An Idea... What dost Thou Think????

I've been pretty quiet of late, I know.  I have good excuse, and that is that I simply have not had the time/brain capacity to actually sit down and write anything decent for quite some time!

For those of you who don't know, I started Bible college a few weeks ago!  It has been wonderful, and has opened my eyes to so much!!  (And I'm only just hitting week 4... nearly three whole years to go! XD)

One of the units I am currently working on uses a book by J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall called Grasping God's Word.   If you have access to this book at any stage I would very highly recommend it... I will happily lend it out to anyone who wants to borrow it, but I need it for another 8-9 weeks yet, so you'll have to wait until after that.  ;)

Grasping God's Word basically out lines how to read the Bible.  And I mean really read it.  How to get yourself right into the text - the words, the sentences, the paragraphs, and so on - so that all we are left with is what God wrote to us - His meaning and message for us.  We skim read the Bible so easily and leave with skim understanding.  The Word of God is so deep, and we miss it by having a set amount of chapters to read each day and moving on when at first we don't understand something.  To meditate means to chew on, look closer, think about, chew on, look closer, think about, chew on, look closer, think about...

Anyway, I had an idea.  I thought I might do a study on a particular book and stick on that book for a set amount of time and dig as far down as I can and see what God says through that book.

Unless God directs me otherwise, I think I will be doing a twelve week study on the book of Ephesians.  And I thought others might like to do it with me.

So here's the idea.  Let me know if you are interested in studying Ephesians with me.  If we get a few who are keen (feel free to pass this on to those you think would be interested too!) I will set up a private blog (with a password) where I will post what to do in a week (so that we are all on the same page, so to speak) and then everyone can post his/her observations and learnings as we go.  We will learn from each other, grow, find new things in the Word that we never saw before...

Please leave a comment here on this page letting me know what you think.  If you have questions or anything like that, message me, or ask here... spread it around and get other people in.  I'm keen to see what you all think!  ^_^

Gratitude Tag

I was tagged by +Clare Farrelly from Clare's Spot to do the Gratitude Tag.  I like this one - no rules, and a worthwhile object.  ;)  So thankyou, Clare for tagging me, and here it goes!

1. What is your favourite quote or verse that reminds you to be grateful? 

The verse that jumped to mind was Colossians 3:15.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.   
The other verse is Psalm 150:4.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 


2. Who are you grateful for?

I am really thankful for everyone in my life - for my parents and siblings; for all my friends; for the people who I serve with; for the people in my church; for my pastor; for the people at band... the list goes on and on really - I am so blessed with the people in my world!


3. What life events are you grateful for?

I am very thankful that my parents decided to homeschool me and the Sibs (that's our nickname for the eight of us collectively.  XD)  I know that the lifestyle we adopted has shaped me to be who I am today and it's something I hope to pass onto my own children one day.

I am also extremely grateful - more than words - for more recent events in my life in which God has called me closer to Himself and called me to ministry.  It still amazes me that He would want me... it's been an exercise of trust, but I hope that I can portray His love and freedom to others throughout my life.


4. What is something you are grateful for but often times don’t think about?

Food.  Where would we be without it???  Oh and air - and a good home and education.  We really take a lot of things for granted, don't we?  Clean water and coffee are a couple of other things.  :)


5. What are you going to do to show people your gratitude towards them?

Does anyone else find this question a little odd??  Maybe it's just me... I guess I'll keep serving them, and serving God.  Also my two top love languages are quality time and receiving gifts, so I often use those to love others as I assume they'll appreciate it as much as I would.  XDD



I'm going to tag +Jessica Dempster  and +Joy C.

