An Unexpected Gift

Today brought much excitement and joy in our home.  Our church family at Reach Christian Church, Longreach blessed us beyond what we could ever ask for or imagine. 

Firstly Sam was given a wonderful gift of a truck and trailer from one of the men at our church.  To say was excited would be an understatement.  He has decided that the truck will be Jack's too and they will share.  Thank you so much for bringing a smile to Sam, you know who you are.

We were also given a gift as a family of an iPad mini! Wow, wow, double wow.  It is something I never dreamed would happen.  For a while now, we had been wanting to get one, but with us being on one wage for the longest time, luxuries like this were well and truly out of our reach.  It will be such a blessing to us, especially while Sam is in hospital.  When we opened the gift together I could not breathe, I was just so blown away, that these people that we have come to know over the last six months would do such a thing of love.  And we are so humbled that God knew the desires of our heart and would provide such a thing for us.

In addition to this the church has also given us a portion of money to help us in the time when we are going to be away.  This made me cry happy tears.  This will mean that we can pay rent for another week, so Don and Jack can come down when Sam has his surgery.  With Don being at his new place of employment for only six months means that he has not had the opportunity to accrue much leave and we were concerned that we were not going to be able to pay rent and bills.  This gift will help us in this regard and shows us that God has not forgotten about all of the practical parts of Sam's surgery and all that goes with it. For the last few weeks these things had been weighing heavy on my heart, being the budgeter in our family.  And so I have been praying and waiting, waiting and praying.  In the last few weeks we have also been given other gifts in this regard, all helping to make things easier. 

And because I am honest I will also add this...

It also made me cry humble tears because in the last few months with the kids being sick and me being so focused on Sam's upcoming surgery, making Longreach our home and making sure our family is on track, I feel like I have not had time to make good friends here in Longreach.  Everything has been so busy and in a way I have also closed myself off trying to sort out my own heart and head.  So to be thought of in this way, and given such a gift brought first a sense of shame in my own behaviour and then thankfulness for other people's love. Thank you Reach Christian Church, we love you.

In addition to this we have seen Sam bounce back from his illness this week with such vigour.  After our trip back to Barcaldine this week for the dentist, all should be done in readiness for us to be on our way.

And now, one week before we are due to fly out, I have a renewed sense of God behind us in love and marching before us in victory.

If God is for us, then who can ever stop us.

A Very Special Lady

Today I have the honour of sharing a little story with you about a lady who is full of love. I look at her and take note, so that one day I too may have a little portion of what she has.  I want to introduce you to Grandma Dunn, my husband's Grandma, Great Grandma to my to boys.

Grandma Dunn has recently been to visit us in Longreach and travels frequently to visit her family and friends.  She is an avid knitter and in recent years has used her skill to do much work for those who need it most.  Grandma began knitting when she still had Grandpa here with her.  He needed to sit much more than she did and he would ask her to sit with him.  In an effort to keep her hands occupied she would sit and knit and they spoke together.  Sadly Grandpa passed a few year ago and the knitting became more than something to fill the time, it became a passion. To date Grandma has knitted over 240 sets of little singlets and beanies which have been packaged and sent to India and now to Nepal.  She is amazing.  She would shake her head and tell you she is not.  God is amazing and those mothers and little children need these clothes.  That is why she does what she does.

I watched Grandma knit while she sat in our lounge recently.  Though her body aches from the travel and parts of her don't move as they should anymore, her hands are strong, her mind is quick and she still gives the best hugs. Though her heart must ache for Grandpa and she misses him terribly she has chosen to make the most of all of the time God has give her.  My boys love her, as do I .  We recognise the Spirit of God in her and the love that she has to share.  I aspire to have half of what she does at her age.  That I could just have a portion of the get up and go and a perseverance to push on and do what I can with what I have.

We are blessed to have her and know her.  We love you Grandma.  You inspire us to live the best lives that we can. You are leaving a legacy of love that will not be forgotten.

Do you have someone close to you who inspires you?

Almost Four!

It has been a while since I have reviewed Sam and his funky heart.  Today seems like a good day to do so.

Sam will be four years old in 9 days on he 30th of September.  This means it has been almost five years since Sam was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and five years since God gave us His promise for Sam.

