Please Pray

I had a conversation with someone on Sunday and I had commented that I wasn't going to write about what we are seeing going on in the hood anymore. But I soon became very convicted that I'm missing an opportunity to enlist prayer warriors. This person I talked to encouraged & reminded me that the first and most powerful way we can and must influence our neighbors is through prayer.
So, to anyone who may be reading my elementary attempts to blog please partner with us in praying for our neighbors. I don't have to give you specifics for God to know exactly who you are praying for. So, please ask the Lord to reveal Himself to the people involved in the fight a few days ago. On our hearts are specifically the guy who thought it necessary to use a bat, the guy who received the blows from the bat and ask the Lord to guide the two little children out of the darkness they live in. Prior to the fight escalating, these two little ones were quickly hauled out of the house and down the alley to "safety" at 2:00 am. As the Lord leads you please engage with us through our greatest way to influence people; petitioning God on their behalf.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

What is His will?

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

We love the wii

It seems as of late that my family has a new interest in gathering together. Thanks to Adam & Ester we have become wii fans! I love getting the call to compete at wii central ( A & E's) and engage in a tournament that has some real fierce competitiveness to it. I must admit that I'm getting hooked on the game but what makes it such a desired activity for me is having my family as my fellow teammates and competition.
So far we've got bruises, kinks in necks, old sport injuries flaring up but it is all worth it just to be together. Alaina (6 yrs old) puts me to shame at the game of Donkey Kong but Ester and I are the undefeated champions at pairs tennis. Despite bodily harm, the defeat and victory moments what really makes the game of wii for me is the company I'm in when I play it. We LOVE the wii!

Encouraged by 2 Thess 1:11-12 & Proverbs 27:9

To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith, with power; that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no greater way to encourage me than to share Scripture that God has put on your heart and that is exactly what Andrea did today. I'm so blessed and thankful to have received such a gift through my daughter today.


Proverbs 27:9

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

Also, today I truly had the privilege of experiencing the pleasantness of my friend's earnest counsel through a phone call that only our Awesome Heavenly Father could have orchestrated through events that factored into her picking up the phone and calling me specifically today.

Thank you Lord for Your great unfailing faithfulness. You are, without a doubt, worthy to be praised!

A Nobody Serving A Somebody

"A nobody serving a Somebody", "God is worthy of my trust", making oneself "of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant" Phil 2:7....these are some of the things said at a conference I've recently attended where I had the privilege of hearing Helen Roseveare, keynote speaker at Millar College of The Bible's Mission Conference. You can read about Helen Roseveare from Noel Piper's book Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God.

I went to this conference very heavy hearted. Wondering if the Lord was hearing my cry for deliverance, healing and a clear purpose being restored to my life. The Lord met & challenged me there in a huge way. What has stuck with me the most is having been given a challenge to live like a "nobody who is serving a Somebody". To know that the "Somebody" sees all, knows all and is trustworthy of it all. To follow Jesus' example and make myself "of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant". Being content with just this. None of my own achievements, titles, distinctions or other's opinions motivating me onward. Just the knowledge that I am His bondservant of no reputation; the highest calling and privilege.

Tuesday 2:06 am in the Hood

I hear yelling....I get out of bed and look out my window.....two police cars immediately pull up and four policemen quickly enter a house across the street. I see them all reach to their sides and unlatch what looks like their weapons in their holsters. As I watch another police car comes but goes into the alley. In a couple of minutes I now count five police cars parked on the street. It isn't long and the police emerge from the home with a person who has been hand cuffed. In a minute all the cars pull away together. The street looks empty and dark again.
Again the preacher's words echo in my thoughts "Can you hear the cries for help? They are all around us!" Indeed! Please pray that the Lord would bring healing and peace to this place. Thank Him with me for His protection.

Monday's News Report on woman's death

Police investigate woman's death
The Leader-Post
Published: Monday, January 14, 2008
Major crime and identification members of the Regina Police Service congregated at a North Central residence on Sunday, after receiving a call about a sudden death.

Emergency crews were called to 1427 Cameron St. at about 12:07 p.m., at which time they found the body of an adult woman at the residence. Shortly after, major crime and identification units were called as a precaution.

