Ephesians 3

take it all in:

Ephesians 3 (NLT)

God's Mysterious plan revealed.

"What I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ for the benefit of you Gentiles... assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. [this means God has invited everyone- can you think of a better example of inclusion?] Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to

Christ Jesus. By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in

the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. So plese don't lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honoured.

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand full. Then you wil8l be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is abl

e, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."

my REFLECTION:'

I had a real revelation the other day. I think i was sitting at bible study with my mouth open and jaw dropped because of this realization. How come people often think Christianity is an exclusive religion? Only a few get in, or somehow there is this concept of predestination which equates to a special selection of certain people. The gospel has been totally misrepresented if this is the common perception. The truth is, the thesis of the entire new testament is one of "inclusion." This word inclusion had made me think. okay, so back in the day, there was a real distinction between jews and gentiles, but echoed throughout the entire nt is this message of how Jesus bro

ke down that wall of separation between the two groups. Jesus' message is for all. I think I take that fact too lightly. David crowder's song says, "oh happiness- there is grace enough for us and the whole human race." This model of inclusion is Christ's vow. I just realized now why my professor at trinity adopts the model of "full inclusion" in the classroom to incorporate all students into the regular classroom. I am so inspired by this model of full inclusion, which was taken right from Jesus. I am compelled to adopt an inclusive attitude and build relationships with others. Isn't it amazing that God wants all to know him? he hasn't selected only a few; he doesn't prize some over others. No, "he loves us. [each and every one of us] oh how he loves us."

Zoe

Zoe:

life the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate every living soul life of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic "logos" and to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever. Lately, I have been stuck on this word, Zoe, which is Greek for the word Life. This word is used 135 times in the New Testament. We know the verse in John 10:10 where Jesus states that he has come "to give abundant life." What does it look like to step into this abundant life? Although this has been one of my big questions for a long time, I often didn't know how I could discover, or walk in, abundant life. But I am beginning to recognize that the answer is that being connected to Jesus allows us to have life. In First John it says, "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have th Son of God does not have life." The secret to living life fully, with purpose, is to have relationship with Jesus. The bible speaks about how Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. When we walk close with Christ, we will experience life more fully. Walking close to Him means abiding. "abide" : to remain, to continue, to stay with, to dwell, to reside, to act in accord with, etc. I want to abide in the father. When we remain in him we bear fruit. I don't look to the result of bearing fruit, but I want to keep my eyes focused on Jesus so as to stay in his will. I want to keep eye contact with him continuously. but i've been thinking about how you have to learn eye contact. sometimes it's not natural. but I want to keep checking in with my father. When we are not in relationship with the Father, we don't have life. Grace recently said this to me, "To remain in the Father means He will remain in us, and when we do, just like the vine and the branches, we will bear much fruit......but this fruit isn't necessarily the fruit that we think it is. What kind of fruit does an apple tree produce? Apples of course. So in the same way by remaining in the Father, we will be like the Father, and that is the fruit!" We know we are alive when we are connected to the vine. The fruit is to be like Christ. It means we will be clothed with the same qualities that he has in himself- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and even more. To walk with the Father, is to walk in Life because he is the source of Life. side note: Incomplete thought: Isn't it funny that when we strive, we often don't get anywhere? It's only when we abide in Christ that we receive peace, rest, contentment, joy and it is when we are in that place that he is able to show himself to us. When we are preoccupied with crossing him off our list, we lose our love. When we abide and delight there is so much to revel in. I think God has something to say about striving. He even saved us from our strivings. How come when we worry about something, nothing happens? but when I am simply "being" I am able to live? I guess God= Freedom and striving isn't complete freedom. I hope you sit with Christ. I pray that you abide in him because as you do, you will live and move with vitality.

Let everything that's in me Praise the Lord!

I have so much to praise God for. He is so good! Let everything that's within me Praise the Lord!