Living Word of God

Standing under the bold and rather obscure sign 'Beliefs', I kept looking.  I honestly thought that a book on Mother Teresa would have been found in the biography section of the library, but I had been duly informed by the on-line catalogue that it would be here instead.  As usual, I was having trouble finding the exact title.  Suddenly, I caught my breath.  I hesitated as my fingers, skimming over numerous titles and authors, brushed over three beautifully bound books all headed The Holy Quran.  Cautiously, I reached into the shelf and pulled one out.  My heart was beating and I had the distinct sensation of a naughty child indulging in something strictly forbidden.  Opening the book, I was amazed at the beauty of it.  Each page was stunningly decorated in colours and patterns.  The text was divided into two parts: down the right hand side of each page was a script that I took to be Arabic.  The left hand column was most undeniably in English.  Hastily, I closed the book and placed it back where I had found it, hoping I had not been caught with my hand in the candy jar.  


I don't know why I felt like that.  With my wordview studies, I actually have read and analysed quite a significant portion of the Quran.  There was something much more present about holding one though.  (All the texts I have read were actually in my text book on my Kindle, so it really wasn't the same.)

I think my hesitation, nervousness, and - yes, awe even - stemmed from something else.  I don't quite know how to describe it, but I think it was a fear of some kind.  All my life, I have been taught that the Bible is the one and true Word of God.  All other religions are false teachings and their scripts and writings are definitely on the taboo reading list - right up there with Twilight and The Golden Compass.  When I held that copy of the Quran in my hands the other day, I felt as though I had seriously crossed the line and would have to do some intense heart-examination.

Isn't it incredible what feelings and emotions just holding a book brought me?  In essence all I was doing was holding a bunch of paper and dried ink that formed dead words in line after line.

Why doesn't the living, breathing Word of God stir up such feelings in us??  We have the Spirit of God inside of us.  When we read His own words, shouldn't our soul just start jumping with joy, ache with anguish, and burn with shame inside of us as He convicts us cleanses us and releases us into new life with Him?  As we are sanctified by the scriptures which came straight from the mouth and the heart of God, shouldn't we be filled with awe-struck wonder at His graciousness in giving us Holy words to live by?

I'm sorry to say, I often do not get as into the Word as I should.  I read it each morning, and then I go onto what I need to do next in my day.  We have the key to all eternity sitting right there infront of us every day - something many believers are denied - and yet we treat it lightly as nothing more than words on a page.

I was struck recently by a quote I read by Mahatma Ghandi.  He was not a Christian, but I think if He had been shown what true Christian love and faith is, he would have become one.  His views on Christians and he astute assessments and comments really strike home.  This is what he said:

“You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilisation to pieces, turn the world upside down and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.”

I don't really have anything left to say.  I shall just close with another quote and a scripture.

“What do you hold in your hand then? A literary masterpiece? A collection of ancient and beautiful stories?" asked the pope. "In that case, we must tell all those Christians who are prison and tortured for the Bible 'How foolish and unwise you have been. It is only piece of literature!' No, with the Word of God has come the light, which shall never be extinguished.

“You hold in your hands something truly divine, a book that is like fire, a book in which God speaks. Therefore, remember that the Bible was not written to be put on a bookshelf. It was written to be held in one’s hands, to be read frequently, every day, either alone or with others."

-- Pope Francis

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 2:16-17

This Week: Day By Day - Thursday

Thursday is the day of the week that always strikes me because the week is nearly over.  Every week without fail, I will get to Thursday and think, "Wow!  It's Thursday already!  Where did the week go??"  Today was no different.

It kicked off with Mum waking me up again (you know staying up until midnight does not do any favours for my getting up habits...) and reminding me that we had a chiropractor appointment at 8:00.  We always like the early appointments because then it is out of the way and we can move on in the day.  I had been looking forward to this appointment for some time because it was a fortnight after the last one and I had been quite sore in my neck and back for about a week and a half but was determined to last out the fortnight.  I was also having some weird nerve twitching in my left foot where my toe would just start moving on its own accord.  Creepy, right???  I couldn't wait for Dr. C. to fix me up.

