Archive for November, 2011

Love Your Enemy

43-47“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

~Matthew 5:43 (The Message)

Even Christians squirm at this teaching of Christs. It is easy to forget how powerful a love Jesus has called us to live in. We are called to live in HIS love and not ours. It is easy to do what is only natural and not go above and beyond loving those you find it easy to embrace, but this doesn’t make it right for us to turn from his clear teachings. Often that which is easy isn’t what is right and we know that deep down.

All the walls preventing us from practising this teaching come from a root of selfishness. If we are walking in our own strength we will slip into the mindset of the world, but then why call oneself a Christian if we don’t seek to live as Christ?

Living his way is only accomplished by sacrificing your whole self to living in and through him. Jesus is more then willing to take all you and your STUFF on. Are you willing to take on a completely counter cultural saviour?

P.S. May your heart be stirred to remember, when faced with a seeming foe, that Christ saw EVERYONE as worth loving. They might not be worthy of it, we aren’t usually worthy of it either, but Jesus declared they and we worth him dying on the cross.

For an inspiring message CLICK HERE to listen to the audio recording.

TTFN

Winter Wonderland Maquerade Tea

Trying something knew and having a winter tea was an adventure for me, especially when I decided to have my first masquerade party. After seeing so many pretty masks in October I was looking for an excuse to wear some. My summer tea this year was a grand affair but many important ladies where not able to attend and so I decided to throw a winter-y event.

Most of the evening I wore a lovely brown fur cape I have that has the prettiest satin bow paired with my pink dress gloves, but it got a little warm. My youngest daughter managed to keep her furry red scarf on all night, with her feathered mask, and she must have drank tea all night long. My oldest put on her cat mask and looked adorable in a hand made pink collar that my mother had found. Icing on the cake was finding out last minute that my Mom was going to be able to attend. She was so much help and such a great conversationalist.
It was grand fun to see what everyone picked to wear and all the creativity and uniqueness my circle of women have. One talented friend came in a costume dress she herself had made. Another had made her own lovely blue mask. A third had her daughter make hers in true sweet heart of a mother style. We had a lady who looked the princess in her gown of soft blue and ladies in more modern attire that suited their sophisticated taste.As usual everyone contributed to our snacks and we had a beautiful spread. It was so pleasant to see a collection of modern women drinking from my pretty collection of ‘real’ tea cups and all in all it was a sweet evening.You just don’t fine two women completely alike and they are so fabulous to get to know, each and every one!

TTFN

Yo-Yo Ma;Alison Krauss – The Wexford Carol


Beautiful, new favorite Christmas carol. Feel free to turn on these songs I post to listen to while reading the near by posts. I usually post the song with the write up below in mind.
TTFN

Dedicated Tea Drinker

I suggest you get a cup of tea and pull yourself, and it, up to this here computer and then read on!

Don’t get me wrong I like my coffee, and espresso especially, a lot but it is a heavy duty drink and I have got myself used to just a cup a day and anymore really does seem HEAVY to me. Tea, on the other hand, is available for every ordinary and extra ordinary occasion in my days. It is a comfort drink to me where coffee is kinda get pumped up and go for it drink. Tea is cozy, coffee is intense.
I wake to my black tea each morning with breakfast. I find it slows me down in a lovely way by being an excuse for couch time; ‘I could use a sit down and a cup of rooibos‘. When my tummy is upset, even just from nerves, then my mint green or mint chamomile are a good friend and confidant. Wrap my hands around a cup of it and breath…drink… think… breath… When I feel like rewarding myself, usually with a side of chocolate, the double chai is there to make me feel like I am having a hurrah moment or a personal little party (any reason will do, did the dishes really fast LETS CELEBRATE, pass me the chocolate and tea).
Ah yes, tis a grand thing to drink tea and to think I used to wonder at the amount my great great aunt Ruth could drink in a day and the amount of times she would break out the tea pot and cups to sit with… I am just as bad if not worse. When I am home for the day I stare down a full cup of tea over and over and over and over and…

Here’s a little facebook post I put up to get some fresh ideas for tea types. And after my post are some of the responses.

Asking all dedicated tea drinkers to share their top 5 favourite teas with me:

Here are the four teas I count as favourites as I go to them through out each and every day… (the teas I own and enjoy are a much longer list for sure)

  1. Rooibos (plain)
  2. Stash’s Double Spice Chai (gotta have my chai SPICY)
  3. Stash’s Mojito Mint Green (the only green I can really enjoy)
  4. Twinnings Earl Grey (my faithful morning friend)
  5. Peppermint Camomile (when I wanna calm right down)


One pal was all about loose leaf tea and a company called ‘Steeped’ in particular, here are her picks:

1. Machiatto dreram (roobios)
2. Dark chocolate Chai
3. Earl grey de la creme
4. Toffee crunch (roobios)
5. Eggnoggin (green tea/black tea mix)

My second friend to share had three and I have to say, knowing she ADORES pomegranates and introduced me to pomegranate tea, I wasn’t surprised by her choices:

i like chai, peppermint, or pomegranate (green tea)

Third response was this:

Rooibos Caramello. It’s from my favourite tea store called The Blue Teapot in North Vancouver.

