The Eyes Of All Look To You

A Canadian Goose diving for aquatic vegetation

A Jackrabbit nibbling on the green grass

A Muskrat eating the roots of cattails

It is truly amazing how the eyes of all living creatures look to God to give them their food at the proper time, confirming God statement at the time of creation that He gives every green plant for food to all the beasts of the earth, the birds in the sky, and the creatures that move along the ground.

"The eyes of all look to You,

and You give them their food 

at the proper time."

Psalm 145:15 (NIV)

"And to all the beasts of the earth
and all the birds in the sky
and all the creatures that move along the ground---
everything that has breath of life in it---
I give every green plant for food.
And it was so."
Genesis 1:30 (NIV)

All Nature Sings

When I go for walks now, the ponds are ice-free, so I hear a beautiful chorus of mating calls from the male Spring Peepers. The one above I took a picture of with a little boy in the neighbourhood holding it. The boy and his sister have fun catching and releasing them.

All of God"s creation shout and sing for joy!

"The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,

and the valleys are carpeted with grain.

They all shout and sing for joy!"

Psalm 65:13 (NLT)

They are jubilant!

"Let the fields be jubilant,

and everything in them;

let all the trees of the forest

sing for joy."

Psalm 96:12 (NIV)

And clap their hands in glee!

"Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!

Let the hills sing out their songs of joy."

Psalm 98:12 (NLT)

Plenty Left Over To Share With Others

When I went for a walk this afternoon, I spotted what I thought at first was a beaver, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a muskrat. I have never seen one before in the wilds until today, so I was excited to be able to capture the muskrat eating cattail roots on my camera.

"And God will generously provide all you need.

Then you will always have everything you need

and plenty left over to share with others."

2 Corinthians 9:18 

Finally the muskrat noticed me and posed for the camera. If you click on the picture you will see his little tongue sticking out, dripping droplets of water.

Who Takes Care Of Me

Here are some pictures of jackrabbits enjoying spring in my neighbourhood. I love seeing them!

"And this same God 

who takes care of me

will supply all your needs

from His glorious riches,

which have been given to us

 in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

Love Means Doing

The very first baby born on earth was named Cain. Adam and Eve must have been in awe when they held Cain for the first time in their arms. And of course God looked at Cain with great pleasure and delight, just as He did when He created Cain's father.

However, not too many years later, God's pleasure turned into sorrow when the first baby He created grew up to be a man with a heart of full of hatred, instead of a heart full of love. Cain became so jealous of his younger brother Abel, his jealousy turned into hatred, and his hatred turned into murder.

As a result of Cain murdering His brother Abel, Cain was banished from his homeland, his family, and God's presence. He was forced to be a homeless wanderer on earth with the ground no longer yielding good crops for him no matter how hard he worked it.

Sadly, Cain never repented from his horrible sin. He only complained about his punishment from God. He never grieved for taking the life of his oldest brother, for causing unbearable anguish to his parents, and for piercing His Heavenly Father's heart. Cain only grieved for himself.

Cain did not love God, nor did he love His family because love means doing what God has commanded us to do.

"Love means doing what God has commanded us."

2 John 1:6 (NLT)

Suddenly

After Jesus Christ ascended from earth into Heaven, all the believers met together in one place to wait for God to fill them with the power of His Holy Spirit.

Then it happened suddenly. The whole house was filled with a loud sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty wind, and what appeared to be like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. Everyone who was there was filled with God's mighty Holy Spirit.

"God raised Jesus from the dead,

and we are all witnesses of this.

Now He is exalted to the place of highest honor in Heaven,

at God's right hand.

And the Father, as He had promised,

gave Him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us,

just as you see and hear today."

Acts 2:32-33 (NLT)

The believers on the day of Pentecost did not feel the strength of the wind, nor the burn of the flames of fire. Instead, they felt the wonderful and amazing presence of the Lord Jesus Christ inside them.

"Don't Be Afraid!"

One day when Jesus was preaching to a great crowd of people on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He decided to step into Peter's empty fishing boat and teach the crowds from there.

When Jesus was finished speaking, He told Peter to take his boat deeper and let down his nets to catch some fish. Not thinking who he was talking to, Peter at first objected because he and his fishing partners had worked hard all last night and hadn't caught a thing. But when Peter looked into they eyes of Jesus and regained his senses, he soon corrected himself, "If you say so, I'll let the nets down again."

