Today I am Thankful For.....

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content.

Phillipians 4: 11

I am thankful for....

1. Nurses attending at my mother's home to cleanse her leg wound and the scheduling of a doctor appointment to evaluate the nature of the wound. The nurses suspect it is now cancerous. My friends and I are praying that it is not. Her doctor appointment is on June 22, 2009.

2. Pastor Jonah's safe journey to and from Hekspoort, South Africa to attend the Amahoro Gathering. Read more here about his journey.

3. My student friend and little brother Enock, in Kericho, Kenya. He was to leave Bible college to the village to find more money for his tuition. But praise God, he received a phone call and his father is sending him funds. He won't have to travel back to the village after all. God is looking after his schooling needs.

4. My friend Bornest, in Kericho, Kenya died a few days ago. I am thankful that arrangements are well underway for her funeral and going home party which will be held today, Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

5. I am thankful for my brother who is handling fire insurance matters and other business. He is saving me a lot of time and energy.

6. I am thankful that rain is expected so that my little garden can flourish.

7. I am thankful for bloggers, Shell in Australia and some of her friends who blog about beautiful things and have creative gifts to lift the spirits of others.

8. I am grateful for a cleaning woman who cleans my bathroom daily while I am at the hotel.

9. I am grateful that I can soak my feet in "salts" and relax.

10. I am grateful for beautiful flowers.

My Little Garden

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Genesis 1:29

I live in a condominium complex in a large city and I am so grateful to have a very large patio and small garden for enjoying nature. God was good to me in providing this as nature is one of the things that gives me great joy in life and makes me feel connected to God.

I am not, however a very good gardener. I so long to have beautiful flowers and after 10 years of trying I have only once come close to it. I can make a lot of excuses and one of them is lack of knowledge. But truthfully there have been many ups and downs in the condo life, things like total exterior restoration due to rain damage. That and health issues, lack of knowledge and income and family health challenges, have all contributed to little time and enthusiasm to really do much with my small garden.

From the beginning my small garden needed a LOT of help. It had plants in it that I did not like. The garden was completely ruined during the building restoration so it gave me a reason to get rid of some plants, mainly shrubs but little by little I got rid of other plants. Over the years, I have done a little here and there and gained a bit of knowledge. I think the soil is finally starting to be healthy enough to actually grow something. The challenge now is having enough time and energy to tend the plants, weed the garden and make sure the soil is properly fertilized and watered.

This year we had a very cold spring and then we had the building fire around the time the weather was improving enough to prepare the garden. Last week, after weeks of being in a hotel, I was finally able to get out to the apartment and so some gardening. Unfortunately, I had to weed it for the 3rd time and prepare the soil before I could actually do any planting.

Gardening in this plot is a particular challenge. It isn't like kneeling down in your yard and doing your gardening bit. The garden is in a raised bed with a foot and half high retaining wall. You must either reach over and stretch as far as you can into the garden to lay soil or plant. Alternatively, you have to jump up into the plot and bend over or squat to reach the farthest parts. It is a little uncomfortable. But I press on because I want to see growth.

I've learned I'm not good at growing flowers. At least not yet. So last year, I turned half of my small plot into a vegetable garden and had an abundance of corn for the squirrels and lettuce for the salad. This year, I've decided to continue with vegetables for both the squirrels and for my household.

Here is the kale that I planted. When it is ready, I will use it to make juices. I got this idea from one of the Christian women bloggers I follow. Just in the foreground to the left, you will see a small beet plant.


Here are my corn stalks. These look so pretty when they grow high and wave in the wind. I love to watch the squirrels scamper across the patio railing in the Fall and come and collect corn kernels.

Here are my tomato plants and my various peppers (green, long yellow and sweet red ones).


I have also planted some herbs. This year I've planted dill, rosemary and basil. These are great for cooking.

My little garden also has some flowers and other plants. The rose bush you see below has never been that healthy. It is kind of scraggly. It was in the garden when I moved in and I keep it because I love red roses.

I planted the large Solomon's Seal in the right of the photo. It was a very small plant when I planted it and it has grown large and healthy. Yippee! I love the green and the little white bells that hang from the leaves. I also love the tall grasses that you see in the background because they blow in the wind when they get tall and give me a feeling of peace.