Dr. C always begins by sitting you in a chair and feeling your shoulders and neck with his hands to see what muscles are tight, or if there is anything out of place.  He spent a long time on my left shoulder today around the shoulder blade.  It was SO sore - Mum was sitting there laughing at the faces I was pulling.  She told Dr C that he needed a mirror on the opposite wall so he could see what expressions his patients were pulling.  "Oh no," he replied, "I can feel it."  He then felt in my neck and poked and prodded at the base of my skull.  That was really sore as well.  Then I had to get onto the table.  The thing pictured on the left is a chiropractic table, in case you didn't know what one looked like.  You stand on the platform-shelf thing at the bottom, and when the chiropractor pushes a button, it tips forward until you are lying flat on your stomach.  Then the Chiropractor uses his hands to feel where your neck or spine might be out of line and adjusts it all back to where it should be.  Because the table moves when he pushes down, he doesn't break anything - it just sounds worse because the table makes a terrific crunching noise with each push.  The I felt really good walking out of there today, but I have got really sore again since... will I last another two weeks until my next appointment?  We shall see...

In our Bible reading today, we read Joshua 14, about how Caleb went to Joshua to claim the lands that God had promised to him forty-five years beforehand.  It was really amazing just to see that Caleb - even in waiting forty-five years for his promise - was still confident in God.  His faith had never been stronger and although he was now eighty-five years old, he had not retired from God's work.  Oh that we would all do the same!

I got another email from Elizabeth today saying that she will be arriving on the bus tomorrow.  I am so excited!!  Apart from having a couple of families to stay where we have planned for a couple of weeks where to put people, etc., this is the first sleepover we have ever 'hosted'.  I am very much looking forward to it.  Now I have to recruit a few sisters to help me tidy up the bedroom so it is presentable for guests.  ;P  Just kidding (sort of).  It's not too bad, I guess, but it's the little corners that get out of hand and need attention now.  And it needs vacuuming.  And I will have to strip and remake Jess's bed so Elizabeth can sleep in it.  And the list is growing.  XD

 had piano students again this afternoon.  I love how God orchestrates things - I have a dream of one day adopting internationally, and here I am with three of my four students being Indian, Filipino, and Chinese!  The two Thursday girls are ten and eleven years old, and are progressing pretty well, but are still relatively at the beginning stage of learning piano.  I was really pleased with their progress this week, even if Miss-10 will forget to listen to her CD.  Grrr!  I keep telling her that it will help, but she forgets.  Every time.  Miss-11 made wonderful progress this week - I was so proud of her!  She earned two songs 'off'' and got two new ones to practise.  By the end of the lesson she already had one of them going quite well hands together, so I don't think it will take her long.

The rest of the evening just happened like normal.  I spoke to Jess on the phone.  She said it was a really busy day and she was really tired.  Please keep her in your prayers - she does tire very easily and the camps aren't always easy.

So it's another nearly midnight post!  Mum and I finished Sister Act about twenty minutes ago.  XD  One of my favourite quotes from that movie is when Deloris (aka Sister Mary Clarence) says to the nuns, "Remember, when you sing, you aren't just quacking - you are rejoicing!  You are singing to the Lord!"  (Note: in case you get the idea that Sister Act is a Christian movie, it's not.  It's set in a convent as a pop-star singer tries to hide after she witnesses a murder and awaits the time when she will be called upon in court.  There are adult references and some language, but the reason I love it - apart from the music! - is that is took a secular movie to show what the role of the church should be in the community!  It really touches my heart every tie I see it.)

I am cutting Thursday fine, aren't I???  (It's five to twelve...)

Here's a challenge for you... Or I guess it's actually one for me:  Leave a comment with a word I have to use in tomorrow's post.  I'm sure I'll regret it tomorrow, but I'll do my best.  :)

Hae a wonderful Friday y'all!  God bless!  :)

This Week: Day by Day - Tuesday

I decided not to add to yesterday's post as I realized that by tomorrow - not to mention the end of the week! - the post would be terribly extensive.  And so, here is post two instead:

Tuesday:

Everyone slept longer than me this morning.  I love early mornings when its just me and my thoughts.  It's so peaceful.  My mind is not cluttered by events and issues of the day and I just have time to process and think.  I might not think about anything particularly, but it's refreshing.

