Where are your thoughts lingering?

I heard a brief thought on Lamentations 3:20-26 in the middle of a larger message back in March... it has recently come back to me and got me thinking again, so I thought I'd share here.

If you're anything like me, we're a lot like Jeremiah (the understood writer of Lamentations, I believe) in his musings... he is discouraged and remembering all the things that went wrong... talk about falling down into a pit of despair and losing sight of hope! It is so easy to focus on the negatives - sometimes imagined, but sometimes very legitimate and real.  Sometimes it's emotional, or maybe moodiness that might come with a grey, dreary, lonely day... other times it's a real hard hit and time of testing for your faith.

Surely then it's justified to dwell on the bleakness and pain of our situation... isn't it? Those around us might be understanding and affirm our natural reactions and emotions... but our God has a higher expectation of us.

We often hear Colossians 3:2 quoted... "Set your minds on things above..."  Or 1 Peter 1:13... "Prepare your mind for action.... set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed..."  And we certainly can't leave out Phillipians 4:8 where we're given a wonderful list of things to occupy our thoughts... "Think on these things..."

So it's clear that our God desires us to spend mental energy focusing our thoughts in the right direction...

The next few verses show the outcome that can result in controlling our thoughts. Lamentations 3:20-26:

"...I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind (or recall) and therefore I have hope:  Because of the LORD's great love (lovingkindness or steadfast love) we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail (never cease, never stop). They (His compassion, His mercies) are new (fresh) every morning; GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD...."

We can let our minds wander and let our thoughts take our emotions wherever they want... or we can learn from Jeremiah here... he deliberately made a conscious effort to change his thinking pattern... he was losing hope... but went back and started to remember all the blessings from God, and the times God showed up and proved Himself over and over... he focused his thoughts on the goodness and faithfulness of his God, reminding himself that his God had never failed him... he had constantly been surrounded with God's love - even in the dark times.

Like Jeremiah, when we wake up every morning and have no clue what is ahead of us for that day, we can take comfort in knowing that God knows what we will face and He has set aside a portion of His mercy, His compassion, and His strength for us to get through that day... His mercies and compassion are new and fresh every morning... for me. For you.

Jeremiah remembered this and this caused him to burst out in praise to His God's faithfulness...  by remembering all of God's goodness, his thought process and attitude changed and his heart praised His God...  and from that praise and worship, the end result was peace in the true lasting HOPE that our God offers...  and when our hope is in God, there is a certain quietness and peace in us while we wait for Him to work things out... to direct us... to show His hand.  This isn't just for Jeremiah - it's for me and you today too.  

Maybe you can ask yourself the same questions I'm asking myself... Where do I find my hope and peace? And where do I let my thoughts linger... and what effect is that having?

Aiming High

I found this list in a mother's letter to her baby girl posted on her blog here. And while I don't have children yet, it is a list of attributes and qualities we can pray and aim for ourselves with the power of Christ in us and the Holy Spirit guiding and building us up. I asked permission to share this list with you...

We should pray to have:

-The courage of the Egyptian midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) who saved so many Hebrew children against their Pharaoh’s wishes.
-The intelligence of Miriam.
-The loyalty of Ruth to family and those you love.
-The perseverance of Hannah in your prayer life.
-The boldness and speaking ability of Esther.
-The obedience of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
-The hospitality of Martha.
-The learning spirit of Mary.
-The bold witness of Corrie Ten Boom.
-The accepting and positive attitude of Helen Keller.
-The adventurous spirit of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
-The creativeness of Joni Eareckson Tada
-The love for God’s Word of Beth Moore.
-The ministry of Elisabeth Elliot.
-The traits that only God can place in your unique personality.

And finally...
-The attitude and attributes of Christ Jesus Himself.

And as Ashley states here, "This is a daunting list, I know. But I will be praying these things for you, not so you can try to copy these women, but emulate their positive and godly traits."

Vacation Recap - Cape Breton

How much can you fit into a week of vacation? Quite a bit, as it turns out.