As you may know I was offered a part time teaching job for the fall. I feel so honoured to have been asked to fill this position. As I think about it, I am overcome with this confidence that God is a good God, a daddy who cares for his children and has great plans for them. At the end of the school year, in April, I knew that I needed some time off from University. Although I only have my professional year remaining for teaching, I was tired and empty and needed some time off from studying. So, although I had already been accepted to do the professional year program at Trinity, I turned it down to wait and complete it the following year. At that point, I only had plans to travel for the summer and didn't know what I would do come September. But God has great plans. I thought that perhaps I would submit my name for Teachers' assistant job, but didn't get around to it before my adventure in Asia. I left for a three month adventure in SouthEast Asia with JoAnne, Tesia and Alanna in mid May, still wondering what I would do when I returned. In mid July I was contacted through email to ask if I would consider teaching part time primary music. I was so astounded by the offer. God has a great way of orchestrating how things will work becuase he knows all. I was so honoured to be asked to fill this position and I have such a great mentor to guide me through my first teaching experience. Upon starting the staff here has been great. They are so resourceful and encouraging. The small notes and kind words speak volumes. And when they drop by my office to ask how my first week went means so much to me. I have been enjoying teaching so far. It is so wonderful to hear the students sing praises to God Most High. They lift up their praises and I get the opportunity to teach them what it means to praise God. Our song of the month is, "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee." I explained to the students that this is a prayer song and even though I sing it nine times a day, it is really becoming my prayer. I was challenged this summer by Denise to "Take a risk and play because it's FUN!" I want to thoroughally enjoy every moment and fully engage in everything that is before me.

"Lord may my life flow in ceaseless praise. Praise you for every gift you have brought into my life for such a time as this. Let me walk in confidence of who you've made me to be. Let this classroom resonate with your praises and I ask that each student will respond to the music, participating as you've created us to. Give me great joy as I teach and allow me to convey living life in abundance for you are the Lifesource!"

... more thoughts to come soon about living Life in the Son...stay tuned!

new song

Check out this new song that Louis introduced me to today.

It's on my video bar on the left-hand side.

here are the lyrics:

Your love is pure your love is precious your love is all i need

your love surrounds me your love astounds me your love is everything.

i run to you my heart is weak i cling to you you're all i see
it's my hearts desire to be close to you cause here in your arms i'll find my strength.

your love is pure your love is precious your love is all i need
your love surrounds me your love astounds me your love is everything.

i run to you my heart is weak i cling to you you're all i see
it's my hearts desire to be close to you cause here in your arms i'll find my strength

you're everything I want; everything I hope for; everything my heart cries out for.

Beautiful! A new prayer! You're everything I want; eveyrhting I hope in; everything my heart cries out for.

a few pictures

Me in Chiang Mai- loved that place.
My second elephant ride. These elephants were huge!

Hello Tiger (notice that I am not petting the tiger).


The Ayutthaya Ruins. We had such a fun day biking around the city and exploring the ruins. We also love that we wore brightly coloured shirts this day.

here are some pictures. they're a little old, but realized I haven't posted pics for a long time.

enjoy~

Hello Readers!

So I am entering the last three weeks of the trip. I'm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia right now and tomorrow I'm heading to Medan, Indonesia.
I just had a relaxing week with my friend Denise. We were able to meet up in Cambodia and then we headed down to Phuket Thailand. We were hoping to get some good sun on the beaches; however, the rainy season is in full swing here, so our plans were somewhat altered. It rained everyday; sometimes only for ten minutes, sometimes all afternoon. I will always remember swimming in Cambodia in the pouring rain. We were able to also see my friend Judy, who is in Phuket. I hadn't seen her since my days at Rick Hansen and so it was such a privilege to get to see her. We were invited to her house for a party. It was neat to hear her speaking Thai with her friends. She is just like I remember - full of life and passion and love for those around her and she has such a generous heart.

Thought of the day: A generous heart demonstrates love; A generous heart shows interest, compassion and value. (Judy is a beautiful example of a generous heart).

God is... GENEROUS!

Thanks Denise for a great, relaxing week. It was a real adventure! Sihanoukville, 13 hour bus trip, sleeping in, your sun burn, Nachos, Transformers, overpriced tuck-tuks, party at Judys, music and dancing in the room! I'm so glad that it worked out for you to come and meet up with me. You're teaching me a lot about listening to the Spirit, asking for ongoing insight from God.

check out denise's blog for a few pics. www.travelingbeyond.blogspot.com

Have a great day!!!

To inquire of the father's heart

Let me cry out for insight.
Let me ask you before I make decisions.
Not out of fear. Not out of duty.
Let me love you.
Allow me to hear you.
Teach me to seek you.
Before I make a decision, I want to inquire of your heart.
Do I come to you before I go? or do I go before I come to you?
Teach me to ask.
Teach me to bring even the small things into your hands.
You want to share with your children.
Remind me that you speak when I come to you.
Continue to show me more of the Father's Heart.
When I converse with others, may I bring them before you.
Guide my conversations. Guide my words with each encounter.

This is to walk in God's will.
To walk with him before, during, after.
To commune all the time.
To shift my attention onto His heart.
To know your heartbeat.
To not only know your heartbeat, but to move in sync with it.

This is my desire.



Jeremiah 33:3 (The Message)
2-3"This is God's Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: 'Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.'