You can see that my little garden really is little. Though I also have two trees in it, one on each side. I don't grow a lot but it is enough to keep me busy without overwhelming me. I love to see even small growth and greenery. It gives me a lot of joy.

I hope you enjoyed my little garden too.

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

My beloved spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.

See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."

Well Done

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:4

This morning my friend in Kericho, Kenya died. She was 26 years old and her name was Bornest. I met her when I was in Kenya a few years ago now. She was a vibrant young woman. Full of smiles and laughter and life. I had no idea then that she was very sick and had been for most of her life.

Recently, I helped her get to a hospital for care and treatment. A friend of mine named Thomas helped to admit her to hospital and we have been praying for her recovery. She succumbed this morning as a result of failing organs. Word of her passing reached me by text message within the hour.

I cried and shed some tears. My emotions are a bit raw. Bornest's family just had a funeral within the last few months as a brother died of AIDs. I feel the loss of a friend. Someone who had no large income and for whom life was very hard. Yet, someone who could still smile and laugh and fight valiantly to live.

Bornest has now lost her physical battle but her spiritual battle has been won. I am confident that I will see her again some day in Heaven. I am confident that even now the Lord is telling her "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter now into thy rest".


Bornest, my friend and esteemed daughter of God, I will not soon forget you but I know someday I shall see you again. Wait for your friends with smiles and praises unto His name. God bless.

Boats Afar

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good:

Genesis 1: 3, 4

I love that I can capture scenes like this from my window. I simply love the pure beauty of the tiny sailboats on the horizon as they are basking in the sun.

I turned it into black and white so you could see how brilliantly the sun is illuminating the waters below where the two sailboats are lazily making their way.

So spectacular. Creation is beautiful!

Friends & Clutter

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:21

Yesterday I met a friend I haven't seen in a very long time for lunch. It took us three, almost four weeks of telephone tag to organize a luncheon date. Normally, I would give up after two phone calls due to low energy levels. But this time my friend was good at her own follow up, so we managed to get together.

I tried an organic green and beef salad with blue cheese. This is the second time I've tried it. The first time was absolutely pleasing to the eye and delicious to the palate. This second time was not nearly as aesthetically pleasing. Can one use the word "aesthetic" when it comes to food presentation? I'm not sure. But oh well, I just did! The salad plate was missing the eye catching red grape tomatoes I'd had the first time around. Sadly too, the organic spring greens mix looked as if they were wilted by the hot sun we've been having.

I did request, and receive, some grape tomatoes which made the salad look more appealing and I found that the taste wasn't too far off the mark. My friend had a veggie and cheese omelet with multi-grain toast. She didn't complain or comment so I guess it was fine. I didn't get photos because we were both a little hungry by the time lunch was ready.

Besides eating, it was simply nice to see my old friend again. As always when we haven't gotten together for awhile, we have a lot to catch up. But our luncheon and conversation did not seem rushed which was nice. She had to come downtown today for an appointment not too far from where I am staying. She was taking some kind of course for diabetics at the hospital in the neighbourhood so it was easy to schedule a get together once we finally did connect by phone. She later reported that her regimen of diet seems to be keeping the diabetes in check and that was wonderful news!

It seems that she and I are both at the stage of down-sizing and decluttering for potential moves. In her case, she needs to start thinking about the long term future as a senior citizen and is looking for a place with medical care on site and an elevator rather than stairs. In my case, I simply want to simplify for two reasons. Firstly, to make any future moves easier. Secondly, I just have too much accumulated in my small apartment, especially books and clothing.

My involvement with Kenyan missions made me realize how much "stuff" I have accumulated and how much I used to spend weekly or even daily; most of which was totally unnecessary. What I spend on one meal out can be translated to a set of bedding sheets or a mattress for a villager or school supplies for an orphan child, even medicine for a sick child or widow.

[Victor receives school supplies]

[Mercy, another child who needs your help]

I'm learning to be more frugal, do with less and send more to the mission field. I'm not feeling guilty about it. I've just come to realize that material things and accumulating more of them, holds little value in the big scheme of life. I've always realized this, but these past few years I have a much deeper appreciation for what this really means.

