MINISTRY TO LADIES
This page is dedicated to sharing miniture devotional thoughts, poetry or ongoing short studies that will encourage and inspire us to look to the Lord Jesus and be transformed more and more into His likeness as we seek to live godly lives before our families and friends, and the world.
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Jan's Live Interview in 2 - 8 Minute Segments here. Please Enjoy & Share
SOMETHING NEW TO THINK ABOUT FOR TODAY
Just Thinking March 6, 2010
SPRING BEAUTY SURPRISE!
Audio for this post will be published soon.
For me, compared to past Winters, this season has not been as severe or cold and yet somehow inwardly there was still that longing for brighter, warmer sunshiny days.
My husband and I were completing a busy afternoon of grocery shopping and errands. All we had left to do was to run into Zellers for Toothpaste on sale. After a weary and painful three weeks of illness it was my intention to just stay put in the car and let Ross slip in and pick up the sales item. But as I looked toward the rather uninteresting and uninviting dull store front, for some reason I was enabled to muster a bit more energy and accompanied Ross through the sliding glass doors into the store lobby.
It's a very plain entry with a platic bench and some children's dime store games to the right of the door. But to the left of the door, there was an unexpected explosion of color! Instantly my spirits soared and my energy level suddenly increased. And to think I almost missed this glorious surprise by staying back in the car! All tiredness was momentarily forgotten.
It was as if we had just entered a beautiful, summer garden filled with Evening Primroses alive with wonderful vibrant colors all neatly tucked into little green pots begging for our gaze and bursts of praise. A jewel-tone mix of burgundy reds, pretty pinks, soft purples, sunshine yellows and rich creamy white blooms. It was eye candy to this artist's heart!
Only a few days earlier we experienced a few hours of delicious warm sunshine and with it the melting of more snow in the backyard exposing a small patch of grass. I remember how wonderful the warmth of the sun beaming through the window felt and thinking Spring is in the air today. It won't be long now until I can sit out on the back porch and enjoy the fresh air again without shivering or fussing with heavy winter jackets and snow boots. Then it was gone, and the weatherman was issuing his predictions of light snow to arrive in a couple of days.
But as I drank in those glorious floral colors before me, that weather forecast was forgotten. Now only thoughts that a 'touch of Spring' had arrived fuelled the desire that I just had to have at least one of these beautiful Primrose plants!Secretly I wished I could have taken one of each color home with me. But with a grateful heart I carefully placed my Spring treasure into the cart and pushed it through the doors into the main part of the store. My quest for toothpaste was almost forgotten until I saw the store sales flyer.
I pushed my cart down the isles until I found what I had come for, but those flowers were still on my mind. The closer I got to the check out counter the more I desired to have at least one more plant to enjoy. So I instructed the cashier to add an extra plant to my bill. One pink one and one soft mauve color satisfied my garden fever. I left the store still gazing on the colorful Spring beauties.
And now they sit in my family room where I can drink in their loveliness and dream of warmer days not too far away while thanking the Lord for His wonderful creations and my dear husband for my flower gifts. As I continued to think about the simple yet joyful moments of the evening before, I thought of the spiritual impact of what I call a 'Spring Beauty Surprise' and what it meant to me. It had given me something to think about, and caused me to dig deeper.
The uplift and joy I felt in the midst of great physical stress and my weary frame of mind was the unexpected delight I experienced as I walked through those drab doors and discovered 'treasure' staring me in the face. Treasure that sparked a new sense of comfort, relief, hope and a reassurance of better days ahead with the awakened anticipation that Spring was indeed just around the corner.
It reminded me of the same joy we are granted when we discover the joy of the Lord Himself in unexpected places, including the common, sometimes drab circumstances of life that we face everyday but once in a while explode with new treasure. Sometimes we have to search and look beyond the clutter. But sometimes, in God's Love and Mercy, it is just so big it is staring us in the face so we can't miss it.
That's the way it was for me. It's as if the Lord just placed those Primroses in my path and made them especially for my encouragement. This was late evening and only a few of the plant holders were empty, so most of the other shoppers had just passed by them without even perhaps a second glance and missed the quiet 'treasure' just waiting to be enjoyed.
As you venture out today, you too may be very tired and weary with burdens. But as you go, go in the strength of the Lord. Trust Him to carry you through your day. Perhaps today you too will be given an extra bit of strength to push one more step, and as you do so you will find an unexpected 'treasure' placed in front of you, meant just for you! And, His 'Spring Beauty Surprise' will shower you with His joy and comfort when you most need it.
Have you had a similar treasure gift from the Lord lately? If so, share it with someone today and become an instrument of encouragment. Certainly something to think about.
Perhaps I will be able to paint a Primrose composition this summer with this event in mind and I will call it, "Spring Beauty Surprise!" If in the future you see it on our website, you will know the inside story and inspiration that was behind such a painting.
Until next time, have a blessed day, and watch for God's surprises. And when you do discover them, be sure to give Him all the praise. Be encouraged. Blessings,
Jan.
If you would rather listen than read click on the Ps 91 radio below
Be sure to scoll down for accompanying links & photo as you listen.
Just Thinking Ps 91 (4 Min.)
Just Thinking....Jan. 4, 2010...
