What were you doing at 8:46 am on September 11, 2001?

I will never forget that day. It was Tuesday, 8:46 am.  I was working at Mission Services in Hamilton.  I was at my desk, at my computer, when my co-worker said that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Centre. We assumed that it some kind of fluke accident, but then 15 minutes later a plane crashed into the other tower. This was no accident!  I recall watching the attacks on TV and the buildings collapsing and the people running up the street, over and over on TV. There were so many stories. So many people looking for their loved ones, hoping they had somehow escaped.  It was like watching a horror movie on TV, but it was TRUE. This was not a movie and it was the saddest, most horrifying event I have ever seen. It seemed like the peace and freedom that we, as North Americans, had always enjoyed was suddenly violated in the most savage and extreme way.  There had been other tragedies like the shootings at Columbine, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Montreal Masacre. But these were not of the magnitude of the events on 9/11.  The events of 9/11 felt very different. We were under terrorist attack, and it could happen to us, anywhere.  There has always been suicide bombers, but this happened in Isreal or Syria. Far away places. Not the United States! Surely the goverment would be able to prevent such a thing, with all their intelligence and security.  It felt like something changed that day. Our North American world suddenly became unsafe. We became vulnerable to attack.  But really, the world was just as unsafe the day before this happened. The difference was that we didn't FEEL ELIGIBLE. We had a false sense of security until the unimaginable happened. ELIGIBLE. Usually we think of eligibility as a good thing. We are finally eligible for the senior's pension, or eligible for a govt. grant, or eligible to vote.  Ever think of being ELIGIBLE for tragedy. ELIGIBLE to join a club that you never wanted to join. You aren't eligible to join the bereavement group unless you are bereaved. I've seen a number of people interviewed who lost loved ones in 9/11 and they talked about being thrust into the spotlight because they had lost a husband, lost a wife, lost a father. This was a club they did not choose to join, they did want to be a part of. They didn't have a chance to say goodbye. They didn't envision a childhood without a Dad. Many lives were changed that day. There are also stories of people who should have been in that building but weren't, who should have been on one of the planes but weren't. Why were they spared, while others died?  Divine providence is a puzzling but sacred appointment, that none of us will miss, nor will we be late. Not something we can explain or figure out. In Ecclesiastes it says that "there is a time to be born and a time to die."  You may not lie in bed worrying about a terrorist attack, but do you know that your appointed time will surely come? Could it be tomorrow? No God, No peace, Know God, Know peace.

Watcha doing on May 21st?

May 21st?  It's a long weekend isn't it?  Maybe you have plans to get away. Maybe just get some things done at home when you have three whole days off.  Or.....if you read the newspaper or watch the news you may have heard that Harold Camper has predicted that the world as we know it will end on May 21, 2011.  He has spent lots of money to convey this message. He has posted billboards in the U. S. and Canada, and apparently even in Hamilton.  He has studied the bible and believes that he has figured out mathematically when Jesus will return to rapture (take from the earth)the church......those people who are followers of Jesus Christ.  I looked at his website. It is very elaborate and lengthy if you start reading what he has written.  But there is one very big problem with what he is saying, and that is found in Matthew 24, "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." (Matthew 24:35-37). 
So, do we write this prediction off as a crazy idea by a religious zealot?  Well.....yes, and no.  Is the world going to end on May 21st?  ONLY GOD KNOWS.  Because a man has taken it upon himself to proclaim this, something that is in God's hands, I would say that it will probably not happen on that day.  But.....do you know that Christ IS RETURNING and IT MAY BE SOON! 
Recently, we visited Myrtle Beach for a week, and stayed at a nice hotel where each morning we were given the newspaper USA Today. One day there was a very large article paid for by an unnamed individual entitled "8 Compelling Reasons Why: Christ is Returning Soon."  I was amazed that a private individual would spend the money to post this in a national newspaper.  This article does not predict when Jesus is returning, just that it may be VERY SOON.
I do believe that there are many signs that point to the soon return of Jesus, and many reasons were backed up with scripture in this article.  To check out this go to www.jesussoonreturn.com
So the big question is......when WILL Jesus return?  Could be tomorrow, could be next week, could be ten years from now.  The question we need to ask ourselves is, "Am I ready to meet God?" no matter when that may be. We don't know when Jesus will return, but we do know that each one of us WILL DIE.  It happens every day. Some people die after a long illness, and that is expected. But many people die unexpectedly.....a massive heart attack or stroke, a car accident, a plane crash. Death arrives unwelcomed, at inconvenient times or in tragic ways.  YOU CANNOT AVOID DEATH!  Hebrews 9:27 says "...each person is destined to die once, and after that comes judgement."
Yes, death is sure and we will all meet God to account for the life we lived on earth.  You may be thinking, "Well, my life has been pretty good. I'm a pretty decent person, compared to most."  That may be true, but guess what God's standard is?  PERFECTION!  Never a thought or action that was less than perfect. No little white lies, no selfish attitudes.....nothing. That may seem unrealistic, and yes, that's true, it is to us humans.  The good news is.....that's why God sent Jesus. He came to provide a way for us to be reconciled to our Holy God.  Jesus paid the price for all our wrongdoings (the bible calls it sin).  He took our punishment when he died on the cross.  You may be thinking "Great, then I guess I'm covered!" Well, kind of.  Jesus paved the way to eternal life in Heaven with God.  It is all his plan, and all his doing.  Your part? Admit that you ARE a sinner, in need of someone to pay for your sins.....Christ's death on the cross in your place.  Place your trust in Jesus, and make a decision to follow him. That means you will need to find out what it means to "follow Jesus".  Look in the bible. It is God's letter to us. Why not start in the book of John?   
So, what am I doing on May 21st. To be honest, I have no idea. But one thing I am sure of. If God calls me home on that day, I AM READY TO MEET HIM!  ARE YOU?