We flew out of Pearson Airport Thursday, August 5th after work, beginning our whirlwind vacation. We booked a hotel room very close to the Halifax International Airport so we could get an early start on our trip to beautiful Cape Breton the next morning. We had a wedding to attend! My sister and brother-in-law met us at Tim Horton's (a necessary first stop!) and we hit the road together... the two of them in their cute "Smart 4-two", and us in our rented Nissan Maxima (I think)... onward to CB!

Thinking we had plenty of time to get there, we were quickly thankful for our early departure as the duration of our road trip was extended by summer road construction, very very very slow cars, fog, a few bathroom pitstops, and a long stop at the Causeway because the bridge was turned to let water traffic through... and not just any ol' boat, but a snail-paced barge. *sigh*...  (I don't adjust well to the slower pace of life when I go "home"... )

We made a stop in Mabou for lunch and hit a fantastic little restaurant called the Red Shoe Pub... yum yum yumm! But since we were short on time, we didn't have time to savour each bite. Next time!  Then, because we'll likely never see these people again (despite the fact I just said I'd savour the taste next time), we all trooped in to change for the wedding...  :)

We made it to the wedding site with 15 minutes to spare... according to the intended start time. ;) And what a wedding site it was - breathtakingly beautiful... as Cape Breton is. It was held in a cute little high-top tent on the edge of a  bluff overlooking the ocean... there was  refreshing breeze and beautiful sunshine. It was perfect! Here are a few pictures to tell the tale...

Beautiful flowers - My mom did the arrangements! :)

Look at these two beaming with love! I am SO happy for them!! :)

My funky family :) x0x

I have to mention the meal.... because it was done Chiasson style... the meat, the vegies, the fruit - it all came from the Chiasson's yard and my Uncle's tender loving care... it was amazing, and delicious! Here's my very full plate... (apparently I have no shame!):

We stayed in a little motel in Margaree, which allowed us to be close to any family activity on Saturday. We went out for breakfast (closer to noon) with Dad, Mom and my brother at the cutest little cafe called the Dancing Goat. Love the original name!

We dropped into the Chiasson residence where all the hustle and bustle was taking place.... here we were surprised to see the Bride & Groom! :)

They opened gifts, cleaned their car from the wonderful "pranks" their friends pulled at the wedding, packed their car and hit the road. The rest of us planned for an afternoon and evening at the beach... yay!

It was definitely a beach party (once everyone else arrived), and we enjoyed hotdogs cooked over an open fire, a refreshing swim in the waves, lots of family time and singing around the bonfire... it was perfect.

My man checking out the surf :)

My brother doing what he does best at the beach :) Almost non-stop...

I love this picture... they were having fun together :)

The crew is here, food devoured (Thanks Uncle),
and the singing started! Thanks ADS :)

awwww :)

A lovely sunset.... 

And what's a beach bonfire without roasting marshmellows?

Yes.... it was a perfect Saturday!

Sunday morning we enjoyed fellowship with the Baddeck Christians - a packed little building with all the visitors! - then my man and I said our goodbyes and headed to Halifax.  It was a wonderful but brief visit to Cape Breton... we both love it there.

Lonely already...

My favorite man is flying out momentarily for Vancouver... he has a week of work there and is getting in a weekend with his parents. I'm happy for them; sad for me. But here is where I insert how thankful I am that he doesn't travel very often and has never been away longer than a week. I'm not sure how my mom and so many others do it... there's such a vacancy when he leaves and takes my heart with him.

It does sound silly, seeing he will be home a week from tonight... but it's times like this that I get all morbid (my dad has passed this wonderful trait down to me unfortunately! ;) ) and wonder just how I would survive if the Lord chose to take him home... I'm sure most of you sane people don't get that type of thinking. Lucky! You wouldn't believe how many funerals I've been to in my mind (yes - with tears on my face) of loved ones who aren't dead yet!! :P

Anyway, to entertain myself this weekend, I'm driving to Grand Bend after work to hang out with my friends and their kids. Hopefully at the beach all afternoon tomorrow. mmmm :)

Don't worry - I don't mope around the whole time he's gone... just the first day and a half usually... then I just get excited that he's coming home soon. :)

Thankfully he'll likely never read this and see just how crazy I am... ;)

Back from Vacation

The end of vacation always brings mixed feelings - especially when it involves saying goodbye to family and good friends.... but there's something nice about "coming home."

