Then Sings My Soul Saturday...

For American Thanksgiving, I posted a song I had just discovered, powerful in word and tone. Please go here (2 posts down) to be blessed and then pop over to Amy's to hear more songs that minister.
Love, Sita

God Ran Tonight...

...to Charlene, to whisk her into His arms.
I posted about Charlene here recently. I've just received news that God is preparing to run to greet her and grab her up into His arms. He is saying, "Come, my child. Oh, do you have any idea how very proud I am of you? Oh, Charlene, how you have suffered, my trust in you was never misplaced. Do you remember Job? Do you think you have his genes? I know for sure you have my Son's DNA. Come here, rest your lovely head on my shoulders. Rest. Soon we will rejoice. Welcome home, my precious, precious child."
Only one song comes to mind..."When Christ shall come to take me home, What joy shall fill my heart..." Tonight my heart is filled with a pain-filled joy: pain for Charlene's suffering and the loss of her glorious presence here on earth; and joy of her resting and looking adoringly into the eyes of the One she so loved here on earth.



Charlene passed away at 11:15 p.m. on Friday, November 28, 2008 into eternal glory.

Carnage in India...

The city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), has been hit with a string of terrorist attacks targeting Americans and Britons. About 87 people have been reported killed and hundreds wounded. Check out CNN coverage.

Please pray. They also attacked a womens and children's hospital. This is where my husband was born and where I just viewed a delightful interview of a multilingual street boy on Amrita's blog.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American Friends!

And I can think of no better way to extend my wishes to you but to share this song I've just found, And I Thank You, Lord.
And if you're not American, it's for you too!
May you be ministered to as I was and may gratitude for Him well up and overflow.

Consistency...is there a secret?

In the recent past I have been looking at the inconsistency in my spiritual walk and talking to God about it. Wouldn't you know it, in my reading today in My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers talks about the Apostle Paul's "strong and steady underlying consistency" based on a depth of the fundamentals, the Cross of Christ, through which the energy of God is released. Then Oswald hits me with this:

...Consequently, he could let his external life change

without internal distress

because he was rooted and grounded in God.

Most of us are not consistent spiritually

because we are more concerned about being consistent externally....

I used to think that I was grounded, but when God allows certain crises that seem to be inconsistent with my 'theology' [what I have learnt of God's nature by study and by relationship thus far], something happens to that flow of energy from God, almost like someone loosened the plug and that flow diminishes, leaving me dimmed and deflated.

I want to have my 'externals' consistent, and under control, and when they aren't, the world stops making sense, God stops making sense, and suddenly my world grows dim, my heart grows faint. At times, I have struggled to make sense of it all. In fact, at times, I have felt 'hurt' by God, at times pained that yet again, I have misunderstood Him. Consequently, I develop a fear of hearing His Voice, for fear that it actually was not His Voice after all, because what I thought I heard, was not what happened.

My responses have been varied. At times, I have curled up in a ball of hurt, afraid to look at Him in the eyes again. Other times, I have become numb, not wanting to feel or 'hear' again. It is I who loosen that plug time and time again. My concern grows over my personal condition.

Then God nudges me again, I become defiant against the situation, turn to God, look to Calvary and why God came to earth. Then I can boldly quote David in the Psalms, "yet will I trust...my hope is in You..." Slowly I learn to be rooted in the Cross of Christ; His suffering; His resurrection; His redemption; His power; in the God whose thoughts do not coincide with mine because He is infinitely wise and has 20-20 vision of my entire time line.

Have you ever had this experience? Did you think you heard He would heal, He would provide, He would deliver...etc.. and He didn't? Then persist with me in trusting Him yet, tightening that plug, letting Him flow, no matter how senseless and inconsistent those externals are. Look to Him. Like Paul, God is bringing us that point where we can stand before Him boasting only in the Cross of Christ, not in our personal conditions.

Isaiah 45:18-24 (The Message)

God, Creator of the heavens—

he is, remember, God.Maker of earth—

he put it on its foundations, built it from scratch.

He didn't go to all that trouble to just leave it empty, nothing in it.

He made it to be lived in.

This God says:
"I am God, the one and only.

I don't just talk to myself or mumble under my breath.

I never told Jacob, 'Seek me in emptiness, in dark nothingness.'

I am God.

I work out in the open, saying what's right, setting things right.

So gather around, come on in, all you refugees and castoffs.

They don't seem to know much, do they—

those who carry around their no-god blocks of wood,

praying for help to a dead stick?

So tell me what you think.

Look at the evidence.

Put your heads together. Make your case.

Who told you, and a long time ago, what's going on here?

Who made sense of things for you?

Wasn't I the one? God?

It had to be me.

I'm the only God there is—

The only God who does things right and knows how to help.

So turn to me and be helped—saved!—

everyone, whoever and wherever you are.

I am God,
the only God there is, the one and only.

I promise in my own name:

Every word out of my mouth does what it says.

I never take back what I say.

Everyone is going to end up kneeling before me.

Everyone is going to end up saying of me,

'Yes! Salvation and strength are in God!'"