By consuming less, I save more of the green stuff. Both green money to send to Kenya and the green earth which we inhabit. Involvement in Kenyan missions has prompted me to examine my spending habits very carefully and make some adjustments. What I learned in the process about the kind of steward I am was quite eye opening.

I've always tried to be a good steward but I think there is always room for improvement. For the last two and a half years, I've been embarked on a continuous quest for improvement in this area. May I challenge you to look at your own spending and see if you can do more to help the Kenyans? There are really so many more needs at several missions. Much more than I can meet on my own. If you want to do something and see the results first hand, let me know.

Calling on Gardeners

25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.
27 "The farmer's workers went to him and said, 'Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?'
28 "'An enemy has done this!' the farmer exclaimed.
"'Should we pull out the weeds?' they asked.
29 "'No,' he replied, 'you'll uproot the wheat if you do.30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.'"

Matthew 13:24-29 (NLV)

Do any of you know what kind of weed this is or whether it is even a weed? It came up in the part of the garden where I planted vegetables last year. I don't recognize it so I think it is a weed. But it looks awfully robust and large to be a weed so I thought I'd better check with someone who might know more. It has pointed edges around the leaves.

Now here is another question. I've always heard that you should pull the weeds from the garden while the plants/crops are growing. The scripture passage above seems to suggest otherwise? Any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance for your help. I'll check back later for comment replies. God bless your day.

The Role of the Artist

"It seems to me that the world is in little need of another message of confusion or chaos....The role of the artist in society, among all the "sound and fury" of life, is to stand patiently aside with quiet confidence, waiting, knowing that when all the noise and activities subside, someone will need a moment to pause, to reflect, to remember, to be filled with wonder or touched with emotion."

Scott Stearman, Christian artist

When I returned to my empty condo yesterday, I passed by some public art in a busy intersection and back alleys that fit this description for me of the role of an artist.



I don't know who painted these large murals on the outside walls of very old buildings in the neighbourhood. But they bring beauty in a decrepit part of the street and add colour, life and love.

I took these photos from a very busy and main thoroughfare but the noise seemed to "still" and calm came to me as I took a few moments to take these photos.

I hope you enjoy these wall murals as much as I do.

A Simple Bar of Soap

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High

Psalm 92:1

Most people don't really think about what a luxury it is to be able to have a bar of soap.

In Kenya, many of the villagers are unable to even buy bar soap or other things like toilet paper; things that we consider the daily necessities of life. This is one of many reasons why I am passionate about helping the Missions of Hope.

Today before I take my bath, I am grateful that I have a bar of soap. One that smells nice and has a rich later to soothe my dry skin. What will make you give thanks today?

As the sun sets...

...the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

As the sun sets over Vancouver



I enjoy reading a book that I've been wanting to read for the past several years.

I'm relaxing, enjoying a nap and a refreshment, watching a bit of tv, but mostly just relaxing and reading a chapter here and a chapter there.



It's been a good day as I gave myself permission yesterday to just relax and stay away from "have tos".

I hope you had a good day too.

Tomorrow, I "have to" go for my mammogram, long overdue and take care of some business. Have a good week.

Rest

Sunday.

I am going to put my feet up and rest. Or take a walk, or meditate in the garden, or simply relax. I hope you enjoy your day with friends, family or simply yourself and God. For God tells us to rest.

Psalm 23

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I cannot recall the precise words of a sermon once given my current pastor but it was the first time I'd heard it put this way. He said in addition to assembling together as the body on the Sabbath Day, we ought to do things that bring us closer to God. So whether that be doing a favourite hobby, spending time outdoors or with family,or something else, in all things we can use it as an opportunity to enjoy the life that God has given us and reflect on what God has done for us.

I think it is hard for most people to rest, including me. We always feel we need to be doing something gainful. But out of necessity, I am having to rest more and more as time goes by and in so doing, learn that it is okay.

I am not wasting my time by being idle. On the contrary. I am using my time as a form of worship in doing things which give me joy and quiet. At the same time they bring me into deeper communion with God and restore the body that God gave me.

I pray you also have a rest.