Two Miracles At Once

My mother became a Christian when my twin brother, Stephen and I were toddlers. When Stephen and I were 5 years old, she lead us in the prayer of salvation to God one night before bedtime. Then my mother began to read from a series of children's Bible books to us each night. Afterwards we would pray together. Our two main prayer requests were my father's salvation and my healing of Perthes disease. We prayed this every night for several years. Then God answered both prayers,, just before I was to have surgery and have both legs casted.

I remember it just like it was yesterday. One morning, I woke up to an intense light that filled by bedroom. This frightened me, so I hid my head under the covers of my blanket. When I managed to gain the courage to look again, I was amazed to see Jesus standing in my room with his arms reaching out towards me. I was never so ecstatic. I yelled out to my mother to come quickly. When she arrived, I excitedly told her that Jesus is here and He has come to take me home. My mother was flabbergasted and wasn't too sure how to respond. I asked her, "Don't you see Him? He's right here!" She shock her head and said, "No." I didn't understand. All I knew was that I was in the presence of God and nothing mattered, not even my healing. I just wanted to be with Jesus. The love and peace I felt was nothing I have ever experience before.

When the sight of Jesus disappeared, my mother called the Pastor from our Church that we were attending. He came over right away. When he entered my bedroom and took one look at me, he said, "You don't have to convince me, this girl has seen Jesus." He said that my face was so bright like nothing he has ever seen before. When he sat by my bed, he asked me if I had pain in my legs. I thought for a second and answered, "No."  Then he told me that Jesus had come to heal me. I am being completely honest when I say that this thought never occurred to me until that moment. I was actually feeling a bit disappointed and confused as to why I was still left here on earth. I wanted to be with Jesus.

Then the Pastor helped me out of bed and got me to take my first steps  Before that moment my mother use to push me around in a wheelchair. I started to walk again little by little. Each day the strength in my legs increased. God had healed me completely!

I can assure you that it comes time for each of us who knows God as Lord and Saviour to leave earth and be with Jesus in heaven, you will not experience any sadness or longing for the things of this earth. When you are finally in the presence of God, nothing else matters but being with Him — the One who loves us more than any one could ever imagine. His love is that great! His peace indescribable!

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5

Soon after God healed me, my father accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour. He could no longer deny the existence of God. Before that time my father was an atheist.

I Want To Hold You Close

There is nothing like the feeling a man/woman has when they hold their newborn child close to them. After waiting with longing anticipation for nine months, the love and joy a parent feels is overwhelming. I remember the moment I held Chris in my arms in the comfort and quiet of my living room.  It was one of the times God spoke to me in His still small voice, "This is how I feel when you take time to be in my presence and allow me to hold you close."

Chris and me:

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered."
Psalm 139:17

May we take time each day to spend with our Heavenly Father, so we can feel His unending love and care for us.

Through The Eyes Of A Child

When I first brought Tim home from the hospital, I snapped this picture of Daniel looking at his baby brother in astonishment. How I wish I could have read his thoughts!

Daniel and his new baby brother, Timothy:

"And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

Genesis 1:31a

Then a few years later, I took this picture of Tim. He was looking at the first sunflower I grew with the same wonder and awe that Daniel had on his face when he first saw his brother, Tim, as a baby.

Tim and his long-awaited sunflower:

May we continue to look to God with the eyes of a child in marvel and amazement. God is the Creator of all things! He is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere present! There is no god like Him!

"There is no god like You, O Lord. No one can do what You do."

Psalm 86:8

Let us worship Him this Sunday with our whole heart and reverence! Praise be His name!

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually

be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord. Let the

humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me

and let us exalt His name together!"

Psalm 34:1-3

The Power Of Love

My son, Daniel, has loved cats since the time he was a young boy. The cat in the picture below is our family's first cat. I got it from the local SPCA when he was only six weeks old. It was born in the outside world, not used to any human contact. Despite the kitten's history, I fell madly in love with him.

When I took the kitten immediately to the vet for a check-up, he arched his back and hissed angrily at the veterinarian. I have never had a cat before, so I wasn't too sure what the kitten was doing. Then the vet recommended me to take the kitten back to the SPCA with my little boys looking at him wide-eyed. He told me the kitten was too wild and would not make a good family pet. Well, I'm sure you have already guessed by now that I didn't do that. I felt too much compassion for the kitten to abandon him and so I decided to take him home.