When the fishing nets were let down again, the nets became so full of fish, they began to tear. Another boat nearby then had to be called in to help and even then the two boats weren't enough. The two boats were filled with so much fish, they were on the verge of sinking.

Peter in awe, then fell to his knees before the Lord and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me---I'm too much of a sinner to be around you."

Jesus' response was neither in agreement or disagreement. He just said, "Peter,don't be afraid!

"Jesus replied to Simon,

 'Don't be afraid!'"

Luke 5:10 (NLT)

As God's children, we never have to be afraid of Jesus because of our past sins. If we give our hearts and lives to Him, Jesus promises to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

My son Tim made these fish to give to the children tonight. They are made out of white face cloths and fragrant oval bars of soap. They are a reminder to the children of the wonderful truth of this Bible story!

Filled With Disbelief, Joy And Wonder

After Jesus appeared to the two men walking along the road to Emmaus, He suddenly appeared again when they were excitedly telling others about it. (The others obviously didn't believe the two men's story and were giving them a hard time when the men told them Jesus was alive, so Jesus decided to show up to help them out.) The other people were so startled and frightened when they saw Jesus, they thought He was ghost! Jesus then responded to their disbelief with a rhetorical question: Do ghosts have hands, feet and a body? After Jesus showed them his hands and feet, He asked them for something to eat. (Ghosts don't eat either.) The people gave Him a piece of broiled fish while they watched with disbelief, wonder and joy.

"Then He asked them, 

'Do you have anything to eat?' 

They gave Him a piece of broiled fish. 

And He ate it as they watched."

Luke 24:41b-43 (NLT)

This is one of the fish stories the children are going to learn tomorrow night as they make fish booklets of all the amazing fish stories in the Bible.

How Manifold Are Your Works!

Today the temperature reached 19 degrees Celsius. Praise the Lord! The snow is once again almost gone and when I went for my walk I was able to take some awesome nature pictures.

Mallard Drake

Mallard Hen

Canadian Gander

Canadian Goose Laying On Her Eggs

Groundhog Emerging From Its Burrow

"O Lord, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom have you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures."

Psalm 104:24 (ESV)

Faith Is Confidence

Two weeks ago, God answered a prayer my family and the church children were praying about. My sons, the children, and I rejoiced and praised God!

Then a couple of days ago, there was strong evidence what we had prayed for was not going to happen. I became disheartened and questioned God.

Then this morning when I prayed, God both corrected and reassured me. He asked me why I had lost faith so easily. He told me what we had been praying for was indeed His will and it would come to pass. I then excitedly got up, went downstairs and declared to my sons the truth from God.

One hour later the answer to our prayers came.

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for

will actually happen;

it gives us assurance 

about things we cannot see."

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen even if it looks otherwise.

Foolish People

On Easter Sunday Jesus suddenly appeared to two of His followers who were walking to the village of Emmaus. At the time, the men were discussing everything that had happened and their hearts were dismayed.

Jesus, who God had prevented the men from recognizing Him at first, began to question their beliefs. He was disappointed to find out His followers did not fully believe the Scriptures. If they did, they would be rejoicing, not grieving because the prophets clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory.

"You foolish people! 

You  find it so hard to believe

all that the prophets wrote

in the Scriptures."

Luke 24:25 (NLT)

Jesus then once again took His followers through the writings of Moses and all the prophets to explain from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Today, many of God's followers still find it hard to believe all that is written in His Word. We find it easy to believe some parts, but find it difficult to believe the other parts. Some examples are:

• Is God really going to send people to hell?
• Is it really worse to be a lukewarm Christian than not be a Christian at all? (What can be worse than hell?)
• Is it true those who are living in sexual sins will not inherit the Kingdom of God because God says even when a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has committed adultery?
• And what about the women today who dress seductively? Aren't they as equally guilty of adultery?

From studying the Scriptures of what happened on that first Easter Sunday years ago, Jesus made it very clear how vital it is for us to take all of the Scriptures seriously. Otherwise, we are just fooling ourselves.

Time Off Winter

This morning I woke up to this! I am sure glad I will be in Sanibel, Florida in two weeks. The only way a person can survive the winters here in Edmonton is to go some place far away to take time off of winter.

