July 28th, 2010 -

"But this has happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God" (2 Corinthians 1:9, NIV).

Dependence on You, Lord is not defeat; it is glorious! Help me, like a child, to be fully dependent on You, my heavenly Father. You want us to rely on...lean on...depend on...count on...bank on...YOU! For everything...in good times and bad times...

Help me to always be dependent on You, Lord for everything - no matter how big or small.

I love You Lord. I trust You to bring together what we need for this move and for our lives out in New Brunswick!

Amen

Better Things Yet To Come

July 23/10 -

Oh Lord, when I look at all the good things You have done while we have been with YFC Saskatoon , the young people who have come to know You, the friends we have made; and You are taking us out of the midst of it all. You must have something really amazing for us in New Brunswick!

I look back with happy memories of all that has been; but even better, I look forward to all that You have in store for us in New Brunswick!

I give You all the glory! Amen!

July 22, 2010

OK, Lord. What does this mean? I mean, I know what it means, but for which question or is it for something else altogether...Let me explain.

Tonights reading from Janette Oke's devotional book is about trust and expectation. Elizabeth is asking God for rain - God tellls her to be patient - she says that He knows she has never been patient - God tells her to trust Him then, that she has always been able to do that. So, she does - for two days and two nights - she is sure that God is going to send rain - as she is watering her vegetable garden, she noticed a cloud in the sky - from the east, not from where rain clouds usually form. She smiles and thinks that that is just like God, to do something out of the ordinary so you know it was God who did it. God did send rain...eventually - but not before the fire came - but her prayer was answered, just not in the time she thought it should be done in.

Now, I have asked You for things about this trip, Lord. I do trust You - about how we are going to get our stuff there and for a place to live after we get there. Sometimes Your answers are not what we expected or when we expected it (like this move to NB). Lord, help me to trust You - not only for the answers, but the timing of them as well. I know that Your timing is perfect, not mine, so help me to trust You in this...thank You, Lord.

"For your thoughts are not my thoughts; neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." Isaiah 55:8

"My soul, wait thou only on God; for my expectation is from him." Psalm 62:5

"My help cometh from the Lord." Psalm 121:2

"Take no thought for your life, what ye shall wear...Behold, the fowls of the air...your heavenly Father feedeth them." Matthew 6:25-26

Incredible!

July 20/10 - Incredible! Again I open my devotional book (Joni's), not knowing what it is going to be about. The title..."Resources For The Journey".

I know that the title means life's journey, but our journey to New Brunswick is part of my life's journey, so...

Am I asking the wrong questions, Lord? All I really need is You! You are the one Resource I really need for this move and for the rest of my life. God, go before me in this new and incredible journey. Show me the way, Lord. I don't need to know every little detail before it happens, Lord; not if You are guiding me. Lord, I want You to take control of my life and this move. I give it all to You! I don't need You to show me what to do; I need You to guide me and lead the way. I need to follow You. Help me to follow, Lord. If I follow You, then I will see the way You have for me. Thank You, Lord.


Just a side note. I have had that feeling again...You know...like the one I had before this whole thing began...like something was going to happen. Well, this time it is about a specific part of the journey...the house we are to live in. Today, I have had the feeling that we are supposed to live in one specific house on the island...Uncle Cecil's old house...it is one that we have been looking into...I just have the feeling that this is the house that God wants us to live in...I will keep you updated on it...

Two Thoughts

July 19th, 2010 - I have two thoughts - one from this mornings reading and one from tonights.

A question from this morning: Am I an engine or a motor?

Being a woman who knows very little about mechanical things, I thought the two were pretty much the same, until...this mornings devotional. June Masters Bacher's husband explained it quite well. It seems that a motor needs an external source of power to work, like a fan or a lamp needs to be plugged in to an electrical outlet. An engine doesn't need this.

So, am I an engine or a motor?

Lord, am I plugged into Your source of power? Where do I get my energy to run? Do I lean on You to guide me where I am to go or do I try to power myself and do it on my own?

Lord, help me to today to be plugged into You and Your source of power because without it I am just running on empty!



The other thought is a reminder. This is a favorite verse of mine and I keep getting reminded of it.

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of PEACE, and not of evil."

I find it amazing how peaceful I am over this move. Even though all of the details are not worked out yet, I am not stressed out about it. I know that You want us to move to New Brunswick and that You know how it will happen, so why worry about it! You are the God of peace. It is a sin to worry. Thank You Lord that You have every detail of this move planned out. Help me to continue to trust You and not rely on humans for answers. Show me how You want this all to play out, Lord! Give me the faith to do what You show me.

I love You, Lord. Good-night!

July 15th, 2010

Good morning, Lord! It has been awhile since I have written to You. Even though I perfer to write to You rather than just talking to You, sometimes I find it hard to do what I would rather do. Then, it is hard to get back into it again. Forgive me, Lord.

A couple of nights ago I picked up Joni Eareckson's devotional book instead of the one I usually read. The bookmark I had in there told me where I had left off the last time I had used it, so I read that one. As usual, it was what I needed at the time. You were speaking to me again!

It talked about God bending us...shaping us...molding us...so He can use us to get the job He has for us to do done. Just like the eating utensil needs to be
bent and shaped into a different shape do Joni can use it in her arm splint to feed herself. If God didn't reshape us, he couldn't use us to fulfill His will for us either.