Psalm 91 is a precious and comforting Psalm. Finding peace and purpose in the midst of trials or sorrows is to find the treasure of The Secret Place of the Most High God: indeed a spiritual refuge beyond compare. Be sure to take a moment and read through this precious Psalm.
I had been feeling overwhelmed with trials and the burdens of life. I had mindlessly picked up a travel guide to distract my mind from pain. In the process I became intrigued with the lovely pictures and the names of delightful sounding towns. For a brief moment I relaxed, but it was short lived.
First of all, true spiritual refuge and contentment that we need and seek after can never be provided by idyllic pictures painted by delightfully named cities in some travel guide. No. That perfect and lasting contentment or that eternal refuge we seek can only be provided by
God Himself. However, in some cases they may at least be used of God to redirect our focus.
Secondly, true contentment, eternal refuge and peace can only be found and enjoyed, first and foremost, when we accept Jesus Christ as our own personal Lord and Saviour. If I belong to the Lord, then His Word becomes the foundation for my life, my peace and my purpose.
Then, thirdly, our joy continues as we live for Christ in His Presence, obeying His Word and abiding in sweet fellowship together, day by day, moment by moment, keeping our gaze fixed on Him.
But when we face great storms in our lives, losing our focus, we need a Saviour. We need to read and remember Psalm 91 & it's message afresh.
It is in that psalm that we discover that the Shelter of Peace for which we long is in Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace. He is the “Secret Place of the Most High.” And it is there in the Secret Place that we discover afresh the treasure of His company, even as I have written about in my book by the same title. You can read excerpts and see real pages if you would like to know more by visiting my web page entitled, Book- The Treasure of His Company.
Of course, we do not come to enjoy the gifts of peace or spiritual contentment and refuge by simply reading, memorizing or quoting word for word a famous psalm like Psalm 23 or 91 for example. No, it is only as we get to know the Divine Author, the Lord Jesus Christ, personally that the promises become a living reality for each of us.
And so it becomes a "heart issue." What a lesson! Yes, my burdens and concerns may still exist, but I know Who can handle them, and when I place my burdens and concerns back into His hands, nothing can disturb or steal my joy. I can face the rest of the day, eager to serve the Lord in any little task He lays before me, for I have found true Heart’s Content in the Secret Place, just as Psalm 91 promises.
Something to really think about today, especially as we enter a brand new year in 2010. Seek Him with all of your heart, and you will not be disappointed!
Just Thinking....Nov. 1 2009...
No More Mud Please!
One of the first lessons I had to learn as a watercolour artist was how to avoid making mud! However, the second lesson, which should probably have been the first lesson, was to learn the discipline of waiting for a passage of wet paint to become bone-dry before applying a new layer of colour over the first one.
The colours I chose also had to be correct. This is especially true when I use the glazing method. If I do not wait for each layer to dry, at best the only thing I will end up with will be dulled, lifeless pigments or unsightly water blooms that will spoil the overall effect of the piece. At worst, I will lose that lovely luminous glow because the dead, heavy colours will block out the treasured light of the white paper below. This will defeat the exquisite beauty and charm of using transparent watercolours. All I will have successfully created is what all artists dread, and that is mud!
Perhaps, like me, you sometimes find it difficult to wait for the Lord to put all the necessary layers into place that will cause His Will to become a reality in our lives. And when that process exceeds our time clock we become impatient thinking that He has forgotten us or that He has even abandoned us.
When that happens, we may be tempted to take things into our own hands and begin to manipulate or twist plans and circumstances to fit what we either believe or hope is God’s Will for us. But choosing not to wait for the Lord’s leading is a grave error in judgment, and will only bring bitter disappointment.
Our effectiveness for His Kingdom will also be greatly reduced. Such choices will set us on a path that takes us backward instead of forward. And forward is where we wanted to be in the first place....
Excerpt from The Treasure of His Company, By Jan Howlett, p. 131. Used with permission.
Just thinking... July 29, 2009....
Sometimes when we have been waiting on the Lord to confirm His direction and guidance on a matter and the answer seems a long time in coming, we may grow impatient or confused and begin to second guess what we felt we knew clearly. That kind of moment reminds me of a favourite quote from Amy Carmichael 's book, Gold By Moonlight , Christian Literature Crusade ©1935 p. 127.
Let me share it with you here... Something more to think and meditate upon and in the process find comfort and renewed peace to help us keep waiting for His confirmation ....
“Never let what you know be distressed
by what you do not know.”
By: Amy Carmichael
Just thinking...June 2009
“Who could be careless about sin with Calvary in view?
It is not by looking at sin that we see it for what it is,
but by looking at the love of God and His pure holiness.
As we look at that we begin to understand
something of the nature of sin.”
----Amy Carmichael
Taken from Gold By Moonlight, Amy Carmichael,
Christian Literature Crusade © 1935, p. 58. Used by permission.
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Just thinking...May 2009
Yield To His Grasp
Clearly, there is no better place or perfect time to yield
One’s entire life and soul—to overcome sin’s battlefield.
Then at last, from your turmoil you can triumphantly cease,
As you receive complete forgiveness and eternal peace.
Yes,when you surrender by faith,
Christ’s love transforms anew,
In the grasp of His Hands, which were
nailed to the Cross—for you.
Excerpt from The Treasure of His Company, By Jan Howlett, p. 43. Used by permission.
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