The exceedingly long winters here can depress a person's soul. I am sure glad I can at any time enter the inner sanctuary behind the curtain to spend time with the Lord.

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul,

firm and secure.

It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain."

Hebrews 6:19 (NLT)

Some Day

Forty days after Jesus' resurrection, He called His disciples together on the Mount of Olives. He told them they would soon receive power from the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses, telling people everywhere the wonderful salvation message of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

Then Jesus lifted His hands to heaven and blessed His disciples. While He was blessing them, Jesus was taken up into a cloud to be with His Father in heaven.

"He was taken up into a cloud

while they were watching

and they could no longer see Him"

Acts 1:9b (NLT)

As the disciples were watching Jesus rise into heaven, two angels appeared and stood among them. The angels told the disciples that some day Jesus would return from heaven in the same way they saw Him go.

"Jesus has been taken from you into heaven,

but someday He will return from heaven

in the same way you saw Him go!"

Acts 1:11b (NLT)

The Lord Does Not Look At The Things People Look At

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at.

People look at the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Last summer when I prayed for helpers for the weekly boys and girls club at my church, only two volunteers came forward from the entire church, a young lady bartender and a twelve-year old girl. At first I was stunned and questioned God for a second. But then I saw their willing hearts and love overcame my prejudice. I decided to trust God, and keep the woman's career a secret.

For the whole year, these two people have stuck with me, supported my ministry, and have been a great blessing to me and the children. I love them dearly!

Then last night, the lady helper announced she will soon be leaving her profession for another career. Unknowingly to me, she had been in training during the year to become a midwife. Praise God! He sees the heart and calls accordingly.

Go Home And Tell Them

Today I was told by the grandmother of the three girls I took to the Easter Drama and Musical Production on Sunday that the girls have talked their grandfather to take them again to see it tonight. Their grandfather is not a Christian and is currently separated from his wife, the girl's grandmother. But Praise God! He is working in the hearts and lives of these girls. They heard the Good News and now want their grandfather to hear the Good News too.

When Jesus freed a man from many demon spirits who possessed him, the man begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go home to his family instead and tell them everything the Lord had done for him.

"As Jesus was getting into the boat,

the man who had been demon possessed 

begged to go with him.

But Jesus said, 'No, go home to your family,

and tell them everything the Lord has done for you

and how merciful He has been.'

Mark 5:18-19 (NLT)

These three girls did exactly that. They went home, excitedly told their other family members about Jesus, and then invited their grandfather to come, hear and see the true story of Easter.

He Is Jesus Christ Our Lord

Sunday afternoon, I took three girls with me to see the yearly Easter Drama and Musical at a large church nearby. All three girls are sisters from a single parent home. They are ten, eight and six years old. However, the oldest girl did not want to go because she is not interested in God. Her mother made her go anyways, so the girl sulked in my car. The youngest girl didn't want to go either when she heard I had two dogs. She demanded to see them instead and began to take a fit. The middle child wanted to go, but fought with her oldest sister in the back seat of my car, slapping her in the face and punching her multitude times. I thought I must be crazy inviting these undisciplined girls to come with me!

Then when we arrived at the church, we were an hour early. This was so we could sit together and be close to the front for the girls to see. However, the hour was torture. I thought it would never end as I tried to entertain three girls. I ended up playing pattycake with the two youngest. I felt foolish, but what can I say. I was desperate.

I was so glad when the lights finally went off and the music started. From the beginning to the end, all three girls were mesmerized and never flinched during the hour and a half performance. The message of Jesus' life on earth touched each of their hearts. They will ever be the same again!

"And He was shown to be the Son of God

when He was raised from the dead

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

He is Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 1:4 (NLT)

The Faith Of A Child

When I asked for prayer requests during prayer time in children's church today, one girl eagerly spoke up and said, "Lets pray for the deaf girl who has been coming regularly and ask God to heal her." (The deaf girl wasn't present today.)  When all the other children heard this request, they suddenly lowered their hands, became quiet, and looked to me to see how I would respond.

I excitedly said, "Yes! That's a wonderful idea! Lets all do that!" Then we all bowed our heads together to pray for God to heal the deaf girl's ears because Jesus can make the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers clean, the deaf hear, and the dead alive.

"The blind see,

the lame walk,

the lepers are cured,

the deaf hear,

the dead are raised to life,

and the Good News is being preached to the poor."