Yellow police tape cordoned off the dark green house throughout much of Sunday afternoon as police cars sat in front and behind the residence.


A police officer walks from a house at 1427 Cameron St. on Sunday, the site of an investigation into a woman's death.
Joshua Sawka, The Leader-Post

While it is still being investigated, a police spokesperson said late Sunday afternoon, that the death is not likely suspicious.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

Sunday in the Hood

Today Pastor Ken preached on the passage of Luke 5:12-16. What hit me the most about today's sermon was the the man with leprosy begging to be healed,"Lord" he said "if you are willing you can heal me and make me clean." Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," He said. "Be healed!" Pastor Ken had several comments but what rang in my ears today was "Are we listening & responding to the cries for help?" "They are all around us." Jesus heard & responded. "If we heard a cry for help would we be willing to help or respond?"
So I came home from church and found a shocking situation unfolding directly across the street from our house. Six police cars, yellow "Police line. Do Not Cross" tape sectioning off the house across the street. Two police cars have people in the back seats and they leave the scene shortly after 1:00 pm. Photographers are snapping shots of the house both inside and out. As I took down my Christmas tree which was right in front of the window I've been watching it unfold all afternoon. Now, as I'm writing this six hours later there is still police coming and going from the crime scene. More pictures being taken, I see one investigator putting down folded cards and taking pictures. They are now taking in lots of clear plastic bags and have started to come out with stuff in them. I don't know what has happened in this house but it is like a CSI show unfolding as I watch from my front window. Police are coming out with kits. They are wearing protective light blue gloves. Now, more vehicles are arriving. No one is allowed into the house without putting on disposable plastic shoe covers. One of the investigators has her van parked right in front of our house. She comes to her vehicle to get more plastic foot coverings. She has taken off the pair she was wearing and she rushed back into the house. She has thrown her shoe coverings on the ground behind her van. They look slightly stained red on the bottom. More time passes and Omega transport services has just arrived and they unload a stretcher with a body bag on it. I watch as they come out and put the deceased in the truck. A police man interviews all the immediate surrounding neighbors. We tell them we heard and saw nothing out of the ordinary last night. All the officer will tell us is that a lady is deceased and it is under investigation. Obviously the investigation isn't over because the police have posted a officer out front of the house for the evening.
The words of Pastor Ken from church this morning ring even louder in my thoughts "Are we listening to the cries for help? They are all around us." Indeed they are!
Lord, open my ears so that I may hear and engage my heart that I might respond. Jesus, if you are willing you can heal and cleanse these hurting people. Lord, are You willing?

False Belief & True Belief about Forgiveness

Rediscovering who I am in Christ has been freeing & painful. God has been reminding me of His truths & opening my mind to new truths. Through this process many of my own weaknesses and hardened areas of my own heart have been exposed. I understand that He must prepare the soil of my heart to receive His seeds of truth and part of that preparation is the blade of the plow must cut deep and loosen the hardened parts of the soil. The seeds of truth need freshly plowed soil that has been cleared of debris that won't hinder the growth of the seeds.
About a week ago one of the freeing things I came across was regarding True and False beliefs about forgiveness. I thought I'd share it.

False Belief #1:
If I forgive them, they will go free. There will be no justice.
True Belief #1:
Only God knows what is just. Punishment is in God's hands.

False Belief #2:
Forgiveness means I must pretend that nothing ever happened.
True Belief #2
Forgiveness is not denial. Tell the truth; don't minimize it in order to forgive.

False Belief #3:
If I forgive, I will become vulnerable to them again.
True Belief #3:
Forgiving someone doesn't mean that they are safe and you must trust them again.

False Belief #4:
My unforgiveness is justified because I'm right, and they will never see their wrong and repent if I let go.
True Belief #4:
My unforgiveness only hurts me and allows what they did to control my life.

Quote taken from "The Genesis Process" by Michael Dye & Patricia Fancher

Ephesians 2:10

I chose this as my title because I want to be reminded in everything that I write that God has ownership over me and He has my life all planned out. I just have to trust and obey.


"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:10