13 Hours of Rain

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Matthew 13:44 There was a man who discovered something in a field one day. A shiny object that flashed in the sun. When he bent down to examine it, his heart nearly lodged itself in his throat. He jumped up and looked quickly around. Nobody had seen him. His hand began to tremble, and his breathing became short. He could not take the object, because it was not his to take, yet it was very, very valuable. But he had to have it, you see. No matter what else happened, he realized in that moment that he had to own that treasure... Now let me ask you a question... Does this man want this treasure?... Ahh, yes. If you want to walk into the kingdom, you also must have this kind of desire. Without such desire, the man never would have done what he did next... He covered the diamonds so that no one would find them, and ...

“BE STILL IN MY PRESENCE, even though countless tasks clamor for your attention. Nothing is as important as spending time with Me. While you wait in My Presence, I do My best work within you: transforming you by the renewing of your mind. If you skimp on this time with Me, you may plunge headlong into the wrong activities, missing the richness of what I have planned for you. Do not seek Me primarily for what I can give you. Remember that I, the Giver, am infinitely greater than any gift I might impart to you. Though I delight in blessing My children, I am deeply grieved when My blessings become idols in their hearts. Anything can be an idol if it distracts you from Me as your First Love. When I am the ultimate Desire of your heart, you are safe from the danger of idolatry. As you wait in My Presence, enjoy the greatest gift of all: Christ in you, the hope of Glory! Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be ...

“If you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.”  ―  C.S. Lewis ,  The Horse and His Boy Our refugee family as arrived. And they are immensely grateful. I do not know about the atrocities they witnessed or the terror they fled. All I know is the visible signs of thankfulness on their faces as they have left their old home to come to their new home. We are reading "The Horse and His Boy" as a family. It is the story of Shasta, a young boy who is running away from his cruel life in the country of Calormen to the hope in beautiful Narnia. Our family calls this land "Beautiful Canada". :) There are days I get frustrated over my day-to-day life. There are so many things I wish to accomplish. Like learning how to write Hindi, which I never seem to find time for. Or being that amazingly creative Mom with you kids, who has planned all these fantastic summer activities. Or writing Chapter Two of my so-not-pub...

"Laggard: In the diffusion of innovation theory, the minority group (roughly 16 percent) of population, which is the last group to try or adopt a new project. It consists largely of seniors, and those with low socioeconomic status. Laggards use friends and neighbors as information sources, dislike change, and accept new things only when forced to." (Source: BusinessDictionary.com) "As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved... Learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology... Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not..." (Source: Is technology producing a decline in critical thinking and analysis? ) "The real world of technology seems to involve an inherent trust in machines and devi...

I almost ditched creating to our annual Christmas letter last year, the one we e-mail to a contact list comprised of family and friends. Why? Partly because nothing “news worthy” occurred in 2015. And partly because I get easily discouraged by the lack of responses to all the work we put in to creating the document. Yet I persevered, more for you kids, so we can intentionally document your beautiful lives and the non-material gifts God lavished on us last year. Plus I’ve come to accept (through the wise counsel of trusted others) that the social media world has resulted in more non-responders than responders. Truthfully, people just don’t have time to provide feedback to everything they read out there in the virtual world! Even I find it difficult to keep in touch with everyone on a meaningful level (and I consider myself an above average corresponder). Once I got over myself and embraced creating our Christmas letter again, I took a personal risk in my section of the update. ...

We are into summer now. Our days are filled with catching up with tasks we've shelved during the year, tending our yard, biking, and swimming lessons. There are some family get-togethers here and there. Plus a balanced dose of literacy, including numeracy, to keep your grade levels up. This is the last summer before both of you enter the world of school. I too will dust off my teaching skills and enter the classroom as a casual substitute teacher. I am looking forward to the change. Yet, I hold my breath during this moment in time, cherishing this stage of full-time homemaking, which will soon be past (for now, anyway). There are still days when I do pause and reflect on whether or not we could have extended this season of preschool parenting. We are a two-kid family, a decision that was not accepted flippantly, but rather with much deliberation and disquietude (especially on my part). In spite of the permanency of our decision, those uncomfortable moments do arise, when the co...

Let's say you attend a Women's Conference. It isn't anything flashy. The poster advertising the event doesn't promise life changing advice or earth shattering results. The main speaker is "plain jane" and not clad in today's bling or tomorrow's trendy. The conference doesn't have a gymnasium full of booths with famous authors signing autographs. Neither are there inspirational coffee mugs with quasi-Christian phrases for sale. The atmosphere is not frenetic or vacuous. Rather, the events are fairly ordinary. God's Word is expounded with integrity. Prayers are spoken in unison and in private. Songs are offered with sincerity. The Lord's Supper is observed. And genuine thankfulness is offered to our God for divine redemption through His Son and the Gift of His Spirit until He returns. Doesn't that sound refreshing? Why doesn't everything these days have to be spectacular? I just finished reading a book entitled O r·di·nar·y b...