It wasn't too long into this early paradise when Annie got up.  She wanted to go and change into clothes right away but I called her to come down stairs and give me a snuggle.  She came bounding down and snuggled in at my right before she was up and away again looking for a tissue, an activity she kept up most of the day.  And yes, it was necessary.  (Was that a bit TMI??  Sorry... XD)  Annie was quite restless right from the get-go today and she kept wanting to head upstairs and get changed.  I know she's so keen to dress herself in the mornings - she figures that if she gets in before hand, she gets to pick her own clothes and won't have to wear what anyone else thinks she should wear (i.e. jeans or trackpants... don't worry about being too cold, love!)   I also knew however that there was a very good way to keep her centred and settled - breakfast.  She managed to stay in the kitchen while I prepared my quinoa porridge, and then I put her in her high chair and set the precious bowl of wheat flakes in front of her.  Eventually everyone made it to breakfast, and Grace volunteered to have toast thus diverting a crisis with the last of the milk.  

After I did my job - vacuuming this week - I went up stairs to the study to do some music practice.  A lot of my mornings are now filled with music practises, what with flute, piano and my newly acquired violin.  I usually start with violin, but since I got new music for flute last night at band, I decided to do that instead.  I thought I would start with the 'easy' one.  It was amazing how difficult I found it.  I think I just don't keep up with the pace at band so that I hadn't really taken in some of the rhythms and runs.  And just saying, runs are quite difficult on flute - it isn't just dependant on fingering the keys - some notes have the same fingering - but as the pitch changes, so does your breath pressure and the way you have to purse your lips.  Hopefully I can master it before long.

After our reading time as a family, it was piano practise time.  I am currently practising from the Suzuki piano book three, as I really want to know the pieces I will have to someday teach.  That piece at the moment is a sonata or sonatina by Clementi.  Of course I have favourite pieces that I always play through as well, just because I can.  Those pieces are Fur Elise by Beethoven, Prelude in C number 1 by Bach, and Prelude in C minor by Chopin.

After Piano it was time to hit the violin.  Ok, not literally, but I did get a lesson from Joy as she is the one teaching me.  She informed me that "Song of the Wind" was going well, but "Lightly Row" really did need more work.  She also gave me "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" and another song that I can not remember the title of right now... it has something to do with children.

Stir-fried curry sausages and veggies on rice for lunch - yum!  ^_^

After lunch, my not-so-great feeling started to get worse.  I had been hoping that it would turn out to be hay-fever from the windy weather, but by the time afternoon rolled around, I was pretty sure I had a cold - again.  We have had a real hard time trying to shake this bug.  Whenever we start to get better, it attacks again.  Mum convinced me to get a doctor's appointment, and so I am booked in for tomorrow afternoon.  I kind of hope he finds something that is treatable with antibiotics, because then he won't just send me home under orders to rest.  That always seems kind of useless to me.  Because I wasn't feeling good - at all - I snuggled on my bed with The Book Thief and even dozed off for half an hour before I had to get up and get ready for my piano student.

My Tuesday student is new - she is only seven and had her first lesson last week.  Her family is Indian and she and her little sister are absolutely beautiful.  She is picking up what I am teaching her very quickly.  She is proving to be an absolute blessing and a delight to teach.

After they left, we had our nightly routine of dinner prep/end of day laundry while watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Family Feud.  

So that was about my day... What did you do today?  I hope you had a blessed one!  I leave you tonight with a very timely verse sent to me by a dear friend.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

This week: Day by Day - Monday

Monday

I was rather sleepy this morning... Mum ended up waking me a bit past seven.  I am usually up by that time but I can account for this morning.  Poor little Elise was rather unwell during the night and kept me awake with her coughing and shivering.  Eventually (a bit past 2:00 am) I got up and realized she was running quite a high fever.  This is not unusual for her when she gets any sort of bug, and it always hits her very hard in the form of high fevers, back aches and extreme headaches.  And it is usually in the middle of the night.  This means that I have to help her upstairs to the couch, take her temperature and wake up Mum to offer comfort to the little sufferer.  I don't mind too much (after all, I'm the one who's planning to do nursing...) but it does make me rather tired... and tired me can result in one of two versions of me:

1. The crotchety, cranky me; or
2. The giggly crazy me

The concerning thing is that not even I can say which version is going to come out throughout the day.  It can change.  I must admit that when I got up with Elise, it was cranky me.  I tried to be the sweet nurse I can envision, but maybe it takes three years uni to master that... (I wish... LOL!)

