Hindsight Is 20/20...Or Is It Really?

Today, I caught myself saying that "hindsight is 20/20" in response to a situation that we are currently dealing with. I might not make perfect sense by the end of this post, but I just want to "blog this out" to clear my head...

Anyway, last Friday we suddenly found ourselves in a school "situation" involving our daughter which wasn't our choice nor was it in our control. Things happened and decisions were made, just merely four weeks into the school year, where two of my daughter's classmates (both girls) make the decision to leave the home school and attend an alternative school. This resulted in my daughter now being left in a class of only two (herself included) Grade 6 girls among 20 other children! Mind you, there are three Grade 6 boys in that mix, but the rest of the class are Grade 5 students.

I am not concerned academically at all for I strongly believe that my daughter's teacher is able and willing to program for my daughter's special need, which is intellectual giftedness. I am, however, concerned about the social aspect of this new scenario --- how my daughter will adapt to this sudden and unexpected change, now having to spend this school year with a majority of younger children.

This is where I thought --- "hindsight is 20/20". Way back in June, I could have voiced my opinion when classes were being organized so that my daughter would end up in a totally different class (not with these girls) and we wouldn't be in this mess right now...etc. etc. etc. You know how all the "what ifs" come to mind in times like these?

Well, who would God use to remind me of His faithfulness today but my daughter herself! The very person who is in the middle of all this "change". At lunch today, as we discussed this situation for the umpteenth time (mainly because I want to gauge how she's feeing), she tells me not to worry. She says that she can see the good in this whole thing; that God already knew way back in June what would happen today even when I didn't voice my opinion regarding the class organization; that everything will work out; that this will turn out to be better for her! Well, with advice like that, I guess it's time for me to let go and let God!

Thank you, God, for a daughter who is mature beyond her age; who understands life with a God-perspective; who knows you so intimately; who trusts you with the everyday details of her life! Who am I to worry? Who am I to fret? Who am I to be upset?

Look at these verses from my devotions today, more assurance from my Heavenly Father:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”
--- Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

“But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
---Luke 12:31 (NIV)

So, hindsight really isn't 20/20! What we deem to be 20/20 really isn't what God has in mind. In this particular situation, we have yet to see what God has in store for my daughter as He brings about this sudden change. In the end, I know that it will show me without a doubt that my hindsight isn't 20/20 after all.

Launch Sunday

Launch Sunday for The Sanctuary Pickering has come and gone! As I sit here in front of my computer on this Monday morning reflecting on the past week's events, all I can say is that my God is faithful!

On Saturday night, after all the preparations have been done for Launch Sunday, hubby and I plopped down on our couch to relax. We were both understandably physically tired but incredibly exhilarated spiritually! We were both sooooo excited we couldn't sleep. As we sat there, it felt surreal to be finally on the verge of publicly launching this church plant! It felt like being pregnant for nine months and suddenly the moment has finally come to give birth.

We couldn't help but think back to exactly one year ago, as we sat on the same couch, wondering why God had us in a place where we were at a crossroads; needing to hear a Word from Him as to the direction of our involvement in ministry; desperately agonizing about the "what ifs" and the "why nots"; feeling impatience creep in as God asked us to wait on Him. God asked us to wait, seeking His direction, for a few months before He provided us with an answer --- He was going to send us church planting in the very community where we live, North Pickering!

What a difference one year can make. A year ago we were waiting, today we are going! A year ago we were agonizing, today we are exhilarated! A year ago we were looking for a renewed purpose, today we are working towards a BIG goal! A year ago we were asking questions, today we are seeing answers! A year ago we were in our comfort zone, today we are being stretched and we are growing! Our God is indeed great; our God is indeed good; our God is indeed sovereign!

Launch Sunday went well. New people walked through the doors of The Sanctuary Pickering. There was enough food, the music came together, the children's programmes ran smoothly. The vision was cast. Our team is incredibly encouraged.

But the greatest impact for me wasn't Launch Sunday itself but the whole week leading up to it as we knocked on doors of people's homes. I've had this desire to see our team let our hearts be broken with the same things that break God's heart. I can tell you one thing: I saw a lot of those things in the faces of the people who opened their doors to take our flyers. The magnitude of the work that still needs to be done here in North Pickering resonated loud and clear in me as I went from door to door to door.

As I think about the harvest being plentiful but the workers being few, I often find myself asking God how His work can be accomplished. God must be chuckling and saying to me: Is that a trick question? He provided me with the answer instantly this morning just as I was starting to ask again: God's work will be accomplished with God's help.

Look at these verses from my devotions this morning:

Joshua 1:5 (NIV) --- “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

Psalm 146:5-6 (NIV) --- “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the Lord, who remains faithful forever.”  

