Sunday, March 28, 2010

Selah!

There are just some days when the Power of the Presence of God falls so heavy upon His child that it is almost too much Good for His child to take... and that was today for me... right smack dab in the midst of the extremes of life... just almost too much Good for this child to take - but be assured - I was of the presence of mind to be receiving every bit of the Good that was being laid upon me today and I am still praising Him.

Without going into all the details of the day, I will say this... I was totally set up! Properly positioned, you might say, to receive this particular blessing today.

This past week I have been in Exodus and in the study of the Tabernacle - I am completely restraining myself here from teaching a lesson, however, perhaps it is sufficient to say that just as every part of the Old Testament Tabernacle was an earthly copy and shadow (Heb. 8:5) of the Heavenly design - Christ Himself is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle itself (Rev. 21:22)... Beautiful.

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the day that marks the final entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (John 12; Mark 11; Matthew 21), the day that palm branches were taken and spread upon the road and the people shouted 'Hosanna!' ('save now!'). The day of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. It was an entry that was filled with great popular acclaim from those that had been with Jesus when He had raised Lazarus from the dead; yet it was a popular acclaim that lacked spiritual understanding... perhaps if they had just partaken of Selah...

Throughout the Psalms (and three times in Habukukk) there is found an isolated word that stands apart from the main text... Selah. Although scholars have long since debated the exact meaning of this word, because of its context, it is widely considered to translate as 'pause' or 'consider'... and this is where I have found myself recently... I am in my Selah.

Just as my study in Exodus and Hebrews set me up for a blessing of the outpouring of the Power of the Presence of God today, so too, have I been set up for my own particular time of Selah... a time to pause and to consider all that the Lord has been teaching me over these past 20 years. Now, it is not as though I have not paused or considered throughout that entire time, many times it is daily if not hourly! However, I'm sensing within my spirit 'a new thing' and I do believe that at this particular time God is preparing me, positioning me, setting me up (so to speak) for just that very thing.

This is my time of Selah - it is not, by any means, a time of inactivity, but one of complete engagement in the purposes of God! It is a time to reflect, a time to receive an even deeper spiritual understanding of all that God has been placing within me.

My prayer is that you would be blessed in your own personal time of Selah; that, however long it may be, you would know the Reality of the Presence of your God in it and that it would be a time of sweet refreshment and fellowship for you.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!
Selah
(Psalm 84:4)

Saturday, March 20, 2010

I Am So... Bugged!

For some reason I have always had an appreciation for bugs. It's not like I go out looking for them, but whenever I happen to come across them... well, like I said... I have an appreciation for them.

When I was ten years old, I saw my first 'Bug'... the man-made kind. I was at a car show with my dad and as we followed the red carpeted path that led through the gigantic showroom, we turned a corner... and there it was, a beautiful, shiny, bright orange, VW Bug - perfectly displayed on a round pedestal and turning e-v-e-r so s-l-o-w-l-y in order to give the eyes of onlookers the opportunity to view it from all angles - and to allow the lights to highlight its glossy curves. I was smitten.

When I was old enough to drive, and afford a car of my own, I purchased a brand new, candy-apple red Pontiac Sunbird. I had my eye on a VW Bug (with a sunroof I just have to say), but because my dad was a car salesman and did not happen to sell VW's... I went with the Sunbird.

Very soon after my big purchase, I met a very handsome young man who happened to drive.... you guessed it... a VW Bug!

Honestly, it was just the cutest thing to watch - from the moment that we started dating, that little Bug did not have a reverse, and so this handsome young man would strategically park it in places where he could just drive it straight out, although more often than not, a reverse was required and so he would hold onto the steering wheel with his right hand, position his back against the opened door frame, and use his left leg to push the car backwards... then quick as a flash jump in, start the Bug, and away we would go!

Eventually this young man had my heart... and we were soon married and starting our new life together. My husband's brother, who was an art student with the Emily Carr School, gave his brother a beautiful sketch of his little Bug.


As the years went by, and our family grew, the day finally came when we had to sell the little Bug. As the new owners drove away and the familiar putt-putt-putt faded into the distance, my husband and I continued to stand in the driveway, arms around each other and unashamedly, cried.
Fast forward, to this past weekend, when we were out looking at cars... just for fun. We started out test driving a cute little white car - the dealer handed us the keys and told us not to turn the car off - we drove around for a few minutes and decided to park in a school parking lot to check out the vehicle more thoroughly... and you guessed it... we turned off the engine.


Short version of the story, I made an early morning emergency phone call to my friend Wendy (who just happened to live close to the area where we were) for a jump start.


Before we parted ways, Wendy joked about how we should go see her son at the VW Dealership; we took the little car back and headed over to the Honda car lot. We test drove a few cars there as well and then later on in the afternoon, my husband suggested we look at the VW Dealership before calling it a day... the fun was about to begin!

Ok, so this is what happened... just for a lark we ended up taking a VW Convertible out for a test drive. We were no sooner out of the lot, than we pulled over and put the top down, and turned into two of the dorkiest 16 year olds you could ever meet! We bombed around and laughed our fool heads off until we had tears coming out of our eyes. Every time we came to a red light, or a stop sign, we would look at the people on the sidewalks, then look at each other and start laughing all over again as we took off. It soon began to sprinkle and we remembered that we had washing out on the line, so with the wind in our hair, we sped off home, and while my husband was quickly bringing in the laundry, I snapped this picture before putting up the roof.


