A Burst of Orange...

I love the colour orange...

As my garden starts to go into winter mode, I am finding joy in the beauty of indoor plants... such as these orange gerbera daisies! Thank you, God... for simple joys! 

This month of October, I am participating in a blog link up called 31 Day Series. I will be writing about Celebrating JOY! Click on the banner below for 1000+ other topics! 

Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!

My Autumn Garden

Simple joys...

The days are getting colder. We've had our first frost. As my garden starts to wither and hibernate, I am enjoying its last blooms... and celebrating simple joys! 

This month of October, I am participating in a blog link up called 31 Day Series. I will be writing about Celebrating JOY! Click on the banner below for 1000+ other topics! 

Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!

The Practice of Joy

Today...
I am linking up with a host of other bloggers over at A Holy Experience, all of us writing about The Practice of Joy and answering questions like, "What does it mean to choose Crazy Joy?"... and, "How do we authentically walk through hard times?"... or, "How do we practice the 'gigantic secret' of Christians?"

Possibly the last rose in my garden before first frost arrives...

I am not fond of winter...

You read that right, friends! Now, the secret's out! Winter is my least favourite season of all {well, except for when it's Christmas time, of course!}. As I observe my garden slowly go into hibernation mode, I know Winter's not far away now.

I brace myself... then I go into denial mode... refusing to take out any socks to wear until it's too cold, staying in my Crocs or Birkenstocks until the first snowflakes fall. You get the picture, right?

But, eventually... Winter always arrives! And so it is with the winters in our lives. Just like that old hymn which says, "God hath not promised skies always blue, flower-strewn pathways all our lives through..."

So, how do we, as Christ-followers, live when winters come into our lives? Do we hunker down? Or can we welcome a season like that with joy? Ann Voskamp wrote this yesterday...

When you know the call is not to be comfortable but to be Christ-formed, then the answer is joy.

Yes, the answer is joy!
The answer *is* joy... when we submit to the call to be Christ-formed, especially when winters come knocking at the door... for it is "in Him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)"

Christ-formed in our daily living. Christ-formed in our every decision. Christ-formed in the summers of our lives. Christ-formed in the winters of our lives. Christ-formed always.

It is only then... that we will be able to truly celebrate JOY!

This month of October, I am participating in a blog link up called 31 Day Series. I will be writing about Celebrating JOY! Click on the banner below for 1000+ other topics! 

Click on the banner below to read more Walk With Him posts...

I promise you will be blessed!

Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!

Planks of Thanks...

~*~ My Backyard :: Spring 2012 ~*~

Thanks is what builds trust.

... if I'm grateful to the Bridge Builder for the crossing of a million strong bridges, thankful for a million faithful moments, my life speaks my beliefs and I trust Him again.

Trust is the bridge from yesterday to tomorrow, built with planks of thanks. Remembering frames up gratitude. Gratitude lays out the planks of trust. I can walk the planks - from known to unknown - and know: He holds.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

And, friends... mark your calendars... Saturday, September 29 in the evening... Ann Voskamp will be the Guest Speaker at Eucharisteo: A Celebration of Joy, a music concert in the Toronto area that my sister {Soprano Aileen Lee} and her choir and her friends are performing in... all proceeds to benefit a Compassion Child Development Centre in the island of Masbate, in the Philippines!

This is the "Wow, God!" news that I was itching to share with you all earlier this week!

I am... beyond. excited! God is always, always, always good!

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!

January's Ending...

My snow-covered hydrangeas in January.

The end of January is here! I can't believe how fast this month has flown by. Our family has had a surprisingly fairly low-key January... I have to say it's been enjoyable not having much of the hustle and bustle that always accompanies a busy schedule. The calmness has been great, like a soothing balm we all needed.

Also, we've had very little snow in these parts of Canada... it's been a pretty mild winter {so far}. Mind you, I'm not complaining... this is the kind of winter I can get used to! ;-)

In the quietness and stillness of this January, I have been loving this song...

In the quiet | In the stillness | I know that You are God | In the secret of Your presence | I know there I am restored | When You call I won't refuse | Each new day again I'll choose | There is no one else for me | None but Jesus | Crucified to set me free | Now I live to bring Him praise

These words ring true for me...
"In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored."

As I continue my hunt for grace-gifts... these are the things I am thankful for this week... #1238 - #1245:

:: Successful first high-school exams for my girl.
:: My girl has met her fundraising goal for her March Break missions trip to UrbanPromise in Wilmington! I am floored by the generousity and support shown by our family and friends!
:: Delivering snacks to our friends at UrbanPromise Toronto.
:: Family movie nights!
:: The trombone making a comeback here at our house. :-)
:: A lazy Saturday...
:: Loving the sense of community at our church! ♥
:: Living fully...

Happy Monday, friends!
I am looking forward to a new month. May February bring much love, much grace and much thanksgiving your way! :-)

How else do we accept His free gift of salvation if not with thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of what He gives. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes to His Grace.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

Soaring into this new week and new month with you, friends... acting justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with God!

Click on the banner below for more Multitudes on Mondays posts...

Jump in... I promise you will be blessed!

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!

Beauty... Right In My Backyard

Hubby recently took the plunge and bought us a new camera... a Nikon D90. I am loving the pictures it produces, especially the ones of my garden! Beautiful...

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers — most of which are never even seen — don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

~ Matthew 6:30-33 (The Message)

Flowering Chives.

My CN Tower model... from my university days!

Flowering Woodruff.

Virginia Creeper on the fence.

A Red Cardinal... one of our daily visitors. 

He knows how to relax, eh?

A Blue Jay... another one of our regular visitors.