"He will live and have life in abundance.  He will testify to the nations of his healing."

It is an honour to say that we live and walk in that place of promise.  That Sam does indeed live a life of abundance and he had and does continue to share about God's healing and sustaining power.

We were told by some that Sam's life was not worth much and it would be best to 'terminate' him.

Today Sam walks, runs, bounces and swings.  He converses at a level well above his age and laughs with an infectious giggle that melts even the most serious of hearts.  He is strong in will and resolved in his decisions.  When he sets his mind to something he will not be swayed.  He faces his fears head on and although he is scared, courage wins. He is more than just a part of our family, Sam has touched many other lives, many we will not know about this side of Heaven.

 

Sam last review was in May where he was cleared of the increased regurgitation in one of his heart valves.  His next appointment in on November 7th in Brisbane.  This means that we will need to fly to Brisbane to see Dr Gooi (Sam's cardiologist) and he will have the regular check ups (echo, ECG etc).  We have been told that the plan is to have a heart catheter early in the new year and that Fontan surgery will follow this in the few months after. 

 

I won't pretend to tell you that I am not afraid.  I am terrified, but I will not allow those thought to plague me.  Through Jesus I have the ability to take those thoughts captive and beat them back.  I choose to believe God's promise for Sam, no matter what it looks like on the outside, or in Sam's case the inside. 

 

I wonder if I can ask you to do something special for us.  Can you pray and ask God for some words for Sam from the Bible?  Can you send them to us?  I want to create a book of encouragment for Sam as a part of our 5 year celebration of God's promise to us.  Five years is a long time to hang onto such a promise and your encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

 

Before I sign off, Sam would like to say, "I'm going to have my birthday cake at my birthday.  Gonna be a shocolate(Chocolate) one. We moved to our new house in Yongreach (Longreach). I'm gonna be a big boy now."

 

Yes, you are Sam, and there is much to look forward to in the years ahead.





Fragility and Fierce Determination

I am continually reminded about the fragility of our lives here on earth.

This past week I have learned of two families who have lost loved ones, one a little baby, another a Dad.  At different stages in life, but each so precious.  This happens on a weekly basis.  I watch as families hearts break and re-break as they realise their separation from those to whom they will forever love.

Sometimes I wonder why I continue to search and to pray for those who need encouragement, prayer and love.  Because it hurts to watch others suffer, it hurts to comfort others when there are no words that can possibly be their balm.  That doesn't mean that we shouldn't offer our words.  For I have learned in our own hardship that silence is sometimes the worst sound in the world.

I go through feelings of empathy, and frustration as I reach out.  I experience guilt, for my own son lives, when others have had to let theirs go...for a season. 

However I know why I persist..

Each of these things drives me to  pray, to call out to God to make a difference in the lives of those who are in anguish. To make something beautiful out of something horrific, to draw fragrance from a flower that is crushed and bruised.

And I see miracles...I see medical breakthroughs, illnesses healed, people transformed, not by my hand but by the hand of God.  And that desire to see breakthrough drives me onward, even though it hurt,s to make sure that hope remains alight. To search for that flicker of light in situations that seem so dark.

I may be a Mum at home, but I can reach all manner of people through blogging, emailing, Facebook and other communications.  I can reach out to the Mums at school, and the people I meet at the shops and just sit and listen to them, smile and offer an encouraging word.

It has been four years now and my life has been changed forever.  I can no longer look at the world the same way after what we live with Sam.  There is more to this life than what we can see.  It is real and tangible and is tightly entwined with our feelings, thoughts and actions.  We are more than flesh and blood.  And I have to believe that as I reach out to others in love, changes are made not only in the countenance of a person but also in their eternal spirit. 

As we head to Sam's next heart appointment on Tuesday, I wonder about this next part of our journey.  This past four years has been a steep learning curve and I wonder what God holds in store for us next. I wonder if you will claim his promise with us this week:

Sam will live and have life in abundance.  He will testify to the nations of his healing.

For I am a fiercely determined woman, who has a fiercely determined son, and we serve a fiercely determined God.

