Crazy Dreams

Have you ever had one of those dreams where it seems
to rip your heart in two and then you wake up screaming?
Well that was my night, that was my moment and it shows you
that sometimes dreams can tell you a lot about your fears. Fears have this crazy way of trying to tell you or dictate to you what you can and can't do subconsciously. You start to realize that maybe your own fear of rejection etc. just might dictate some of your life choices and behaviours. Those very struggles are the kinds of weeds that can strangle the potential for amazing blessings in Christ Jesus. God calls His children to step into the garden of our fears, hopes and dreams and pull out the weeds of despair, anxiety, loneliness, discouragement and pursue what God has planned for our lives. What He designs is far better than what we come up with and how we deal with our troubles and trials in life. He is the perfect farmer, knowing just when to plant the right seeds at the right time and when to cultivate and harvest.

The Reality Of Islam

~A Time To Reflect~ 

We in society have become so numb to reality, to understanding healthy criticism and knowing the suffering that Islam has given, the victims voices are silenced because of political correctness and poor democratic leadership within North America
We blur everything for the sake of convenience rather than the joy of knowing truth over deceit. Islamophobia is one of the greatest misappropriated labels of our time, a disingenuous painted story of racism when in fact it's truly about the ideology, not the skin colour, not the sex, not the age or whatever the world may push upon this problematic teaching. This is all about a teaching in #islam that states this very core foundation
Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 177:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him."
The very fact that Muhammed married a young little girl and also ordered the killing of so many innocent lives is a side note to the destruction islam has pursued for the subjugation of all people because they simply don't agree with the pagan god (allah is a god of 360 gods and allah literally means THE GOD, in paganism that refers to TOP GOD)
Looking at the origins of islam is key and the history tells a truth that most sincere intellects can see, despite varying biased viewpoints. As a whole islam is the worship of the top pagan god ALLAH and the life of muhammad is shocking and repulsive on so many levels but what we as #christians ought to do is stand firm in truth and yet show great love and compassion for the lost and dying in an ideology that pursues vengeance and works for which there is no guarantee of salvation, a heaven or a true loving relationship with the God of the bible. Let us be sober minded in approaching islam and the people who have embraced it's bipolar doctrine of subjugation.

https://wikiislam.net/…/List_of_Killings_Ordered_or_Support… (list of killings ordered by Muhammad)

A fantastic video from #billwarner (expert on Islam)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFbXGRaVwX8

Grace

Grace...

The beauty of grace is far deeper than we can imagine, it's a lifelong journey of seeing and enduring through life's choices, trials, the valleys and the mountain tops. We See things in the moment, maybe even when we reflect on the past but it's always foggy through the eyes of humanity.
God speaks to us profoundly and with depth of love when He tells us to walk in our weakness, endure in our suffering, because in our suffering God is glorified and we are humbled. Pride is buried quickly in our struggles and that lense of cloudy muddy perception quickly fades and we begin to look more fervently at the light when it breaks through the clouds; like a lighthouse we become far more dependant on where God wants us to go and less on where we want to be.
When we see the light with joy and with reliance we begin to celebrate the destination, the journey, God's wisdom is always far better than our own. In the end our weakness is His testimony to a loving Father, an amazingly gracious giver of hope and victory. The light always breaks through the darkest storms...

Choices

The gospel isn't about comfort, comfort in your apathy or your comfort in compromises but the gospel is definitely the truth wrapped up in the cross, the resurrection and in the absolute grace of God but that gift is a choice, a profoundly pivotal choice that each human being either chooses to accept or reject. In the very acceptance of that truth we find freedom, not because we have created that truth but rather that the truth walked among mankind and gave his pure and spotless life for our transgressions. That is a rose among a sea of sand, a well that never runs dry.

Purpose Of Hope

I'm Not A Random Act Of

Mathematical Improbabilities

But Rather A Precious

Created Human Being

That Has A Purpose And A Life Beyond The Flaws

Of Humanity And Understanding.

God Created Me With A Purpose

And With His Amazing Grace

And I'm Loved Beyond My Mistakes,

Beyond My Accolades

And Far Beyond

My Present Understandings.

Whatever This Life Holds,

It's Like Shifting Sands That Suddenly Fade

With The Winds Of Change.

The Beauty Is Knowing The Life You Have

Is A Tremendous Gift

And The Time To Invest In

The Joy Of That Very Blessing

Is Now.