Periwinkle flowers.

Blazing yellow Forsythia bush.

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!

Spring Has Sprung!

... in my garden!

Look, the winter is past,
      and the rains are over and gone.
The flowers are springing up,
      the season of singing birds has come,
      and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.
The fig trees are forming young fruit,
      and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming.

~ Song of Solomon 2: 11-13 (NLT)

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!

Lessons From My Garden

A rare June hailstorm hit us yesterday afternoon --- hail in the size of marbles, a few the size of golf balls, descended upon us as the kids, hubby and I watched in disbelief from our upstairs bedroom window!

Here are some photos:



After the storm passed, we went outside to survey the damage. My first stop was to see if the plants in my garden survived while hubby went to clear leaves from clogged up drains because our street was starting to get flooded. I think I got my priorities a little mixed up there! :-)

Much to my dismay, my lovely hostas didn't survive! All that was left were their celery-looking stalks as all their lovely foliage got obliterated by the fierce hailstorm. A few of my shrubs, perennials and annuals are in bad shape but I think they will bounce back as it is still early in the growing season. My fingers are crossed!

This morning right after the kids went off to school, I headed out to clean up the mess in the garden. As I cleaned up around the poor hostas, gathering up the fallen leaves to put in the yard waste bag, God showed me an object lesson. Although the hosta plants look battered and bruised on the surface, they are still standing and will bounce back again because their roots go deep and hold them firmly in place! And so it is with us. If we are firmly rooted in the Lord our God, when the fierce storms of life batter and bruise us, we can withstand them; come out victorious; giving the glory to God, our Heavenly Father. Praise God!

"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."
---Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
---Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT

Random Musings

I can't believe that April has flown by so quickly. We are now into its last full week. It finally feels like Spring here in the great white north!!! The warm sunshine feels very nice! Yesterday, I was finally able to work in my garden --- it was pure bliss: crocuses sprouting up revealing beautiful purple flowers, tiny leaves budding and unfurling on the shrubs, new growth peeking up from the ground, forsythias on the verge of flowering!

The last couple of weeks have been busy but exciting. Here are some random musings...

~ We found out from a blood test that my son might have outgrown his tree nut allergy! Yipee!!! Praise God. Although his peanut allergy is still there, as strong a reaction as ever, we are most definitely grateful to God that the tree nut allergy is most likely gone! The next step is to go downtown to the children's hospital for an oral challenge. We are praying that he will pass it so that we don't have to worry about tree nuts any longer!

~ Sunday services have started at The Sanctuary Pickering. It was awesome to see God's hand evident in a number of details, including choosing the location of where we should meet allowing for the details to come through at the very last minute. It is awesome to see God's handprints in the little things (and in the BIG things, of course) because it reminds me that He cares. God reminded me of this verse once again through my devotional three mornings ago --- "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 1:9 (NIV)

~ This past weekend, we participated in Earth Week activities in our city as a local church. On Friday night and Saturday afternoon, we congregated in two local parks and picked up litter for a couple of hours. It was a lot of fun! I think the kids enjoyed their "break time" the most as they got to play with each other on the parks' playground equipments.

~ This morning, my devotionals took me to John 15. Very appropriate passage as I delve into gardening this Spring season and as I start to tackle those overgrown bushes in my backyard. This passage is a great reminder to me that my God is the Master Gardener in my personal garden called life! He is constantly pruning away at those branches that are no longer bearing fruit. His doing so allows for new growth, thus new fruit being produced in me and through me. Great analogy, eh? The reality and practicality of the Bible never fails to amaze me each day! It is awesome! Here are some verses from John 15 (NLT) that spoke to me...

"5 Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing."

"7 But if you remain in Me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."

"11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"

"16 You didn’t choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name."

"26 But I will send you the Advocate — the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about Me. 27 And you must also testify about Me because you have been with Me from the beginning of my ministry."

Spring!

Welcome April and WELCOME SPRING! As the saying goes --- "April showers bring May flowers". I love Spring's arrival because it means that I can soon garden again! I am anticipating the melting away of the last bit of snow and ice so that I can get into my garden sooner than later.

The arrival of April also means that March is now behind me. March was busy but it was truly a lot of fun! Last Saturday was Destination Imagination Tournament Day. My daughter's team, Team AstroZ, came in 4th place overall, competing against 12 other teams from all over Ontario doing Challenge A: Obstacles, Of Course! I am soooo proud of them. All six team members put forth their best effort! They placed first in two categories (Side Trips and Story) and placed second in their Instant Challenge. Their overall score placed them in 4th place. As much as I would like to discuss their performance here, I can't. There are still teams waiting to compete with this same challenge all over North America and the solutions are not to be shared at this point (including photos), especially over the Internet. So, you'll just have to trust me when I say that Team AstroZ's solution was out-of-this-world! :-)

My son also took part in Destination Imagination. His team is a Rising Stars team called The Hurricanes and they did the Rising Stars Team Challenge: TwisDId History! This age group does not compete. They present their solution to a panel of appraisers who offer constructive comments to encourage these children to come back and compete once they hit Grade 3. My son did very well in his role of "scientist". I must say that their solution was out-of-this-world as well!

All in all, D.I. was an awesome experience for both children! They acquired life skills that they wouldn't have normally learned in a classroom setting. As for me, I am looking forward to managing another team next year. It has definitely been a learning experience for me as well. I truly enjoyed my role as Team Manager!

Since D.I. is now over, starting this week we have nothing planned during the after-school hours! It would be great if the snow and ice melt away right about now because the garden is starting to call my name!

"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." ---Song of Solomon 2:11-13 (NIV)