Then and Now

As requested, here are the then-and-now photos of the "sisters"! I must say we all haven't aged much in twenty years --- just older and wiser!!! :-)

In the "then" photo (from left to right): AE, JD, RL, JN and AL.

In the "now" photo (from left to right): AL, RL, AE, JD and JN.

Proverbs 17:17 (The Message) --- "Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble."

Mommies On A Playdate!!!

This past weekend, I was away on a rare girls' getaway to celebrate my "big sister's" 40th birthday!!! This group of friends date back to almost twenty years ago when we were all still teenagers. Time sure flies --- I cannot believe that we are now all mommies in our thirties (well, except for one of us, that is!) with ten children among the five of us!!!

We partied all weekend starting with a dinner and movie on Thursday night, high tea on Friday, a short detour to shop at IKEA, dinner and live theatre on Friday night, a slumber party and of course, shopping all day on Saturday! We even managed to have a short dip in the hotel's hot tub.

We also managed to relive old memories by cramming into a photo booth at the mall (see photo at the top)! I must say that I think we all fit better in there twenty years ago! We all had a GREAT weekend --- it was over way too fast! This saying is very true --- time flies when you're having fun!!! A huge thank you goes out to all our hubbies who stayed home with children all weekend long.

So, here's to my "big sister" --- CHEERS and HAPPY 40th!!! P.S. I love you.

May our loving Heavenly Father continue to bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He turn His face toward you and give you peace!

And finally, here is the lesson I learned from this weekend --- when you are 36, do not party until 3am for two consecutive nights thinking you can bounce back as quickly as when you were 18. It is Monday today and I am still feeling the effects of sleep deprivation --- my head is still groggy! I am now off to make myself some more coffee!!!

Proverbs 17:17a (NIV) --- "A friend loves at all times."

Journey, Not Destination

There is a quote that says: "It is all about the journey, not the destination." --- God sure has brought my hubby and me through an incredible journey this past half a year or so. Today, I can finally share our journey publicly as we feel that God has finally brought us to a point where another journey is about to begin.

Let me begin by saying we have good news and we have sad news. The sad news is that we will be leaving our home church very soon. This is the church that we have come to love so much over the past 15 years; where we started and built our family; and most importantly, where we have grown much with God and where we've had countless opportunities to serve Him faithfully. We know that it will be very difficult for us to say goodbye to our church family but God has given us a sense of release and a peace which transcends all understanding. A part of our hearts will always remain at Morningstar.

This is where the good news comes in. Why are we leaving our home church? Where are we going? Well, God has led us to join a church planting team to work in the very city and community in which we live! This is indeed very exciting for our family. This is the change that I have been referring to over the past few months. Now, I can finally claim the following quote to be true of what I am feeling:

"I know God is speaking to me when, in spite of my initial struggle, an undeniable release and peace follows when I have obeyed His voice. When I finally do the thing He has been nudging me to do, whether it's letting something or someone go, or taking a step toward the unknown, there is a deep calm in my soul. Where my heart and mind were once filled with terrible angst, I am now filled with a supernatural peace."
---Kathy Troccoli, as printed in 'Discerning the Voice of God' Week 4, Day 3, page 73

Here is our story ---
The year 2007 slowly developed into a very trying and difficult year for us in terms of ministry involvement. A sense of restlessness arose in our hearts causing us to really ask God what He is trying to tell us through all the turmoil that we were facing. My hubby and I spent much time in prayer, reading God's word, talking to people we trust and of course, with one another.

Initially, we thought that God was asking us to move into different ministries within our home church, but the sense of restlessness persisted within us and we still didn’t have peace. It was then when we started to sense that God might indeed be moving us out of our home church. But where was He leading us to? At that point, we could not see where. At about the same time, God gave us the verse from Isaiah 55:12 through a sermon on one day and through an online devotional that I read the following day. Now, that kind of a coincidence can only be God! The verse says: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.”

My hubby and I brainstormed scenarios that would indeed cause us to leave our home church. Not one resonated with us or even seemed possible except for one --- a church plant. We left the conversation at that. I shrugged off this impression because I did not want to accept the ‘changes’ that would come with that, but the thought would not leave me in the days ahead. It lingered in my heart.

God also used Abraham’s story to speak to us. Abraham obeyed God and left his home not knowing where God was leading him to. In Hebrews 11:8 it says: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” After being confronted with Abraham’s story, we surrendered to God. We became willing to obey --- that is, willing to leave our home church and go wherever God would take us.