                                                               By Ernie Kasper

Lions Den

When I faced my stroke,

there were many times I couldn't speak,

express my thoughts,

move or understand

but I knew one thing,

I was facing a circumstance for which I could only simply be still and let God do what He does best, turn hungry circumstances of potential great loss into a victory for which only God can be glorified. That is truly what He has done for me :) Just trust Him and keep on praying, keep on living the gospel message and let God do the impossible.

Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.

I Will Remember

~Lord Have Your Way~

I woke up this morning and realized how precious God truly is, sometimes the storms we face are but a turbulent storm that passes in the night and the light quickly comes and warms our faces and we are hardly fazed by our momentary trials. Then there are those moments that seem like an endless storm, as though we are right in the eye of it's deadly anger and we wonder will we survive, will we triumph. Our flesh becomes weak with fear and our minds are shaken by the darkened tide of endless tossing. For such a journey, such heartbreaking adversity does one find strength in God and quickly the weakness of mankind. It is God alone who can sustain us, bring us a lighthouse of hope that no one can put asunder! No torrential heartache, no mind numbing disappointments in our common soothing comforts that once stood by our sides so faithful. When the deepest cut of our trials bleeds us, it is Christ who is faithful, who is understanding, who is devoted in love, faithfulness in compassion. Remember that the storm you face will end someday, some time and in that trial of the heart, mind and soul; remember you are loved and God always has a plan!

What I've Seen

We often struggle in our lives, the crux of our own shame

is when we start to believe that God just can't do

what He claims to do. We become distant and withdrawn or

we begin to believe God must be a cruel judge when in fact He shows us patience, love and above all else righteousness. We can easily be fooled by satan when he tells us "See you are worthless, useless and unworthy" Satan has only one job for any christian and that is to uproot whatever God has or is doing in their lives and he is fantastic at discouragement! Take heart and know that the most amazing thing about God is His desire to uphold you, restore you, help you to walk in love, mercy and in joy through Christ Jesus. We as christians are called to live a life that is abundant, not a life of what the world deems abundant but what God values as abundant and that is the beauty of God's love! He wants us to be humble and yet bold in His word, meek and yet courageous in truth. We are here for but a moment and then we are gone but how precious is that moment that we grow in the light of God's grace. We are all deeply loved in Christ Jesus and yes we are sinners but the power of the cross, the work that Christ has done redeems us and our testimony and life is in Him. So take heart and know you are His and His alone.

Your Love

The Beauty, The Mercy, The Peace

In Him Remains The Truth

God Will Always Remain As God

Filled With Truth

And Uncompromising Wisdom

His Ways Are Above Our Ways

God Established Truth

And No Man Can Remove It

Your Cares, His Strength

     I remember as a teenager how burdened I felt, how depressed I often was, I felt the world was too big and I was nothing in all of it. I was always the one last picked in every game at school, chuckled at when I ran, walked, talked, laughed etc. I was the misfit who always felt unfit for acceptance. Those days were trying, difficult and extremely lonely days of hurt and pain; often I was praying and asking God for the help and strength to go through another day of bullying, rejection and so forth. One night as I was praying I remember seeing this verse and it really hit home for me, I simply need to cast my anxiety and my worries to Him because He CARES for me. That was a powerful moment, it didn't say that all heartache and rejection would simply fade away. What was important; what was the paramount thing to understand was this: God Cares For You... 

The World tells you if you want God to listen to you, then you need to earn it!

Well here is the beauty in a relationship with God who dearly loves us and like a father only wishes to give good things; His grace is sufficient and His love for us is relentlessly perfect. God sent His son into the world to set us free from the debt we owed, the price we could not pay, our tresspasses, our sins. When Jesus died on that cross He died for you and me and when He resurrected He established a right standing with God. You were worth that cost, that profound sacrifice, that amazing grace that was undeserved and yet it was freely given. So remember this, you are loved and God desires us to trust in Him; no matter the storm, the trials, the persecution. It's not a road intended for the blessings of earthly things but rather the joy in God's purpose, to reach the lost with the saviour! God takes care of His children and He will take care of you...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

                                                                                        Proverbs 3:5

That Moment

There I was, feeling the immense pain, the throbbing, the mind numbing pain that almost took my breath away; it swept in like a flood and pounded like a jackhammer. Sometimes it would go to an ankle, then to an arm or a thigh and then back down to a knee. It was like someone cutting my body literally apart but no actual damage.
   This felt like a virtual game that I just couldn't shut off whenever I wanted, this game was playing in reality and I had no choice but to endure it, push through it, rise above it. The first few times it happened after my stroke I thought "okay, it's just a few times it will go away" but now it's nine years later and I'm still dealing with it on a regular basis but now I roll with the punches! It challenges me to see pain as only a guidepost, a marker, a banner that tells me to press forward, upward and onward. God has taught me a valuable lesson in all this suffering, learning to read, write, walk and talk again and what He has taught me is so deep and profound and it makes me smile, my faith is deeper than before, my courage is stronger, my persistence is tenacious and my trust in God's plan has only grown like a strong tree with roots that are deep. God sustains me and in my weakness He is strong and the glory goes to Him, my suffering is but a short while and when it's time for me to go home I will have a new body and my soul will praise Him for all the victories along the way!!!