STAY PLUGGED IN!

Continuing Strong...

Pressing on Toward the Goal

Philippians 3:12-14

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Our pastor of Adult Ministries spoke on Sunday and talked about the vision statement of the Evergreen ministry for seniors. He said they had balked against the term "finishing strong" and preferred the term "continuing strong." He said they weren't cramming for the finals just yet. (He's a riot!)

Then I read this morning's devotional at Walk In The Word about pressing on. James MacDonald talks about our complacency in our spiritual life. We have a tendency to put it in 'cruise' when we think we have reached a comfortable level. Please read the entire devotion by clicking above.

I don't know about you, but in my own spiritual walk, I have found no 'cruise' control. It's either pressing on or growing distant. Either way, there is motion, forwards or backwards. It is our choice. Do we continue to press on, growing in intimacy with God and reaching for that prize that God has called us to? Or do we let our relationship with Him slide, our hearts grow colder, our life purpose dimmed?

Let me encourage you today to continue strong, press on, no matter what the storms around you bring. 1Corinthians 5:16-17 says:

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

I have met many who shine with His glory. And it is because they press on and continue strong. They are able to do so, not because of their own strength or determination, but an act of will to allow Him to work glory in their hearts. It is His work, His glory, His power at work.

Are you weary today? Turn to Him, and ask Him to take over. In your weakness, He promises to be strong. Have a wonderful week!

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Again, I invite you to pop down to my last post, "His Name is Brandon", to sing along with Charlotte Church and Josh Groban, The Prayer. The post will explain all.
Don't waste a second to love intentionally those God have placed in your heart.
Then pop by Amy's blog to hear more songs that minister.

His name is Brandon...

(Picture from ctv.ca)

...and he was only 15 years old. He got into an argument with his parents over his obsession with a video game. It was confiscated. He ran away. Hundreds of people searched and prayed for him. Last week, his body was discovered under a tree. A post-mortem revealed that he had died as a result of falling off that tree. Today was his memorial service with moving comments from his family here.

Last Friday, I had to pick up my own 15-year-old at an unfamiliar route. It was a dark and rainy night, my worst time for driving. Since my husband was working, my 10-yr-old accompanied me. On a dark, unfamiliar road, with the cold rain beating down, I realized I was lost and slowly a terror began to build in me. I started sobbing and praying and my 10-yr-old joined me. I was afraid not for myself, but that my son would be outside waiting in the cold, in the dark.

Slowly, I realized I was thinking of Brandon, whose death seared my soul, the second death in a week. I imagined him, lost, alone, afraid as the darkness fell, the cold paralyzing his limbs. The teenage rebellion had long since dissipated. That stupid game meant nothing any more. He was a child once more, longing for Daddy to come rescue him. Longing for Mommy to hold him close so he could feel safe again. A helpless babe. Nothing so beautiful in God's sight.

Luke 18:17 - "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

So God ran to him and wrapped him up in His arms.

Why God? He looks just like my son...so beautiful...Did You send a special angel to wrap wings around him? To escort him into Your Presence?..You must have...The incredible love I feel for this child who is not my own fades in the light of Your perfect love for him, for he is Your Own. Thank You. Please give his parents, siblings and friends the comfort and counsel they need from You. Thank You, Lord.

I post this song in tribute to Brandon, The Prayer, sung by Charlotte Church and Josh Groban, two of the most beautiful voices on this earth. Why? Their voices transport you into heaven as you pray along with them in song. The beauty of their words and voices are synonymous with the beauty I see in Brandon. And he is now safely wrapped in Beauty.

My Birthday Word...Part 3

**It is also REMEMBRANCE DAY. I invite you to stop by Saija's blog for a beautiful remembrance.**

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From Spurgeon:

“Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Deuteronomy 33:27

God—the eternal God—is himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray, because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless.

Well, child of God, remember that when thou art at thy worst and lowest, yet “underneath” thee “are everlasting arms.”

Sin may drag thee ever so low, but Christ’s great atonement is still under all. You may have descended into the deeps, but you cannot have fallen so low as “the uttermost;” and to the uttermost he saves.

Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut away. What then? Still underneath him are “the everlasting arms.” He cannot fall so deep in distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him. The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict, but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the “everlasting arms”—they are underneath him; and, while thus sustained, all Satan’s efforts to harm him avail nothing.

This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but earnest worker in the service of God.

It implies a promise of strength for each day, grace for each need, and power for each duty. And, further, when death comes, the promise shall still hold good. When we stand in the midst of Jordan, we shall be able to say with David, “I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” We shall descend into the grave, but we shall go no lower, for the eternal arms prevent our further fall.

All through life, and at its close, we shall be upheld by the “everlasting arms”—arms that neither flag nor lose their strength, for “the everlasting God fainteth not, neither is weary.”

Father, thank You for Your everlasting arms. May I keep this picture in my mind as this new year of my life proceeds.

My Birthday Word...Part 2

Today, I read a post from Lynn at Heading Home, an invitation to linger in His Presence. What a lovely way to spend my birthday. Thank you, Lynn, for sharing this nudging of the Holy Spirit.
Would you like to join me? Read her post here.