Believe it or not, within two weeks of surrendering to God, we came face to face with two (not just one, but TWO!) church plants that were starting up in early 2008. We were blown away. We certainly did not go searching for these church plants, they fell on our laps! In fact, we've never come across any church plants in the past, ever! This told us that God is indeed leading us to work in a church plant environment. It is quite amazing how God works as the details of our lives just fall into place like puzzle pieces when we are walking in His will.

These Bible verses came to mind for me at this point ---

Romans 8:28 (NIV) --- “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Psalm 37:4 (NIV) --- “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Isaiah 55:9 (NIV) --- “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

We decided to pursue both church plants and asked God to open and close doors for us as He saw fit. At one point, we even pursued the possibility of these two church plant visions merging into one. Very quickly, God made it crystal clear to us which team He wanted us to go with. This church plant vision is a huge dream; it will be challenging and will require a lot of work. But, we have peace that this is what God would want us to do. So, we are charging full steam ahead.

At this point, the Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11 came to me. It says: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

We told both our children about the changes that are about to happen in terms of how we serve God as a family. Both are understandably sad at having to leave our home church (the only church they know), but both of them quickly warmed up to and are excited about the idea of a church plant. I am indeed grateful to God for giving my children the understanding and the willingness to obey Him in whatever and wherever He leads us as a family.

On New Year’s Day 2008, God gave me the verses from Joshua 1:5b-6,8-9 through my personal devotions and also through an online sermon, both on the same day from two different sources. Now, again, only God can make that happen!

Joshua 1:5b-6, 8-9 (NIV) --- "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

My God never ceases to amaze me. These verses spoke to me significantly. It was a new beginning for Joshua after Moses had died. God assured Joshua in these passages that He will never leave him or forsake him, and that Joshua was to be strong and courageous because God will do amazing things among the people. The online sermon I listened to spoke significantly to me as well --- the pastor spoke about it being the time to move on; the start of a new beginning.

So yesterday, we met with the leadership of our home church to share our journey with them. We will forever remember the grace, love, affirmation and support they showed us as we told them our story. Although we will still attend worship services there each week until Sunday services start at the church plant, yesterday certainly felt very much like the end of a chapter, and the beginning of a new one!

We wrote a letter to our home church and this is how we ended it: “As you can see, we have struggled long and hard before coming to this decision but ultimately, it comes down to one thing --- obedience. We strongly believe that obedience to God is our foremost priority as children of God. We know that it will be difficult for us to say goodbye to the Morningstar church family that we have come to love over the past 15 years but God has given us a sense of release and a peace which transcends all understanding. Please pray for us, as we will continue to pray for Morningstar, that as we continue to co-labour for the Kingdom of God, we will fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

Thus ends this journey and the next one begins! We are excitedly and eagerly anticipating what God has in store for us through this church plant. I know that it will be a wild ride --- another journey that will grow us and mold us into the people that God wants us to become! To God be all the glory.

"There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
---Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV

"...and upon this Rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."
---Matthew 16:18 NLT

Faith

Last night, my Bible study group met again after taking a break during the Christmas holidays. We watched the video for week 6 of 'Discerning the Voice of God' by Priscilla Shirer. Priscilla said something that caught my attention. She said that deliverance comes only from being obedient to God's voice, it is that plain and simple! She also said that when we delay obedience, we are actually delaying God's power and supernatural results.

I came home and thought some more about what I'd just heard. I couldn't help but link obedience to faith --- to obey God requires one to have much faith. My thoughts turned to what God has been telling hubby and me these past few months --- to step out in obedience into something with a lot of unknowns. It quickly occured to me that what God is really asking us to do is to step out in faith as He asks us to obey His voice and follow His direction.

So for my devotions this morning, I decided to look up verses from the Bible that talked about faith. Here are a few that are meaningful to me:

Luke 17:6 (NIV) --- "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."

John 14:12 (NIV) --- "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

I Corinthians 2:5 (NIV) --- "...so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

I Corinthians 16:13 (NIV) --- "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

Ephesians 6:16 (NIV) --- "...take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) --- "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) --- "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) --- "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV) --- "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

Welcome 2008!

Happy New Year from our family to yours!!! This year, we rang in the New Year a lot quieter than we usually do as a few of our usual New Year's Eve guests opted to stay home or weren't in town. We missed you guys! Nevertheless, we partied all night --- finally calling it a night at about 1:30am New Year's Day! Even the kids managed to stay up. We had a fun evening just being with family and friends.