Amazing love!

Well, "Easter" is over and I think the candy manufacturers are counting their profits, and the dentists are looking forward to some more business soon.  Just like "Christmas", I feel that as a Christian I celebrate Jesus's birth and then His death for our sins all year long.   I actually am not a big fan of the secular celebrations of these events, as they really have nothing to do with the real meaning.  I think it actually makes it confusing to people, especially kids.  A comment in the newspaper by a teen stated that he never knew that "Easter" was about Jesus until he became a Christian.  I tried to tell the true story about Easter by getting some "Resurrection Eggs", which is a fun way to show the kids the true meaning, but it still may be confusing to them. What DOES the "Easter bunny" have to do with anything?

I'm not going to explore that, but have been concentrating on God's love for us. I'm doing a bible study about it right now, which causes me to look into it more.  His love is truly amazing!  2 Cor. 2:8, 9 tells us that "though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty we might become rich."  All the talk about the "Royals" these days, got me thinking.  Imagine the Queen of England and all of the prestige and pomp and ceremony that surrounds her, taking the place of Mother Teresa.  I don't mean visiting the streets of Calcutta like Princess Diana. I mean staying there to work wiith the lepers, to become a servant to them, and then finding the poorest, most unworthy person and saying, "You go and sit in my place of royalty. I will stay here and serve those in need." 

God's love is amazing, isn't it?!

Someone's lurking at your door!

I've never liked those kind of movies where someone is lurking in the darkness, like Psycho, or all those Thriller movies, that are meant to scare you half to death.  Don't like violent movies either. If I want an escape from reality I want something like a comedy, or a drama, or maybe a mystery. REAL life is scary enough! Just read the paper or watch the news. The Bible tells us that, Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master. (Genesis 4:7)  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) Someone IS lurking at your door!  Are you aware that we have an enemy who ready to devour you?  So, what shall we do? How then shall we now live? Humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Stand firm against him and be strong in your faith. (1 Peter 5:9)  I always liked the saying, LIFE IS FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH PRAYER.  Don't know how a person gets through life any other way.

So where have all the silver Taurus wagons gone?

For ten years I drove a Ford Taurus wagon. Really liked that car. Never gave me any problems. Great for picking up stuff and even slept in it a couple of times when we went to Prince Albert.  I don't like sleeping in tents that you can't even stand up in.  Then my dear hubby had an accident in the Taurus and it went to the car graveyard. When I had the Taurus there were so many of them on the road. Don't see them much anymore. Now I'm driving a silver Elantra, and those cars multiply like rabbits! Those Elantras (or cars that look like them) are everywhere, and most of them are silver.  If you have one, try to find YOUR CAR  in a parking lot!  And you know what everybody's talking about these days?  Heart disease! Heart attacks, by-pass surgery and so on. Right now I'm reading The Inflammation Cure.  Inflammation is thought to be more causative than cholesterol in heart problems. Yes, this IS what everybody's talking about. It's on TV. It's in the newspaper.  It's amazing! What? That's not what YOU think everybody's talking about? YOU think everybody's talking about jogging? or motorcycles? or American Idol?  Isn't it funny how we tend to notice those things that WE are focused on.  Want to see what God's doing? Focus on Him, read the book He's written, talk to Him as you go about your day.  You will see Him everywhere!  Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34

To everything there is a season........

"I wonder what sort of tale we've fallen into." J. R. R. Tolkien 
Ever think of your life that way?  How did I ever get here? or Into this mess? or Be so blessed?  Recently we moved to the city of Brantford, and I've never been asked so many times, "Why did you move to Brantford?"  Well, I won't go into the long process of how that happened. I had actually been thinking about moving for well over 10 years. My favourite website used to be MLS.ca.  That's where you look when you are house hunting. I could have ended up in Dungannon, or Goderich, or Point Clark, or Cambridge, or Paris (Ontario, that is), or Hamilton, or Dundas but........we ended in Brantford.  Ecclesiastes 3, verse 1 says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."  My journey in life has led me to Brantford and I have been blessed in this life to be a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend and a follower of Christ.  I have always been a bit of a dreamer, a daydreamer as a child. Got that comment a lot on my report cards.  A dreamer as an adult too.  Always had lots of dreams like owning a little gift shop or owning a Bed and Breakfast, or moving to Goderich and living next to the lake.  When you are younger, a lot of things seem like possibilities, but now that I've retired my dreams have changed. Maybe they've become more realistic.  Life is a journey, a story that we all have a part in. God has planted us just where we are for a purpose, for this season of life.