ByGrace

I've seen the phrase "My Heart is Fixed in 2006" and I like it. I want my heart to be fixed on several things this year, and I'm not talking about needing heart surgery! I want my heart fixed, steady and focused, this year. To "fix on" something is to focus on it, pay special attention to it. There are some areas in my life that I'd like to be fixed on this coming year. First of all, I want my heart to be fixed on Jesus. I want to be in fellowship with Him minute by minute. I've struggled this year with Bible reading and prayer; I want to re-establish those things more firmly in my life and especially concentrate on Bible study, not just reading. I want to take the time to listen to some preaching online and on tape, to feed myself more of God's Word and His instruction. I want to be able to say with David, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." Psalm 57:7, and again in Psalm 108:1 I also wan...

Tomorrow, November 11th, is Remembrance Day in Canada. The holiday corresponds to Veterans' Day in the US, and is widely celebrated in this country. Most everyone wears a red poppy to remember the veterans of Canada who have given their lives in the service of their country. We've been invited to attend the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Victory Square in Vancouver tomorrow morning, then for lunch with our friends. We're honoured to be included in yet another facet of Canadian life. One thing I've noticed about Canadians and war. They don't like war - they are very vocal about President Bush and the Iraq war - but they greatly honour their war heroes. From my recollections of Veterans' Day in the US, Canadians put Americans to shame with Remembrance Day ceremonies and observations - and Americans are the ones who are considered more patriotic! To any veterans who may be reading today, American, Canadian, or otherwise . . . thank you for serving your...

I don't know about you, but prayer is one area where I struggle. My husband's sermon last night was on the Science of Prayer, so I wanted to share my notes, mainly the ones about how to pray. These are the suggestions for making your prayer time more meaningful. Take a piece of paper and divide it into four pieces. On each piece, write the things you want to pray about and "present your case" before God (this is just one way to do it, of course!). I like this method because it keeps the mind focused on what you're doing, making it harder for the mind to wander, which is one of my biggest problems. I start out praying for someone's health and end up thinking about what I'm going to fix for supper! 1. Confession - take a few minutes to write down the things you need to confess to the Lord as sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring things to your mind. After you write them down, tell the Lord about them and ask Him to forgive you, then throw the paper away. ...

I don't remember where I found this or what it's called. I re-discovered it yesterday in an old journal. It's in a section of quotations, and I wanted to share it here. I'm sure you've probably seen it before, but when I first found it, my children were still small and it made a profound impression on me. To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding celebrations, labors, banquets, and holidays; To be Sears within a certain area, providing toys, boots, cakes, and books; To be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene; I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the rule of three And a small career to tell one's own children about THE UNIVERSE? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, And narrow to be EVERYTHING to someone? No, a mother's function is laborious not because it i...

This morning my husband was watching a national news show, and they had a piece about a woman who has chosen to become Muslim and wear a burkha, the traditional dress of a Muslim woman. She's a young non-Arabic Canadian woman, married to a Muslim man. She became Muslim when she was 20 years old and chose to submit herself to that religion's rules. The thing that caught my attention was that a group of women were gathered around this woman, arguing with her. They were angry that she had chosen this way of life, this style of dress. Isn't this what feminists have been fighting for, the right to choose what kind of life they want to live? Have they really? Or have they actually been fighting solely for their specific feminist agenda? The typical feminist believes that no woman should put aside her own desires for any man or child; that to have worth, a woman must have a rewarding and financially successful career; that a woman should postpone having children, and should...

Wes is teaching on Sunday nights on The Science of the Christian Life, based on a series of lessons by the late Dr. Jack Hyles. He's doing a great job of teaching these lessons, and I'm so grateful that I get to sit in the service on Sunday nights. The other two services of the week I'm teaching the kids' class. This past Sunday night, Wes taught on the Science of Conscience. I thought he had some good points, and wanted to share them here. - A damaged conscience (the result of the fall of man) is called several things in the Bible: an evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22); defiled (Titus 1:15); seared (I Timothy 4:1,2); weak and defiled (I Corinthians 8:7); and weak (I Corinthians 8:12). We have to have our consciences back in good repair before we can depend on them. - How to get your consience in good shape: 1. Have a pure mind - Titus 1:15, Philippians 4:8 2. Love - I Timothy 1:5 - learn to love others where they are 3. Fight - I Timothy 1:18,19 - fight the world a...

I thought Crystal said this well in her blog entry A Helper to our Own Husband , especially this part: Study him and find out how you can serve and honor and bless HIM. Don't try to be like another woman. Thanks for a good article, Crystal!