At the Embarkment of 2007

New Year's Wish

All that is beautiful, all that is best -

Joy of activity, calmness of rest,

Health for life's pilgrimage,

Strength for its strife,

Sunshine to brighten the pathway of life;

Courage to trust, tho' the skies be o'er cast,

Hope for the future born out of the past,

Love that is tender and friends that are true;

This is my New Year's wish for you!

-Author Unknown

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." He replied, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God, that shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way. - M. Louise -----

May God bless you richly in 2007!

A Letter From Me to You

Dear Friends,

As this year 2006 draws to a close, this is a time when we often look back over the past year. For me this past year was the best yet. The Lord has taught me so much and I have really grown in my walk with Him. I am so thankful for His merciful love in which He drew me from sin and a life of misery without Him and brought me to Himself. I am excited as I look forward to this new year that is rapidly drawing near, and what the Lord has in store for me in it. I know that whatever it is, it will be good, because everything my Lord does is good!

And now as I ponder over the past happenings of this year, I am thankful. Thankful that I daily live and breath - a gift from Him. Thankful for the countless blessings I have received from His Hand. Thankful for each little, seemingly unimportant thing. Thankful for God's mercy and forgiveness. Thankful that He sent His Son into this world; born as a little baby; humbled to the greatest extent... - to save us from sin. Thankful for the times He has spared my life. Thankful for the simple beauty in everyday life.

Yes, there has been trials, stuggles, and heartaches... but I am thankful for these also. Thankful because of the valuable lessons learned through them. We need the rain to help us grow, because if it never, never rained then we would never, never grow.

It is with anticipation that I look forward to this new year's adventures! I look forward to the new lessons to be learned. I look forward to learning and growing in my walk with God. It is with eagerness that I look forward - because I know Christ is with me and He will bring me safely through this year as He has the past. He will guide me each step of the way no matter what happens. For He has promised, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." And, "I know your future that I have planned for you, your going out and your coming in, and I will watch over your life."

And friends, as we enter into this new year, let us strive to grow more like Christ. Let us resolve to make this new year even better than the last. To bring glory to God and God alone. To make much of Christ, and to magnify His life in everything.

My heart's desire is to learn more of my Saviour, to live for Him, so that others will see Him in me. That it is not by any doing of my own that I am here where I am today, but by God's grace. It is by God's grace that I take each breath. By His grace I live, and for His glory! Friends, let not this year be a wasted year for any of us!

May God's richest blessings rest upon each of You!

Because of Christ,
~Christina

That We Be Found Faithful

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised. Hebrews 10:23

I sit here with my pen poised above my paper. I have in mind what I want to write but I am having trouble putting my thoughts into words. Anyone here ever have that problem? ;)

I have been thinking this evening about our calling as God's chosen ones, that we not be ashamed of our calling but be willing to stand up and let our colors be seen. We should not be ashamed of our high calling but have a boldness and a willingness to stand for what is right, to stand for the truth. So often we want to hide, to not be noticed, we don't want people to think us different.

Friends, we are called to be different, to stand apart. If people think that you are different, praise the Lord! We should be different, we need to stand for the truth unwaveringly, unashamed! For what a wonderful God we serve and what great things He has in store for us! Why would we be ashamed or want to hide?

My greatest desire is to stand unashamed as a witness for my Lord and Saviour that others would see Him living in me. That He would shine out in my life. To stand as "different." To be faithful in my calling with which He has called me. My prayer is that the Lord would find each of us faithful, though we live, though we die, each and every day, to live faithfully! That when the day comes that we are called; we will be found faithful! Faithful to our high calling for it is most definitely a high calling. Faithful in that we unwaveringly, and unashamedly, by the grace of God, stood for what was right, stood in His strength until the end, that we let our colors be shown.

Let the world know what an awesome God we serve! That they will see that we live as Christ lived, and that we allow Him to live out His life within us. For His glory!

Friends, if we are not found faithful to our High calling then woe unto us! I pray that day never comes to any of us. In the eyes of men we often think ourselves "good," and doing "pretty well," but let me tell you we are all sinful, fallen human beings, saved by God's grace and of ourselves we are not "good." Oh, let me never forget how sinful I really am and what Christ did on the cross to save me. When I think of the agony of Golgotha, I cannot do anything but plead with the Lord that I will be faithful to His dear cause. I would rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.

To be faithful to our calling, faithful in the small things in life and also the big things. Only if we are faithful will we see our Saviour's dear face, and spend eternity with Him.

We are pilgrims journeying through life here on this earth, I must not get attached to anything earthly, anything not eternal. Lord, help me to keep my eyes upon You. That in the end I may be found faithful. We are in tis pilgrim band, and this world is not our final home, but heaven is. Help us Lord!

We are pilgrims passing through, unwavering in our goal, unashamed in our pursuit, undaunted in the battle...
That we be found faithful, as He is faithful.

Written 11/12/06. (d/m/y)

The Greatest Joy

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:11

I was deep in thought this afternoon as I spent the hours ironing laundry in my room. (Coming from a semi-large family we usually have quite a bit!) And suddenly a thought came to me.

"What brings you the greatest joy?"

As I thought over this question; I wondered, "What does bring me the greatest joy?" Really 'joy' is a profound word. It means much more than 'happiness.' Joy is an outflooding of absolute happiness that comes from deep wtihin your heart! The dictionary definition of 'joy' is: gladness; pleasure; delight; exultation; exhilaration of spirit.

Wow! ...suddenly the answer came...

"What brings me the greatest joy?"

GOD!

He is the source of the greatest joy in my life. The joy I feel comes from him.

And also; When a sinner returns to God. Never before have I been so overwhelmed with joy that I was the day when a lost sinner returned to God!

The Bible says when one sinner repents there is great rejoicing in heaven! When the little lost lamb was brought back to the fold on the shoulders of Christ. He said, "Rejoice, for I have brought back my own."

The little lost lamb was fallen in a pit; weak and helpless and ready to die. He cried out to God and out on the mountain, dark and drear, Christ heard his cry. And went all through the night, his feet bleeding from sharp stones along the way, torn by thorns, but He never gave up until He found His little lost lamb.

And that little lost lamb was I. And it is you, and anyone who is lost in sin, away from God. Severed from God by sin, but if you cry out to Him as the little lost lamb did, He will search through the night and draw you from the pit. He never turns His ear from the cries of those who are seeking Him, but will bring them back to the fold.

It is knowing that another soul has found rest, safety, peace and joy in God that brings the greatest joy to my heart.

God's love and the gift of His salvation brings overwhelming joy to our hearts. A joy so great that you feel as though you could "fly!" It brings great joy to heaven too!

Christ is the source of joy! And it flows from Him into each of His blood-bought children, giving us each unspeakable joy!

So now I ask you... "What brings you the greatest joy?"

Written 13/11/06. (d/m/y)