Keep Quiet and Let God Carry On by Rose McCormick Brandon

If I had to reduce 2019 to one lesson learned it would be this: Keep quiet, pray, and wait for God to work.

I wanted badly to say something to fix a situation. Wise sage that I am, I composed more than one approach in my mind. I prayed. What message did the Lord have for me? Keep quiet. Pray only. This important message should be shouted in capitals.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” 

It takes courage to keep quiet. And patience to wait for God to answer our prayers. I like the old word for patience – longsuffering – that word encapsulates how difficult it is to exercise patience.

When we interfere with God’s work we end up saying things we shouldn’t and things we can’t take back. We cause hurt feelings and divisions that in some cases take decades to heal.

With the ability to express ourselves instantly in a few keystrokes, discretion and waiting for God, has taken a beating. Every day we observe people fired up over a disagreement. Like soldiers with guns cocked, they shoot off a tweet, an email or a Facebook post. It’s not uncommon for people to discover within a few minutes that the event that fuelled their rage happened a decade ago, or perhaps not at all. Seldom does the blasting writer have all the details.

The desire to get others to think as we do and to act as we do is strong. We see ourselves as wise and others who think differently as fools. 

Correcting people is risky business. Few are holy enough (or kind enough) to pull it off.

In 2020, I want to become more proficient in the practice of discretion. It doesn’t mean I can’t have opinions, but my opinions, and the way I express them, must not push people away from God, or insult them.

The situation I wanted to remedy in an instant took God about a year and a half to fix. Often I struggled to keep a lid on my words. The Lord planned it that way to give me much-needed experience in waiting on Him.

I have a long way to go and much to learn in following Christ. I expect Him to teach me more about waiting in 2020. 

Rose McCormick Brandon writes about personal experiences, her faith and the children who came to Canada as immigrants, the British Home Children. She contributes to publications in Canada, the U.S. and Australia and is the author of Promises of Home - Stories of Canada's British Home Children and One Good Word Makes all the Difference. Find her faith writings at her blog, Listening to my Hair Grow. 

"Outdoor Wedding Wisdom" - Peter A. Black

I hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a safe and pleasant Canada Day celebration. My wife and I did. However, instead of writing about that, I’ve chosen to write about a family wedding, in which our oldest grandson and his fiancée were the bride and groom. 

(And yet, it’s not so much about them, but . . .)

This was the eve of what was to be a fairy-tale open-air wedding, set against the backdrop of shimmering sunlight over blue water, under an azure sky. More than one hundred chairs, set up in a series of orderly formations facing a handsome gazebo, awaited the arrival of the bride and groom and all involved in the wedding party for the rehearsal.

Gazebo: Bogey's Inn by St. Clair River, Ont. Photo: mrmblack

In the meantime, inside the banquet hall, several ladies (my wife and mothers of the bride and groom, among them) hurriedly steamed and ironed scores of white chair-back covers, plus some table covers. Other friends and families worked on decorations and table places, centre pieces and setting up a sound system. The rehearsal went beautifully, and eventually all found their way respectively to their motel rooms and homes.

The big day dawned, breaking and waking us all with angry skies, lightning bolts, thunderous claps and torrential rain. Phone calls and text messages zipped throughout the region that the venue for the ceremony was being moved to the church sanctuary in Corunna. During the hours between morning and afternoon, the storm passed through and the weather completely turned around. 

A number of guests and family folks gave retrospective sighs of relief that we’d been able to gather in an air-conditioned sanctuary instead of sitting outside under a blazing sun in high humidity. And then later, it was everyone back to the waterside venue for the reception. The adjacent banquet facilities were also

air-conditioned.

It was a marvellous event. The wisdom of having forethought and making back-up arrangements in event of inclement weather became fully evident, as circumstances proved.

Mitch and Ally: A couple in love with Jesus

Much goes into planning an event such as this. Surely much should also go into planning a life, and end of life, too! 

Estate planning is becoming a big thing in our culture, nowadays; pre-arranged and prepaid funerals too, and it is a good way to go, if at all possible. 

Not all people marry, but all people die.

