That was the end.... of the Beginning!

"That was the end.... of the Beginning!" Powerful song by David Phelps. This one caught me off Guard!! Amazing! Deliberations from Deb's Den

The Mission Field is Right Outside Our Front Door...

The Mission Field is Right Outside Our Front Door... Once again we are drawn out of our comfort zones and into the mission field.... My daughter asked me to get her an application for Esperanza Staff  2013 the other day.  As I was hopping online to retrieve it, I came across an Esperanza Boys Blog from the summer of 2012.  It then led me to a blog that I had never seen before.... I really do love rabbit trails!

The blog by Jamie The Very Worst Missionary caught me off guard and got me thinking about how I look at missions and missionary work.  Now I have sometimes considered myself a "missionary" to my neighbours and during some of the summers, to the kids at Esperanza, but I admit that I fell into that belief that some missions were better than others.  Africa is the big money ticket... but do I consider the kids at Esperanza less valuable? No way! They are truly precious too!

The Bowdens, The Steiners, The Balls, The Boys, The Johnsons, etc... and ALL the Summer Camp Staff need God's blessing and anointing... and You could be His hands too!  

PRAY for them regularly, physically JOIN them if God is calling you, and even BLESS THEM financially! Send God an offering for His work there! 

 The mission field truly is right outside our front door!

Esperanza Summer Bible Camp Staff  2012

Love to you all!! Debbie <><
Deliberations from Deb's Den

A True Miracle!!

I am so blessed to have witnessed a miracle today.  I was able to meet my new Grand-baby via ultrasound! They are a God given blessing from our Heavenly Father and they are truly loved!

• Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5 MKJV) God's word says that even before babies are formed in the womb, God knows them!!  This little one is a wonderful gift from God! I feel so privileged to have had a small glimpse of who God already knows, and even now, I can feel my heart bursting with love for them.
  
• Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD; And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate. (Psalms 127:3-5 ASV)
  

A Prayer Of Thanksgiving!

My heart felt prayer is that Deana, Rory and their baby would know how truly Loved they are by God!  LORD, enable them to become the parents that You have ordained them to be and guide this little life into the Kingdom of God. Prepare them all for a life of TRUE LOVE and fulfill the purposes that You have ordained for each one of them!  Thank you that Mikayla was able to share this incredible experience with us and bless her in her roll as Auntie as well. THANK YOU LORD for this little glimpse into what You already know and bless each one of them abundantly! I pray this in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! AMEN!"

Incredible New Christmas Songs... Inspired!

Where's the line to see Jesus - Becky Kelley

A Baby Changes Everything - Faith Hill

Christmas in Heaven by Sarah Scheider

In honour of two wonderful people…Colleen Jack Pendleton & her Father Chief Jerry Jack Sr.

This weekend was the Memorial Potlatch for Chief Jerry Jack Sr. and his daughter (and my good friend) Colleen Jack Pendleton.  Their lives were cut short; Jerry in a First Nations Canoe Accident and Colleen with a Heart Virus; so this post is dedicated to my friend and my sister.

As their lives were celebrated this weekend in Port Alberni, I was remembering many gifted moments of friendship.  Colleen was a rare treasure indeed.  A beautiful First Nations woman who loved her family and the culture of her family, but who had openly received and shared the beautiful gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I remember many moments in time… 

I know she was one of those faithful Christians women who prayed everyone they knew into the Kingdom of God… myself and my two girls included.  She told me once, that even before she had met us, she would see us sitting by our patio window as she would go into her church.  When she saw us, she would lift us all before the LORD… and thankfully, God answered her prayers!!

I remember going with her to help serve at potlatches in Gold River, and she would always introduce us all as “Her Christian Brothers and Sisters.” She touched my heart and truly was one of our family.  I remember the Halibut Cheeks and the Hooligan Oil (that I never dared to try!), and the many hours in preparation for the parties.

I also recall Tetley Tea (in the circle bags) being the ONLY tea as far as Colleen was concerned.   And I remember teaching Colleen to drive an automobile.  She would practice on the roads on the Gold River reserve and of course, she would take every opportunity to pray as we did so.  We spent many a night there doing a Kids’ Club as well.

