Early Morning Musings

It's not yet 7am. Jeff and I woke up with his alarm clock (although we ignored it through a few snoozes). The baby seemed to wake up from it too and was dancing away in my belly so much so that I couldn't really fall back asleep between the alarms. I told Jeff I thought the baby could hear the alarm but he didn't think it would be able to hear that well. I'm not sure what can be heard from the womb with little baby ears... but I suspect our little munchkin's hearing is quite excellent, and that it was indeed reacting to the song coming from Jeff's phone.

Once up, I made us oatmeal and packed Jeff his lunch and snacks for the day. After reading the daily Bible devotional he was off to work. Now here I sit pondering the course I should pursue for the day. I have lots of things on my mind. My friend is coming with her one year old for a photoshoot. It's actually going to be a smash cake session so that should be all the more exciting and challenging. It's the last day of January and I'm already trying to figure out what I should write about for the newspaper this coming month. The end of January also means I'm that much closer to the end of pregnancy and the beginning of mothering a child. I've spent a lot of time around babies yet I still suspect I'm in for a lot of surprises. Not only the mothering aspect but I will also be experiencing labor and birth for the first time. A part of this is exciting while on the other hand I worry that I won't be strong enough, fit enough, or calm enough. Yet worrying won't help me be prepared so I try to avoid focusing on the difficulties I may face and instead try to think of ways I can get through and overcome the challenges.

In the back of our daily devotional there's a poem that I quite like.

Why Worry?
Worry never climbed a hill.
Worry never paid a bill.

Worry never dried a tear.
Worry never calmed a fear.

Worry never darned a heel.
Worry never cooked a meal.

Worry never led a horse to water.
Worry never did a  thing you thought it oughta.
-Author Unknown

It's so true. Most of our worries never become a reality and just knowing that fact, worries are so much easier to dismiss. Not to mention we have our Father in heaven who we can call upon at any time and cast all our cares upon Him. We are to be anxious for nothing but give thanks in everything, thereby allowing the peace of God to rule in our hearts and minds. This sounds like a much better alternative to the stress and fear that worrying brings.

Well, it won't be too long before the sun creeps up. There's a blue-gray light making the out of doors visible. I see we had a little sprinkle of fresh, fluffy snow last night. I look forward to what the rest of the day may bring. I hope yours is fruitful and full of the blessings and peace of God.

A few thoughts on gifts.

I started writing for the newspaper again and I submitted an article on giving as it was for the December 2017 edition. I posted a picture of my article in the paper on Facebook to show people what I was up to and they all said wanted to read it! So here it is... better late than never.

GIVING FROM THE HEART
December 2017

Before Thanksgiving Day had passed, fliers and ads were filling up our mailboxes with holiday discounts and perks for the savvy shopper. A jaunt through the neighbourhood revealed homes adorned with Christmas lights and festive décor. Establishments and stores had likewise switched to a wintery theme. During a visit to the Post Office I noticed a postman bundled up against the cold wind, loading an open trailer with lots of boxes taped up with Amazon labels. The season of gifts had begun.

We’ve been conditioned by our society to find our giving spirit this time of year. We listen to the Christmas favourites, bake holiday treats, and put up a pine tree, bringing back all those lovely Christmas things reminiscent of our childhood. And yet, the wish to give gifts to our friends and family is likely the strongest tide pulling us to spend a little extra money this time of year.

While the commercial world makes gift giving a matter of necessity, a true gift is a rare and beautiful thing. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on gifts, he conveys, “Rings and other jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself. Thou must bleed for me. Therefore the poet brings his poem; the shepherd, his lamb; the farmer, corn; the miner, a gem; the sailor, coral and shells; the painter, his picture; the girl, a handkerchief of her own sewing. This is right and pleasing, for it restores society in so far to its primary basis, when a man’s biography is conveyed in his gift, and every man’s wealth is an index of his merit. But it is a cold, lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy me something which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmith’s.”