Just thought I'd awaken my blog again by posting two pictures... you'll get the long rambling notes another day. Here's a shot from our Stewart Family Reunion that was held this past Saturday outside Amherst, Nova Scotia.... we came together in honour of our beloved Grandmother who turns 80 in September - an early birthday party! :)

This is one clan that loves to love... loves to laugh, get together, sing, play, and.... eat! Love you guys!

And the Birthday Girl sitting pretty - our "Super Grammie" (a new name over the last few weeks... I think it will stick!)

Love her so much. We are so blessed to have her as our God-honouring role model!

Grey Matter

Is it possible to lose the ability to speak your mother tongue without having any medically diagnosed breakdowns?? I can't seem to string together a complete sentence that makes sense this week.... yikes.

I saw a blog titled "Scratches in my grey matter"...  I think that suits me this week!

Summer

Sunny skies, BBQ's, the rare day trip to the beach, the smell of freshly cut grass (my favorite!), flip flops... these are just a few of my favorite things about summer... it's a little hard to fully grasp the summer loves when in the city, but I'm trying to be optimistic! :)

July has been a busy month...  I loved having my Dad in the city for a few weeks, and was thankful we could at least steal him on the weekends. Maybe next time we'll be able to convince Mom to join him and she can camp out at our place... since Dad did our garden, put out our garbage on garbage day, washed his own sheets and towels and made up his bed before he left (!!), I figure Mom could find a few ways to keep busy too... I have a list of rooms she can paint and recipes she can bake... oh, wait, what did you say? That's not the best way to tempt her to visit??? oops... Mom - I TAKE THAT BACK! :)
 
The July long weekend was also our anniversary - three years! We went to a little town called Gananoque for an overnight escape... you can get a short boat cruise from there to tour the "Thousand Islands"... we took the four hour cruise which brought us across the border to New York State and dropped us off to tour Boldt Castle.  Here are a few pictures of our little escape:

I love this man... (sorry, couldn't resist)

One of the smallest islands I remember seeing with a home on it... There's barely enough room for the chairs out front!

And then one shot of the castle (I won't bore you with house after house):

A few shots of the God's handiwork :)

The Inn where we stayed - we had one of the rooms in that one level building out front:

My view from my chair outside our room ;)

We got back Friday afternoon and then Dad joined us for the weekend. At noon on Saturday, we made a wonderfully impulsive (not very characteristic of us) decision to drive to Grand Bend for a few hours at the beach. So we jumped in the car and drove 2.5 hours... yes, the BEACH is worth that kind of driving time. :)

Here is Dad strolling along the beach... if you can spot him.

We met up with friends who cottage in The Bend, and this is their youngest... love him!

Dad found some shade as he catches up with old friends... I promised I wouldn't post any bathing suit pictures, so .... hence the crop. :(

Another weekend... Dad spent the day studying, and we experimented in the kitchen... Evan slowly cooked ribs on the BBQ for the first time, and I..... wait for it.... made my first ever pie. Evan's only been begging since we umm... met?? Why is pastry such a big hurdle to overcome?!

It at least smelled good... and looked "okay"... I found it too sweet though... will have to play with that...

On Friday, July 16th, my Man's boys were in town... Manchester United! I had no idea they had such a big North American following, but there was a good sized crowd wearing jerseys and singing "football" (soccer) anthems and chants... it was really quite fun!

1:1... but Man U pulled ahead in the end... not bad, boys, not bad.

The Rogers Centre with the roof open:

And then to finish off July, a picture of Dad playing the piano... something I miss very much about being home... he didn't play it nearly enough while at our place!

So while July is drawing to a close, we're looking forward to August! Summer is going quickly though...