CHRISTMAS HOMELESS

Christmas is the time to be jolly, or so we are told. For the homeless and the lonely it is a bleak empty time. Hearing carols sung, smelling the aromas of Christmas fare and seeing the happy faces is the reality of a world removed for those who are without.  

How can they rejoice in a Savour born who came to give them life abundantly when they are destitute? 

In our home we have made it a priority to pick one person and supply them with happiness at Christmas.

I guess if you have never been alone at Christmas its hard to imagine how it feels.  Believe me, its an emptiness only understood when experienced. It is a feeling of exclusion from society...
In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus says, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
So to be Christ-Like, we need to do the same for the forgotten... Give to the Poor In Spirit Today.

  

Marina Prior, 'Carols by Candlelight', Melbourne 2008

Christmas is a special time when EVERYONE celebrates, willingly or otherwise....THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.

December 25th was originally a date celebrating the Sun God.

Evil turned to good when the then Caesar of Rome became a Christian and turned the day over to a Christ Mass....a celebration to the birth of Christ. To-day we acknowledge His birth all over our world. Wherever we are, we remember that Christ came as a babe.

He came to teach forgiveness love and service.
He came that we, may be united to the Father in one body.
He came, to path the way to eternal life through Himself.

May the blessings of God be yours this Christmas season.

The Holy City - Richard Crooks

I know its old....but you cannot beat him..What a wonderful voice

Christ Like Heroines

We all have people we look up to and desire to be like. The memory of three women remain encased in my mind.

My first heroine was the writer Katherine Marshall.  Katherine became famous with her second book, "A Man called Peter." She wrote the story in honour of her famous husbands life. 
Peter Marshall was a preacher in the United States Senate. He died at a relatively young age. Katherine was devistated yet necessity demanded she earn a living to provide for her son Peter Junior. Many have come to the Lord through her books. Her message to me was, "Never Give Up."

My second treasured lady was Corrie Ten Boom. When my mother gave me "The Hiding Place," depicting her story, I wanted none of it. Such sadness, about a Dutch family hiding and helping Jews to escape Holland during World War 11.  Yet through my tears I discovered "The Saving Grace of Forgiving Others."

My third Jewel was Mother Teresa. I watched a movie on her life as acted by Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie's daughter. It was an eye opener of self denial....and a life devoted to others. She was the hands, feet and mouth of Our Lord.  From her I learned, "Humility, Wisdom and Selflessness.

Quoting Katherine:
"No matter how little you have,
You can still give some away."

Quoting Corrie, "If you look at the world you will be distressed. If you look within you'll be depressed. if you look at God, you'll be at rest."

Quoting Mother Teresa, "When a person dies of hunger it did not happen because God did not take care of them. It happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what they needed." 

Myself, "Being a Christian doesn't depend on attending meetings, but rather on loving and serving others. Walk the walk!" 

Praise a Godly Woman

From a little girl my grand daughter Kirra has loved the Lord.    Taking her shopping while her mummy worked she sat in the trolley and told all, "Jesus is coming soon."


Watching Kirra as she grew from a child to a woman my pride in her has continued to grow.

She is a wonderful representative of a Godly character.


Here she is, sitting right in the middle...
attending closely to Gods spoken Word. 

Proverbs 31:  10: Who can find a vituous woman?
For her price is far above rubies. 



Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
BUT a woman who fears the Lord,
She is to be praised.

Happy 21st Birthday My dearest Kirra......x

I've Been Awarded...Thank you Kathrann

Now I have to write 7 things about myself! Well... don't know that anyone will be interested but here goes


1)
I LOVEEEEE Colours.......and I love FLOWERS!!!
 
So...here is my colourful flowerery Queenslander House.
The garden is growing real well... we have Kangaroo paws, and Pigs face...Yes, they are real flowers. Plus lots of Ozzie native...Must feed the birds.

2) Next Mango's are the BEST!!
and our Mango Tree is full this year.


Another week to go and they'll be picked and shared with anyone who hasn't got them.

3)  These little fellows chatter in our trees all day long....  I missed  them when I lived oversea's

4)  I love my Sunburnt Country and  Outback Austraila .....
the colours are incredible!