I remember tense moments running alongside her towards her burning trailer as we prayed “God, let nothing precious be destroyed”… and God answered our prayers in such a beautiful way.  No one was hurt, only one room in her home was damaged and a very special photograph, in the midst of the fire, remained undamaged.  God truly had protected all that was precious.

And, of course, there were the various trips down island for the Renewal Meetings, Retreats and Christian Fellowship.  We took part in Birthday Parties,  Baptisms, BBQs, Prayer Meetings, Kids’ Clubs, Potlatches, Shopping Trips (especially when it came time for one of the Jack Family parties!!) and much, much more.  I especially remember the joy of “Cleansing and Filling Prayers” while in Campbell River and Alexander’s “Gold fillings and no cavities” with all the Glory going to God.

I remember holding Colleen’s Wedding Shower at our home and finally meeting her long lost love, the elusive Steve Pendleton, for the first time.  What Steve must have thought about us crazy Christian women as we convinced them to don that new type of headdress!  (What great sports they both were.)    It was always a special time when her Father Jerry Jack Sr. would come along as well.  The conversation was always filled with questions and stories… and lots of laughter… and yes, even a few tears over the time, but Love was truly in the House.

Then when Colleen and Steve finally were able to tie the knot, I cried as I watched my girls standing alongside them as flower girls. She was finally able to share her Covenant Wedding Vows with her man Steve.  What a journey that was, but God brought honourable, true love to fruition and He was glorified through her faithfulness in the process.

We didn’t see as much of Colleen after her move with Steve to Neah Bay, but occasionally she would travel back up to visit her sons and her beautiful grandbabies!! Or we would get together for an occasional camping trip or another one of those parties.

Colleen was a true blessing to all who knew her and she is greatly missed by family and friends.  Fortunately, no one could doubt her faith in her LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ… We all know that we will meet again one day.  God just wanted her to join Him a little bit earlier than we had thought possible.  I am sure Colleen is there, alongside Jesus, interceding for all of us and, I suspect, even trying to convince God that Tetley Tea belongs in heaven too.

Thank you Colleen for touching our lives so completely. May your family and friends continue to be blessed by the prayers that you have raised and by the love that you have shared. God bless!

“I am God”… NOT!

I was working on my computer the other day, while nonchalantly listening to the conversation between the four teenagers sitting in my living room.  (Not really “spying” per se, but yes, my ears were opened to hearing what they were sharing with each other!)

Then suddenly they started talking about God!  Now, normally this would have thrilled me to bits… unfortunately this time, they were claiming the title for themselves saying “I am God” and “You are God.” 

Now I am sure that it was all done in jest, but I just made a comment to them, that I wondered what God would think about that….

Fortunately, a friend sent along a link to a site called “I Am Second.” I am praying that the HOLY SPIRIT will speak to their hearts quickly about this issue… because God is the Great I AM…. and they are NOT!! 

Check out the testimony of Mike Huckabee, Presidential Candidate…. It kind of puts things into perspective.  I am second.

I AM SECOND (www.iamsecond.com)

The Wedding Gown That Made History

I just received this story in an Email from Irene Cheese and was so touched that I wanted to share it far and wide!  Enjoy… but make sure you have the Kleenex handy!  God bless, Debbie <><

The Wedding Gown That Made History

Lilly Friedman doesn't remember the last name of the woman who designed and sewed the wedding gown she wore when she walked down the aisle over 60 years ago..  But the grandmother of seven does recall that when she first told her fiancé' Ludwig that she had always dreamed of being married in a white gown he realized he had his work cut out for him.
For the tall, lanky 21-year-old who had survived hunger, disease and torture this was a different kind of challenge.  How was he ever going to find such a dress in the Bergen Belsen Displaced Person's camp where they felt grateful for the clothes on their backs?

    Fate would intervene in the guise of a former German pilot who walked into the food distribution center where Ludwig worked, eager to make a trade for his worthless parachute.  In exchange for two pounds of coffee beans and a couple of packs of cigarettes Lilly would have her wedding gown.