Promise Renewed

Driving home after collecting Jack from school today, we were excited to see before us a beautiful rainbow lighting up the sky.  A symbol of God's promise.  It shone with a brilliant gem on the darkened eastern sky.  As we drove I spoke with God.

You always give us double rainbows when we were in the right place for you.  That is in part how we know we are walking the path you have mapped out for us.  We haven't had that here yet Lord.  I would really love to see that again.

We arrived home, and I began to prepare dinner, lit a fire, and then waited for Don to arrive home. Don came home and the rain began to ease again.Gazing out of the window I gasped and called for Don and the boys...

He loves me.

He knows my heart.

Little things matter to God.

Here you are my love.  Accept this as a renewed promise of my love for you.  You have a hope and a promise that cannot fail.  Delight in this gift, and remember it is only a foretaste of what is to follow.

Settling In

Jack had his first day at his new school today.  He had a 'SUPER!' day, in his words and made it memorable by losing a tooth that was already loose. 

I have also included some Easter photos.

Sam had a visit to the doctor today, just to say g'day and get some scripts for his medication.  Tonight he took all of his tablets without me having to crush them. He thinks he is most grown up.  One day he won't need these medicines anymore, it is one of my prayers and beliefs.  There is just something very wrong about giving warfarin to your child.  It is somethng that I will never accept.  There have been no long term studies on the effects of warfarin therapy on children.  Pray with me on this will you?

I also wanted to share with you some of the more recent sunsets here, which remind us of God's presence daily.

And finally my husband Don, my love and life companion,keeping the home fires burning.

What do you see when you take a step outside and have a look at your life? 

For me it changes daily.  God is always revelaing more to me of who He is and what our family is to Him.  Not only does it bring great happiness to me, but the Bible tells me that it also brings a smile to the dial of my God.

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.(Eph 1:5)

The Fog

Fog is all encompassing isn't it?  The last two mornings we have had very thick fog while driving Don out to the airport.  Fog so thick, that we can not see the rear lights of the car in front of us.  There is beauty in the fog and the way it lies across the terrain, but today I don't want to tell you about it's beauty as much as it's danger. 

When driving there were some cars that had not turned on their headlights.  We could not physically see them until we were face to face.  And what struck me the most is that our headlights were not so much for ourselves, they barely help in the fog, they were to warn others where we are there so that they too can keep safe.  By having our headlights on, we were a beacon of warning providing a sign to show how we travelled.

So it is when we are filled with Holy Spirit.

When God reigns in our lives, we are lights in the darkness, a beacon in the fog.  Sometimes the fog will be so thick that the light will do little to help you see where you are going. You may feel like you are wandering and cannot see far in order to know your path.  Still we keep moving, bit by bit revealing the next part of the road ahead.  And in the meantime our light shines to warn others that we are on the move, that we travel a safe path, and we provide a guiding light so that others can travel safely as well.  It allows the other drivers of this life to make choices about their own journeys.  And one day who knows they too may even choose to switch on their own lights and provide a bit of light for others as well.  Our little light shining in the fog may bring others to realise that they are traveling in the dark.

Today Don is flying his Commercial Pilot's Licence Test again.  We are having a farewell morning Tea at ACMA and Sam and I will continue to pack at home.  We can see the next little part of our path and we are going in with our lights blaring.  Let it be a warning to all who see, that we are not lost in the fog.

Exceptionally God News

We have exciting news to share.  Today was the day that the MAF candidate committee met to discuss our application to MAF, with the information that they have.  This includes our application forms of considerable length, our medicals, psyche evaluation and interviews.  This means that is includes all of the requirements except Don's flying capabilities.
To tell you the truth I had actually forgotten about it today. It was not that the day was exceptionally busy, it just didn't pass my mind.  We were at peace either way as we know God called us and that His hand is upon it all.

We received an email this afternoon to tell us that the committee unanimously agrees that we should continue to pursue the calling to serve with MAF and that they encourage us every step of the way! 

They know that Sam has further surgery ahead and will need a letter of review down the track from his cardiologist, but other than that they are very happy with our application.

Tonight we have a resounding peace and assurance from God that all is in His hands.  What may look like a messy journey is actually His most beautiful work.  I stand astounded once again at His faithfulness. 