Fourth response:

I like Cherrybana by Paper Street Teas. Fruit combo, great warm, amazing chilled.

Fifth response:

Blooming teas in a glass teapot are my fav… Then a good authentic chai.

The Sixth response was my husband, he needed to put his two cents in:

1) Rooibos Provence is pretty amazing.
2) I also enjoy Mulberry Leaf tea from time to time.
But watch out for teas by a company named BIJA, yes they are healthy, but you might have a nicer drink by simply filling your tea cup with dirt and weeds.

Seventh response:

I have a fav ginger tea….can’t remember who makes it though.

Eighth response was from one of my sisters:

My favourite is Lime Gelato from David’s Tea, it is amazing. My next favourite from there is Buttercream. They are both pricey , but I am always glad I splurged when I have them.

Ninth response:

I love Chai! Twinnings Earl Grey, then Ginger Peach, good ol’ Orange Pekoe, and Lemon zinger for when I’m sick.

TTFN

START

Gleaned from a speaker from this weekends past ‘Spoken Word’ conference:

We are all called, in the great commission, to go out and make disciples for the Lord. You have the freedom to make any mistake and be forgiven! Give your choices to the Lord and He will lead you, then go out with out fear of making mistakes (that shows a lack of trust in Christ).

We aren’t talking freedom to sin and screw up outside of a motive to glorify God. Going about this selfishly is in its self a sin, licentiousness, defined as the abuse of grace and hospitality. Exercise that behaviour and you yourself will endanger your heart.

TRUST, ACT and do all for the Glory of God and in Christ alone.

TTFN

Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson – …

Just a little winter-y tune I enjoy listening to, such a lovely, bum bum bum, rhythm.

TTFN

TIME (Marriage Monday)

(Flirting while snow gusts at us from off of the roof, it is amazing how fun time can be if you let it slow you down.)

Time is only of lasting worth if you turn it into memories. Slowing it all down, focusing directly on it at the time, seems to be the only way to really find the memories that should be yours. If you aren’t checked in you aren’t really owning it, even if everyone around you is.

People are what makes time worth it. Avoiding time sucking selfish activities is essential to blissful moments to look back at. Find your people and BE with them. My husband and kids are top of my list for human beings worthy of my precious time; and I try hard to be a keeper of moments where they are concerned. The best memories aren’t made but observed and allowed to happen. When they arrive I am zealous about recording them in my heart and being thankful for them. We all turn to ashes and it is always inopportune, so love with your time and the rest really does work itself out under that banner of love.

As a Christian my value of time has been heightened and the clarity with which I can live is intense. I have no time for regrets, guilt, grudges or unforgiveness; basically selfishness, as it ruins my time. If I hold on to all that nasty time stealing stuff the present will lack memories worth hugging to my heart, my future will look nothing but heavy and my past lovely memories will eventually be drowned out by the bleak. Christ is the expert in living free to enjoy TIME, hold to him and his teaching and watch how very magnificent your time will become!

P.s. The more time you put at something the better it gets so season your family, your marriage, with quantity time and don’t worry about quality time.

Other Time Posts

HERE
and
HERE

I am sure there are more in my archives, this is a favourite topic of mine since I realised it is natural for humans to waste time… sad but natural and often what comes naturally really needs to be retrained to what is healthy.

First Monday of every month at Chrysalis

TTFN

Future of Forestry – What Child Is This


And last time it was a favourite hymn, this time a fav Christmas choral done up beautifully different by a band I really enjoy!

TTFN

Surrender is The Focus

I didn’t go looking for a healer preacher. This conference was on a very different subject. And yet… yet as he spoke he struck a personal cord of mine. Like anyone with new health issues I have been scared and hoping ever so little, if I can be totally honest, for a new approach that could make it all go away. His view point was it isn’t about healing… it’s about surrendering. No matter how much you desire to be whole in body what you really need is to be whole in spirit and that only comes from surrendering your life to Jesus. For sure divine healing of the body happens, of the mind as well, but we all need to focus less on what the world focuses on and more on Christ’s concern, and he came for the sake of our eternal spirit FIRST and foremost.

I got scared off of faith healers years ago when I was personally attacked a few times after their attempts didn’t work in the area of my birth defect. I was told it was my fault and my lack of faith… as if my level of faith has to be high enough to move the healing hand of God. This harsh treatment didn’t even rock my faith in Christ but it broke my ‘faith’ in men… men who call themselves faith healers.

The preacher this weekend kept it real, and simple… the amount of faith isn’t a question. If you have come seeking him you have enough. If you feel that all you need to do is reach out and merely touch Jesus and all will be right then you have enough faith. I know when I reach out and touch him he heals me. With surrender and trust I seek to walk in Jesus.
P.s. LINK HERE to read about a personal miracle of healing from the hand of CHRIST alone.

TTFN

Riddick Attacks Snow Shovel

That would be OUR mutt:)
TTFN