It took a cup of tea and a chorizo sausage with a couple of eggs to get me going.  That and this morning's breakfast music.  I sat down at the table next to Annie's high chair, and she asked, "Can we listen to Annie??"  (Now do remember that her name is not really Annie, so this makes much more sense in it's real context.  What she was referring to was the new movie of Annie released at the end of last year.  We love that movie - the soundtrack is awesome.  I have a movie review coming soon.  :D)  So we kids all sat around the table and between mouthfuls sand songs like Tomorrow, Easy Street, New York City, Opportunity, I Think I'm Going to Like it Here, Maybe, and so on, and so on.  It's so much fun singing together - those of us who can pick out parts do so, and it sounds really nice.

But all fun and nice things come to a close eventually and before we were ready to stop singing our little hearts out, it was time for us to all disperse and tend to our duties for the week.  I am on vacuuming this week and so I did a quick tidy of the lounge and dining rooms and vacuumed them.  In winter it is also my 'job' in the mornings to get the fire going.  James would gladly do this for me (the little fire-bug!) but it never gets going for him.  I have tried to tell him that piling the kindling on top of the logs will not ignite the logs, but never mind.  When he gives up I enjoy setting it up (properly!) and getting the house nice and warm.  This morning I got a bit of a scare when a burning stick rolled out of the fireplace on to the hearth, sending a spray of shattered burning coal bits onto the carpet and my skirt.  Thankfully, nothing actually ignited.  The carpet is somewhat scarred now with ugly black pits, but I am rather thankful that we still have a carpet and it didn't go up in smoke.

At 9:30 is our come together time where we read the Word, pray and read our read-aloud book together.  This morning's Bible reading was Joshua 11 where a whole gang of kings come together to fight Israel but in less than 24 hours, the Lord helps Joshua and his army wipe the entire lot of them off the face of the earth.  It's amazing.

Our Read aloud book at the moment is Jonny Tremain.  It is the story of an intelligent, arrogant boy whose dream of being the best silver smith in the American colonies is shattered when he is permanently injured by a spiteful practical joke.  He eventually finds himself swept up in the emotions and politics of the Revolution and meets some of the high up persons that shaped America to what it is today.

Our reading time lasted about an hour and then everyone went off to do their book work.  For me, this means biology and for this module, that means memorizing the anatomy of a crayfish.  I know.  Go figure.  A crayfish.  Last module it was the anatomy of a an earthworm.  I can't wait to get to vertebrates.

Lunch.  Lunch is getting a bit tricky for me as I seem to have become (to some extent) gluten intolerant.  I usually go digging through the fridge for some left overs.  Today that came in the form of a chicken drumstick and beans and a bit of pumpkin.  I made a mushroom sauce to go on the chicken (because if you can add mushroom to anything, why on earth wouldn't you??) and I must say it was really yum.  ^_^

Mum decided that Joy would help her do the lunch clean up today, and so Jess and I took Rosie and Annie to the park next door.  Our version of minding the girls in the park is to let them run where they want (within reason of course - they are not allowed ANYWHERE near the road) while we sit under a tree and read, glancing up every now and again to make sure we know the whereabouts of our little sisters.  When we came inside again and Mum put the little girls down for their afternoon rest, Jess, Elise and I all sat around the fire and read for a good half hour.  It was lovely.  I am currently reading several books (as you would know if you follow me on Goodreads =P) but I am concentrating on The Book Thief.  It is an amazing book.  The imagery Zusak uses is astounding.  I am really enjoying it, and am proud of myself for being well over halfway through it.  This may not sound like such a wonderful feat except that it is more than 500 pages long.  XD

At 3:00 mum had a 'music meeting' with our pastor and the other music leader (Mum being one music leader and Curtis the other).  She dropped Joy and me off at the library on the way down as we meet with a lovely librarian friend of ours every month.  And so, after hanging at the library for an hour, and then chatting with Lee for an hour, we went home with a few more books than we returned.  (Please tell me we are not the only ones who do this!!)