 

Credit: iStockphoto; googlefree

How well do we prepare for that? Life is neither a bowl of cherries nor all sunshine and ice-cream sundaes. Storms of life inevitably come, and one day they will be over. The Scriptures speak starkly, telling us that people are “destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.”* That’s a pretty heavy cloud, I’d say.

Nevertheless, God can give us the wisdom to prepare for life beyond this life, through our trusting in Jesus Christ His Son’s sacrificial death and blood shed on the cross: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”**

~~~

*Hebrews 9:27; Romans 6:23. **

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Peter A. Black is a retired pastor – well, sort of retired – and lives in Southwestern Ontario. He writes a weekly inspirational newspaper column, P-Pep! and is author of Raise Your Gaze ... Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart, and Parables from the Pond – a children's / family book. ~~+~~

Row Your Boat - by Heidi McLaughlin

“I’m going to give you some wisdom that you might find simple and a little strange”, I said to the harried woman sitting across from me. "But please listen as I explain."  Her jaw dropped and her forehead produced a few extra wrinkles as I started to sing a simple nursery rhyme.

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

Life is but a dream.

I probably didn’t seem smarter than a third grader, but I quickly went on to explain my version of this uncomplicated, picturesque piece of advice. I felt compelled to help her because I knew what it was like to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I went on to explain how many of us feel a delusional sense of responsibility for things that don’t belong in our boat. “And further”, I said, “we end up listening to all the things we ‘should’ do because we are comparing ourselves to T.V. commercials, Facebook bragging and unrealistic expectations.”

 

To feel fulfilled and joyful we must learn to row our boat gently down the stream. This means learning to quit paddling and working so hard work and go with the flow of life which is generated through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The bible tells us that: “In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3 NLT), and that we “…have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT).  God has given you and me everything we need to flow merrily down the stream. But, we must decide to dock our boat, stop and take the time to listen to the Holy Spirit who will help us make the next move.

I had to eat my own words the last two years as I found myself exhausted, frustrated and depleted.  When I clearly felt the Holy Spirit telling me it was time to retire and trust Him for my future, there were many heart pounding moments wondering what my new stream would look like. I’m in my new boat now, but in order to get settled I had to unload many oversized toxic boxes and debris that should have been chucked years ago.  These days I feel so free and merry that I can hardly contain my joy.

Am I certain as to what my future looks like? No, but as I told the woman sitting in front of me, “God is smarter than you and me.  We need to take deliberate steps to find a place of solitude where we can listen to the nudging of the Holy Spirit to tell us what unnecessary stuff we need to cast out of our boat. God is on our side. No matter how easy or difficult our situations are, God will gently and lovingly guide our boat down the stream of life on the route that He designed for us to take.”

Heidi McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. She is married to Pastor Jack and they have a wonderful, eclectic blended family of 5 children and 9 grandchildren. When Heidi is not working, she loves to curl up with a great book, or golf and laugh with her husband and special friends. You can reach her at: www.heartconnection.ca

Retain or Remove

“Don’t worry,” the saleslady told me when I ordered laminate flooring for our main floor, “Our workers will move the furniture as they install. They’ll move everything to one side, do that side then move it all to the other side of the room.”

That sounded wonderful.  I have children and grandchildren who could help, but they all have busy lives.  If the workmen would move the furniture, I wouldn’t have to bother them. 

The first thing I saw when I came home and started imagining the ratty, stained carpet replaced by shining laminate, was the big glass cupboard fashioned by my loving husband, full of dishes—good dishes that seldom get used.  If the workmen tried to move that with the dishes inside, they’d probably not able to budge it, and if they did, the dishes would go for a slide.  Obviously, I will have to take the dishes out.  What if I found other places for those I don’t really need?  That would de-clutter my life and make it easier to keep clean. 

I moved to my office.  As a writer, and a bit of a sentimental pack rat, I have files and files of interesting items I might need some time (emphasis on might and some.)  My bookshelf is full of books about writing and for writing.  Some I use often, others I have barely scratched the surface of the pool of wisdom contained in them.  I have copies of talks given and revised for a slightly different setting.  Oh, they’re on my computer too, but I might need them sometime in the future.  There are CD’s and installation discs for computer programs that have long ago become extinct. I began to sort and decipher which of those items need to be kept and which need to go.  But the flooring people are due to come next week.