We laughed and giggled all the way back to the VW lot and were still laughing as we handed back the keys.

We were then shown a very sedate sedan and it was suggested that we give it a test drive as well.
As we pulled out of the lot we were very quiet...
very sedate.

We did our obligatory four right turns around the block and as we turned into the dealership lot...
we both saw the little VW bug...
and instantly looked at each other and began to laugh all over again.

We were definitely blessed that day,
and although the little test driven convertible did not come home with us that night...
its younger sibling, the 2009 Special Edition VW Bug did!
And we are still laughing...


For some reason I have always had an appreciation for bugs. It's not like I go out looking for them, but whenever I happen to come across them... well, like I said... I have an appreciation for them.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Side By Side...


I seem to find life lessons everywhere I go, and because I think in pictures, it is quite often the visual things that seem to speak to me the most. 

Yesterday, while out in the pouring rain in the garden, I squealed in delight when I found the biggest, juiciest, healthiest looking worm in the soil that I had just dug up. I was so excited that I immediately picked it up and ran over to my husband to show him how lovely it was... as I held it up (so the light of the sun would shine through it), I told my husband to look as closely as he could and he would be able to see the new dirt that this healthy and fat worm was making inside itself... and where it came out at the end... my husband just kind of nodded and didn't really look.

I love the Life that is happening in the garden, the visual parts are really beginning to show, the Elephant Ears have already bloomed pink and the Wysteria is full on yellow with the purple Heather exuberant in its display right beside it. Buds are absolutely everywhere... if my garden was a symphony, my neighbours might be telling me to turn down the volume! I love it!

So what is the life lesson that I learned from that fat and healthy worm?

That even in the depths of the darkness of the earth... Music plays.

A few weeks ago, while in another city, I was enjoying the somewhat lengthy walk back to my car, on an exceptional crisp and sunny day. As I made my way up the sidewalk on a hill, I glanced over and saw an amazing looking tree, and at its base was this lovely display of cheery yellow crocuses... and nestled beside these cheery, yellow crocuses... was an equally thriving clump of weeds.
The life analogy was obviously apparent, yet, the thing that was really holding my attention was the actual tree. It was perhaps the most gnarly looking tree that I have ever seen! It was twisted and misshaped, weather beaten and had obviously been vigorously pruned back many, many times over the years. As my musings began, I took some pictures and as I made my way towards my car, and eventually home... I thought about the life lesson that I was learning from this tree... and from what lay at its feet.

Within the culture that we live in, there is the underlying, if not blatantly overt, philosophy that whatever is visually lovely and pleasing is somehow more valuable, more desirable than that which is its antithesis... yet all that glitters is not gold... and it is most often, within the gnarliest of vessels, that the true treasure lies!

I am almost sure, that this particular tree, has seen an abundance of weeds and flowers laid at its feet over its many years, just as we also have had, on our own particular life's journey, many a weed and flower laid or planted at our feet, whether invited or not.

If you were to speak with any botanist, they would probably tell you that "There are no weeds - just unwanted plants", and it's true! Each year when I plan out my garden, it never even crosses my mind to plant a few weeds, they just come unbidden, and my thoughts towards them are unwelcome thoughts... they are to be eliminated or removed so that the plantings that I do want in my garden can thrive and not be choked out. Yet, there is a purpose for all things, and many times an unwanted planting in my garden makes me a better and more attentive gardener!

It would take far too long to tell you the life lessons that I learned that day, however, I can tell you that one lesson learned is that no matter what was laid, side by side, at its feet, the trees' roots went Deeper than its surroundings or circumstances! It has continued to do what it was created to do despite the weeds and despite the flowers... it has grown in strength and in stature and in favour - after all, it has only been pruned year in and year out because it is of great value and gives an abundance of blooms year after year.

Honestly, that tree did not teach me any life lessons, it is the Creator of the tree that has used His creation to speak into my life.

One of my favourite verses is Isaiah 61:3. If just plain living has ever left you feeling weather-beaten, twisted, gnarled or misshapen, remember another 'tree', the tree of Calvary, that 'old rugged cross', and The One Who hung upon it for you; let your roots go Deep and drink in His sustaining strength and peace...


"That you might be called a tree of righteousness,
A planting of the Lord, for the display of His splendour."

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Thankyou...

**This post was actually written yesterday afternoon and placed in the Study Room, however, because so many of you have been faithfully praying for my mom, I felt that it was important to share it here, in Pure Grace, as well...
thank you!


Hi Girls, I just wanted to thank you so much for all your prayers these past few weeks and to let you know that I haven't dropped off the side of the planet... I really am still here and missing you like crazy I might add!

Here is my mom, looking quite pleased with herself as she takes her daily walk... and so she should, she's been through a lot.


Today we were finally able to pick her up from the hospital and take her home. I put her dinner in the oven while she settled herself down on her 'own wee couch', then tidied out her fridge and restocked it with new groceries.

I have been so blessed to have such caring and loving sisters during this season; God, daily, has been ministering to me through His Word and by His Spirit, may He see in me a truly thankful child.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

With love,

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