaiah 55:6-7 NKJV
Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. [7] Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

Let our response be…

Psalm 63:1-8 NKJV
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. [2] So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. [3] Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. [4] Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. [5] My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. [6] When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. [7] Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. [8] My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

1. O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

2. Thro’ death into life everlasting,
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion–
For more than conqu’rors we are!

3. His Word shall not fail you–He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

By Helen Howarth Lemmel

https://youtube.com/shorts/brkglS9-WAc?feature=share

We’ve all been in a prison – sometime, somewhere – but with the Lord there is freedom!

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NLT
For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.