Reluctantly, I began to put things in boxes and marking them as to contents, storing them in our garage with the aim to sort when I return my office to working order after the floors are installed.  In the back of my mind I wonder how long that is going to take and fear that some of those boxes may never see the light of day.

This morning as we read or daily devotional and God’s word, it dawned on me how much my life and my mind resemble my office.  In today’s world we are assaulted with information from so many directions.  I love facts about just about everything.  I’m interested in people and love to be able to respond to needs to encourage those going through difficult times, to remember birthdays and anniversaries, and to send cards for different occasions or no occasion at all.  I like to stay in touch with friends from long ago and friends currently in my life.  I am involved in many committees and organizations doing all kinds of good things: when I’m involved I don’t want to be only an observer, so I often chair the committee, take minutes or participate in an active way.  Often my mind feels like my office—books, binders, reference materials, pictures, articles in files and drawers, stacked on shelves and overflowing—a whole pile of information waiting to be filed, and sometimes lost in the plethora, the overabundance of material.

When it comes to my office and my mind, it seems to be not just a question of whether, but a necessary action that must be taken.  I realize I’m not getting younger.  My mind is still active and I want to keep it that way.  However like many machines, if I keep feeding it too much and too fast, it can get overloaded and perhaps my grind to a halt.  I need to discern more closely what is necessary, what is expedient and what is superfluous, what can be left for others to do.  For some people, the super organizers, that may come naturally.  I’ve always had distaste for those who sit back and say “Someone else can do that.”  I fear becoming one of those people, so it’s hard for me to let go.  I need counsel and wisdom to help me know what to discard from my life and what to retain—both in my office and in my mind. 

How glad I am for James 1:5—“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” 

Ruth Smith Meyer is included in the anthology, "Fifty Shades of Grace."

She is also author of two adult novels, "Not Easily Broken," and the sequel "Not Far from the Tree," and a children's book dealing with grief, "Tyson's Sad Bad Day." 

Wisdom and Knowledge, Spirit and Truth - Carolyn Arends

I love this quote from Kent Nerburn:

 So, along with knowledge, you must seek wisdom. Knowledge is multiple; wisdom is singular. Knowledge is words; wisdom is silent. Knowledge is standing outside, understanding what is seen. Wisdom is standing at the center, knowing what is not seen. No person can be whole without both dimensions of learning.

       Remember the words of the musician who was asked which was greater, knowledge or wisdom. “Without knowledge,” he answered, “I could not play the violin. Without wisdom, I could not play the music.”

And for some reason it makes me think of this, from Jesus:

     God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

What do you think?  Is there a connection between wisdom and Spirit, knowledge and Truth?  How do we in the church do with encapsulating both sides of those coins? 

Need an Idea? - Peter A. Black

Ideas. Ideas are everything. At least, when you need one, they are. When you have a dilemma, such as when the car breaks down

in the middle of nowhere in the boonies, or somewhere like the middle of an intersection during rush-hour. That’s how I introduced a newspaper article several years ago.



In that piece I wrote about a writer’s need for getting ideas. Generally it’s not too difficult, considering there’s lots happening in the world around us at home and abroad to engage the mind and stir the emotions – whether prompting admiration and appreciation, or provoking angst and anger.


My friend Jan has several website blogs, and sometimes has guest bloggers who write articles for her. These blogs are of an inspirational nature, one of them being dedicated to the subject of prayer (I’ve provided several items for it). On another, she intended posting an item every day, but found that with maintaining these sites and caring for responsibilities in life, it was demanding more time and energy than she felt able to give. Yet, she also felt she was to keep it up.


And so, she prayed, and came up with . . . yes, an idea. She would do a “daily five” – that is, she would write for five minutes on whatever topic came to mind. Some friends were invited to guest-write for it on the same basis. Spelling and grammar didn’t have to be perfect, but of course, it must be done in five minutes.