   For two weeks Miriam the seamstress worked under the curious eyes of her fellow DPs, carefully fashioning the six parachute panels into a simple, long sleeved gown with a rolled collar and a fitted waist that tied in the back with a bow. When the dress was completed she sewed the leftover material into a matching shirt for the groom.

   A white wedding gown may have seemed like a frivolous request in the surreal environment of the camps, but for Lilly the dress symbolized the innocent, normal life she and her family had once led before the world descended into madness.  Lilly and her siblings were raised in a Torah observant home in the small town of Zarica, Czechoslovakia where her father was a melamed, respected and well liked by the young yeshiva students he taught in nearby Irsheva. 

 
He and his two sons were marked for extermination immediately upon arriving at Auschwitz .  For Lilly and her sisters it was only their first stop on their long journey of persecution, which included Plashof, Neustadt, Gross Rosen and finally Bergen Belsen.

Lilly Friedman and her parachute dress ondisplay in the Bergen Belsen Museum
  Four hundred people marched 15 miles in the snow to the town of Celle on January 27, 1946 to attend Lilly and Ludwig's wedding.  The town synagogue, damaged and desecrated, had been lovingly renovated by the DPs with the meagre materials available to them.  When a Sefer Torah arrived from England they converted an old kitchen cabinet into a makeshift Aron Kodesh.
    "My sisters and I lost everything - our parents, our two brothers, our homes. The most important thing was to build a new home."  Six months later, Lilly's sister Ilona wore the dress when she married Max Traeger.  After that came Cousin Rosie.  How many brides wore Lilly's dress? "I stopped counting after 17." With the camps experiencing the highest marriage rate in the world, Lilly's gown was in great demand.

    In 1948 when President Harry Truman finally permitted the 100,000 Jews who had been languishing in DP camps since the end of the war to emigrate, the gown accompanied Lilly across the ocean to America .  Unable to part with her dress, it lay at the bottom of her bedroom closet for the next 50 years, "not even good enough for a garage sale. I was happy when it found such a good home."
   Home was the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington , D.C. When Lily's niece, a volunteer, told museum officials about her aunt's dress, they immediately recognized its historical significance and displayed the gown in a specially designed showcase, guaranteed to preserve it for 500 years.

   But Lilly Friedman's dress had one more journey to make. Bergen Belsen, the museum, opened its doors on October 28, 2007.  The German government invited Lilly and her sisters to be their guests for the grand opening. They initially declined, but finally traveled to Hanover the following year with their children, their grandchildren and extended families to view the extraordinary exhibit created for the wedding dress made from a parachute. 

   Lilly's family, who were all familiar with the stories about the wedding in Celle , were eager to visit the synagogue.  They found the building had been completely renovated and modernized..  But when they pulled aside the handsome curtain they were astounded to find that the Aron Kodesh, made from a kitchen cabinet, had remained untouched as a testament to the profound faith of the survivors.  As Lilly stood on the bimah once again she beckoned to her granddaughter, Jackie, to stand beside her where she was once a kallah.  "It was an emotional trip.  We cried a lot."   Two weeks later, the woman who had once stood trembling before the selective eyes of the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele returned home and witnessed the marriage of her granddaughter.

  The three Lax sisters - Lilly, Ilona and Eva, who together survived Auschwitz, a forced labor camp, a death march and Bergen Belsen - have remained close and today live within walking distance of each other in Brooklyn.  As mere teenagers, they managed to outwit and outlive a monstrous killing machine, then went on to marry, have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and were ultimately honoured by the country that had earmarked them for extinction.
   As young brides, they had stood underneath the chuppah and recited the blessings that their ancestors had been saying for thousands of years.  In doing so, they chose to honor the legacy of those who had perished by choosing life.

PLEASE PASS THIS INSPIRATIONAL STORY ALONG......IT'S WORTH SHARING!

The Glory Cloud of His Presence – Aglow Part 2

I have been trying to sum up in my heart what the LORD imparted to me during this NI Aglow Retreat.  His Presence and His Favour was definitely with us and I could see His divine appointments as well.