"What rink are we going to?" J. asks as we pack up our skating gear. "Where the Wildcats play," I respond, smiling on how my answer reminds me of one of my favourite children's book. You know the story, don't you? The one about a mischievous little boy who is sent to his room without his supper and how his room transforms into forest and sea. He romps and roars and dances with fearsome creatures. But love calls him back to his room to find his supper waiting for him. All is well and forgiven. In this stage of Motherhood, I am trying to navigate loving and gracious discipline. Some days I do much disciplining and forget the loving and gracious part. Other days, with God's wisdom, I get it right and really take the time to talk about the emotional hurts we inflict on each other. Then we work towards reconciliation. Such moments are beautiful. I grew up in a culture where the elders were always right (especially if the elder was male). It is not tha...

I'm frustrated. You know the definition: feeling or expressing distress and annoyance, especially because of inability to change or achieve something. Yup, I am there today. I'm frustrated over my seemingly mundane existence. Wake up. Cook meals. Wash dishes. Do laundry. Clean house. Track debit/credits. Clean house, again. Go to bed. Repeat. It goes on and on and sometimes I just WISH I was doing something smart. I'm frustrated over money and how I wish I didn't have to track what we spend. The cost of everything continues to go up and there are days I wonder if I've got this budgeting thing all wrong. This week I need to stretch $50 for groceries without swiping the credit card. Don't panic readers, I am not a charity case at all. We do have some emergency savings. And technically government subsidies were deposited into our account very recently. However, I want to pretend it doesn't exist as I need that cash for some added expenses next month. Regar...

Do I believe in Christ’s redemptive work for me in the present? Do I believe that Christ has given me a new identity? Do I believe God can change me into who He wants me to be? Do I trust God to lead me in the best possible way? I wish I could exclaim a resounding “YES!” to all the above questions. Truthfully, the way I live my life floats somewhere between yes and no. Intellectually speaking, I do believe God can and will transform me into Christ’s image over time, through the conviction and empowering of the Holy Spirit. But often, my heart is somewhere else, trying to earn my own salvation. Once again, I am processing ideas proposed by Lane and Tripp in their book How People Change . In the book, the authors claim that Christians are often guilty of trying to fill their lives with good things that become ultimate things. In other words, we start pursuing ideas, practices or beliefs that take the place of God in our lives. While we acknowledge that God is our Savior and that He h...

We are caught on this side of heaven, where we await our complete transformation, when we cross the threshold to the other side. There we will spend eternity with the Three-in-One who sacrificed His Divine rights out of majestic love for humankind. For many, this future hope is enough. Fire insurance has been received, so to speak. The here and now is theirs to keep, without God, enslaved in sin. Yet, God came to set us free here and now . Your Daddy and I are taking in a Sunday School class where we are pondering the writings of Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp through their co-authored booked How People Change . It speaks of the “Gospel Gap”, where Christians struggle with Christ’s redemption in their present day situation. It is easy to present the Gospel as forgiveness of our past sins and hope for eternity. But what about “the now”? How can the implications of Christ’s death and resurrection make a difference as we struggle with sin day-to-day? What does it mean that...

A while back, I read Shōgun , a novel about sixteenth century Japan. It is written by James Clavell, an author who is brilliant at weaving history into fictional plots. The story captured my imagination. I was eager to read the rich descriptions of culture and ideology. Lately, I have been mulling over one scene in the book. A devastating earthquake rocks a village. Lives are lost. Property is destroyed. The main characters' lives are threatened. Yet, after the powerful tremors finally ceased, the people threw back their heads and laughed. Laughed! And then they all shrugged off the tragedy as karma , as fate, as the reaping of past deeds. Now I don't believe in karma in the same sense, as an inanimate force out there that ordains my destiny. But I do believe in the Will of God. I believe some things in my life were destined, like marrying your Daddy. I had a sense that I was to meet, or at least hear of, my husband 25 years after I made a commitment to follow Christ as a y...

Right now the wind is rustling the leaves of the lush trees in our back yard. The chimes sound out a pleasant note or two. Birds chirp. And yes, some annoying truck is making its presence known. It is an almost perfect moment. You kids are watching a show so I can write. We live in a region of the world that experiences peace more than turmoil. But scan the news headlines, and violence is near. The eastern part of our country is still reeling in grief over RCMP officers being gunned down. The country south of here is being bombarded with mass shootings in public places, often initiated by "good" citizens. Half way across the world, militants unleash terror on cities and nations while locals wonder if they will be alive to eat breakfast the next day. And yet here, it is calm. I hear a lawn mover cutting green grass and a central vacuum system whirling in the background. Oh, I know all is not well in people's lives. Domestic violence is a problem no matter where you go....