Matthew 11:5 (NLT)

And this same Jesus lives within each of His children!

Pray For Others

It is important to pray for others, as well as ourselves. It was when Job prayed for his unkind friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.

"After Job had prayed for his friends,

the Lord restored his fortunes

and gave him twice as much as he had before."

Job 42:10 (NLT)

Tomorrow the children are going to make prayer books to write down the prayer requests of the other children in church, so they can pray about those prayer requests during the week, as well as their own. God richly blesses us when we pray for others, especially when we pray for those who have treated us unkindly.

How Swiftly His Word Flies

In the beginning God spoke the world into existence, and the world appeared at His command.

"For when He spoke,

the world began!

It appeared at His command."

Psalm 33:9 (NLT)

But God didn't stop there. He continued and still continues to send out His orders to the world.

"He sends His orders to the world —

how swiftly His word flies!"

Psalm 147:15 (NLT)

Even the snow and ice melts only at God's command.

"Then, at His command,

it all melts.

He sends His winds,

and the ice thaws."

Psalm 147:18 (NLT)

Shiphrah And Puah

When Joseph and all of his brothers died in Egypt, their descendants, the Israelites, were many because God had richly blessed them. In fact, the land of Egypt became filled with God's people and they became extremely powerful. 

In time a new king came to power in Egypt, who did not know anything about Joseph or the good he had accomplished for Egypt. As a result, this king feared the Israelites because they now outnumbered the Egyptians and were stronger than them. The king then decided to make the Israelites their slaves. The Egyptian taskmasters were brutal and merciless, but God continued to strengthen and multiply His people.

The king now terrified of God's people, ordered his Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah to kill every Hebrew male newborn they help deliver. But because these midwives feared God more than man, they refused to obey the king's orders and allowed the boys to live. As a result, God was good to them.

"But because the midwives feared God,

 they refused to obey the king's orders.:

 Exodus 1:17 (NLT)

May we all be like Shiphrah and Puah.. These two women may not be well-known for their heroic actions, but they are true Bible heroines. Many Hebrew males were saved because of their courage and faith to fear God more than man.

Like A Child

"I tell you the truth,

anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God

 like a child

 will never enter it."

Mark 10:15 (NLT)

I was on my way out the door to go to church last Sunday morning when the phone rang. I wasn't able to answer the phone, but I did wait by the door to see if the person phoning would leave a message. The person did. It was an excited eight-year-old girl wanting to know if I could pick her and her younger sister up, so they could go to Children's Church with me. I was thrilled, and very proud of them for having the desire to know their Heavenly Father more. These girls are being raised by a non-Christian single mom who works late at night as a bartender in a strip club to support her daughters. With their mother's permission the night before, the girls even got ready all by themselves while their mother was sleeping. (I chuckled to myself at their door when I saw what they wore.)

May we all be like these girls and have that same joy and excitement in our hearts to go to a place to learn more about our Heavenly Father.

A Reward From God

When I went for my evening walk, these two male and female geese grabbed my attention because they were honking so loudly while strolling along the shore of the island that is located in the middle of the lake. .

The female geese has probably already laid her eggs on the island.

Canadian geese are considered one of the most talkative animals. Apparently the parents even communicate with their goslings while they are still in the egg. Since these geese were not in any imminent danger, they were not honking to warn other geese. They must have been honking out of sheer happiness because they are soon going to be parents to a brood of cute fluffy yellow goslings. After all, children are a reward from the Lord and God blessed the animals to reproduce as well.

"Children are a gift from the Lord,

they are a reward from Him."

Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

Jesus' Kids

"Let the little children 

come to Me,

and do not hinder them,

for the Kingdom of God 

belongs to such as these."
Mark10:14b (NLT)

Some of the parents brought their children to Jesus, so He could touch and bless them. However, the disciples scolded the parents for doing this because they thought the children would bother Him. The disciples were wrong! When Jesus saw what was happening, he became angry at His disciples for not showing love to the children. Jesus then called the children to Him, took them in His arms, placed His hands on their heads, and blessed them.

Confidence In Prayer

"And we are confident that He hears us

whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.

And since we know He hears us

when we make our requests,

we also know that He will give us

what we ask for."