II Timothy 2:13 (NIV) --- “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”

Summer Adventures - Part 4

The second week of school has started. My daughter and son have settled in quite nicely into Grade 6 and Grade 3 and I can't believe that summer is technically over! Well, here's one last blog entry about our summer adventures...

The last couple weeks of summer brought us to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Canada's Wonderland and also to the annual Canadian National Exhibition, more commonly known as The Ex.

Here are some photos from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Everyone needs to wear gloves to touch the Stanley Cup! We went with hubby's dad who is here to visit us:



Now, on the Canada's Wonderland. Let me tell you that our trip to Canada's Wonderland made me realize that I am officially old! You see, this year my daughter is finally tall enough to go on those huge roller coasters. So, being the fun mommy that I am, I agreed to go on the Behemoth with her!!! It is the newest ride at Canada's Wonderland --- just opened this year. All I can say to you is that when we got to the top of the first drop, at 230 feet in the air, I thought to myself: "Is it too late to get off?" --- seriously, I couldn't believe I agreed to go on it! I must admit though, it was a lot of fun.

As a teenager, I used to love roller coasters. As a mommy, I quickly realized that I don't love them as much as I used to anymore. Haha! After getting off the Behemoth, I was sick for almost two hours. Needless to say, that was my first and last ride of the day. Thankfully, hubby's teenage nephew came with us. He went on all the rides with our kids thereafter.

The Ex, on the other hand, was all fun! Here are a couple of photos taken at the Canadian Forces exhibit:



We had a lot of fun eating candy floss and corndogs, playing midway games, watching shows and parades! If only summer would last forever...

But the school year is upon us and we have to get back to routine. In a lot of ways, I welcome this familiar routine but a small part of me have come to love the carefree days of summer. There is always next summer...

"The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter."
---Psalm 74:16-17 NIV

Eight Years Old!

My handsome little man turned eight yesterday and he's off to Grade 3 this year! Where has the time gone to?!? No matter how big he becomes, in my heart he'll always be...that little boy of mine.

That Little Boy of Mine
By Grace Wolgemuth

Two eyes that shine so bright
Two lips that kiss goodnite
Two arms that hold me tight
That little boy of mine.

No one could ever know, how much your coming has meant
To me you're everything. You're something heaven has sent!!!

You're all the world to me
You climb upon my knee
To me you'll always be
That little boy of mine.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him."
---Psalm 127:3 NIV

100-Fold Harvest

Last weekend, I attended Beth Moore's Living Proof Live via live simulcast. It was AMAZING to say the least! God spoke tons to me. I don't even think I can blog about everything I learned because some of the things God impressed upon my heart are difficult to put into words. Sometimes, words just aren't adequate enough...

The theme of Beth Moore's message was "100-Fold Word" and the main passage of Scripture was from Luke 8:1-16 with verse 8 being the key verse --- "Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."

Here are Beth's key points --- a life that yeilds a 100-fold harvest must... 

1. Treasure the wonder (of the Word of God, the Bible): we must always yearn for the knowledge of the secrets/mysteries of the Kingdom of God as He will show more to those who are eager to know more. The Bible will make us "competently competent" or thoroughly equip us for every good work. 

2. Protect your heart: the enemy can snatch the word away from our hearts so that we become ill-equipped for what we have been called to do. We must hide the word in our hearts! When we hear a word from God, we must move on it in obedience right away. 

3. Expect the test: we will be tested to see if we believe the word when it is spoken to us. Psalm 105:19 (NIV) says "...till what He foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved Him true." 

4. Dig the roots: our roots are as deep as how convinced we are that God loves us! Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV) says "...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." 

5. Stop the choke: anxiety, worries and the desire for riches and pleasures can choke the word. Prayer is the cure for the choke! God has given us every spiritual gift to fulfill our destiny/purpose in Christ. This destiny/purpose has been set for us before the foundation of the world. 

6. Retain the word: good soil produces a harvest. Good soil = perseverance! The word "good" in the original text translates to "being a benefit/help to the people around us" as described in Philippians 2:17 (NIV) --- "...being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith." We must retain the word in order to resist the enemy because his plan is to make us lose our effectiveness because he can't make us lose our salvation. We must retain (hold in a vice grip, possess, own) the word! 

7. Press forth to your 100-fold!!! We must persevere in prayer and in faith. We must hang in there and not quit. We must commit through to see the 100-fold harvest. At harvest time, we will experience such tremendous joy that we will be wishing that we'd dreamt bigger in the first place!!! 