My Birthday Word...Part 1

From Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest:

THE SUPREME CLIMB
"Take now thy son ." Genesis 22:2
God's command is - Take now, not presently. It is extraordinary how we debate! We know a thing is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it at once. To climb to the height God shows can never be done presently, it must be done now. The sacrifice is gone through in will before it is performed actually.
"And Abraham rose up early in the morning and went unto the place of which God had told him" (v. 3). The wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did not confer with flesh and blood. Beware when you want to confer with flesh and blood, i.e., your own sympathies, your own insight, anything that is not based on your personal relationship to God. These are the things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.
Abraham did not choose the sacrifice. Always guard against self-chosen service for God; self-sacrifice may be a disease. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential order of God for you is a hard time of difficulty, go through with it, but never choose the scene of your martyrdom. God chose the crucible for Abraham, and Abraham made no demur; he went steadily through. If you are not living in touch with Him, it is easy to pass a crude verdict on God. You must go through the crucible before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because in the crucible you learn to know God better. God is working for His highest ends until His purpose and man's purpose become one.

Father, thank You for my crucible. I drink in communion with You this new year that You have granted me. Thank You.

My Birthday Chuckle...Canadian Police Chase...

I hope Midas pays me a commission for promoting their commercial! I can't help it. Anytime I see this, it totally cracks me up, especially after our last winter!

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

I invite you to go to my last post, "Ushered Into Glory".

Two young boys chose this song because it was the song their Dad, just 39 years old, loved to sing. I have to tell you this song was hard to sing for me, especially where it says, "He gives and takes away..my heart will choose to say, Lord, Blessed Be Your Name.." Please pray for this family. The boys are only 10 and 5 years old. Thank you.
Please visit Amy for more songs that minister.

Ushered into glory...

This week, 2 men were ushered into glory.

The first, into eternal glory into the arms of a waiting Father;

The second man, into an earthly glory, the office of the President of the United States of America. I will address the second man whom we all know by now as Barack Obama in another post.

But for today, I want to tell you about a man I actually never spoke to, but have been praying for for some time. The Father's love for him overflowed in my heart, as does the grief I feel this day, mixed with the wonder of him reunited with His Father, knowing joy unbounded.

His name is Richard and he, his wife and 2 sons sat a couple of rows down from me in the Sunday service for quite some time. He was easy to notice. He looked like he stepped out of a GQ magazine, with the elegance of John Kennedy Jr. and the good looks of Pierce Brosnan. Then, it was announced that headaches he had been experiencing were traced to a brain tumour. Some time much later, I was so saddened to see that he had lost the vision in one eye. That short curly dark hair was missing. This was not the face I had grown used to seeing. I saw him holding his head in pain. I felt a loss. I felt at a loss. Not him!

How could this happen? He was so young. His wife is young. His sons are young.

We, as a congregation started praying in earnest. We hoped and prayed. The news seemed to get worse. We prayed some more. Then last week, ground-breaking surgery was performed by the most qualified surgeon in the world for this procedure. It was deemed 100% successful!

Wow, we were overjoyed and were sure God was about to display His unparalleled glory.

Then the next day, he suffered a massive stroke, was placed on life support. After 72 hours, the plug was pulled and he passed on to glory, leaving behind a wife who would no longer have her best friend and love of her life at her side, and 2 beautiful sons. It certainly did not make sense, but that does not make God senseless; just the God whose thoughts and plans are not ours, but perfect in wisdom, love and intent.

Today, I attended his memorial service. His life spanned 39 years. So very young. Moving tributes from friends spoke of a man who bridged gaps, a friend to all, a team player, a man who loved Jesus. But the most telling of all was the poem his son, 10-years-old, wrote:

I went on your bike, when I still rode a trike,

The place we lived was Vaughan, and you cut the lawn.

One day we hiked, which we really liked,

After that we went for a swim, just when it was getting dim,

At the twilight, just before the night,

We had a fire, and sang like a choir.

Now you've left us for the sky, you were the best kind of guy.

I'll hold you close within my heart; we'll never really be apart.

God loves you and so do I, now it's time to say goodbye.

My last memory of him was of a man intentionally loving his son, giving him his 100% attention as he knelt down to talk with him eye to eye. I stood transfixed when I saw that, for I knew it was an eternal moment. I drew this sketch today in his memory.

Richard Ramos

1969 - 2008

I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

Please sing along as you listen to the song chosen by Richard's 2 sons as the song their Dad loved to sing with them:



As I walked past his wife, feeling the weight of her grief and the emptiness of a road without her spouse and the father of her 2 boys, God gave me a gentle impression inside, that it is a new page for Suzie, one on which He will write, and she and her 2 sons will know the restoration of hope and joy again. A new chapter to be written, with freedom as a key word. Thank You, Lord.

adrianwarnock.com: Now It Is Time To Pray for President Obama

Saw this link on Amrita's blog. Excellent article.

adrianwarnock.com: Now It Is Time To Pray for President Obama