5)We live close to the ocean
its an Ozzie way of life..
I love the smell....

6) What don't I like??? 


Welllllll....... Not termite nests

7)  OR.....  CROCODILES........

Sooooo Welcome to My World..... and May God Bless all!

A Special Thanks to http://garden-planter.com/ 

Darlene Zschech SINGS To The Lord....

Darlene Zschech has been singing at Hillsong Church in Australia for over twenty years. I met her on a few occasions at my daughter Femia's home in the late 1988's. She is a wife and a mother to three girls yet what impressed me the most was her sincere desire to follow Christ

To hear her sing "Thank you For The Cross Lord."



Please click below on the 'YouTube' Link.








http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azYQqzoEjgU

Be Blessed:

My Christmas Tag!

The Blessings of Christmas by my daughter Femia.....showing grandchildren.      Kirra,            Joel         and           Luke.

1. Five names you go by:  Mum, Nanni,  Aunty, Zia (Italian for Aunty) Sister Lindsey (as an R.N.)

2. Five Things to Be Thankful For:  Gods Word,  Salvation,  Love,   Forgiveness,    Blessings.       

3. Seven favourite books of the Bible:  Psalms,  Proverbs, Isaiah, John, Romans, Hebrews, James.

4. Five Favourite Christian Songs:   Thankyou For The Cross Lord,    Amazing Grace the chains are gone,  My Jesus My Savour,   Blessed Assurance,   Count your Blessings.  

5. Five Favourite Carols: Silent Night,  Long Time Ago in Bethlehem,  Oh Holy Night, Violet in the Snow,    Hark the Herald Angels Sing. 

6. Favourite Christmas Foods: Ham,  Prawns, Nuts, Canaloni,  Five layer Salad, Pavlova.               

Favourite Things about Christmas:  Remembering the Savours Birth, Love, Joy, Family, Carols and Australian Christmas Bush........ Hallelujah !!                                                                                               

How Can I Be Right With God?

Knowing a lot about a little, OR knowing a little about a lot......
I don't know where I fit into this but I feel the important thing is, knowing as much as I can about God..........
Here I don't profess to know it all because I realise as I age that you never stop learning and the more you learn the more you realise, how little you know.

I once attended a church who gave out books teaching on different Bible subjects.   I came to the conclussion one day,  that God is our teacher, not some religious denomination.  Later at University I had the privilege to study philosophy which further opened my eyes to different value and belief systems. 
Following this, I concluded as I had many years previously, that my God gave His Word the Bible as my teacher.  No man could teach with the same direction as the Holy Spirit, after all, wasn't God the author, and didn't Jesus give the Helper to us for this means!

Yes, I do attend a church and I do partake in communion with the saints and I do pray with fellow believers...  But, I do not proclaim one certain denomination to be the only true following.

I am reminded of the parable Jesus told of two men praying in the Temple.
One was a pious Pharisee who saw himself righteous before God...after all, he strictly followed the law to the letter. The other man, a tax collector beat his breast in anguish, freely admitting himself as sinful.
The Pharisee belonged to the elite and the tax collector to the select few.  Summing up which man was right and which was wrong, Jesus said, "The one who exalts himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself, will be exalted." (Luke 18: 9-14)

This doesn't mean the large denomination is wrong and the small is right.  Rather we are all to be humble as Gods Word describes in 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13.... 2. "Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much."  3. "But the person who loves God is the one God recognises."

Finally....Jesus said,  "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father accept through me." (John 14:6)    

SALVATION IS ONLY THROUGH JESUS.    

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS (The Rock)

Yes as the old hymn says:
 "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will look strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."


As Christians we are to look to Him, our creator and keep our eyes fixed.
The Bible gives us 3 weapons to use against the enemy.
1.  The Word of God.
Use it as a two edged sword.  Learn and memorise the Word and keep it close to your heart.  Call upon it, in times of adversity.
"For God has not given me a 'Spirit of Fear' (which causes anxiety and depression) but a Spirit of Love, a Spirit of Power and a Spirit of a Sound Mind." (2 Timothy 1:7).
Think about this for a moment... the Spirit of fear is evil.  It tries to capture your mind and hold onto your thoughts. Speak the above scripture out a few times meaning every word, no matter how difficult you find it to be, and that spirit of fear will have to flee....It has no dominion over the Word of God.


