The Truth Project

(continued from previous post)

Truth is reality, lies are an illusion.

Recently I signed up for the Truth Project. This is Focus on the Family’s 12-lesson, in-depth Christian worldview experience. The lessons are designed to cause transformation among Christians.

Background:
There is a cosmic battle that pits the truth against the lies. This started back with the creation of the world when Satan tempted mankind with a lie. We made a poor choice and history is about God’s plan to redeem mankind to Him, to the truth.

Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth. Jesus is the truth. In John 8, Jesus mentioned there are two fathers. Either we belong to God, the father, or to the father of lies. The reality is that those who do not belong to God are captives. Jesus is the way to the true father. We were all captive until Jesus saved us.

Action:

We must help free other captives.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity, Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5&6.

Method:
The idea is to gaze upon the face of God. This will expose us to ourselves, will expose our culture, and will transform us into world-changers. Like Isaiah we will say, “Here am I, send me!”

I need to spend all my time looking at and listening to God.

Rants and Conspiracy Theories

I heard a theory that Obama is being groomed to run the government of the New World Order. That’s why he received the Nobel Peace Prize.



I heard a rant that Stephen Harper is selling the country. It was a long rant that I don’t care to repeat because I believe Stephen Harper is a man of integrity who is doing a difficult job rather well considering the system he has inherited.

I heard a theory that my husband is smarter than I am because he understands what I do while I don’t understand what he does. My husband voiced this theory and I don’t want to disillusion him. It’s good for him to think he is smarter than I am.

What is Truth? How do you know what is true? This is an important question because we make decisions based on what we believe to be true.

(Continued)

The Reality of Divine Healing

Lately I’ve been thinking about healing and past experiences of being healed or praying for people who were subsequently healed, and I realize that healings aren’t usually conspicuous and after they happen I don’t think about what could have been, might have been or would have been.

Except in dramatic cases—like when Christina practically drowned in the pool—after the healing I tend to doubt or even dismiss the existence of the medical condition that caused me to pray.

But, if the healing hadn’t taken place, I would not have doubted the reality of the illness. Then the proof would be obvious.

So thank you Lord for all the diseases I didn’t get, for all the times I was coming down with a cold and it disappeared after I told it to go away in Jesus name. I’m grateful for all the times, you Lord, protected me from the flu. I thank you Lord for all the cases of food poisoning you saved me from, for all the accidents I did not have, for all the pains that did not develop into anything, and for all the blemishes that aren't.

Lord, thank you for divine health.

Don’t Mess With Reta

(continued from previous post)

To navigate me through the various possibilities for new glasses frames, Reta, a friendly, big-hair lady in a classy pantsuit was assigned to my service. She asked me what I liked.

“A designer person told me I should get something with a strong horizontal line across the top,” I replied.

This seemed to upset the hitherto friendly Reta.

“Well!” she said snatching an ugly pair of thick black frames out from the wall of frames. “You should get what you like. Children will tell their mother what they want her to have. She’ll give in, and a week later she’ll bring the glasses back, because she is not happy with something like THIS.” She jiggled the ugly black frames at me.

“Okay,” I nodded and gulped as I quietly decided to exclude mention of my image consultant from all further conversation with Reta.

She picked three sets of frames from various locations on the wall. They each had a similarly strong horizontal line across the top, relatively small lenses and modern design.

I chose the third pair.

Reta clucked approval, “See, together, you and I can choose the perfect set of frames.”

Yes, indeed.

Now for the haircut, can anyone recommend a good stylist?—possibly someone who doesn’t mind my mentioning the image consultant. I did pay $50 for that.

Improving My Vision

(continued from Awakening My True Identity - Part 4)

Old Glasses - no longer in style.

The day for my eye appointment finally arrived. It has only been three months since the image consultant at the writers’ conference suggested I spring for new glasses—a design to complement my small face and small mouth (she didn’t tell me about the mouth, but I thought I’d add that bit, less you mistakenly imagine my mouth as big to accommodate the many things I have to say).

An eye test revealed that my 'near vision' had improved since the last exam while my 'far vision' had slightly deteriorated. I definitely needed new lenses.

To match my forthcoming improved vision, of course I needed those recommended face-enhancing frames. I tried to remember what the image consultant had said—something about small lenses with a strong horizontal line across the top in a modern design.

Surely, among the hundreds of frames displayed at this particular establishment, there was just such a pair—small lenses, strong horizontal line across the top, modern design.

How hard could it be?

(continued tomorrow)

What NOT to Do when Winterizing the Pool

(continued from previous post)

To rinse the pool’s rather grungy solar blanket, I took it out to our broad, concrete, front driveway. I moved the vehicles down to the end of the drive to make room. I would have parked them on the street, but workmen were redoing our damaged sidewalks. The construction paraphernalia made street parking difficult.


Ripping up old damaged sidewalk to replace with new.

The crew had just finished pouring cement for the strips of sidewalk on either side of our driveway when, at the top of my driveway, I began merrily spraying the bubbled plastic solar blanket with the garden hose. A dark cloud was forming overhead. Maybe it would rain. That would help clean my solar blanket. Thank you Lord.

I was abruptly drawn out of my bubble of gratitude by urgent repeated honking. A workman in a passing van was honking his horn and pointing at me. Suddenly there were seven Italians (at least they sounded Italian) standing out front. They seemed to be agitated. They were pointing at the water running down my driveway, running over onto their fresh cement.

As they pulled burlap over their concrete, these men certainly were not thanking the Lord for the possible rain, or the impossible woman running water into their project.

I quickly turned the hose off and spoke a feeble apology before retreating into the house. Oh, Oh.
Moral of the Story: What's good for me is not necessarily good for you. Or, rain doesn’t make everyone happy.


The Good News: my pool is covered. Let the autumn leaves fall! Let the snow fly!

How to Winterize the Pool?

(continued from previous post)
One semi-sunny Monday after several weeks of misty, rainy weather, I realized, for my psychological well-being, this was the day to close the pool. There were five good reasons to make pool closing a priority:

1) No one had been swimming for weeks, not since before Labour Day.

2) The calendar said October.

3) The pool thermometer said 17 degrees.

4) I had been neglecting to run the pump.

5) And scariest of all, the leaves from the neighbour’s huge maple were beginning to float down.

How To:

Step 1: Pull back the solar blanket. Whoops, it's green again.

Step 11: Vacuum and vacuum and vacuum as the pump drains the pool. Once the water level reaches the required level quit with the vacuuming. The chemicals will have to do the rest.

Step 111: Throw in the chemicals.

Step 1V: Drain the filter and the pump and blow the water out of the pipes.

My pool-closing was going swimmingly, until….


(continued)

When to winterize the pool?

Closing the pool means summer has ended. This is an emotional thing. To winterize is to get ready for winter which shouldn’t be done before autumn.

For psychological well-being, closing a pool has to be timed right. One must not close the pool before Labour Day. That’s just wrong.

It doesn’t matter how cold, wet, or windy August becomes, winterizing the pool before Labour Day can be classified as disrespect for the seasons.

Yet, if one waits too long, the rainy autumn days might take over and lead right into wet snowy days with only a slight chance of Indian summer. One doesn’t want to close the pool in a snowstorm. Cold wet hands are more painful than the word ‘winterize.’

(continued)