When I got home and put the kitten down, the first thing he did was climb up our chimney. He wouldn't come out. I left food for him, but I never saw the kitten for several days. I prayed constantly for him and wondered if I made the right decision, Finally the kitten came down to eat. It was the opportunity I was waiting for. I began to pet the kitten and talk softly to him.

In time we were able to win his affection and nobody was more excited than I was when I heard a kitten purr for the first time. We named him "Hide-a-way" for obvious reasons and he became a wonderful addition to the family. As you can see the cat didn't even mind being trapped in the arms of my son while he was sleeping.

"These things will last forever—faith, hope and love—and the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

When I look at this picture, it reminds me of the power of God's love. It can transform a life completely. In the Bible, Saul, who once murdered and imprisoned Christians, became a mighty man of God, who served God diligently until the end of his life. What changed him? It was an encounter with God, experiencing the amazing power of His love. Today, God's love can do the same. It can transform any life. Just like our love turned a wild kitten into a wonderful family pet, God's love can turn a person no matter how bad or damaged into something beautiful and precious.

Our Best Friend

My dog is a Shetland Sheep dog, named Barney. Yes, it's a male. You would think that after having four sons, I would get a female; but I couldn't resist when I first saw a picture of him.

My husband, Brian, bought me this dog for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Some women ask for diamonds, a cruise, or a new car. I asked for a dog. He is one of the sweetest creatures God has ever created.

Barney as a puppy:

Dogs remind me of the character of God. Their love is unconditional. Their devotion is unwavering. Barney will lay down by the front door if ever I go out anywhere and wait for me to come back even if another member of the family is at home. He loves me that much! And I love him too!

God is just like this. He loves us always and eagerly waits to hear from us in prayer. Just as Barney waits for me to come home, God waits for us to talk to him. Barney is a daily reminder just how much God longs for us to pour out our hearts to him and reveal our innermost thoughts. God, our Father, desires a close personal relationship with all His children.

Barney at 6 months old:

Just like Barney is always beside me when I am at home, so is God right there beside you.

Barney today at 4 years old:

Many people say, "a man's best friend is his dog". This is not true. A dog can be a dear friend to us, but God is our very best friend.

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is
a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Proverbs 18:24

My dog loves me, but God loves us so much more!

Lazarus Puppet Show

Last night at Faith Divers, my son Tim and I put on a puppet show telling the story of Lazarus. Tim was Uncle Wheatley and I was Hubert.

I wrote this script a few nights ago at five in the morning. Ideas come to me in the middle of the night. Then I wake early, go to my computer and write. It is strange how my mind works. I have no idea why my brain is the most creative at night when I should be sleeping.

Here is the recording of the puppet show. I hope you enjoy! I tried to put myself in the mind of a child when I wrote it.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord.

"And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so my ways are higher than your ways,

and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

My son, Chris, took a picture of these two cute puppets with the Bible verses on it. Then we gave each child a copy to take home as a reminder of God's Word.

The children really learned a valuable lesson in us telling them the story of how Lazarus was raised from the dead. They realized that God thinks differently that we do. In fact, His ways are better than our ways. We just need to trust Him!

To God Be The Glory

Three years ago, Tim received the Silver Governor's General Award when he graduated from university with a double degree in Mathematics and Computing Science. He obtained the highest grade point average in all of the graduating classes of the university that year.

Here is a page from the university's alumni magazine:

When he received his degrees and award, Tim chose to have announced in his short biography that he was a Christian who attended Church full-time, worked in children's ministry, and led worship by singing, playing drums or keyboard. All over that large audience you could hear noises of astonishment. I was never more proud, not of his award, but of his testimony of being a servant of God. I know the God that we serve as a family, was pleased to see and hear one of His children give the honour to Him. All our gifts and talents come only from God, for it is He who created each and every one of us. Praise be to God!

The woman who handed Tim his diploma and award was Nancy Greene, who won 13 World Cup victories in women's downhill skiing in the 1960's. Today, she still holds the Canadian record.

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly
prize, for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
Philippians 3:14

How immensely greater is our reward in heaven than a medal or trophy achieved here on earth?

My oldest son, Daniel, drove ten hours to be at his brothers' graduation. The year before, Daniel won the science award for the highest grade point average in all the science graduation classes. Tim's grandfather and grandmother were also able to attend both graduations to show their love to their grandsons.

May my sons continue to serve God for the rest of their lives. That is the greatest achievement of all!

To God be the glory!