What does it mean to live a holy life, a life that is different from the worldly desires that wage war against our soul? How can we live so non-believers actually notice and ask us the reason for our hope in Christ? The community we live in is surrounded by Hutterite colonies. Their presence is noticed when they come into town. They dress differently. They talk differently. And they drive very large vans that can be filled with many, many women (and of course men). I don’t know a lot about Hutterites, but from what I have gathered, they live differently from the typical Evangelical Christian. The colony is guided by a strict code of practice enforced by a patriarch. Everyone’s life aligns with roles that perpetuate the colony’s future. But, if one deviates significantly from the faith, expectations and roles of the colony, and one refuses correction, that person is shunned. It seems to me that the idea of grace is missing. The balance between grace and works is a tough issue to w...

After three years of attending our church and feeling disconnected with the people in our place of worship, we finally took the initiative to start a care group. Since care groups are not an official part of our church structure (there are unofficial groups meeting in homes), we realized either we had to embrace building community here or we needed to leave to find it somewhere else. To deal with the childcare issue, we decided to hold our care group during your Sunday School program. Thankfully, three other couples joined us on our journey to study a book of the Bible together. And it has been refreshing. Our group is inter-generational. We are the youngest couple with the youngest kids. The eldest couple has grandchildren. We have people representing various church experiences and denominations. We have farmers and teachers; healthcare works and carpenters. We have a multitude of ministries represented from Bible Camp Representatives to Missions Liaisons to Deacons. It is a div...

Eirene. Meaning: peace, rest. The Greek word invokes a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being. It denotes the absence or end of strife. It is synonymous with asphaleia or security. Such a state of peace is the object of divine and saving promise and is brought about by God's mercy, granting deliverance and freedom, from all the distresses that are experienced as a result of sin... Peace as a Messianic blessing is that state brought about by the grace and loving mind of God wherein the derangement and distress of life caused by sin are removed. Hence, the message of salvation is called the Gospel of peace. (Source: Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, NASB, Strong's Lexical Aids to the New Testament) As believers in Christ, we have been admonished by the Apostle Paul to: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. (Colossians 3:15a) We are called to eirene . We are called to live a life free of strife, specifically...

Dear God, It is the Eve of a New Year. In this moment, I feel thankful. This year has been intense. You placed me on a steeper-than-usual learning curve over the course of twelve months. Overall, it has been good. Very good. Lonely at times. But full of rich lessons. I started off this year by reading Radical by David Platt, and was convicted of the North American drive to create heaven on earth instead of building the Kingdom of God. The book propelled me to shift my ministry focus from a thriving group of women who excel in investing in our local community to the Missions Committee, a group of two people. Lord, it has been an enlightening (and lonely) experience. Thank you that my husband agreed to partner with me this year. We discovered a wonderful elderly couple on the committee who are dedicated to the exciting work occurring overseas through various Mennonite based organizations. Their zeal for Missions is inspiring! May you continue to bless them. Yet, as I mentione...

Dear Children, Sometimes I wonder how you will turn out, let's say, twenty years from now. Will you be fighting over toys or whacking each other to prove a point? I sincerely hope not! Instead, I earnestly pray that you will HONOR each other. Your Daddy and I are reading a book together entitled, "Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes... in you and your kids!" by Scott Turansky & Joanne Miller. It is a parenting book, one of the few parenting books – wait a minute – the ONLY parenting book that we as your parents are attempting to read together. There are many parenting resources out there, found in numerous self-help aisles, websites, and magazines. And every parenting unit seems to have its own style. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming to figure out WHAT to do! Anyway, last spring one of my friends came to visit me. She brought her four children along. And it was fascinating to see how her kids interacted with each other. There were moments...

Dear Children, Canadian Thanksgiving is upon us, and it is here that I desire to impart some lessons I'm learning at this stage in my life. It is my hope and prayer that both of you will be thankful individuals. What I am talking about goes beyond using manners to being truly grateful to God in spite of the circumstances you see yourself in. However, before I unpack this idea, let me share your recent thankfulness lists as described by yourself! My daughter, you are thankful to God for: Sun Clouds Books Doctors Bags Toy Hammer Bibles Pictures Spring House My son, you are thankful to God for: Frogs Giraffes Cows Trees Daddy Fan Clock Books Mommy Your sister I find it fascinating how your lists are different, except for "Books", which you both enjoy thoroughly. A., your list focuses on elements of nature, such as sun, clouds, and the season of Spring. You also appreciate doctors, especially since you are recovering from an injured wrist. I ...