Thank you Father that you have not left us orphans.  Thank you that you are ever faithful in all that you call us to do.  Thank you that you speak to the spirits of those who serve you at MAF, and told them of our calling to serve with them, for Your sake and Your glory.  We take this next step, in blessed assurance that you love us. Even when we doubt ourselves, we may trust in You.

More Than Dreams

Jack will be six in May.  His new adventures at school have seen him grow in ways that have surprised even me.  He has such a capacity for love and pours it out wherever he goes.  He is celebrating the fact that God has sent him a friend that 'knows Jesus'.  He loves to read and has got very excited recently about writing.  The other night at church, he decided to copy from the bible and copies sentences and then gets us to read them.  He was doing it again this morning before he went to school.  He does it with other books at times too.  God seems to have given him a real love for the Word.  Last night he shared with me that Jesus came to him again and showed him 'the brightness of heaven'.

'It shined Mum like gold and silver, and was so bright I couldn't tell.  Is it gold or silver Mum?'

'I don't know mate, I haven't been there. But you let me know when you find out ok?' 

'I wonder if it is white gold, the bible says the streets are made of gold. Jesus says, He has a house for me'

Wondrous silence

'He sure does Jack, he sure does.'

Sam is now conversating along with us.  He LOVES Kinder and counts the sleeps down.  He and I have a great time together at home cleaning, playing, cooking, sewing and whatever else we need to do. He is a story teller and tells us some of the most amazing tales.  He tells me stories of Jesus and the angels. He seems to be reasoning and learning truth as he speaks his stories.  For example

'Yast night, I sawed angels and they had BIG wings yike birds.  And there was a black crow bird and they chased him.  Then Jesus came and the angels flew round and yelled out songs. I was scared so I said 'Jesus said GO AWAY!' But it was ok, they were not baddies.  they were goodies, but they still looked big and a bit scary.'

'Wow, I think I would have been scared too.  But was everything OK in the end?'

'Yep.'

I share these things to encourage you and increase your faith.  I do not say them to brag and be boastful.  My boys are still prone to disobedience and struggles,  They are not perfect and I will not pretend them to be.  God loves them anyway.  When I see how God teaches and loves my kids, it shows me how much he loves them and holds their future in His hands.  I hope that reading it encourages you also, in your own relationship with Jesus.

God is certainly not silent when we seek Him.  No matter how old we are.

Jump In And Make Friends

In our 11 years of marriage, Don and I have moved around quite often.  We have always been blessed to have good friends wherever we have been.  There is one thing that we have noticed though and it is a really simple, yet sad occurrence.  When you move around frequently people are sometimes reluctant to be friendly. We have noticed it again since we have moved down here.  It seems that often people have a defence mechanism that tells them that if you are leaving within a year or so, then it is probably not best to cement new friendships-'after all they are leaving anyway'.  It is not something that people come out and say, but rather a silent withdrawal followed by a lack of wanting to get to know you in any depth.  I have had people ask me how long we are intending to be be in Melbourne, and when I tell them, they start to look around and the conversation ends.  They don't bother to get to know us because we are not staying.

Thankfully we have found ways to combat this, and just love people.  We are continually amazed at how God bring friends into our life for a season.  Often we bump into each other in another time and place.  And when we are together we impact each others lives, deepening ties that are not bound by time, and distance.  We choose to sink our roots in deep, so that we can enjoy genuine and loving relationships, no matter how long we may be together.  We have treasured friends that we have not seen in 5 or more years.  It does not mean we love them any less and when we do see each other, we just take up where we left off. 

Hearts remember love.  Hearts remember the laughs, tears and good times shared. 

I look at Jesus and the three short years that he got to spend with his closest friends.  I look at Paul, who never got to stay still for long.  Each of these had a tremendous impact on the lives of their friends.  The effects were life changing. 

How sad it is that we guard our hearts so closely and not share them abundantly with those we meet.  Imagine if our openness and and outpouring of love, was given freely without fear of loss and hurt. 

I want to encourage you to embrace those around you, no matter how long they may be in your midst.  God puts us in places, and with people for a reason and a season.  Let us not pass by the opportunity to make new friends, mates that could be our company for the eternity to come.