A while back Pastor Scott shared a message at Northgate Foursquare.  It was on Exodus 33:1-18  where Moses is being asked to lead the Israelites to take the Promised Land.  At first God wasn’t going to go with them because they were a “stiff-necked people.” (Aren’t we all at times?)  Fortunately, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.”  Moses was able to intercede for His people.   "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" Finally God agreed to let His Presence go with them.

This message awakened something within me and I also began to intercede for my friends and family.  God gave me the promise that He would go with us ALL as well.

Then, on the Friday Evening, Diane Fink taught from the same scripture.  Yet another confirmation of God’s Goodness…“the Loving-kindness of God.”  It is His loving-kindness that brings us to a point of repentance unto salvation.  Rom 2:4 God allowed His Goodness… His Glory to pass before Moses (and now He offers it to us).  His Goodness is His VERY Best for us.  It is His beauty, His salvati0n, His welfare, His Joy, His Prosperity… It is His Glory.   “The Glory of the LORD will cover the earth” And, as Christians, we are to be the reflection of that Glory in the earth…  Pretty Awesome when you think about it!!

It is truly about HIS PRESENCE!!

More to come… :)

A Caterpillar Saved Thanks To Mikayla :)

I have such a sweet, compassionate daughter… she even cares for the beasts (bugs) of the field.   This morning as we were hopping in our vehicle, Mikayla bent down behind the car.  I was watching her in the rear-view mirror, and wondered at what she was doing.  Then I saw her stand up with something in the palm of her hand and walk over to our yard.  As I looked on, she gently placed a little caterpillar safely on the grass… far away from the path of our automobile tires!

Of course, this became a big joke on our journey to the bus, and I must admit that I had a little fun with the whole thing.  I described the moment that her little butterfly would flutter up to her one day and say “Thank You for being my saviour”.

Thinking back on it now,  I realize just how valuable that few seconds was.  It did save a life!  She HAD become this little caterpillar’s saviour! How precious to think that her silent decision could save a life that one day could turn into something significant… That fuzzy little creature now has the opportunity to grow from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.

It brings me back to a painting that the LORD and I had created while at the IGNITE Worship Arts Event.  God had given me a vision… a simple picture of a caterpillar on a stick.   

I was humbled as I first started to sketch it out, and then begin to put colour to the paper and I wondered as to His message of it.  I felt just as small and insignificant as that caterpillar.  Here I was surrounded by incredible paintings of Biblical proportions, but then God began to move me… He started to give me colours and He started to direct me where to place the paint brush.

As I watched before my eyes I saw a different image begin to appear. I could see it start to take shape, and as I stepped away to look at the painting from another direction, He showed me the outlines of an image that He had given me days before of a violin. The word was that “He was bringing forth a New Sound."  The colours of the rainbow brought back another Word that He had given me speaking of His Promises to His Bride.  I shared at this point on my painting recognizing that it was yet an unfinished work, expectantly wondering what He was going to do with it.

After lunch, the painting developed further as several of us spent the afternoon fellowshipping together. As I joined with Him in the dance of the painting, I could see the caterpillar developing into the beginnings of Peacock Feather Butterfly. I knew that I wanted to get a better picture of the feather wings, so I asked Jean Kelly to bring up some peacock feathers on her digital arts computer and continued to paint the feathers with the colours of the rainbow. He then lead me to develop the Peacock Feathers into a Dramatic Mask. He also pointed out another feather in the image and directed me to develop it into a Calligraphy Feather Pen.

Once I had finished, I sought the LORD as to the further meaning of the imagery. He showed me that in the beginning this was just a picture of a stick and a caterpillar.  Just as insignificant as Mikayla’s little caterpillar.

But the caterpillar represented the small beginnings of my/our Worship through the Arts.  As we joined together in UNITY during the IGNITE conference we were being legitimatized into the New Birth of the beautiful all-encompassing Worship Arts. A peacock feather butterfly mask symbolizing the Dramatic Arts and Digital Arts, the violin bringing out the Music, the rainbow ribbons flowing with the Dance and the praise flags, and the Feather Pen DIRECTING our path through the written Word in Prophetic Worship... through song, through poetry, through dramatic writings, through books and novels, and through other Prophetic Works.