By the time we got home,  Grace had dinner on and before long, it was ready.  There is something rather homey about meat and veg.  Add to that the lively chatter of a family of ten and you have one of the most beautiful things in the world, in my opinion.

After dinner, we were on the go again (I told you this week would be busy!).  Mum, Dad, and Joy went to music practise at church (Grace and Elise weren't well enough to go tonight) and I went to town band.  Town band is a 'new' thing for me, as in I used to go but last week was the first time in five years.  I am really enjoying it and having an outlet for my flute playing gives me an incentive to practise.  I know a lot of the people in the band, and most of the flautists.  Tonight there were six flautists but I am under the impression that all up - intermediate and senior band combined with no people away - there would be 17 flutes.  Wow!  That's quite a number of shiny metal tubes, I can tell you!  The people down at the band are really lovely and I love playing with them.

So here I am now, typing this out for you all to read - a bit of a window into my day.  I am the only one up now and my eyes and head are begging me to put away the bright screen and go to bed.  So I think I will.  But I am going to leave you with a verse from my personal Bible time from 2 Corinthians.

Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

(2 Corinthians 2:10-11)

Goodnight all, and God bless!  :)

Rahab - A Simple Faith

 Rahab was a woman of questionable qualities.  It seemed she lived with her family - brothers, sisters, and parents - in the wall of Jericho.  Her house would have been notorious in the neighbourhood for one reason:  Rahab was a prostitute.

Then again, perhaps it was not so much notorious as it was well known.  After all, Jericho was far from having moral standards.  It was one of the cities on God's destroy-them list for Israel.  Which was why the spies were there in the first place.

In those days, is was not uncommon for a prostitute to run an inn along side her harlotry business.  If the spies wanted information, a public inn was the obvious choice.  All the news from the city and the surrounding cities would have come floating in throughout the day, and streaming in once the city gates were closed and strangers needed somewhere to stay for the night.  There would doubtless have been any number of such hotels available, but the spies picked Rahab's.

