Hard but Wonderful!

 I heard a preacher say this when he was talking about serving God. “It’s hard but it’s wonderful!” It’s so true and it applies to many things in life.

Having a child with special needs is hard, but it’s also wonderful. Being a Christian is hard, but it is truly wonderful! Living by faith, doing right, sharing the gospel with others, teaching the Bible, reading the Bible, being a parent, being married, and so on is hard but it’s WONDERFUL!

Trials are hard, but what we learn and become through them with Gods grace is wonderful!

There is a similar quote on our school staff room wall. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it!”

If what we are doing is good and right and in Gods will for us, it will be well worth the hardness.

It’s easy to be focused on the hardness. But it’s good to remind ourselves that it is wonderful and worth it! Don’t try to do it in your own strength. Trust God to help you and stay close to Him.

“Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

Lessons from Rahab etc.

 

In this video I share some thoughts, recipes, tips, and Bible lessons from my week. I also share 3 more playlists that I've made and a Christian Movie that I liked.

Montana Chocolate Chip Biscuits
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (125g) butter
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups rolled oats 

13/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix together the first 6 ingredients. In separate bowl mix next 5 ingredients. Add 2nd mix to 1st mix. Bake on greased or lined trays for approximately 8 mins at 190C.

Chicken Pie

2 cups chicken broth (stock)

2 tblsp flour

2 cups diced cooked potatoes

2 cups diced cooked carrots

2 cups peas

2 tblsp chopped cooked celery

1 small onion, chopped and cooked

2 cups diced cooked chicken

Buttered bread crumbs or pie dough rolled out to fit oblong baking pan.

Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Heat broth. Add 2 tblsp flour to make a thin gravy. Mix with vegetables and chicken. Pour into oblong baking pan and cover with bread crumbs or pie dough. Bake for 1 hour.

The Real Reason I Make Youtube Videos

 In this video I share the different reasons I make Youtube videos aswell as the ONE reason I do even though I didn't want to. I share the lessons I've been learning through it and also what I do and don't like about it. I share about "The Power of the Air" and a parenting tip.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

On Thursday night we went to the Community Dinner in our church hall. (People from our church all help with this, but it is my husband, Johan, who organizes it and who leads it each time.) There was a big group of people there from the community, mostly elderly people. But one person who had said they were coming was missing. We got told that he had passed away a few days earlier. We were sad and shocked. This man had been coming to the Little Haven for the last 6 months (The Little Haven is a building we have in the middle of town which is set up as a drop in center). We had been seeing him every Friday and even though he was old, it was very unexpected.

It made me feel sad, but it also made me realize how important the Little Haven is. For the last 6 months of his life, this man heard the gospel regularly. Although we don't know his heart or if he responded, we know he heard it--he had the opportunity.

I help Johan at the Little Haven each Friday. We serve tea, coffee and biscuits and a hot lunch at 12. Johan usually shares a few words from the Bible before he gives thanks for the food. I help with the cooking and the dishes, while Johan talks to the people. One Thursday a month we cook a meal for the Golden Oldies (Senior Citizens). And lately we have been open every second Sunday afternoon to share more about the Bible.

The truth is, although I do enjoy it, I never feel like going! It is out of my comfort zone and I would rather stay at home. It takes time and energy--there's a lot of dishes! It is a time commitment and a small sacrifice. I sometimes grudge that.

But it is so important! It is giving people--especially people who are close to death--the opportunity to be saved. It is giving them another chance.

Lord, help me to willingly give my time and energy so others can have a chance to hear the gospel. Help me to love these people and care about them. Help me to be more friendly and warm. Help me to remember that every time I see them may be the last.

What kind of ministry has God given you? I hope this encourages you that it IS important and it IS worth the sacrifice!

Useful or Comfortable?

I found a nice picture book of Florence Nightingale in a second hand shop. Last night I was reading it, and although it was made for children, it really spoke to me.
She grew up in a very wealthy family and was expected to enjoy a comfortable easy life. Instead she was unhappy at all the misery of the poor and sick around her. To the horror of her family, she spent her life helping better other people's lives.

The last paragraph of the book is very touching. 
It would have been easy for Florence Nightingale to live a life of comfort. Instead, she lived as she believed she should, working hard to help others. Her determination to be useful became an example for the entire world.

Compared to most people in the world, I am also very rich. I have a Christian heritage, a stable marriage and home, church family and friends, the Bible, a home in Heaven, a relationship with God, a house to live in, food on the table, clothes to wear and so on.
Am I like Florence or the rest of her family? Do I just sit back and enjoy the comforts? Or do I care about others and their needs? Do I sacrifice my time, money, energy, talents etc. to help others physically and spiritually? Is it my desire to be useful or comfortable?
 God didn't put me on this earth to enjoy myself and be comfortable. He put me here to serve Him and others. That takes sacrifice.
I am very thankful for all the blessings I have, and I do enjoy and appreciate them. But I don't want to be selfish and not care about people who don't have what I have. I can't help everybody, but I can share what I can with who I can, and God can bless it.

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom  for many." Mark 10:45

Keep Planting

Planting seeds is risky! Not all seeds grow and your money, time and work can be wasted. But how do plants grow without someone taking that risk? What would our world look like if no one planted seeds?
Plant seeds are not the only seeds we can sow. We can sow seeds of kindness, love, and friendship. Seeds of the gospel. We plant seeds in our children's lives. Seeds of truth, wisdom, the Bible, and all the different things we can teach them. We plant seeds in our own life by reading and meditating on God's Word etc.
Seeds don't sprout up immediately. They take a lot of time, patience and consistent care. 
I am not a patient person. I like to see results. Immediately!!
These verses have been a big help to me, encouraging me to keep going, keep planting and have hope that at least some of the seeds will grow.

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.  Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

Keep on planting good seeds and water them faithfully with prayer. It is the only way to reap a harvest. 

An amazing Story!

A young officer was leaving home on a long term of service in India, and just before he said 'Goodbye” to his mother, she gave him a bundle of tracts to distribute when he reached India. He packed them safely away in his kit bag, and promptly forgot all about the matter.