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.

The Path of Life

Enter ye in at the strait gate, says the Lord, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

This verse has been a powerful verse of scripture and positive influence in my life.

Majestic Lions of Kenya

There are three things that are stately in their stride,
four that move with stately bearing:
a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing...

Proverbs 30:29,30

I love Africa and Kenya in particular. Moreover, I love the majestic lion. I watched it up close in the Nakuru National Park and on the plains of the Maasai Mara. What power and majesty in this animal.

Most of us think of lions in a dry plain but the lion in this photo is from Nakuru National Park. As you can see, he has a lot of foliage in which to live. It gave me joy to watch it and my friend snapped these photos for me. I hope you enjoy them too. Just looking at them again makes me want to visit again soon.

...See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, ... has triumphed.

Revelation 5:5

A Challenging Week

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

I feel as if I've been through the wringer this week. So much has been happening in my life. Or more specifically, to the people that I know and love. It has been challenging trying to keep up with their needs and to keep them all in prayer. At the same time, I have much to be thankful for this week.

My mom had blood in her urine late last week and an unexplainable pain in her abdomen. We prayed about it and her blood stopped passing. She also had expanding wounds on her leg from a bout with cellulitus over a year ago now. Yesterday, my brother took her to the hospital for tests.

It seems she has a bladder infection but the doctor thinks the blood in the urine and the pain in her abdomen is caused by a small internal puncture that occurred when her catheter was inserted. As for the leg, nurses will attend at her home today to cleanse and swab it for further evaluation. They were supposed to do this over a month ago and didn't. That is one of the reasons mom ended up going to the hospital instead. Today when they visit, the nurses were to give her a prescribed course of antibiotics for both the leg and the bladder problem.

In Kenya, I have a friend Bornest, a young orphaned woman who has been very sick for some months now. She had to be admitted to hospital on Tuesday due to so much pain that she was literally crying. Yesterday, other friends reported that Bornest had a headache and stomach pain and she was vomiting. Today she seems a bit better but I think she will have to stay in hospital for awhile.

Here is a photo of Bornest (left) . I sent funds for about a week of hospital care. She needs more help for the hospital bills so I would appreciate any prayers or help you could offer.


In another crisis, a young orphan girl named Chelangat was sent home from school due to lack of funds to pay second term which is well underway. After I sent out a request to friends, one kind soul stepped forward to pay for second terms fees. A christian brother in Chelangat's village spoke to the principal today and got her re-enrolled. Chelangat is so grateful as she has hope that her future may be brighter and that she might just get an education after all. I post a picture of Chelangat below. I would ask you to pray for her and if you can help her financially, please get in touch with me.


So it has been a challenging week and this is only the half of it! I am so grateful for having the strength to get through it, for having the peace of God and caring friends who are helping me bare these burdens.

Joy over Bus Dedication

This recent story of a bus dedication posted on my friend Pastor Jonah's blog gave me joy. Read more here about the Missions of Hope.

This week, I had a great time with young people from a high school that is not far from where I stay. The school is now called Kericho Tea Boys High School. It's sister school is called Moi Tea and is not too far too from where we dedicated the bus.

There were a mountain of challenges as we looked at the bus and later took it to the the students who were waiting with bated breath and were overcome with excitment waiting for us to arrive.

We grown ups were excited too as we saw the first bus of its kind to be given to a school in the district.

We do want to praise God for the great work that he did through the parents and everyone who worked hand in hand in seeing that the bus arrived soundly at the school. Praise God with us.

Pastor Jonah

I Meant To Do My Work Today

by Richard Le Gallienne

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I meant to do my work today,

But a brown bird sang in the apple tree

And a butterfly flitted across the field,

And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land,

Tossing the grasses to and fro,

And a rainbow held out its shining hand--
So what could I do but laugh and go?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found a similar poem recited by Elton John

Listen here http://www.amazon.com/Meant-Work-Today-Day-Country/dp/B000WU0TLI

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

"Believe" is a Powerful Word

I love these kinds of stones with beautiful words written on them.


Scripture says to:

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:31

What is it that you and your house believe on?

Have a wonderful week as you ponder over the question. God bless you.

Sunset on the Day of Pentecost

In the last few days I've gotten a head and chest cold. It has kept my body in pain and my head hurting. In addition, some other things I'm dealing with meant I didn't have a lot of energy or motivation today.

But God's nature "paintings" always have a way of exciting me. I had gone down the street to purchase some produce and other goodies for a late dinner. When I returned to my suite, this is the scene that awaited me from my patio window.

How spectacular!

I haven't yet learned how to take night shots or even properly use my camera. Thankfully, I found my instruction booklet and managed to find the night setting and the largest pixel setting with which to capture this night.

I absolutely love the way the sky looks.

And I am so glad I could "snap that".

I hope you had a good day today, the Day of Pentecost, when we remember the beginnings of the Christian Church.

"The day of Pentecost was the birth of Christianity. It was on this memorable day that repentance and baptism in Jesus' name for the remission of sins was first taught and experienced (Acts 2: 38). The height of Joel's prophesy had been "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered" (Joel 2: 32). When those whose hearts had been pricked asked what must they do, were told, and did it, they were calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 2: 37-42). People today are thus saved in the same way by calling on Jesus' name (Rom. 10: 13)."

May God bless you and your family throughout the coming year and may you find deeper meaning in Him.

Sunday Hymn

With the sun peeking through just to the upper right of the cross on the church exterior, it reminded me of this powerful hymn.

AT THE CROSS

At the cross,

At the cross,

Where I first saw the light

And the burdens of my heart rolled away.

It was there by faith,

I received my sight

And now I am happy all the day.

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling
block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

Oldies but Goodies, Newbies & the Not So Uglies

I thought it might be interesting to capture the variety of buildings we have here in our part of the world for visitors from elsewhere to enjoy. Whenever I have travelled to other lands, I've observed that Vancouver has a greater variety of building styles throughout the city and there is very little of same style development in any given neighborhood. Part of this is due to the fact that Canadian cities are generally not that old and so the buildings we have do not have the same history as in many parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Nonetheless, I really enjoy the variety of building styles here. Combined with the natural beauty of the ocean, mountains and rain forest, the variety of buildings, is one thing I take joy in as I walk about in the different neighbourhoods. Recently, I took a lot of snaps of buildings right in the heart of the city. I would like to share a few of them with you.

Oldies but Goodies

(Above) Saint Paul's (Catholic) Hospital
(Below) St. Andrew's Wesley United Church

Newbies

(Above & Below ) Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel

Not so Uglies

(Above) Vancouver Provincial Courthouse
(Below) Former BC Hydro Headquarters, now private condos

Buildings are important to God and are referenced many times in His Word, both in the spiritual sense and in the literal sense.

Corinthians 3:9 says "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." The Apostle Paul refers to Jesus as the "chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21) and Peter quotes Isaiah saying "Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." (2 Peter 2:6)

Right now, Jesus is preparing a literal place for us. In John 14: 2-3 He says:

In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

I don't know about you but I would rather have my mansion and be spiritually connected to Jesus for all of eternity, than to have all the silver or gold on earth for a season.