2.  The Blood of the Lamb.
Knowing and believing that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God that was slain as redemption for your sins. It is a powerful tool. Speak out loud Gods Word on this when Satan tries to take away your peace.
"And I (as a Christian) have overcome him (the devil) by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of my testimony." (Revelation 12:11) 


3.  Your Testimony.
This is a strong tool for the believer. It is the proclamation of your faith! Speaking it aloud defeats the enemy.
"He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me." (Psalms 55:18)
"No weapon that is formed against me will prosper." (Isaiah 54:17) 


The trials of this world may be many. Yet, we have been given the power to stand on:
 Gods Word, The Blood of the Lamb, and the Word of our Testimony.
"On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."  Amen.

Being led by the Holy Spirit

We proclaim to be Christians but how often do we acually allow the Holy Spirit to do the leading.
Or...how often do we say the words, "I'll do it my way."  You may not be guilty but I sometimes am.


I remember reading that evangalist Katherine Coolman used to pray a Bible verse before she went out to minister. It has become a favoured of mine.
"Create in me a clean heart Oh Lord, and renew a right Spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).   Yes, without the Holy Spirit to direct and guide we act on human weakness....


You know, of all the religions in the world, only one has a leader who has risen. Only one has a leader who has no burial place. And only one promises eternal life through Himself.


Jesus cousin John declared, "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). How profound is this statement, Jesus is God! Jesus was with God when God created the world. Jesus was the very breath coming from God as God spoke everthing into being. Because He was God, death could not hold Him.   It's beyond our comprehension how God is one within three entities.   However, we are terrestial beings...while God is Celestial.


Just stop for one moment and breath out...you see nothing, it's invisible.  But if you do it when it's cold, you see a mist or a vapour.   Now breath back in again....it will enter your mouth and venture down to your lungs.  As you breath in air, the oxygen carried with it enters your lungs and jumps aboard the haemoglobin in your blood to be carried all around your body to replenish your cells. Without that life giving oxygen your cells will quickly die and so will you.
Now when Jesus left this earth to return to the Father, he didn't leave us alone.  He left us a helper a strength.  He left His vapour, His mist or rather as we acknowledge, His Spirit to enter into us and strengthen us. This Spirit helps us in all we do, if we allow it to. 
Without that helper we will spiritually die. The gift of the Holy Spirit is free to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are baptised.  Faith sets you FREE.  
Yes...  "Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me."

Eating the Word of God

As a child in the fifties we didn't buy all of our food from the shops. Our cow supplied milk, cream and butter. The chooks gave eggs and sometimes their lives. We grew vegetables and my brother fished and hunted.
Today almost everything comes from the store and if we are hungry we go to the cupboard or fridge. Mostly, physical hunger can be satisfied.

So what about the Word of God?  How can we be fed?
Its very simple.  Get a Bible and begin to read it. If you are really hungry for knowledge or to understand then ask God to help, and He will.

The Bible is full of precious jewels which are discovered at different times for different needs.  This Word of God supplies spiritual food which provides life and health to the reader or listener.
 "For they (Gods Words) bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body"(Proverbs 4:22). 
It inspires and encourages, "If they obey and serve Him they will spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasure" (Job 36:11).  
It helps in times of anguish, "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you" (Isaiah 26:3). 
Last weekend I listened to the wonderful testimony of Mac Gober, founder of Canaan Land in America and now Australia.  This man came from a life of crime to knowing a Christ who saves and sets free.  Today he is dedicated to sharing the Word of God.  Not only does he spiritually feed the oppressed, he also physically feeds the hungry.  
Canaan Land is a rehabilitation and haven for drug and alcohol dependant men.  Men who have given up all hope and respect in themselves. Men who learn that through the saving Grace of Jesus Christ there is a hope and a future. Yes, the Word of God is the river of life waiting for the thirsty. It is available to all....if they simply ask.....