He created a masterpiece through my hands and gave me His New Beginnings... a caterpillar transformed into a beautiful butterfly!  I praise Him with His creative giftings and in the process we take ground for the Kingdom of God. He has allowed me to come against destruction with the opposite force... with Creativity... and it is glorious!!

And today God allowed Mikayla to come against destruction with the opposite force… with compassion.  She saved that little caterpillar from death and God has used her to bring abundant life…. True it may only be the life of a small caterpillar, but one day it will become a beautiful butterfly touched with the colours of God’s rainbow… His promise of New Beginnings…. and it truly is GLORIOUS!

The enemy would like to kill, steal and destroy.  But God has come so that we might have life, and life more abundantly.  (John 10:10)

An Atheist who preaches the need to spread the Good News (Gospel of Jesus Christ) better than most Christians

A friend of mine sent me this story on facebook.  (*Thanks Katie!)

A guest to the Penn & Teller show gives a surprisingly wonderful gift to Penn.

I was surprised that an atheist has a better grasp on the importance of spreading the Good News than most Christians do!  Check out the quote below and then watch the video....

**********

The following quote is just one more example of why I feel an urgent need to speak the Gospel to all creation (including YOU!) 

This quote is from the mouth of Penn Gillette (a famous atheist--who said of himself "I am beyond atheist"): 

Here's Penn's quote about Christians, "If you believed that there’s a Heaven and Hell, and that people could be going to Hell, or not getting eternal life, or whatever, and you think that, well it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward . . .  How much do you have to HATE somebody to know that everlasting life is possible and NOT tell them that?

I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you -- there is a certain point where I tackle you --and this is more important than that."

My heart is burdened for those who do not know the true Gospel of Jesus.   If I truly care about people...how can I not share this Good News!   Can you see that truck coming??

Astronomy meets the Almighty! Sermon By Louie Giglio

You just have to check this one out!  Amazing details and facts!!  Sermon series called "How Great is Our God" by Louie Giglio.  (I found this on Mandy's Blog and was totally blown away so I did some more checking! Thanks Mandy)

Louie Giglio, has been at the forefront of collegiate ministry for over twenty years.  Prior to becoming the Director of Passion, Louie was Founder and Director of Choice Ministries, where he worked in the campus setting with students at Baylor University.  Louie travels the world challenging this generation to a passionate pursuit of God, inviting them to join Him in His unending Story.

Louie and His wife, Shelley (Chief Strategist, Passion Conferences and Director of Label Operations and Artist Management), live in Alpharetta, GA, and are active members of North Point Community Church.  Louie is the author of The Air I Breathe: Worship As A Way Of Life and I am not but I know I AM.  http://www.268generation.com/ 

 

Barrage - Too Early, Too Late, Too Much, Too Little, to Whom or .... TO HIM!

A Barrage Of Extremes....   I have been witnessing quite a bit of this lately. 

One friend is already complaining about hearing too many Christmas Songs.  She works at Wal-Mart and apparently they started playing Christmas music and stocking holiday shelves the day after Halloween.  However, another friend told me that her husband didn't believe in putting up any Christmas decorations until after December 1st,  while still another is heading south for the winter to avoid having to celebrate Christmas at all! 

One Wiccan friend of mine looks at Christmas Day (or the Winter Solstice to her) as a festival of food, hoping for "four turkeys in one day" while another Pastor encourages spending less money on gifts and spending more time together.  Instead he suggests sharing the money that they didn't spend with the poor, the hurting, the lonely, the hungry, the sick, the thirsty. 
(www.adventconspiracy.org)

Then there is a blog article that Pastor Craig posted with his wife "Shanda's version of Lights Up"  (see below) while Dad e-mailed me this picture of another man's Christmas Lighting.... 

It's can all be very humorous when you look at each item individually, but then you begin to feel your heart twinge when you see everything in the light of God's Word.  All these things are "sideshow distractions" according to the words in The Message paraphrase.

"Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust."   (Pro 4:25-27 MSG)

Are we keeping our eyes straight ahead?  