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

                                          Isaiah 40:31

In Him

How beautiful it is, to know that we have confidence in Christ Jesus, to speak to God with joy in our hearts. We know that God is a God of depth, love, compassion, understanding, righteousness and so much more. He hears us when we call on Him and He is a God of a personal relationship, not a distant grumpy person who doesn't care for our well-being. Know this, He hears you and is calling you into a life with depth and measure.

New Ever Morning

The faithful love of the Lord never ends

    His mercies never cease

23 

Great is his faithfulness

    his mercies begin afresh each morning

                        Lamentations 3:22-23

                         Artwork By Ernie Kasper

I Will Be With You

I can't see how this will turn out...

It's that moment that makes us shake sometimes, especially when we are at our weakest moments, the moments that challenge our worst fears, our silent whispers but it's in those very moments that God speaks the loudest. He begins a good work in us and what He starts, He finishes! That's the comfort we can receive through each and every challenge that begs us to break, to give up, to throw in the towel. The real beauty is in God's perfect plan and His devoted compassionate love that abounds in wisdom and kindness...

Another Step In The Right Direction

     FEARLESS

     Some might say that fear encompasses the first step, after that moment it's just a matter of diligence and courageous living. I agree, the fear is in the unknown, the "what ifs" of our imagination. We fill our minds with "what ifs" and God encourages us to put all that aside and fill it with "By Faith" now the amazing thing about faith is this, the bible speaks of it in this beautiful description

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

That verse alone is so powerful and encouraging because it speaks of an assurance of what we do not see! God establishes His purpose in our lives and has solidified His plans and by these precious words we know that what God establishes, He finishes. Our job is to simply walk in it, pray in it, live in it and trust that God who is perfect in every way, who is deeply passionate about His children, the ones He loves with an uncompromising devoted love that never fails, that never tires, that never becomes weary. That is the God we serve and His promises are eternal and perfect and what He has started in you, He will finish.

Philippians 1:6

 6And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

For The Call

   

     Today is one of those days, the kind of day that when you wake up you just feel thankful. You wake up and you realize that God in all His wonder and grace, somehow made your life amazing not by what you can do but rather what God can do in it. A moment comes and goes without distinction sometimes but when there is love it soars through the skies of joy and when we suffer pain or loss we drudge through the mud and mire of hurt. It's inevitable, change is always happening but it's when we are in our darkest moments that we see an even greater light of hope, it's because of it's sheer brilliance when in darkness we wander that it becomes so precious, so paramount, so inspiring that it leaves an indelible mark that can spur us onward and upward.
     When I woke up this morning I had that very feeling, that type of praise to a God of wonder and absolute faithfulness. I had realized that through my stroke, my learning how to read, write, walk and talk that God made that mark, that profound statement in my soul that said "I will never leave you or forsake you!" and that is what He did. He prevailed over my suffering, He conquered over my doubts, He triumphantly showed is everlasting love over my hurts and pains and today I am doing things that once were deemed impossible because I have a God of all possibilities.
     No matter what you face you can face it as long as God is the rock by which you stand or crawl or what have you, you are not alone and on His strong promises you are victorious.

Stand Firm

       
Don't be dismayed or confused when you are persecuted for the light that Christ has given you, the joy you have in salvation. Our trials are momentary and our sufferings do not compare to the everlasting glory set before us. God is our rock and He is our refuge and despite what hate we face for the gospel, what torture we may endure, our shield of faith is in God's undeniable love. We must continue to reach out and tell the world of Christ's salvation for a lost and dying world. 
By Ernie Kasper

Count Your Blessings

     A beautiful day to praise God and remember that counting your blessings makes you forget all the things that were never really worth complaining about in the first place.

     When I can't talk I sing praises in my mind, when I can't walk, I pray for all those God wants me to reach with the gospel, when my mind is angry I pray for all those who have hurt me most. So whatever struggle I go through I'm keeping my eyes on Gods purpose and focusing less on my struggles. God always triumphs over the worst of adversity, I just have to know that He has me in His hands and that everything is going to be okay, in fact everything will be so much better because I walk with God or in my case RUN.