Thursday, January 28, 2010

As We Weep - Do We Respond?

Well, here we are at the end of January and has a month changed anything in my life? Not significantly. As we witness the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti via the immediacy of the media, my heart weeps for these precious people. Our youth pastor sent me a link to a message by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church - very moving, very real. I believe as Christians in North America we will have much to be accountable for. I am going to try and link this message. I think you will have to copy and paste the url (my computer skills need honing!).
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/special/32-hours-the-church-in-haiti
If you have an hour and a half to spare, this is well worth taking the time to listen.
Carrying on, fiercely loving my family and knowing that when all is said and done, God will indeed win the battle.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Reflections


What a beautiful time we had as a family over the holidays. It was a joy to spend so much time with our sweet granddaughter, Charlotte and it was the first time in awhile when we were all together under one roof. A good friend of Heather's (Laura MacDonald) and a very gifted photographer made time to come and shoot some family photos (not an easy task as our family gets larger!). Thank-you, Laura.

December 28, 2009

As we begin a new year, I am thinking about the areas in my life that need evaluation. Work, home, relationships, family .... As I consider the past year and think about the months, days, hours that have slipped by, I wonder if what I have filled those days with, coincides with what God had intended for me. Are my choices wise? Do I grab those opportunities that could affect others? Am I really living and offering my best to the ones I love the most? For a lot of the past year I would have to answer no to these questions and step back to consider how can I change that outlook for 2010.
Work, for me, is an extra curricular activity. It is something I enjoy and it allows me to spoil the girls a bit. However, stepping into a position that was new and really not established and to try and develop the responsibilities as ministry assistant has, at times, been a challenge. Have I accomplished this? Is it time to allow someone else to grow here? This has been something that has occupied a lot of my thoughts over the holidays.
I have always thought of our home as a safe haven, a place for family and friends to gather and have fun, have thought provoking discussions, have good meals. I hope that as the years have come and gone, that our children have felt comfortable bringing their friends here to hang out and just be themselves. Again, as the children leave the nest, am I using this home to it's full potential? Is there something I'm missing?
My relationship with God, with my family, with my friends are so very important to me. To establish solid, loving relationships needs so much evaluation. I know I need to prioritize the discipline of setting aside the time to read, study and spend good quality time in my relationships. To quote John Fisher ~ "I need to find out what is big enough to move me forward and overcome my own barriers to change. It may be my spiritual gift; it may be forgiveness; it may be my new identity in Christ, it may be a missionary call ... whatever it is, real transformation isn't going to happen until I am in its grip."

"What will it be for me that will transform me so much that it affects what I do and say?"