Birthday Surprises

This past Wednesday the birthday celebrations began. I met with my friends Sandy and Jae for a fun day of food, shopping and climbing a large hill overlooking the city! It was wonderful!

I had decided at the beginning of this month that I was getting too old for birthday parties and I didn't need to have any special attention on my birthday. I planned to let it pass like a normal day. Then on the 22nd, my birthday, I was able to spend the day skiing with a large group of friends! It all fell together so perfectly and unexpectedly.

Good friends from SoWis came up, and we carpooled together in their van up to the ski hill. A few other friends from my area met us on the slopes!

 With some of the group at the top of the "mountain". 

 My bros and I.

 The entire group of friends gathered for a picture at the end of the day.

They surprised me by putting a big birthday card on their van windows!!! It was very thoughtful!

We ended my birthday night with a little party of games and food. My sister Emily made cheesecake and lasagna!!! Then the next morning around 10:30, I was going about my morning routine when my very good friends Courtney and Chris (also from SoWis) surprised me with a visit.... and Dunkin' Donuts! I didn't think I'd get to see Courtney for a number of months due to our crazy schedules and  car problems. Chris had just returned home from a two year stay in Africa so it was an exciting visit.

We went out for food and beverages a few times. Visits with good friends are always too short. Oh, and did I mention... not only did my boss give me the day off but his wife made me a cake! She's a pro cake-baker so it was almost too pretty to eat.... but I'm glad we sliced in because it was the softest, most delicious cake I've ever had. It's been a birthday to remember and I feel quite lucky and blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

The Day of the Lord

I read the book of Amos this morning. It's been a while since I sat down and really read some scripture so it was good to be in the Word. A verse in particular sticks in my mind:

Amos 5:18 says,
Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.

It was an interesting verse to me because I have known so many people who were constantly watching the world news and dwelling on every dark event to make the claim that the day of the Lord is going to happen soon. I doubt you could count the number of times theories have been made for which exact day the "world as we know it" would come to an end, but turned out false.

Now, it's not that we aren't living in the last days. Every day that passes brings us closer to the prophesied catching up of the Church and the days of tribulation.

I simply do not understand how people could consider the times we live in now to be much worse than any of the ages of old. Throughout history there has been horrific events, dark times and ungodliness and evil men. As Solomon said, " Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us."

Events like the WWII, the Holocaust and Holomodor, the medieval crusades, nuclear bombs, communist regimes, genocide, apartheid, slavery, plunder, rape, terrorist attacks, ethnic cleansing, martyrs ... it's been happening since before God flooded the earth in the days of Noah.
 
I'm not saying those last days won't come. I'm not even saying that we aren't living in them. I just think that it's sad to dwell on the evil when every hour that the Lord has not come back is one more that we have to share His goodness and grace with those who've not yet trusted in Christ. 
 
Amos 5:20 says,
Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

It'll be a sad, though very righteous day, when God returns to bring judgement to the earth. It is something we believers can look forward to as it will be the end of our mortal sufferings and we use the knowledge of Christs return as a comfort (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Titus 2: 13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Philippians 3:20-21
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

The day of the Lord isn't going to come at any predictable time. Matthew 24:36 says, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."
It will come like a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
² For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
³ For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
⁴ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
⁵ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
⁷ For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
⁸ But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
⁹ For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁰ Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

We serve an amazing God. As the scripture says we don't need to worry about the coming end because we are children of the day. We don't need to flee to the hills, stock up on food and ammunition supplies. We can rest in the eternal blessings we have in Christ and live by the faith of God. We live in an age of grace... it's a time to walk in joy and peace and show the love of our savior to an world that is in desperate need of what we have.

My simple point is this: The material things in this life are fleeting. Let's focus on the eternal.

Amos 4:13
For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name.

Wintry Days

Somehow these wintry days remind me of the bliss of my youth. Not that I'm old ...but I've been a lot younger before. I speak of the days when I was in school, when I'd sit in my room and attempt to study History or Math without getting distracted by writing a poem, listening to music, writing a song or some other form of pleasurable pastime.

 

The beams of morning sun on a January morning strike a cord of reverie it seems. Ahhh..... the days when there was no real responsibility or work to make you timely and always headed out of the warmness of the house.



Apparently, the middle of January can be the most depressing time for a lot of people. The bills from the holiday expenditures are coming in the mail, the stratus clouds keeping the sunshine in hiding and lack of hope for Spring. Maybe those people don't work enough or have enough excitement in their lives? Because it doesn't get me down.



Winter is the time when the whole family gets trapped inside with each other. Just enough to drive everyone nuts at the same time as finally catching up on life. Now that it's too cold to do concrete work the guys are around all the time. It brings a bit of balance to the household and lively fun as well.



I don't like how much cold weather the forecast is predicting. The below zero temperatures aren't very pleasant. However, the sparkly snow is quite lovely. There's always a silver liner if you simply look around and observe the beauty life has to offer.

 

Anyways, I'm off to go do something enjoyable. I crocheted a pair of slippers yesterday as my feet were cold. Maybe today I'll paint a picture....