My mother was looking at my son Jon Marc on Skype recently. She was thrilled to be able to talk to him, and even more excited to be able to see him on web-cam, Mum has not seen Jon Marc or Jennifer since their 2006 wedding so it has been a while. It was an obvious thrill for her to see their daughter Evangeline on screen and she remarked on how cute and adorable Evangeline is. Great grandmothers are even more excitable than grandparents, if you can believe that!
But long after the conversation with Jon Marc was over, Mum just kept talking about how like my father he looked. Jon Marc has always had a similarity to my Dad but as he gets older he becomes even more like Dad as we remember him. Since Dad passed on a few years ago and Mum still misses him, she was delighted to see just how like his granddad Jon Marc had become. Somehow it gave her a great lift to see that the older Jon Marc gets, the more he looks like my Dad did at that particular age.
In Ephesians 5:1 we are encouraged to become more like Christ by “becoming imitators of God.” Would it not be the best compliment we could be given to be told we are like Jesus?
Obviously, Jon Marc resembles my Dad because of his genetic make-up and he can”t do much to change that! But in reality, at least before salvation we can”t do much to change ourselves either, but be willing to allow Him to change us.
From that moment onwards, the more we learn about Him and from Him the more likely it is that we become like Him. Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Luke 6:36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” As we show mercy, kindness and tenderness, we will be known by these fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives. So often we forget what He took us from and how much we have been forgiven when we are judging others!
Due to our mission work, Jon Marc did not have as much time to spend with his grandparents as most kids do, meaning that he had not the same opportunity to “imitate” his grandfather, but for us as believers, we do not have the excuse of geographical distance. If we are not as like the Lord as we should be, we can alter that by spending more time with Him! As we learn more about Him through the Word, through prayer and fellowship with others of like mind, we can learn how to become like Him.
If it is exciting for us as parents to see traits and similarities of our parents in our children, then I imagine when we are told in so many verses to become like Christ, it must also bring joy to the Lord when others can see Christ in us. This hymn by Wm Kirkpatrick, words by F.O. Chisholm and can be found on FAVORITES gospel songs #5, sums up the longing we have in our hearts.
Oh! to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I”ll forfeit all of earth”s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Refrain:
Oh! to be like Thee, oh! to be like Thee,
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

Oh! to be like Thee, full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand”ring sinner to find.

Oh! to be like Thee, lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.

Oh! to be like Thee, Lord, I am coming,
Now to receive th” anointing divine;
All that I am and have I am bringing,
Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

Oh! to be like Thee, while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love,
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Recently, David had a fall and hit his nose on the edge of a wooden rail. Ouch, it was a pretty sore bang, but it did save him hitting his face full on and damaging either an eye or a cheekbone. So he told the congregation in the next meeting that, because of his built in crumple zone, his face was saved a lot more damage. They all agreed and had a good laugh with us.
Bu there is a far more serious side to the crumple zone. It was discovered first by the motor company Mercedes and eventually other car manufacturers were told of the discovery and used it in their products. When asked about it, Mercedes said, “Of course we had to share this news as it can save lives and was therefore too good not to share!”
If they had not been willing to share the news, how many more people would have been killed? In fact, only those who owned Mercedes would have had this protection in the event of an accident!
As Christians, we have made a great discovery which saves our lives and our souls. Others from other religions, those with no belief or who have not realised the soul-saving, life-giving power is there, because Jesus died for everyone and wants to have a relationship with us, need to hear our news. It is too good not to share with everyone! I Peter 3:15 ….”Always, be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in you.”
Share it simply like the Mercedes people did and soon others will be excited and run with the news as well. Don”t save the news only for family and friends, share it with those you meet along the way. Ask the Lord to open up the opportunities and to give you words to say. You have news that will certainly save souls and the earlier people hear it, the earlier it will change and save their lives as well.
If you have not yet trusted in the Lord and asked Him to forgive your sins and save your soul, I encourage you to do it now! I want to share the news with you that you can experience the help of the Lord through life and the assurance of eternal life. Read John chapter 3:16, “God so loved the World that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Tell Jesus you believe in Him, ask Him to forgive your sins and take over the reins of your life. He wants to and He will do it!
That is quite the crumple zone and certainly too good news not to share!!!