Rahab would have been startled to see these men walk into her inn.  They were not from the local area, that much was certain. She went about her usual welcome, testing the waters to see what the men really wanted - a room.. or something more??   It became clear right away however, that the men just wanted a room.
"So, where are you from?" she asked, as she led the men up the stairs to the room where they would lodge for the night.  You are not from Jericho."
The men hesitated.  "We are nomads," the taller one replied cautiously.
"Oh?  I don't get many 'nomads' in my inn - they are usually content in their camps."  She eyed the men suspiciously.  Letting them into their room, she followed and closed the door.  The men glanced at each other and back at their hostess.  Rahab  quickly drew close to them and lowered her voice to a whisper.  "Are you spies?"
The men stared at her in astonishment.  This woman was not one to be trifled with, or double-crossed.   Rahab took their silence for confirmation.  "Where are you from?"  She asked the question, not with the sternness of someone determined to get answers, but with almost an eagerness and innocent curiosity of a child preparing herself for a good story.
Finally, the tall man replied, "We are from the house of Israel, which is camped at Acacia Grove."  Rahab sprang back from the men as though their words had stung her with all the venom of forty cobras.  She was shaking.  "Israel..."  She whispered.  Quickly, and without another word, she left the room.
It took some time to recover from her shock.  She paced back and forth in her room, oblivious of if there were any other guests downstairs.  Her soul was disturbed and she could hardly breathe.  Suddenly, as though waking from a dream, she realized she had to get dinner on to cook.  While she scrubbed the potatoes and chopped the meat, her mind raced with all she had heard concerning Israel.  They had a God fighting for them, it was said.  A God who had destroyed Egypt.  A God who allowed His people to walk through the Red Sea.  A God who destroyed the kings of the Amorites.  Rahab felt her heart begin to pound again, and her hands began to shake so violently, she had to put down her knife.
Finally, the stew was ready, and she was about to serve the stew and call her guests to eat, when a young boy - her nephew, Lehagad - burst in the door.  "Aunt Rahab!  There are soldiers coming!  From the king!"  Lehagad dashed out the door again to view the spectacle.
Rahab dropped the platters the was carrying and ran up the stairs as fast as she possibly could.  There was no certainty that the soldiers were coming to her little inn, and yet Rahab was certain that they were.  She burst into the room of the Israelites without even knocking.  Startled, they looked at her and took in her white face, her lips moving silently.  The tall man who seemed to do all the talking, stepped to her quickly and grasped her shoulders.  "What is it?  Tell us, quickly!"  The shorter man, Rahab noticed, was on guard and had his had on his sword.
"Soldiers," Rahab gasped.  The men tensed.  "Come with me."
Rahab led the men at a running pace up two more levels until they came out into the open air.
"Where are we?"  The short one spoke for the first time.
"You didn't notice?  I live in the wall of the city - this is the top of the wall.  Now get down - both of you!"  The men obeyed and dropped on their fronts.  Quickly, Rahab arranged some drying sheaves of flax over them.  In the dying light, they were barely distinguishable.  Rahab glanced over the edge of the wall and saw the the soldiers were turning into her street.  "I'll be back," she murmured, and ran downstairs.  She took a few deep breaths and arranged her scarf over her head.  Her hands were still trembling.  Then, on an impulse, she threw back her head and stared up at the ceiling.  "Oh God of the Israelites!  I don't know you, or what you require of your people, but I know that you are powerful.  You are a God of strength.  Give me the strength to face these soldiers and protect the men from your camp."
Just then, there was a harsh rapping at the door.  Going to the door, Rahab came face to face with a group of soldiers demanding to know the whereabouts of the the Israelites that came to her inn.   Rahab felt a flood of peace and strength flood over her and she answered the soldiers calmly.  "Oh yes, they were here," she said, sidling up to the general, shyly fluttering her eyes at him from under her scarf.  Her voice was low and seductive.   "I fed them, then they left the city."  Suddenly, she grabbed the general's arm with both her slender hands, allowing her scarf to fall to her shoulders.  "Go quickly!  Perhaps you can catch up with them before the gates close!"
The general hesitated.  He looked down at the beautiful woman who was still clutching at his arm and looking up at him from under her lashes.  He fancied that he'd rather stay... but if his commander fond out that he had allowed the Israelite spies escape for the comforts of a mere woman, beautiful though she be... no.  He shook his arm of her touch.  "Thankyou, ma'am.  Your contribution to your city will be duly noted and rewarded.  Until next time, ma'am."
Rahab cocked her head and watched as the soldiers jogged towards the city gates.  She chuckled to herself.  Poor fellow.  Did he not know that she did not allow soldiers in her little inn?  They were vulgar men, in her opinion.  She was glad to have diverted them.  She chuckled again as she heard the city gates closing.  Satisfied, she walked gaily in the house, humming a little tune to herself.  The general would not be back, not tonight at any rate.  With a light heart she skipped up the stairs to where the men still lay hidden.
"It's all clear," she said.  She sat up and brushed stray stalks of flax from their clothing.
"We cannot thankyou enough for your protection," the tall man said, sincerity evident in his voice.
"Why did you do it?" The shorter one asked.
Rahab paused and pondered for a moment before answering.  "We have heard of your God, how He parted the Red Sea, destroyed the Egyptian, and the Amorite kings.  Everyone was filled with fear."
"Which was why you looked pale and startled when we told you who we were."
"Yes, I was afraid, but I have come to a conclusion, and that is that if your God is all powerful and all satisfying, I would rather follow Him.  And this is what I propose.  When Israel takes Jericho, you will remember me and my family, and you will come for us and we will live with you and learn to follow your God."
The men glanced at each other.  Then the tall man reached for Rahab's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  "Agreed."  He pulled a scarlet cord from his belt and handed it to her.  "Leave this in your window until we come for you."
Rahab took the cord and nodded.  "Now I will give you some food and we will get you out of here."
"How?"
Rahab grinned.  "I live on the wall, don't I??  I'll just let you down with a rope!"  The short man looked worried, but the tall one laughed and followed Rahab down to dinner.