If There Was A God...

How many times have you heard that statement?  I have heard it more times than I can count.  Usually it is in relation to something bad happening.  Today I want to talk about this one...

If there was a God why would he allow Congenital Heart Disease?  I will speak about this because it is close to my heart.  I am not defending God.  He is more than able to look after himself in that regard. 

Recently I read this:

A congenital heart defect is an abnormality in any part of the heart that is present at birth. Heart defects originate in the early weeks of pregnancy when the heart is forming - before a woman even knows she's pregnant.(Heartkids Victoria)

compared to this

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. (Psalm 139:13-16)

So if God knew what was going on in my womb, why did he allow Sam to be born with CHD?  I don't have the full answer but there are two things I know, and these give me absolute peace of heart.

1. We have an enemy on this earth that hates all of human kind with a passion and wants to see us destroyed.  In the fallen earth in which we now live, there is disease,illness,hunger,poverty and death.  But even this will have an end. That is why Jesus died and rose again.

2. God will use even this seemingly bad circumstance in our lives to bring glory to Him, to help us, and to help others.  The time we have here on earth is like a breath of wind in the realm of eternity.  Our bodies were not meant to last forever.  But we have better things to look forward to.

So what I guess I want you to know is that God knows what is going on your life.  He knows because he lives and works outside of time.  He walks with you every step of the way.  He fights for you.  And he has made you a promise that one day, when the curtain rolls back, a new life awaits you.  A life that is free from all manner of disease, illness and death. 

For when we know Jesus, we are made new day by day...until forever comes.  This little boy Sam knows it and so do we.

Catching Blessings

Today I feel like I am standing with my arms flung back, catching the blessings as they fall from heaven. Thank you God! We are tired but renewed day by day.

Sam is a little bit brighter eyed today and is having a restful day, while I do some writing. His eating has also slightly improved.  This is the verse God gave me this morning. Thank you to all of those who love us, pray for us and encourage us with your words and scriptures.  You help us in ways you could never know. xx

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's! (Psalm 103:1-5)

OK, So I'm Weird

Brace yourself:  The pictures in this story may freak you out!

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.(Galatians 6:4)

Today as we cleaned the undergrowth from the garden, the boys and I witnessed the most amazing sight. First, I was shocked by what I saw.  I have seen wasps catch spiders for their nests before.  They stun them, keeping them alive and then fly them back to their mud nests, encasing them in the mud.  When their larvae hatches, they eat the live, stunned spiders that are in their home.  I have seen this many times before, but never with a spider this large. 

My initial shock was then transformed to a sense of awe.  We looked on as the wasp that is a third of the size of the spider, dragged it's catch across the grass, as it has too heavy to fly home.  It dragged the spider, walking backwards for at least three meters.

It then moved up and across our bitumen driveway, picking up the pace, as the grass no longer encumbered it.

It then moved up the fence, clenching tightly to it's prize, scaling the six foot fence.  It is in the picture you can really see the size of the spider.

Now as I am observing this, I imagine the wasps excitement. (Yes, I know God made me weird)

Wasp: 'Woohoo! When the kids wake up they are going to be so surprised.  I can't believe I have found them something so amazing.  It is so big I can hardly carry it.  I am so tired from lugging it, but the look on their little wasp faces will be worth it.  I can't wait to see them enjoy it.

Then God began to speak to me about the wasp and how diligent it was in it's work.  It allowed me to get close enough to take photos.  It allowed nothing to distract it from it's work.  It stopped only once, to survey the change in surface between the grass and bitumen. the wasp had been given a gift and now it was not going to let it go. 

This is how we need to be with God's tasks for us.  We need to not look to the right or the left.  We are not to glance back over our shoulder and see who is looking.  We are to be thankful and we need to be diligent, carrying out the work God has given us.

May our only satisfaction come from bringing a smile to God's face and seeing a job well done.

Mary and Me

I have read a book this week that has challenged me and encouraged me in so many ways.  The book is 5 novellas in the one book, all about different women of the bible.  The one that greatly spoke to me was about Mary, the mother of Jesus. 

Mary was given a great honour, but with that great honour came a life of unimaginable faith.  Mary was given a great promise from God.