My personal word: On Saturday, Beth started the morning by saying that she wanted to share a "word" with us that God had impressed upon her heart the night before at her hotel room. She proceeded to share with us the verses from Isaiah 55:10-12 (NIV) which says: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." 

That did it for me! I knew without a doubt that the "word" was meant for me. Take a look here. That is exactly the "word" God gave to hubby and me when He initially called us to be a part of The Sanctuary Pickering. It was God's way of reminding me of His faithfulness, of His love, of His greatness! It was God's way of remindng me to be faithful, to know that He loves me, to know that I can trust Him no matter what, to expect Him to do even greater things, to keep pressing forth towards the 100-fold harvest! Praise God. 

The whole weekend's message reminded me of a song I learned as a teenager by Steve Green entitled "Find Us Faithful". The lyrics represent very well what God wanted me to "bring home" from the conference. Here's the song...

 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up." ---Hebrews 12:1-3 NLT

Summer Adventures - Part 3

This past weekend's outing took us to the far away City of Mississauga to visit family. :-) We say Mississauga is far away because to get from here to there, we have to cross over the huge City of Toronto, driving through the very busy Highway 401, which always seems to be congested no matter what time of day it is!

We had lots of fun there as we visited a local splash park! An added delight was to see some friends join us for the day as well. Here are some photos:


Our second outing of the weekend was a trek to the Toronto Zoo. The Great Barrier Reef exhibit just opened recently and we were eager to check it out. Here are some photos:

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!"

---Psalm 133:1 NIV

"You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive."

---Genesis 6:19-20 NIV

Summer Adventures - Part 2

Two weekends ago, we headed out to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We went together with our neighbours from across the street. We had a great time --- lots of fun for all. We do not have any photos to share because if one wants to truly have lots of fun in a waterpark, one should not bring their camera with them! So, we decided to leave our camera in the lodge room and never did take any shots for the duration of the whole trip.

The greatest "adventure" of this trip happened when we were about to leave for home. After checking out of our room, we decided to pay our neighbours a visit at their room in order to say goodbye as they were staying one night more. The adults (and my daughter) ended up chatting out on the balcony while the younger children stayed inside the room watching TV. I guess watching TV wasn't entertaining enough so they decided that they would play "hide-and-seek" in the dark!

We knew they were playing that game and we actually thought it was quite fun! All of a sudden, our neighbour's daughter came out onto the balcony screaming: "HELP, TV, FALL!!!" We all hurry into the room to find my son stuck under the TV and the TV stand!!! My heart stopped for a moment as we rescued him out from under the mess! While under there, he wasn't crying nor did he make any noise. I thought for a moment that he was surely dead! Turns out, he didn't cry because he wasn't hurt at all --- not a cut, not a bruise, not a scratch!

God surely protected my son from serious injury or even death that day! For that, I am truly grateful to HIM! So, the natural question would be how did it all happen? Well, no ones knows! My son was walking in front of the TV when it suddenly falls over. In his recollection of the events, he now thinks that the bottom drawer of the TV stand was ajar. In the darkness, he couldn't see where he was walking and might have stepped into the drawer, triggering the TV and the stand to fall on him. A possible explanation because as we examined the TV and the stand after the incident, it was very top heavy and tips quite easily with just a little shove.

Anyway, right after the accident, I recalled a conversation I had with my son just days earlier. He told me that he doesn't think God performs miracles anymore today --- miracles like healing the blind and parting the Red Sea. I explained to him how God still performs miracles today, gave him several examples to go with my explanation, but his logical mind just would not come to believe me.

So, when we got into our car to start our drive home, I asked my son if he still thinks that God doesn't perform miracles anymore today. He said he believes now. The look in his eyes told me that he is convinced! Praise God for another teachable moment. If it took this accident to convince my son that his God is believable, then it's all worth it! I want so much for my children to believe God, not just to merely believe in God. Know what I mean? I think that this "adventure" will surely be etched in my son's mind for a long time to come, if not forever. I know it will be in mine!

Fast forward to this past Sunday. The kids' Sunday school lesson was on Psalm 23 --- the Lord is my Shepherd. At the end of the lesson, each child had the opportunity to say a prayer and thank God for being their Shepherd. My son's small group teacher told me afterwards that he prayed and thanked God that he didn't die when the TV unit fell on him. The small group teacher asked him to share his testimony with the other children after prayer time and he did! If you know my son, that is huge for him --- to pray out loud in public and to share his testimony. So, I praise God for allowing the accident to happen --- it surely has been a learning and growing experience for my son in more ways than one.

