New...

A new year ahead of us, a clean page to write on, a blank sheet to draw on...it almost makes me hesitant to make a mark and spoil the brightness, the purity. However, nothing will be gained if I don't take a chance and put my mark on that page.

Looking at my blog I saw, to my shame, that the last time I blogged was 11 months ago - yikes!! 2012 had both its good and bad moments. Pretty much the norm for most people, I guess.

I have to make a confession here...spiritually it has been such a hard one for me. I might have mentioned before that, in my family, I am the only one who is trying to walk the road with Jesus. My husband is an unbeliever and my children have lost their way. I have come to a point where I feel I am losing my way too. It sometimes seems too hard to struggle on alone - sigh!

We moved country and to a lovely new home at the end of May last year. "Last year" that sounds weird! Anyway, I have been going to a church, but not really settled in and found my niche there yet. Not their fault at all. I have not got involved with a small group and I know that a small group is where you really meet and get to know people. The church is much bigger than the ones I have been to in the past. I cannot decide which is the best time to attend a small group i.e a morning or evening one.

Moving on from those gloomy paragraphs, 2013 has the excitement of two pending arrivals in our family! Both my daughter and daughter-in-law are pregnant with their first children...our first grandchildren!! They live in the UK, whilst we are in South Africa. All my childen came to share our first Christmas in our new home - very special. It is very strange seeing one's daughter pregnant. Of course, I think she looks so cute :)

These are scriptures that I have been praying over my grand babies in the making -

Psalm 139:13-16
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.


What a privilege to be able to pray for one's grandchildren and I can't wait to meet them in May!

My hopes for 2013?
- to start to spend more time with my Lord
- to be a better wife to my husband
- somehow to be a godly example to my children
- and amongst other things, to be a better blogger ;)

Lastly a photo. This bushbuck came to the bottom of our garden on Christmas Day and nibbled on one of our bushes. We felt very privileged that he shared his Christmas nibble with us!

Wishing you all a blessed and wonderful 2013.

A Good Year...

Though we are at the end of the first month of the year, it is still relatively a new year. With that being said, I came across this piece that I had scribbled a while ago and decided that it would be appropriate to share it now.

"A Good Year" - winemakers talk about this. Do they know that it will be a good year before the wines are produced or is it something they can only see once the grapes are harvested?

In life, looking back, "A Good Year" involves looking at things that have passed, things that have ended, moments gone. It is in one's memories.

In looking forward "A Good Year" promises things to hope for, wishes to be fulfilled.

As people who put their faith in God, how are we supposed to look at "A Good Year"?

In God's eyes it would appear that we should look at it positively. "Good" is a positive word. God is a God of good things. Love is positive, full of hope, encouragement - He is Love. God is a God of abundance; He has come to give us life in abundance. He wants the best for us.

Life is about learning from our past - mistakes, failures, victories and good things. It is also about looking to our future, because that is where we are heading, whether we like it or not.

If we put our faith in Christ, then our future will surely hold "A Good Year" - Jeremiah 29:11-13

I am linking up to Shanda's On Your Heart Tuesdays

Seek...

During my readings recently, verses about seeking the Lord kept popping up. Now, I wonder, is God trying to say something to me??? Of course He is; He always has something to say to me when I read His Word. 


Psalm 63:1 (NIV) 
You, God, are my God, 
   earnestly I seek you; 
I thirst for you, 
   my whole being longs for you, 
in a dry and parched land 
   where there is no water.
Do I earnestly seek God?


Psalm 9:10 (NIV)
Those who know your name trust in you, 
   for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Do I trust God?


Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) 
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Do I seek Him with all my heart?


These are questions I should ask myself on a regular basis. If I am honest with myself, I have to say that my answers are..."No".


Oh, I seek God, but not always earnestly. I trust Him for some things, but not everything. I seek God, but not wholeheartedly all the time.


On looking at the context of these verses, I saw that they were written to God's people when they were facing times of trouble, captivity or persecution. These circumstances, mostly, seemed to be due to sin on their part. What I find so encouraging is that God still told them to seek Him and He would help them. He is still doing that today; He is waiting for us to seek Him, to call on Him for help. He is longing for us to seek Him out just to spend time with Him and not only for what He can do for us.


So let us...

Isaiah 55:6 (NIV)

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.

I am linking up to Shanda's blog for her weekly On Your Heart Tuesdays

New Year...New Goals

It is the third day of 2012 already and only the first time I have got down to writing a post this year. It is a good thing that I have not set myself a goal of doing 365 posts!!

  Goals. I have been trying to decide what my goals should be this year, but cannot do so. The year ahead is going to be one of big changes for us. We are hoping to move to our new home in South Africa sometime around April. Not only is it a new home, but it will be a change of country too. 

  For over twenty years we have been expats. Actually, we have only lived in two countries in that time (Mauritius and Nigeria), but we have lived in eight homes. Though not too bad considering other people in the same position have probably lived in twice as many, if not more, homes. 

  As a result of this impending move, I have been finding it very difficult to settle in to anything, never mind sitting down to set goals for the year ahead. I am being an ostrich and burying my head in the sand at the thought of getting down to sorting out the last ten years of accumulated things in our house. Oh, I do understand that the sooner I get on with it, the sooner it will get done, but that is not helping right at the moment. I will get there, don’t worry!

 Proverbs 16:9 says A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.(NKJV). So, it appears to me that we should make plans/goals and then leave the outcome to the Lord. We are also told in Matthew 6:25-33 not to worry about our daily needs, but to seek Him first. That should be the first goal of my year.

  I wonder if these geese below, are setting goals for the year?? Somehow, I don’t think so.

Unto Us...

Candlelight...

Today is a miserable, rainy, gloomy day. Happily, I have not had to venture out and cope with driving in the rain or going to the shops, especially as the parking lots and shops are crowded and crazy!

My daughter has a lovely candle holder, so in the cause of taking a photo, I put a tea light inside and captured this shot…a lovely warm glow to brighten up a gloomy day :)

It also reminds me of the Light of the world...

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)


¹²Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in." John 8:12 (The Message)


I should always be aware that Jesus is the light in my world. I should always be aware that, with Him as the light in my life, I do not need to stumble around. I should always be aware that, with Him, there is plenty of light to live in. Am I always aware of that? Sadly, no...but each time I see a candle, I hope that in future I will be aware of the Light of the world.

Colours of Christmas...

The colours of Christmas, red, green & gold represent the following to me:


Red: Atonement, the blood of Jesus
Green: New life, growth
Gold: God's divinity and glory