---------------------

Seven years later, Rahab stood in the door of her house, waiting for her husband to come in from the fields.  Baby Boaz began to cry and she went to sooth him in his cradle.  Tenderly, she began to whisper to him.  "Don't you start to cry now, baby.  You have a strong, strong God on your side if you are willing to follow Him.  Hear, o Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One..."

A Beautiful Hymn

Recently, my sisters and I have been really enjoying discovering some of those old hymns that one does not hear so readily these days.  We attend an Assemblies of God church, now called Australian Christian Churches and so we tend to do more up-beat music from Hillsong, Planetshakers and Bethel Music.  But some of the old hymns are absolute gems!  With the piano, violin and singing in a few parts, they really come to life.  One that we love at the moment is "He Touched Me".  Planetshakers did a rendition of this beautiful song recently.  It is based on Daniel 10:

17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.

18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,

19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

Isn't that beautiful???  The full hymn says:

Shackled by a heavy burden,

'Neath a load of guilt and shame.

Then the hand of Jesus touched me,

And now I am no longer the same.

He touched me, Oh He touched me,

And oh the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened and now I know,

He touched me and made me whole.

Since I met this blessed Savior,

Since He cleansed and made me whole,

I will never cease to praise Him,

I'll shout it while eternity rolls.

He touched me, Oh He touched me,

And oh the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened and now I know

He touched me and made me whole.

And now I have some exciting news... that is... I think it is exciting!  ^_^   *Drumroll*

I have asked some lovely readers of Amity to write a guest post each!!!  I'm really excited about this as I read their blogs (those who have a blog!) and I know that whatever they write will be beautiful and inspiring.  I don't know when they will be posted but stay posted for when they are.  (Sorry - bad pun!  XD)

Wishing you all a wonderfully blessed weekend.  :)

Blessed are They That Mourn...

Grief can be a hard thing to deal with... one moment the world seems hard with all the little trials of life and then something really big happens and you wonder why any of it mattered to you before... Everyone deals with grief differently.  Some sob and cry aloud; others find something practical to do and throw themselves in, expending their sorrow in the energy of honest work; others do similarly, but express themselves in a seemingly unrelated work of art (be it musical literary, or drawing); still others have to express what they are feeling in words; and others mourn quietly, knowing that time, tears, and God will heal the inexpressible hurt.

None of the roads of grief are wrong... God has instilled in each one of us ways of coping with our sorrow - don't be afraid to express what you are feeling. Cry when you need to, hug the people around you and keep loving them, because life is short and we need to embrace every opportunity to love.

I was thinking of some verses that may help you when dealing with grief... turn them into prayers - turn your tears into prayers... your tears are precious to God because He loves you oh so much.

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

(Isaiah 53:4)

You number my wanderings;

Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

(Psalm 56:8)

Blessed are those who mourn,

    For they shall be comforted.

(Matthew 5:4)

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

(Isaiah 41:10)

Remember the word to Your servant,

Upon which You have caused me to hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction,

For Your word has given me life.

(Psalm 119:49-50)

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

(I Thessalonians 4:13-18)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

(1 Peter 5:6-7)

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.  For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.”

(Pslam 27:4-5)

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Romans 8:31-39)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

(John 14:1-4)

" 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Thankyou Lord Jesus!

In memory of Shannen, who at seventeen is experiencing the glories many Christians spend decades only dreaming of... we would not call you back from bliss, sweetheart, but we are coming to join you oneday at the feet of our Jesus who has restored you to better health than was possible here on earth... we love you. xxx