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”(Luke 1:29-33)

Mary was given a  choice, to agree to God's great plan or to remain in unbelief.

I too was given a great honour by God in bearing my children.  No, they are not Jesus, but I will train them up in His way.  I too was given a choice.  Do I choose life for Sam or do I choose not to believe, and go my own way. I too was asked to believe God's promise for Sam

'Sam will live and have life in abundance.  He will tell the nations of my healing power.'

Mary remained faithful to God even when it meant she would be rejected. Mary was scorned by those she loved, and the community around her, even some who were close to her for believing in God's promise to her.  They did not believe that she had been visited by an angel and carried the Son of God.

I too was condemned by those that thought Sam's life would count as naught.  That it would have been more merciful and less painful to let him die.

During her pregnancy and after Jesus birth Mary was miraculously protected by God and covered by His favour, because she lived in faith and blessing.

I too have seen and tasted of God's saving power and desire to live in the shadow of the Almighty.  There is no life outside of Him.

Mary watched in awe as Jesus taught those around Him about the Kingdom of God, from a young age.

I too marvel at how much God speaks to and reveals to my children.

Mary had to let her son go and do His Father's work. 

We too are called to surrender our children to God and He will guide all of their ways. 

Mary had to endure watching those around her mock and ridicule Jesus for His life and His ways.  She too was mocked and cast aside for her unwavering faith in God's promises.

I too have watched as friends and family have pulled away, as they try to comprehend with their minds the truth of God's promises.  God's promises are not discerned with the mind, they are understood by the heart. I know the words which they speak, but choose to believe God's promise for Sam.

Mary looked on as Jesus suffered and was killed, still not understanding the magnitude of God's unfolding plan.

I too must trust that despite Sam's surgeries and procedures that God's plan is perfect and that all things work together for the good of those that love Him.

Mary grieved for the pain she saw her Son endure, but also for the apparent dissolution of God's promise to her, as she witnessed Jesus die.

I too have grieved that the time of God's promise has passed.  My heart breaks, and then I am reminded that He works outside of time.

Mary's entire being rejoiced when she saw God's promise fulfilled and Jesus rose to save all men. She saw the fruit of God's plan and she praised God for His faithfulness.  There is no way she could have known that 2000 years on that he would still be drawing hearts to himself, giving eternal life to all who seek Him. 

I too will see the fruit of God's promises in our lives, not only for Sam but for all of our family.  God is faithful, I say this with all assurance. 

Yes when I get to meet Mary face to face and our eyes meet, I will smile with her and rejoice with her as we celebrate what God has done, from the heart of one blessed mother to another.

The book that I have recently read is called A Lineage of Grace, by Francine Rivers

Greater Love

As this year comes to a close I can truly say that my plans have not changed, as they are not mine but Gods.  I have set my goal as one not achievable this side of heaven, but one I will reach for none the less.  And so I am sure that my New Year's resolve will not change from one year to the next but instead grow in it's intensity, much like a consuming fire that cannot be quenched. 

I determine to continue pursuing God.

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.(John 13:34)

I have tasted the fruits of this life and would not choose to live in any other fashion, but the best that He has for me.

When I call out to God and follow Him daily with all of my heart, my soul, and my mind, then he breathes His love into me, to a point where I am overcome with the sweetness of the perfume.  And then when I am called to love my neighbor, it is effortless, as the perfume of heaven is that which envelopes my friends, family and neighbors, even the stranger on the street.  If I have been in the presence of the King, I reflect his radiance and this is what people will see and desire.  To love the unlovely becomes simple as I see them through God's eyes. 

'There is something different about that one', they might say.  'I can't put my finger on it, but she has something I want.' 

It is my desire that others might see Jesus in me, and taste of heaven upon the earth.  For I in myself am nothing.  To strive in my own strength will leave me worn and disillusioned.  Instead I choose to focus all of my effort on God who holds my days, and let Him live in me, that we may see many more faces for all eternity.

Yes, this year I continue one step at a time onward and upward reaching out for greater love, that the small world I live in may be given new life.

The World Is Too Big

When the world suddenly seems much too big...

do not be afraid...

perhaps you just need a little change of perspective.