As we all welcome 2008 together, may these Bible verses from my devotions today be as living and as real to you as they are to me.

"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
---Joshua 1:5b-6, 8-9 NIV

"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."
---Joshua 3:5 NIV

"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him."
---Lamentations 3:25 NIV

Yearend Family Devotional

We have a Family Worship Bible and in it are outlines of topics for weekly family devotions. This week's devotional (Week 52) is from Acts 2:42-47. Yesterday, hubby led us through this devotional and we found it to be very appropriate and in line with the direction that God has been showing and leading our family towards.

Some key points from this devotional are:
~ Identify areas of ministry that need workers and find ways your family could be involved.
~ Are there areas of ministry or outreach that need to be started?
~ Can your family offer time, talents, materials or money to help start a needed area of God's work?

God has shown us that 2008 will bring about change in how our family serve Him! It is quite an exciting, yet humbling feeling both at the same time. One thing is for sure --- we are eagerly anticipating to see what God has in store for us!

"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."
---Acts 20:24 NLT

Christmas Snippets...

Christmas has come and gone! What a whirlwind the past five days have been for us. This year, all our get-togethers with family and friends happened on or before Christmas Day. The festivities got off to a great start on Friday --- it being the last day of school for the children, grocery shopping for all the meals that had to be prepared, baking and cooking on Saturday, then church on Sunday morning.

Sunday night we got together with a group that consisted of family and friends. This group started with five young girls almost twenty years ago consisting of myself, my two sisters and two dear friends of ours who are also sisters. The five of us did almost everything together and really consider each other as sisters!!! At last count, including our hubbies, children and other family members, we have grown to twenty-six people plus one baby coming in April! Our get-togethers have now become events in and of themselves. One special tradition we started doing at Christmas is to have the children pack care packages for the homeless.

Monday night, Christmas Eve, we had hubby's family over to our home. We had a great time together --- we even got to meet some relatives for the first time! Of course, the highlight of the evening for the children was getting to play with their brand-new Nintendo Wii with their cousins all night!

Christmas morning, we were able to have a quiet morning --- just the four of us, before heading out to my sister's home in Missisauga for lunch. Before opening presents, we read the Christmas story together as a family, from Luke Chapter 2, and we prayed together. After which, we shared with each other our birthday presents for Jesus. My daughter's birthday gift for Jesus brought tears to my eyes --- she will obey God in whatever and wherever He chooses to lead us in 2008! --- said with so much maturity and conviction. Words could not express the joy that filled my heart upon hearing those words come out of her. Over the past few months, we have increasingly sensed God telling us that change is coming in 2008 in terms of how we serve Him as a family. We are eagerly anticipating what He has in store for us as He slowly shows us snippets of His plan. To hear my daughter being so open and excited about this upcoming change is really heartwarming and overwhelming for me at the same time!

Christmas Day celebrations continued with lunch at my sister's home where the little people continued to open more and more presents and the big people continued to eat more and more food. Seriously though, at this point, having been feasting for the past three days, hubby and I could hardly eat anymore! My sister's prime rib roast was irresistible though. Yummy! Upon coming home mid-afternoon, we realized that there was one more Christmas get-together to attend. This one was a spontaneous one --- hubby's cousin who is visiting from New Jersey wanted to get the families together for dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. So off we went --- Christmas Day culminated with a sumptuous and delicious authentic Chinese meal!

We are now relishing a break with a quiet week just hanging out at home. Nothing is planned between now and New Year's Eve. Yay!!!

John 1:16 (NIV) --- From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.

My Daughter's Baptism

On Sunday, December 16th --- my daughter went through the waters of baptism! It was an unforgettable and memorable day, not only because of her baptism, but also because a huge snow storm came through our area blanketing us with more than 25cm of snow all within a 24-hour period. News reports have pegged it as the biggest snow storm in 60 years occurring in the month of December.

In spite of the massive snow storm, family and friends braved the weather and came out to the church to join us in celebrating this milestone in our daughter's life. As mentioned in my previous post, my heart is overflowing with pure joy as I give thanks to God for His work in my daughter's life.

Many people have congratulated us and credited this milestone to good parenting. Although we truly appreciate those congratulatory words, we truly do not feel that we can take credit for this milestone. Both my hubby and I feel that we are merely doing what God expects of us as parents, and that is to faithfully and consistently teach our children about God and His ways, and to model to our children what it means to live each day as a follower of Jesus Christ. It is purely because of God's grace that our daughter has come to a full understanding of God's great love at such a young age. And for that, we give God all the glory and all the praise! Although, I must say, that as a mom, my heart is beaming and I am extremely proud of my daughter for her willingness to walk in obedience to God. I can not ask for anything better!