The Timothea Story

I wrote a drama for my sons to act out called the Timothea Story. Tim, the forlorn one, was Timothea, and Matilda and Christina were his wicked step-sisters.  Does this story sound familiar? The King was God the Father with whom Timothea developed a personal relationship with God after a neighbour invited her to Kid's Life. Once Timothea discovered the love of God, she readily forgave her evil step-sisters and invited them to Church with her, so they too can learn about this loving and gracious God. All the parents of the children at Kid's Life were invited to watch this drama and then share a dinner that all the leaders had prepared for them. Many did not know God personally; so the story, although it was funny to see my sons dressed up as girls, had a very serious message of the salvation of God.

"For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed."
Deuteronomy 10:17

It is comforting to know that God does not favour the rich, the famous, the beautiful, the most talented nor the ones with the highest intellect in society.

I know Timothea was glad to hear this verse, since she was unkept and poorly dressed compared to her spoiled step-sisters:

I should add that my sons never cracked a smile acting their parts, even though the people at times were laughing uncontrollably. It was a story, I'm sure they will never forget.

I saddens me though to think how many people in the world mock the King of kings in what they say and do. The King loves us so much that he was willing to die a tortuous and agonizing death for the forgiveness of our sins. This is so one day we may be able to enter His Kingdom in eternity. What has any worldly king or prince ever done to compare to this? Knowing God as our King and being part of His kingdom is living the greatest fairy tale imaginable! Now that is something to celebrate.

The Revelation of Creation

My son, Tim, and I took these pictures of the hoodoos that are within walking distance of our old home in BC. If ever I needed to feel close to God I would just go for a walk in this large provincial park. It was also my sons' favorite spot to run, hike, and explore.

I even climbed this hoodoo one day at the insistence of my sons. The only problem is that I am afraid of heights. I accomplished the task but battled with fear. I really don't know how my sons talk me into doing these things, but they do! Going down was the hardest part. I prayed out loud the whole way down. When Matthew asked, "Wasn't that cool, Mom?" I answered emphatically, "No!"

This was the top of the hoodoo, and the path we used to climb up:

I thought it was interesting that a lone tree could survive up there.

"Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
Romans 1:20

This is an alternate view of the hoodoo:

"Bless the Lord, oh my soul! O Lord, my God, you are very great!
You are clothed in splendour and majesty."
Psalm 104:1

Here is another unusual formation:

"How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you have made them all."
Psalm 104:24

God's creation certainly reveals the power and majesty of His existence. How can anyone ever doubt that God is real when we view such splendour?

May God Bless The Aged

Matthew and Tim dressed up one night for a Fall Party at the church with heaven as the theme. Most people dressed up as Bible characters, angels, etc., but not them. They decided to dress up as how they imagined they would look when they're really old. (That's quite a scary thought!) Now, I am sure you are wondering, "What has that got to do with heaven?" (You have to keep in mind my sons think like their mother. Brian is the only sane one in the family.) They thought that when they would arrive they would be arguing as to who would die first — brothers are very competitive. They wanted to show the children their eagerness to finally go to heaven and meet their Creator and Heavenly Father! What a glorious day that will be for all God's children!

God loves and cares for us throughout our whole lives. Age does not diminish God's love for us

"I have created you and cared for you since you were born. I will be
your God through all your lifetime. Yes, even when your hair is
white with age. I made you and I will care for you."
Isaiah 46:3b-4a

The Bible also states the value of the aged. They deserve our respect.

Notice Matthew's left hand on his hip. I think he enjoyed the attention of being old for the night. We all had to wait for him as the Pastor's wife helped him up the outside stairs so we could watch the fireworks. He really played the part.

“Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly."

Leviticus 19:32

The elderly possess great wisdom from years of experience and we should eagerly listen to them.

Tim became more eccentric as he aged. He pinned the dart board on his lab coat while the children threw darts. I think most of them missed on purpose.

“Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom." 

 Job 32:7

May God bless the aged!

Moving Day

Two years ago today, we packed up all of our things into a large moving van and moved to a different province. At the time, we all had mixed feelings of the excitement of adventure, the sadness in leaving our church, family and friends, and the anxiousness of the unknown. I had to rely heavily on this verse:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to

prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Jeremiah 29:11

I did all the packing:

Tim drove the moving truck home:

Then we carried all our possessions up 20 steps:

It was a very hot day!

Chris stayed in the moving truck to organize our things so everything can fit, using the wisdom of his grandfather, an experienced mover.

Chris found some extra space:

Tim and Matthew lost their minds:

I lost mine a long time ago.