God, bend me...shape me...mold me into the woman that You can use to do Your will - whatever that is. Will it be painful? Probably. Will I like it? At the time, probably not. Will I like the outcome? If I truly surrender to Your will and let You work in and through my life, then yes, I will like the outcome.

Lord, I know this move to New Brunswick is one of these times that You want to reshape me into someone You can use there. Please help me be willing to be molded into whatever shape You have for me. "I want to do Your will, O my God."

I love You, Lord.

July 4, 2010 -

Another emotional day for me. Why is this so hard for me, Lord? Is it the leaving of friends or is it something deeper? Is it about what I talked to two friends from there about today? Am I truly nervous and scared about movingback there? There is a lot of emotional baggage for me there, Lord. I have dealt with how I see myself Lord; but have I honestly dealt with how people treated me back then. I don't know. It wasn't easy living there before and it is not going to be easy living there again. However, I think that one reason You are taking me back there is because I need to deal with more of my past. Lord, You are going to have to help me through this. I definitely can not do this on my own! Some people think that I am a very strong person. I do not see myself that way at all. I know I am a more confident person than I was, and if I am a strong person, it is because of You, Lord. My strength comes from You! Thank You for helping me. I am so glad that I can come to You for comfort - for strength - for healing. I love You Lord!


Thank You for the teens we have seen come to know You since coming here. I am going to miss them so much! I love them, Lord, like they are my own children. You called us to serve these teens in Saskatoon. Now You are calling us to serve teens in New Brunswick. Help me to remember that You have called us to Campobello Island to work for You. It amazes me sometimes how You use us humans to do Your work. Help me to be obedient to You and serve the people You want me to serve. Amen.

July 3/10 -

Wow! What a rollercoaster of emotions! I should have known that since I surrendered to Your will last night, that today would be like this. Satan sure doesn't want me to surrender to you!

This morning started off great - then only a half hour after I got up, it started! I got a phone call - about us living with my mom. At first I was dead set against the idea. But now I have resigned myself to the fact that we may need to - for awhile anyway. This all took place in the space of a few hours.

Lord, I know that all of the details will work out because I know that this is where You want us. Thank You for the peace that comes from surrendering to Your will. Help me to leave the details in Your hands. I am excited to watch the details unfold like they did when we moved from Hamilton to Caronport. Thank You Lord. Amen.

July 2/10 -

"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God." Philippians 3:13-14

OK Lord, I understand! You want me to move on. You want me to leave Saskatoon and the ministries here behind and You want me to look forward to New Brunswick and the ministries You have for me there. If I don't do this, I am not pressing towards the mark of Your calling on my life.

I want to be where You want me and to be doing what You have for me to do. So, if that means New Brunswick, so be it. I am ready for this new adventure and the challenges that go along with it.

I surrender to Your will, Lord. Take me to Campobello Island and use me to make a difference in the lives of the people there.

I love You, Lord!

Are you ready and willing to surrender to the will of God in your life, whatever that may be?

Thank You for speaking to my heart tonight, Lord. I am ready and willing to do this.

Is the Lord speaking to you today? Listen to what He has to say and be ready and be willing to obey His voice. Do you want the high calling of God on your life? Then be ready to do what He wants you to do. You won't be sorry!

July 1st, 2010 -

Well Lord, I am on my way back to Saskatoon. Montreal was beautiful! I enjoyed walking around seeing a little bit of it. The architecture there was so different and amazing! I really did enjoy lookig at it all the buildings. I did enjoy my time there and the conference, even though it was hard as well.

The conference was nice. It was good to see friends again, even though it was hard to say good-bye to them. Many of them feel like family now, Lord. Maybe that was why it was so hard to say good-bye!

Most of the messages this week felt like they were just for me. Like the speaker knew what I was going through. That made it hard as well. A couple of people even mentioned to me that they thought the messages targeted what we are going through right now. Even though it was hard, at the same time it was good. I know we are doing the right thing and I know that I will be alright once I get there. It is the process that is hard, Lord. But I know that You are there with me - going through every little detail with me - and that helps. Help me to lean on You for strength to do this, Lord; because I can't do this on my own. Thank You, Lord.

June 30/10

Ok Lord, I thought you and I had conquered my problem with this move on Sunday; however, yesterday it sure didn't seem that way. I really don't know how to describe yesterday, except that I was a mess! It started after breakfast and continued throughout the day. I think a lot of it was having to say good-bye to a lot of people I don't know if I will see again; however, it is deeper than just that, Lord. I just don't know how to describe it. All I know is thanks to friends telling me that everything was going to be alright - now I have peace. Thank you Lord for friends who care enough to encourage me. I am not used to that. I am usually the one encouraging others, so I am not used to the one being encouraged. Thank You.

What about you? Do you know someone who needs encouragement today? Do you encourage others on a regular basis? If not, why not? It's not hard. You can make someone feel better. Isn't that worth doing? Lord, help me to be an encouragement to someone today!

Or, is it you that needs to be encouraged? Do you have a problem that is getting you down. Hopefully, you have a friend who cares enough about you to encourage you. If not, you have access to the greatest fiend and the greatest encourager anyone could ever have, Jesus. He wants to encourage you today, but you have to listen for it. Lord, help me to hear the encouraging words that you have for me today. I don't know what I would do without You, Lord...thank You.