Jeremiah 33:3 (New Living Translation)
3 Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

Jeremiah 33:3 (New King James Version)
3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

You were made for this!

Psalm 57:2

I cry out to God Most High,
to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. (NLT)

I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me. (NKJV)

Thank you Lord that you have specific purposes for me.
Please allow me to bring hope to those around me.

What do you want?

I've been thinking about all that tourism entails. To be honest, it seems that it is so often only a thing where the tourist extracts and consumes. It seems so self indulgent. I want to see the sights. I want to buy the things. I want to go to this place. I feel that this is so selfish and I fear that when this happens it becomes so easy for people to become commodities. People shouldn't be commodities. When people begin to look past the people, they miss the biggest part of the culture. I want to look into the people- not look past them.

beautiful people

all around I see such lovely people,

warm smiles and deep eyes

rich in love,

each with a story to tell,

each with something to offer,

look around, see my eyes and smile,

I have a story to tell.

Chiang Mai #2

Here are the vendors

Chiang Mai #1

Introducing some of my Swiss friends, as well as the great fun of the Sunday Night Market.

Meditation

slowly. read God's word. let it sink into your heart. digest it. meditate on it. word. by. word. Let the Father Speak to you. Reflect on His character. ask him what his word reveals about himself. ask him what his word reveals about you. be still and know that He is God. thank the lord. come as a child. come just as you are.

Ephesians 1 (NLT)

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms becuase we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God has now revealed us to his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: at the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ, everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from Christ, for he chose us in advance and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

God's plan was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ, would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the good news that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own and gave you the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knolwedge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called- his holy poeple who are his rich and glorious inheritance."

It's Now

Don't wait for a special occasion to do something special... today is special!

i love the rain

just ask the girls and you will find out that i go crazy when it rains in Thailand! they usually think i go crazy from coffee and sugar, but i think it's just the rain that makes me smile:)

enjoy the video clip

re: What is justice

Here are some touching words from my friend. A way in which to approach others around me.

"Who is responsible to repair the world? Only One is capable of that.
How do I relate to it all? What did He instruc tme to do? Love Him fully and love others to the same degree that I love myself; that sounds like justice and charity combined.

Allow only one face to capture your heart and if possible, hear their story at a deeper level. Ask them some of your questiosn and hear their answers. They are good teacher sand you can become a good friend."

Father, increase my capacity to love
increase my generosity
increase my joy in the morning

allow me to extend grace
allow your love to compel me

enable me to give of myself

All for your glory

just a snapshot

the busy streets of Bangkok

that's a tuk-tuk

we love the pink taxis

yummy- frog on the first day!! so brave!

you never know unless you try it!

i'm here... and i'm having a great time! these are just a few shots of what we were up to in the first couple of days in Bangkok.

-today is a gift!

I celebrate!

justice

Question: What is justice? What does it look like?

live to give

really? live to give? what can i give?

I've been thinking about the power of a smile. I can give a warm smile to those i encounter and it can have significant impact on them. I may not be able to speak the same language, but acknowledging them and affirming them with a smile can be one way in which to show them that I value them. I had had several encounters so far on the trip where i capture the eyes of someone else and speak to them with a smile.

I will give what I have...

thailand travel

Embrace the Pink- Celebrate!

A Sense of Accomplishment

On Saturday I had my Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony. I felt such a great sense of accomplishment. This is a huge milestone and it is hard to believe that four years have passed so quickly. I have definitely grown a lot over the last four years and I am looking ahead with a sense of anticipation for what is to come. ~Lord Guide my steps~


I felt like I was beaming all weekend
Brayden and I~ This is life! I embrace it joyfully~ Here I am - a university graduate Me and My Bro

Cap and Gown-

She's growing up...

I'm growing up

Here are a few pictures from my University Graduation Banquet - April 2009

G and I - so many memories
H, you are beautiful inside and out!

Crozier and I- you Inspire me

You crack me up, G

Crazy Ladies

K, T and I - The FTS Unites

Education Girls- Stacey we are twins and one day we will team teach!!!

Excited for what's in store for you ladies:)

I love these ladies!

Such good friends

R- it's been so good to have gotten to know you over the last year!

we have so much in common

Trust

Trust

Thoughts - Relationships are not about power or control. What good can stem out of a relationship based on control? Relationships are about trust- about the other person. If I want to be in control I am saying that I don't trust the person I am in relationship with. When I give them control, I am showing them that I trust them. Think of Jesus. He trusted his disciples, even though he didn't have to. He could have exerted power over them, but instead he chose to trust them. When we assume full control we are in a way saying that we feel that we could do things better than the other person. We are saying that we believe we are capable by ourselves. I find it difficult to give up control. I find it hard to give up control when I know that we are all human and that we will make mistakes. What if I trust someone else and then they let me down? Again, this is where I have to come back to enjoying the other.