Tim fell asleep on some clothes:

That was basically all that remained in the house.

Now, all that was left was for Tim to drive his Baja Beetle up the trailer ramp, so we could tow his car behind the moving van.

Tim driving his VW Beetle onto the trailer:

Brian came home just in time to drive the moving van, at the relief of my son, Tim, who was the designated driver. I drove our loaded van, with our two dogs and cat.

This picture was taken from the front seat of our van:

Daniel met us at the other end to help us unload.

God is our guide!

Don't Be A Fool

"One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool
is reckless and careless."

Proverbs 14:16

Final exams were over and Chris was having a snooze on some railroad tracks. The metal bars must have been warm from the sun's rays and relaxing to lay on:

However, sleeping on railway tracks would definitely qualify as being reckless and careless. Don't you think?

Tim thought it would be thrilling to jump off a cliff, to see if he could survive uninjured:

I don't think that was such a good idea either!

The Bible says we need to be cautious and turn away from evil. It is foolish to be reckless and careless at any time. If we are, we risk hurting ourselves, others and the God who created us. He created each one of us with a plan and purpose for our lives. Don't do anything that might thwart God's perfect plan for you. Drugs, alcohol, speeding and sexual immorality are things that we need to avoid because they can destroy lives.

Porkilocks Puppet Show

Last night at Faith Divers, my sons and I taught the children about God's forgiveness using puppets. I modified the well-known fairy tale, Goldilocks And The Three Bears, to deliver this important message. For many years I have written dramas and puppet shows, re-writing common fairy tales or popular children's movies that the children were already familiar with to deliver fundamental Bible truths.

I gave each child a copy of the postcard below, so that they would remember the valuable lesson of forgiveness, and the freedom it brings.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving

each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

—Ephesians 4:32

Here is a movie of the puppet show:

For those who are guessing, Tim was the frog and the pig, Matthew was the crab and Papa Bear, and I was Mama Bear and Baby Bear. Chris was our camera man, and also in charge of scenery changes.

You Are Never Forgotten

While I was visiting my mom and dad one spring day, my dad mentioned that the baby robins in his garden were about ready to fly the coop. I thought, "Oh good! Lets see if I can take some pictures." After grabbing my camera, I quietly encroached upon the nest. As I was watching, eagerly awaiting the baby birds' first flight, God reminded me of His truths in the Bible.

Here is a picture of the first baby robin gathering the courage to leave the comfort of the nest, while the other sibling nervously waits.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Matthew 6:26

The mother robin is close by. Now it is the second baby robin's turn.  He takes much longer, even just to sit on the edge of the nest.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the

ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are

all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Matthew 10:29-31

The second robin is ready now. Soon the nest will be empty, waiting to be used again. New life will begin once more.

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God."

Luke 12:6

Vacation Bible School 2007

Avalanche Ranch! Learning that God is the one true God and that it is vital to follow Him by obeying His commandments.

Here is a picture of all the workers that year. We made a great team!

In the dramas, Daniel and Matthew were real cowboys, while Tim tried desperately to be one:

He was injured as the results of his efforts.

All of my sons can play the drums. That year, Matthew was the drummer:

Tim took pictures of horses in our neighbourhood, so I could frame and give to the children with the daily verse on them to memorize:

"If you love Me, obey my commandments."
John 14:15

"For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

"The Lord is the only true God."
Jeremiah 10:10

"The Lord is my strength."
Psalm 118:14

"For the Lord Most High is awesome."
Psalm 47:2

The pictures were amazing and the children loved them!

Vacation Bible School 2008

Power Lab! Learning how to be thankful to God and to live for Him!

Tim played the part of an eccentric experimental scientist named Pickleworth:

Pickleworth was quite proud of his intellect, but soon humbled. He had to develop wisdom from God.

Tim didn't have to do much acting to look nerdy for his part:

Matthew was Pickleworth's loyal (and gullible) assistant. His understanding of mathematics was unique:

In one of the plays, Professor Pickleworth developed a helmet brain control device to help his assistant learn all of the verses. Unfortunately, the device had an unusual side effect — the desire to climb walls:

All in all, the device was only mildly successful. Matthew retained only a vague memory of scrambled verses that the children had to sort out for him.

Matthew was so servile that, in another play, he allowed Professor Pickleworth to perform brain surgery on him using power tools:

The purpose of the operation was to cure Matthew from a fear of pretty much everything. As you can see, the operation was successful. Matthew's fear of snakes, however, was nothing compared to his new fear of Professor Pickleworth!