Emerson was correct in saying, “He is a good man who can receive a gift well.” We expect a lot in this season of gifts. We expect our bank accounts to keep up with our level of generosity, our gifts to be accepted with great appreciation and delight, and especially that we might receive the very gifts we desire the most as well. 2 Corinthians 9:11 sums it up, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Truly, the best gift we can receive or share with anyone is the gift of salvation.  Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

My family used to make Christmas a really big deal. Under a twinkling tree there would be piles of gifts. Eventually my parents became disillusioned to the ways of the holiday season. While we don’t bring a tree indoors or buy each other gifts, we still celebrate the joys of Christmas, and focus on the gift of family and the many blessing we’ve received from the Lord.

I propose an idea that is difficult to accept amidst the clamour of the commercial gift giving season: That your gifts be not out of necessity because a friend or relative has given to you or expects a gift from you, or because it’s a tradition that you’ve kept each year. Instead, that you’d give when you are able to give out of the joy of blessing another.  There is nothing wrong with a material gift. After all, the magi’s gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were material things. Perhaps we cannot all afford to bestow such extravagant blessings but let us remember that giving is not to be done because the season demands it but rather because we’ve been blessed and therefore choose to bless others in return.  

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no

variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

More On Joseph

While learning about Joseph yesterday I came across articles that were published in Bible and Spade. The articles work to relate the historical and archeological information we have today to what we know of Joseph in the scriptures. I found it to very fascinating so I thought I'd share them here for you:

Joseph in Egypt: part I
Joseph in Egypt: part II
Joseph in Egypt: part III
Joseph in Egypt: part IV
Joseph in Egypt: part V
Joseph in Egypt: part VI

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! There's nothing quite as exciting and invigorating as learning about the word of God!

5 Reasons Why Joseph Is A Good Example

Jeff and I received a daily Bible devotional in the mail from a Mennonite outreach. It's wholesome and they even use the King James Version for all of their scripture references. The devotional recommends a daily Bible reading schedule so that if you follow the plan you can read the Bible in a year. We'd decided to attempt such a feat although within the first two weeks I'd already fallen behind. So yesterday and this morning I spent a good deal of time reading the last 43 chapters of Genesis. It was actually nice, because without breaking up the flow of the scripture by reading just 2 or 3 chapters a day, I was able to gain much more from continuous reading.

Genesis always amazes me. I read about some of the abominable things the people did, even among those who God chose to set apart and bless! I wondered why God would continue to work with such a people!  The book of Genesis has so many appalling details. The murders, the sexual sins, the wickedness, the many different wives some of the men took and all of the problems that followed these things (Thank the Lord that His plans are higher than ours and in spite of the sins of every generation He provides a way for atonement and redemption!). Yet as the book progresses It's refreshing to begin reading of Jacob's son Joseph.

There are so many instances in which Joseph could have despaired and lost his faith.  As his story began, in Genesis 37, Joseph was hated by his step-brothers because he was favored by his father. They also disliked his dreams of their obeisance to him. In spite of his innocence his brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. He ended up in a strange land, absent from the parents he loved. Yet in all of his life we see an example of incredible character, conduct and faith.

We read in 1 John 2:16 that Satan has a three-fold strategy for attacking the believer, "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life". Notice in the account of Joseph that he was tempted in all three areas numerous times but stayed strong in the Lord and pursued righteousness.

Here are 5 of the major things about Joseph's character that stood out to me as exemplary:

5. Others benefited from Joseph's faith.
Genesis 39:2-3 says, "And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand." Joseph's faith was evident to all those who knew him. He didn't curse the Lord when he was in the lowliest seasons but continued to trust God and when he abounded he wasn't proud or boastful but attributed his success to God. Because of his faithfulness to God he was blessed by God and those around him benefited greatly. As believers today we can bring great blessing to those around us by following after God and being a light in this ever darkening world.