Her focus still is on the inspirational and spiritual dimension of life, and so far it is working well – a great idea. People are involved and others are visiting the site and reading the blogs, and now Jan has a little more time to be a grandma and tend her gardens, whatever.


The inventor of Dyson vacuum cleaners is portrayed on television commercials informing the world that he looked closely at the basic design of vacuum cleaners of the past 100 years and figured how they could be radically improved. Now his revolutionary designs are

changing that industry.


The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple computers and all things “i” – iPod, iPhone and iPad, et cetera, was a gifted individual with great imagination and business acumen, and developed revolutionary ideas in the field of cyber-technology, personal computing and portable communication applications. And that story still goes on.


Are you stuck for an idea in your life at the present time? I’m sure many of us would like to hit on an idea that would make us a fortune. But life is often more basic than that.


Is yours a need for working through a difficult situation or relationship with a person at work, or dealing with a troublesome teenager at home, or navigating heaving marital seas, or maybe solving a tricky repair problem around the home, and you’ve no idea how to go about it?


Perhaps you’ve exhausted ideas for finding employment, or are concerned with something deeper, more personal than any of these – you sense your need is spiritual; something’s not sitting right, and you know you need God.


You need an idea . . . where to turn, of whom to turn to? Coming to God in prayer right where you are, humbly depending on His grace, is a great place to start. Ask for wisdom – His idea.


You may need to take thoughtful, careful and deliberate steps when the idea comes.


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For further reflection: James 1:5; Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 16:3


Peter A. Black writes a weekly inspirational column in The Watford Guide-Advocate, and is author of the children's / family book "Parables from the Pond" (Word Alive Press ISBN 1897373-21-X)

Back to the Farm

Several years before my husband died, I found under a stack of paper and bills, a poem torn from a magazine. It described perfectly not only his attitudes about his love of farming, but also the kind of man he was.

It was his daily habit to fix himself a cup of coffee then sit on our verandah facing the rising sun and the pasture in which his dearly loved purebred Holsteins began to stir at first light. He would take those few minutes to sip his coffee, get in tune with his God and gear his heart and mind for the coming day.

The poem begged to have something significant done with it. I found a large sheet of paper and wrote it in calligraphy. The capital letters at the beginning of the title and each verse I made large enough that in the outline I could sketch a picture of that verandah view across the fields--one for each season and one in the moonlight, which he also loved. When I presented the framed poem the next Christmas, he first thought it was coincidence that I used the same poem he had clipped and saved. He was genuinely pleased and truly happy with his gift.

Today, along with Todd Leuty, a Ministry of Agriculture representative, I roamed around the nut plantation my husband had begun and which he had hoped to care for in his retirement years. The trees he planted as little saplings in the mid-nineties, are now thirty or forty feel tall and have begun to yield a harvest. Carpathian Walnuts, Japanese Hart Nuts, Pecans, Almonds, Butternuts and Hazelnuts hold promise of good eating.

The crisp air, beautiful sun, blue sky and refreshing calm of nature brought back to mind the poem that still hangs on my office wall. I have tried to find the author of the poem and have been unable to do so. (If you read it and know who wrote it, please let me know so I can give the author credit and let him or her know how much joy it has brought.)

Grandpa's Farm

Why would anyone live on a farm?

My Grandpa once told me why:

"You wake up at dawn, put the coffee on,

Look out at a bright morning sky.

You start chores early, work hard and long

At planting and milking or such,

But at the day's end, when quiet has come,

You know you've seen God's perfect touch.

You've worked for him as much as for you

To plow his fields and when

You watch the harvest yield its fruit,

You thank him again and again.

A farm may not be the only place

To live, to grow and die--

But," my Grandpa said, "It's the only place

I'd suggest you try."

I had wondered what I would write about for this month's blog, but when I came home I knew I had to tell you how I sensed my husband's presence there in his nut grove and I know I've seen God's perfect touch. I know my husband worked for God as much as he did for himself. He took satisfaction in knowing he was helping to feed the world which is what farmers do. When I see those nut trees yield their fruit, I truly thank God again and again! I give thanks for the privilege of having walked with such a mand for as many years as I did and to know the same God with whom he communed on his beloved farm. I am also glad for the opportunity to walk on a farm and reconnect with the memories, the values and the wisdom I learned there.