1 John 5:14-15 (NLT)

Each week the children receive one of my many photographs with the week's Bible verse printed on it. However, three weeks ago, one nine-year old girl misplaced her album of these pictures and became quite distraught over it. After two weeks of trying desperately to find the album, the girl sheepishly approached me last week to ask for another one. To her dismay, I resisted the temptation to give her one. Instead, I took the opportunity to teach her the power of prayer. I put my arm around the girl's shoulder. We bowed our heads, and prayed to God to help her find the album. When we were through praying, I told her not to worry. God would answer her prayer. She looked at me in disbelief, but I encouraged her to trust God and believe.

God heard this girl's prayer and this week gave her what she asked for. She was so excited to tell me in church today that she found her album! Now this girl knows from personal experience God truly hears and answers prayers.

The Heart Of A Spiritual Leader

Paul, as a spiritual leader, never sought earthly treasures. He sought only spiritual ones---precious souls dearly loved by God and him.

"I will not be a burden to you.

I don't want what you have

---I want you."

2 Corinthians 12:14

Paul was never sneaky, nor did he ever try to take advantage of God's people by trickery. He was always honest and unselfish because he had the heart of God in him. He loved people and gave himself to them, just like Christ did. His desire was to see every person saved and mature in the knowledge of God.

"I will gladly spend myself

and all I have for you."

2 Corinthians 12:15a

As a result of Paul'sgenuine heart and love for people, miracles, signs and wonders followed his ministry.

Let My Soul Be At Rest Again

The Canadian geese are here! The ponds are still frozen and snow covers most of the land, but the geese have arrived safely.

It seems strange though not to see the geese swim gracefully in the water. I don't know how much longer they are going to have to wait for the ice to thaw. Winter was much longer than normal this year.

In the meantime, the geese rest from their long journey. God has been good to them.

"Let my soul be at rest again,

for the lord has been good to me."

Psalm 116:7 (NLT)

May We Always Be Teachable

When the blind man was healed by Jesus, his neighbours took him to see the Pharisees because he was healed on the Sabbath. However, the Jewish leaders refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. When the parents acknowledged the man as their son and confirmed his blindness at birth, the Pharisees were still unwilling to believe the miracle. The Pharisees again called back the man who was blind to question him once more. By this time, the man was exasperated and emphatically explained to the Pharisees the simplicity of it all---Jesus must be from God if He could open the eyes of someone who was born blind.

"'Why, that's very strange!' the man replied.

'He healed my eyes,

and yet you don't know where He comes from?

We know that God doesn't listen to sinners,

but He is ready to hear those who worship

and do His will.

Ever since the world began,

no one has been able to open the eyes

 of someone born blind.

If this man were not form God,

He couldn't have done it.'"

However, the Pharisees did not respond to the man's intelligent reasoning in acceptance, but in anger and violence.

"'You were born a total sinner!' 

they answered.

'Are you trying to teach us?'

And they threw him out of the synagogue."

John 9:34 (NLT)

The Pharisees were so blinded by their arrogance and self-righteousness, they were incapable of seeing the light. 

They had become non-teachable.

We Think We See, But We Are Blind

Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath, infuriating the Pharisees because Jesus worked on the Sabbath.

"Some of the Pharisees said,

'This man Jesus is not from God,

for He is working on the Sabbath.'"

John 9:16 (NLT)

The Pharisees may have claimed they loved God, but they really didn't. If the Pharisees truly loved God, then they would love their neighbor as their selves. They would rejoice that once a man was blind, but now he could see, no matter what day of the week he was healed. The Pharisees' code of regulations had become more important to them than the welfare of a human being.

Disturbingly in churches I often see the same thing where a church's focus is no longer on people, but on other things. And when the church's focus is off people, the church's focus is off God. God and people are closely tied together. As a result, the church ends up becoming nothing more than a group of sanctimonious, self-righteous, and hypocritical people, where God's presence is no longer felt.

If we truly desire the presence of the Lord, we need to love others. No amount of prayer, fasting or giving money will do it.

So The Power Of God Can Be Seen

"As Jesus was walking along,

He saw a man who had been blind from birth.

'Rabbi,' His disciples asked Him,

'Why was this man born blind? 

Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?'

"It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins,'

Jesus answered.

'This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.'"

John 9:1-3 (NLT)

Christians sometimes assume when they or others face hardships and adversities, they are because of sin. This is not always so. Many times they are allowed by God to reveal His miraculous power or character, so others too will believe in Him and be saved.