Check out what my dear friend has to say about this:http://paradigmministries.ca/7_1/?p=14. My friend says, "We in our desire to do things right spend most of our energy building structure, outlining responsibilities then holding people accountable. We do not live for the expectancy found in relationship but rather we create expectations both from and within relationship. These can be spoken or not yet they still define key roles and functions. In so doing the most pleasurable part of relationship is lost.We have been created to experience one another. There is a real sense of freedom to be who we are rather than the conformity to the expectations of another. That freedom however is rarely expressed due to the reality that we may long for it but our relationships are not open enough to support it. Thus we constantly second guess the other to determine the level of freedom we can express."



What has God been speaking to me? EVERYTHING STEMS OUT OF INTIMACY WITH THE FATHER. Intimacy is about enjoy the other person. It is about putting them first. It is about bringing out the best in them. It is about calling forth the qualities in the other. It is love and sacrifice. It is not self-seeking. I've been thinking about how God pursues his children. He comes to us, he beckons us into relationship with him and we are invited into relationship with him. It is not a coercive relationship. Good things stem out of intimacy with the father. confidence. peace. security. trust. relationship.

How can I honour those that I am relationship with? Trusting them is key.

~ help me to trust~

The Heart of the Matter

It all comes down to these things: Heart & Motives.

Although we can not judge others heart and motives, we can take responsibility for our own heart and motives. Others may not even know why we do what we do, but we do. When it comes to the big issues that we face or our life decisions, I realize that our heart & motives are the two factors that speak loudest to answer the WHY question. Stepping back and asking yourself why you do what you do is a vital part of living an honest life. These are also the things that God is concerned with. Doesn't 1 Samuel tell us the story of how "man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart?" (1 Samuel 16:7). A pure heart is one that pursues godliness. God is always speaking about the condition of the heart.

I have been challenged to consider this verse: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23).

I love you!

This is my family~ I love you!

Here we are... Meems, Deeds, me, Brayden and Mekayla

Aren't we crazy?


We are so silly!

The three of us

Double...oops
Mekayla and I- sisters

These Things

~ Pursue Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness ~ 1 Timothy 6:15

... So Honour God in your Body...

In the last couple of months I have been thinking a great deal about fitness and healthy living, and I have been inspired to a reconsider how I approach them. Why do we exercise? Why do we pay attention to our bodies and why do we want to make healthy choices? I have been challenged to a new paradigm of thinking where our ultimate reason for doing these things is to honour God with what he has given us- our body! By taking care of what God has given to me, I am honoring him. This has totally revolutionized my thinking because what the media and the world say is so contrary to this way of thinking. We are told that we should exercise to look good for other people and that it will increase our self-image and self-worth if we are skinny and "good looking," but that is so opposite of the way that God views his children. We are made in his image. He takes pleasure in us. We are more than skin deep. We are so precious and valuable in his sight. It is so motivating for me to think of taking care of my body as a response to God- let me worship you with the way that I use my body and the decisions that I make. When the Scriptures talk about our bodies being the Temple of the Holy Spirit, I believe this means that we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us, so I want my response to be to "honour God in my Body" as it says in 1 Corinthians 6:20. Some people have accused me of taking that verse out of context because the preceeding verses relate to sexual immorality; however, I belive this phrase is true in every real of our lives and can be carried over to different sectors. I don't think God compartmentalizes things like we do. We tend to say that one thing only pertains to a certain context, but really, truth should carry over into every realm of our lives. So we can honour God with whatever we choose to do. I've realized that out of this attitude and comes much joy and a real fullness of life. I feel like I have been living life so fully in the last while, by simply embracing this truth that I can honour God with my body and that he views me as a wonderful creation and I don't have to earn that or be a certain way to receive that. I want to walk in light of this. I also want to affirm other poeple in who they are in Christ, as I discover these truths as well. I am alive!

I have also been realizing the value of pursuing godliness. 1 Timothy 4 says, "Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths; Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness if of value in every way, as it holds promises for the present life and also for the life to come."

* Thanks C for sharing this insight with me. I have a whole new philosophy of fitness. These words have been so challenging and encouraging. May you continuje to gain much favour with those you come in contact with - as you speak into their lives and share this message of beauty and identity in Christ with them *

Thrive

Be Who God has made you to be.

I can not get this phrase out of my head.