Are we focused on the "Christ" in "Christmas?  

Are we being barraged with distractions from all sides?  Music, decorations, lights, turkeys, stuffing, presents, want, greed, shopping, early, late, more, less.... 

The word barrage came to me as I was considering a title for this article.  I decided to look it up in the dictionary and "barrage" is described as a "rapid attacking outpouring of something" and "to subject somebody to a relentless onslaught."    All these rapid fire distractions are a tactic of the enemy to take our focus off of where it should be. 

Let's send a rapid fire barrage of our own by declaring that our focus is back on the Reason For The Season.... Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, Child of God, Child of man, King of kings, Lord of lords, Wonderful, Counsellor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Atonement, The Way, The Truth, and The Life, Healer, Saviour, Sanctifier, Servant, Sacrifice, Seated at the Right Hand of The Father and Sovereign, Soon Coming King!

Jesus IS ABLE to smooth out the road before us.  He can and will help us to stay on that narrow path, and He can enable us to withstand any barrage or distraction that the enemy may throw at us!  THANK YOU LORD!!

Memorial to a Sister in Christ - Colleen Jack

Somewhere over the rainbow....

I am dedicating this video clip to a dear friend who recently went to
be with the LORD.

Colleen Pendleton (Ne: Jack) was a First Nations princess here on earth as the daughter of Chief Gerry Jack, but she was more importantly a Princess in the Kingdom of God.... a Daughter of the KING of kings. She was a prayer warrior and a woman of faith who wore her love on her shoulders & who stood for righteousness.

She had a powerful testimony of God's restorative power in her marriage and in her entire life. She honoured and exemplified faith and God's promises to her two boys; Gerald and Alexander, (now grown) and to her people, the Mowachaht / Muchalaht Nation.

There are so many stories that I would like to share about this wonderful woman.

When we lived in Gold River, Colleen would always invite her "Christian Sisters and Brothers" to help on the reserve during Potlatches or Kids Clubs. She could have kept us all in the back and remained hidden in her faith in a place of culture and tradition. However, Colleen would always call us forward and introduce us, her Christian family to her traditional family. She always made a place for God during these gatherings.

One powerful story came when God, literally, delivered her from the fire. It was early one morning when I heard a bounding knock on the door. I opened to find Colleen standing there in tears saying that her home was on fire. As we ran back down the road, we were crying out to God and praying "LORD, let nothing PRECIOUS be destroyed." By the time we got there the Fire Department had everything under control. They had arrived within 7 minutes from the time of the 911 call!

Once they had given the all clear and we were able to re-enter the place, we went over what had happened. Her son, Gerald, had had a friend over for the evening and they had fallen asleep with candles burning in the room.

Fortunately, God stepped in powerfully. Where Gerald usually slept like a log, the friend came to easily and woke everyone up. Colleen was able to get the boys and her second son, Alex, out of the house safely. Then, with the leading of the LORD, she had rolled a towel and placed it at the base of Gerald's door. This had blocked the flow of oxygen into the room and had suffocated the fire.

When we re-entered the bedroom itself, we could see where the flow of the fire and smoke on the ceiling had charred the tiles and there were items all over the room that were burned to molten blobs. CD's had exploded and were stuck to the ceiling.

Then we looked on the bedside table. The lamp was wilted and the clock radio was a blob of plastic. But God, right beside these charred items, had saved a "precious" photograph of Gerald's father.... It was untouched by the heat and was totally intact. God had answered our prayers that nothing "precious" be destroyed. They were all safe and this precious photograph was still intact. God had kept His promise to her to protect her and carrying her through the fire....

LORD, we lift up Colleen's family to you; Steve, Gerald and Kathy and their three kids; Alexander and Flora; Leander (Jerry Jr) and Bev, and their kids, etc. You know each one by name. Be their comforter and help them to understand the power of your love... even in this.

Fruit of the Spirit - Is it our faith... or His Faithfulness?

Oh, to be able to just reach up and pick a fruit off a tree and be able to partake of it immediately... but Galatians 5:22 says that faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  He is at work in our lives, but the fruit isn't immediate.