"The Lord will keep you from all harm — He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
---Psalm 121:7-8 NIV

Summer Adventures - Part 1

I've been meaning to post an entry for a few days now but time has been scarce! One of my loyal blog readers not-so-subtly reminded me this morning that it's time to update my blog! ;-) So, here I am!

The saying "time flies when you're having fun" really does have some truth to it, doesn't it? This summer has just been zooming by like a bullet train! I can't believe that it's already half over. Well, I have some summer adventures to blog about, for sure!

Our first summer outing was to the newly renovated Royal Ontario Museum. This piece of architecture is truly a lesson in "don't judge a book by its cover". From the outside, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition to the museum, in my opinion, does not do justice to the old historic ROM building. But upon entering the space and seeing the exhibits in this new architecture, I must say that I'm totally impressed. Here are a few photos:


Exterior showing where the old meets the new.

Inside the new building; "Dinos Are Back" exhibit.

"Stairwell of Wonder" model soldiers collection.

"Stairwell of Wonder" from the very top.

One of the many nooks and crannies in the new building.

We had a fun day at the museum. The exhibits we saw triggered multiple discussions about God and His awesome creation. It truly was a learning experience dotted with a few teachable moments!

Next stop: Great Wolf Lodge. That adventure warrants its very own blog post for sure! Stay tuned.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
---Romans 1:20 NIV

Gentleness Bows

Just one more post before I start my work day...

My Bible study group just finished Week 9 of Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself --- entitled 'Gentle Giants' and it is on the eighth characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit, gentleness. I must say that this was one of the hardest sessions we have had as a group. There was a lot of emotion, rawness, pain, coming to terms with...it was hard! But, it was all good --- on the whole, we all realized that gentleness bows because the result is a life healed by God, bearing the marks of grace and trust!

So, in a nutshell, gentleness is...

~ an inward grace of the soul, calmness towards God in particular. It is the acceptance of God's dealings with us considering them as good in that they enhance the closeness of our relationship with Him.

~ to stop fighting God. It is not weakness. It is the power and strength created from submitting to God's will. It is riding the wind of God's will and setting sail toward the remote island of intimacy.

~ modesty toward self and piety toward God. It results from emptying ourselves of self. It is the correct estimation of ourselves which results from a correct estimation of our God.

~ being willing and anxious to learn, regardless of who He chooses as our unlikely teacher. It is also the embodiment of the pure, unadultered power of the Holy Spirit and one who knows what to do with it. God's teachers are not called to wield the Word of God like a baseball bat. The Sword of the Spirit is to injure Satan, not the body of Christ. It is becoming a servant-teacher, one who teaches with humility, with an attitude of submission, with an awareness of our own sins and a forgetfulness toward the sins of the flock, leaving condemnation to God and conviction to the Holy Spirit.

Again, without fail, lots and lots to digest and to mull over! Personally, this study has been awesome for me. It surely doesn't seem like I've done this study once before already...new lessons each time! Thank you, God.

"Be still, and know that I am God; ..."
---Psalm 46:10 NIV

Totally Random

This post will be totally random ... I have a ton of stuff to post about but don't have enough time to spare, so I thought I'd just type away and see where this will lead me.

~ Since my last blog post, I'm still deep in thought about faith. Today, my kids' Sunday school lesson was on faith and their memory verse is from Matthew 17:20 --- "...if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Got me thinking ... a mustard seed is soooo small. Just imagine having a giant faith ... God would be able to use me for soooo much more!

~ God is good! He has shown us as a church planting team that He is always faithful. He is God, our Provider. He provided for our Canada Day event, for our immediate financial needs, new families to visit/join the church plant, a great first week of ignition, our 8-week summer sports day camp initiative!

~ This blog is now one year old! My first post was just over a year ago on July 2, 2007. I am now just realizing that soooo much has changed in just a year. It's great to be able to come online and read about everything that has happened. Great reminder of God's faithfulness!

~ WALL-E is a great movie! Both kids loved it. Hubby and I enjoyed it as well.

~ My daughter went away to overnight camp last week. She had a blast! While she was away, my son had a friend over for the whole week! He had a blast as well. He and his friend both attended ignition. They had lots of fun learning how to play soccer and baseball better.

~ Today at church, through our pastor's message, God reminded me of Joshua 1:9 once again. "This is my command — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I guess this is reminder #6!!!

~ This coming week is packed with activities! I am gearing up for it --- volunteering at ignition, working, both kids will be home, we have something booked for each night!, a birthday party on Thursday, decorating for our friends' wedding on Friday, planning on an outing with the kids on Saturday, going away on Sunday night! Phew...summer is flying by!

Well, I think that is all for my random post. Logging off to catch some zzzzz's now!

"...the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." ---Psalm 121:8 NIV