Here is the text of her testimony:
Hi. I’m ***** ***** and I’m 10 years old. Ever since I can remember, my mom or dad would read my Bible to me nightly. They would also pray with me and explain what we read. When I was 4 years old, I went to my Aunt R’s church when an evangelistic group called “The Rubber Chicken Company” went there. They played games and told Bible stories. They told us about Jesus’ death and resurrection and presented us with the salvation story. At the end of the service, they asked if anyone wanted to pray and ask Jesus to be their forever friend. I went to the front and the leader led those of us who responded in prayer. I repeated a prayer after him asking Jesus to be my forever friend. After that, a counselor talked to me to make sure I understood what it meant for Jesus to live in my heart. I understood that I’m a sinner and that I needed Jesus in my life to help me live for God each day so that one day I could go to heaven and live with God for eternity. Since then I’ve been growing with God. So many people have helped me grow spiritually. My parents have helped me the most. They explain the Bible to me, help me through hard times and encourage me. My small group and large group leaders at Potter’s House teach me each week about how to grow with God.

In the Fall of last year, 2 of our neighbours, Mrs. K and Mrs. J, my mom’s friends got baptized. As I watched their baptisms, I realized I had to get baptized one day. I asked my mom when I could get baptized. At that time, I thought that baptism was just for adults. She told me that baptism is for anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Then I realized that baptism isn’t just for adults. I can be baptized too. So today I am choosing to be baptized because I want to follow Jesus’ example and I want to show publicly that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Please pray for me as I continue to grow with God and as I share God’s love with my friends, many of whom are not yet Christians.

If anyone here today has never asked Jesus to be their forever friend, I hope what I shared today has touched your heart. Baptism is to show that one is a follower of Jesus Christ, but it can not save you. Salvation comes from acknowledging you are a sinner and asking Jesus to be your personal Lord and Saviour.

In closing, I would like to share some of my favourite Bible verses:
1 Timothy 4:12 --- "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live. Also set an example in how you love and in what you believe. Show the believers how to be pure."

Luke 2:10-11 --- "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.' "

John 14:6 --- "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' "

John 4:13-14 --- "Jesus answered, 'All who drink this water will be thirsty again. But anyone who drinks the water I give him will never be thirsty. In fact, the water I give him will become a spring of water in him. It will flow up into eternal life.' "

Isaiah 40:31 --- "But those who trust in the Lord will receive new strength. They will fly as high as eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not grow weak."

The video of her baptism is posted in the blog entry previous to this one. It is her heart's desire that her testimony continue to touch people's hearts through this blog.

Philippians 1:6, 9-11 (NIV) --- "...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

Baptism Video

My heart is overflowing with pure joy as my daughter got baptized yesterday --- Sunday, December 16. I will add a full blog entry on it later tonight. But, in the meantime, I wanted to post this video quickly so that those who weren't able to join us yesterday at the church can share in our joy via cyberspace!

Philippians 1:6,9-11 (NLT) --- "And 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. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation --- the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ --- for this will bring much glory and praise to God."

The Jesus of Christmas

As Christmas Day draws closer, my children get more and more excited! The house is decorated, presents are starting to arrive at our home, we start to wrap and deliver presents, bake cookies, plan dinner parties and the list goes on and on...

The greatest challenge for me as a mom during this very busy and festive season is to make sure my family is focused on why we celebrate Christmas --- to steer my children's attention away from the hustle and bustle of the season and towards the Baby in the manger!

My daughter is getting baptized this coming Sunday (this will surely have its own blog entry after the weekend, I can't wait!) and one of her favourite verses from the Bible which she has included in her testimony is from Luke 2:10-11. When I asked her why this is one of her all-time favourites, she said because without Christmas, there would be no Easter! So true --- that is precisely why Christmas is so significant!

As a family, we have a Christmas morning tradition. Before we open presents, we gather together in our living room and we read the Christmas story from the Bible and then we pray. After that, each family member gives Jesus a birthday present. This present comes in the form of words, where we each share with one another our desire of what we would like to do for Jesus in the coming year. It surely is a Christmas morning tradition that we intend to practice for as long as we possibly can!

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord."
---Luke 2:10-11 NIV