4. Joseph was honest.
Joseph was trustworthy as his master, Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, made him overseer of all his house and all that he had. Potiphar was so confident in Joseph that he didn't even keep track of him as Gen. 39:6 says, "And he left all that he had in joseph's hand; and he knew not out he had, save the bread which he did eat...." The last half of the verse says, "And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured." So we see that Joseph was a good and honest man. Colossians 3:23-24 tells us believers,"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Joseph conducted himself honestly and gained the trust of those around him, not because he stove to please men but because he was obedient to God.

3. Joseph valued purity.
After we read about the moral corruptness of many of the men who came before Joseph, it is a breath of fresh air to read about how he fled from sexual temptation. As chapter 39 progresses we see that Potiphar's wife desired to lie with Joseph. Joseph didn't fall prey to this woman. He refused her command and responded, "Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Potiphar's wife daily tempted him to give in to her and "he haearkened no unto her to lie by her, or to be with her." So not only would he not lie with her but he wouldn't spend time with her! Talk about conviction and fortitude! As the story goes, this evil woman falsely accused Joseph of attempting to rape her and her husband had him thrown in prison, as it says in Gen 39:20.
Joseph risked displeasing his master's wife out of respect for his master, respect for himself and in obedience to God. There are many scriptures that instruct us believers to flee: "Flee fornication...", 1 Corinthians 6:18, or "Flee youthful lusts...", 2 Timothy 2:22. Joseph didn't have the benefit of committing these verses to memory but he knew it was better to flee than to be taken captive by the sinful pleasures of the moment. And while he was imprisoned his conscience remained free of guilt and remorse. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: bot God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."


So Joseph goes from being loved and favored by his father to being sold in slavery. In slavery God causes him to prosper in his masters house. Then from being a valued and powerful servant he finds himself lowered to the state of imprisonment. Here too, God causes Joseph to prevail. 39:22-23, "And the keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper."

2. Joseph was bold in proclaiming his faith.
Over and over again we see that Joseph believed in God and gave Him the glory. In prison Joseph interprets the dreams of two of the Pharaoh's men, the chief butler and the chief baker and we notice here that Joseph gives God the praise, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (Gen. 40:8). Two years later Joseph is brought before the Pharaoh to interpret his dreams, for the Egyptian magicians and all the the wise men could not declare their meaning. Once again Joseph speaks of God in the interpretation, thereby giving glory and honor to God. Because of this Gen. 41:38-39 says, "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:" The Pharaoh proceeded to set Joseph in the highest position of authority over all the land of Egypt including the Pharaoh's own house, "Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou." (Gen. 41:40) For a third time we see Joseph rise to a position of authority and greatness and prosperity.

It is fascinating to keep in mind that Joseph was in a land that worshiped pagan gods, and where even the Pharaoh was considered a god on earth, yet this did not hinder him from speaking of God.  Also note that the Hebrews weren't very popular in Egypt. When Joseph eats with his brothers it says in Gen. 43:32,"And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians." Not only that but Joseph had to make special provision for his family when they moved to Egypt as shepherds were abominable to Egyptians (Gen. 46:34). So Joseph had to be bold and unashamed of his God to go against the grain in a land where Hebrews were despised and where the God of Israel was not worshiped.

1. Joseph forgave.
Later on when the famine came as the Pharaoh saw in his dreams, Joseph's family come to him in need of food. He shows discreetness and wisdom by not immediately revealing himself to his brothers . He does not have his brethren slain, he does not take them as servants or seek any other form of revenge for their cruelty towards him. Instead he ends up blessing not only his brothers but his entire family, providing for them and ensuring that they prosper in spite of the great famine. Not only this but you never read of Joseph revenging himself against Potiphar's wife. Being under only Pharaoh, you'd think Joseph could have dealt with those who had treated him ill. Although there is no account one way or another Joseph's forgiveness toward his brothers and his wise judgement in all matters suggests he did not pursue revenge. He knew it was God who worked through all of his misfortunes to bring about great fortune for not only himself but also for God's people. Romans 12:19 instructs us, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." 