Some days, instead, I feel as if all I am getting is the flesh of the bruised fruit itself.  I have totally side-stepped the true covering of the fruit's outer skin that protects it from the elements outside.  It is God's faithfulness, not our own faith that we must count on. 

Some days, I have missed the solid flesh inside that produces the flavour and the juice that supplements the body with specific nutritional benefits that we so obviously need.  I need the dynamic taste of the Word  and the flowing juices of prayer on a daily basis to be able to "walk in the Spirit" in the fullness of His strength and conditioning.

Then some days, and I have missed the seeds, which, when planted and fully grown, will produce a whole tree that will re-produce and bring much more fruit.  Fruit that I can share with others in their daily walks as well.

Fortunately, God does offer the whole fruit.  It IS ours for the asking and when He gives it, it is in the Fullness of the Father's Love!   I know I try not to give bruised or battered fruit to my girls.  How much more does He desire to give us the Holy Spirit when we ask Him?

One of the young gals at the Christian School got baptized in Holy Spirit on Sunday.  He is at work in her life in a powerful way and I praise God for where He is taking her. 

LORD, may all of the children (and adults) attached to CVCS grab hold of Holy Spirit.  Please work in our lives that we may all be able to live in the Spirit, so that we are able to walk in the Spirit without stumbling.  AMEN!

• But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
  (Gal 5:22-25 MKJV)

Fireproof... ADEBnego (sic) Style....

"Fireproof".... I wonder what God was thinking when He invented fire?

A while back I had a dream.... sort of being caught in a fire. In the dream, I was a young child and I was being chased by someone much bigger than myself. In my childlike state, I ran into a fireplace and climbed up the chimney to get away from my pursuer. Fortunately, he was too big to actually reach me. "I will just wait until you come out" he bellowed.

It was then that God started to turn up the temperature on my faith... He was testing me via a dream... How long would I stay protected from the enemy in that chimney? I could feel faith being challenged by fear.

First of all, timing was a factor. How long could I stay in a chimney and live? I recognized that there were various options to consider. I knew that, at that point, I couldn't go out the bottom of the chimney, because the danger was down there. I also recognized that looking upwards, was the only way out.... A good rule for all of life, don't you think?

Next, came the fear about how long I would last in a chimney without food and water. The enemy could just wait me out until I either came down or died of starvation and thirst. But then I was reminded that if God could provide water from the rock and quail from the sky for the Israelites, He could probably make a way for my hunger and thirst to be filled even in this tight spot. I also recalled times of fasting and prayer where God alone sustains you. I felt my faith starting to rise.

Finally, I sensed the enemy starting a FIRE in fireplace. As the heat and the smoke began to raise, I felt that fear try to take hold again. Then God brought to mind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were cast into the "burning fiery furnace." King Nebuchadnezzar actually commanded that his men should "heat the furnace SEVEN TIMES MORE than it was usually heated!" But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were men of prayer! God not only protected them in the fire, He walked with them in the fire... and then He delivered them from the fire. And He didn't just deliver them ... the fire "had NO power" over them. The smell of smoke didn't even cling to them!

Then I woke up.... Did I get out of the chimney? How did my dream end... ??

Well, I felt my hope rise and my faith stand strong in God's Faithfulness. This summer, only God knows how close we came to going through that forest fire in the Kootenay's, and only God knows what other fires may await us in the future. I know that I can get on MY KNEES and call out to God. I also believe that God CAN make me "FIREPROOF."

From here on in, just call me "A-Deb-Knee-Go!"

• Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and the form of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded mighty men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to throw them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were tied up in their slippers, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the burning fiery furnace. Then because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed. And he rose up in haste and spoke and said to his advisers, Did we not throw three men bound into the middle of the fire? They answered and said to the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Behold! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and there is no harm among them. And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the burning fiery furnace. He answered and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth from the middle of the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's advisers gathered and saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power (and the hair of their head was not scorched, nor were their slippers changed, nor had the smell of fire clung on them). Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His Angel and has delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king's words and have given their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.
  (Dan 3:19-28 MKJV)