The account of Joseph is a beautiful story of forgiveness, faith and love. Joseph was a great man, not because he was self-made but because he yielded himself an instrument of righteousness and allowed God to work through him (Romans 6). He is a true example of living out 1 Corinthians 13: Joseph suffered long, and was kind. He envied not and vaunted not himself. He was not puffed up. He didn't behave himself unseemly and didn't seek his own. He wasn't easily provoked and didn't think evil. He rejoiced not in iniquity but rejoiced in the truth. He bore all things, believed all things, hoped all things, and endured all things. Joseph was not a perfect, sinless man.... but he did follow after God and was blessed because of his faith.

Although King David hadn't written the Psalms yet, I think Joseph would have wholeheartedly appreciated Psalm 118:6 and 8, "The LORD is on m side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" and "It is better to trust in the LORD that to put confidence in man."

Celebrating A Decade

I just realized I've officially blogged for a complete decade (and more!). From this blogs beginning in 2007 to this New Year bringing a close to 2017. Pretty neat if you ask me! It's hard to stay dedicated in the things we take up throughout the years but writing has always been something I turn to on a regular basis. Whether it's reaching out to people through Facebook posts and newspaper articles or updating my blog and keeping a daily/weekly journal. Writing will always be a part of who I am and how I communicate to myself and the world around me.
Cheers to 10 years!

All Things New

It's January. It's a new year. And I'm a new mom. Well... the kid isn't hatched yet; we're still in the brewing stage.

 With (most of) my family on Christmas Day

 Jeff and I laughed at how different things were last New Years holiday. Back when he first asked my Dad for permission to court me on New Year's Eve. The humorous part was that my dad gave Jeff the green light and the next day my parents had a conversation with the two of us, as well as announcing to our church that Jeff and I were in a relationship... and all this time I had no clue that Jeff had talked to my dad or that my dad gave him permission. Of course, I assumed my parents were okay with Jeff because of their actions. Rather, I was worried that they were just assuming things without Jeff actually wanting things to progress in such a manner! I was worried Jeff thought it was all too much or too fast. It wasn't until after church on New Years Day on our drive home that Jeff told me of his conversation with my dad. What a relief!

  Jeff and I, last year on my birthday.
I'm still wearing that coat but it's extra snug across my belly!

Now here we are a year later, just about to hit the 6 month mark of our marriage and expecting a baby into our home, due sometime in April. I've gotten to know more about Jeff each day and am delighted at what a strong leader he is. He prays with me before our meals, he spends time in the Word of God and is always working at learning or reading something new. He's not the kind of guy to sit around and waste his time, and the few occasions that he does take it easy it's always well deserved. He makes me want to follow in his shoes and continue learning new things each day. It's enjoyable to know that on top of having a team mate to help pull through all of the daily chores and responsibilities I also have a friend.

This picture was also taken Christmas Day.

My brother Channing and his wife, Rachel are expecting in February. 

Rachel and I are only 9 weeks apart!

As for growing a baby, it's a curious and exciting process. To watch as my body changes in fascinating and sometimes not so glamorous ways, knowing that in all of this a new little life is maturing in my womb. It's weird at the same time. I look down at this large lump of a belly at times and feel like an egg. A giant woman, human egg. The baby has been growing stronger each week. Ever since week 19 I've been able to feel it kick and lately it's kicks are so strong you can see it jumping around rather than just feel it. My belly looks like one of those energizer bunny commercials where the bunny is bouncing inside of the battery! It's quite startling at times, really, but I love it! And baby gets especially active when there's music or when daddy talks or sings. It makes my heart full with joy. We don't intend to find out the gender so it'll be the best surprise Jeff and I have ever experienced.  We do have names picked out though... which we formed partially from long time family name traditions.

 

 Jeff and I visited his family just this past week!
This picture was taken after an exciting escape room adventure.

It's an exciting new year full of new adventures. I can barely imagine having a little baby to care for each and every day. It still seems unreal to me. This will be a big, challenging and wonderful time for Jeff and I. 2018 is already full of so much wonder and it's only just begun.