This verse has been precious to me especially over the past month.
I am one of these folk who must be organized and know what and where I am going. I had spent hours on the internet working out our travel plans for coming home and for the various visits we had to make. I was a little apprehensive that the timing may have been off and we might miss a boat or plane. But as we crossed the Continent it seemed all the plans were taking shape as I imagined and any fears I had were unfounded. Arriving at Dover, we were asked would we like to take an earlier boat at no extra cost! This was amazing and would mean much less of a rush at the other end.
We arrived close to the airport in plenty of time and I decided to pick up a card for a birthday. Then it happened! In seconds, the plans I had made so carefully over many days were changed and suddenly God”s plans and our plans were not in agreement. I slipped on ice and was rushed off to hospital for surgery on a nasty broken ankle. The expected flight to Ireland left without David and it all seemed like such a waste! At first, I tried to make all the already agreed plans work out, until I finally accepted that it was out of my control.
For me, it is not easy to relinquish that control and see His new plan to be the better one! Why did He allow me to book the flights if we were never going to make it? What else of the planned program would have to be changed? But the more I asked, the more the Lord assured me of the above verse and of the fact that “His ways are Higher than ours!” I can”t describe to you the perfect peace to learn to rest and to lean on Him so completely. I believed, I was already totally dependent on Him for my everyday existence, and what else is there? But no, He wanted me to learn that He still holds the reins and has the better plan for me.
There have been many changes and alterations in plans over these past weeks and I have no doubt there are more ahead!! However, there have been people we met and have spoken to that we never would have known under normal circumstances. Gospel booklets, tracts and witnessing have been placed in situations where the good news badly needed to be heard. Friendships have been made which will not be easily forgotten. And I have seen God”s Personal Plan for me unfurl.
I don”t believe God caused this to fulfill His plan, but I know, He permitted it for the purpose of bringing us to others, of showing us His Power, continued love & care. Only eternity will show how precious needy souls are to Him that He will orchestrate an opportunity for them to hear the gospel. Personally, I see His gracious hand in that I was on British soil and did not have to battle with a foreign hospital, good surgery was performed and there were Doctors and nurses available to do the work. Christmas time with family was different than anticipated, but special too and the lessons being learned, continue daily.
When did you last have to remember to ask for His help before carrying out a simple daily task, as the logistics were challenging? Many of His people in other parts of the world have to do exactly that on a daily basis to survive. Our hearts, and whatever assistance we can give, go out to the many who are suffering in Haiti today and I am sure those who love the Lord are pleading with Him for understanding of that situation. Our finite minds can”t understand, but we can pray that in spite of the circumstances many survivors will respond to the Gospel as it is shared by helpers and other believers! He is the Lord, He does not change, His ways are higher, but He has a plan for each of us!

This has been a busy month or two, but this past two weeks have had just about every hour accounted for. Still we were very privileged to visit around 300 homes and firms to give them a daily reading for 2010. More than 95% of the people reading these calendars are not Christians and yet they are willing to read about God and learn more of their need, therefore we are thrilled to be the vessels to distribute the Word.

It has been a great experience as most folks have questions and items for discussion. They ask for prayer for their problems and in general are very open and warm towards us. We look forward through the year to meeting up with many of these people and seeing what they have discovered through the readings.

On one occasion, David drove past the home of a believer and had the urge to go in and let them know we were leaving this week. Now, as time was short and the folks were not on the calendar list he decided against calling as he had never called uninvited before. However, as he later in the day past the house again he had the same feeling and decided he should call in case there was a good reason for the “urge.”

The lady who opened the door was surprised to see him but invited him in. No sooner was he there than 6 other ladies arrived and the said lady”s daughter. It turned out it was a school reunion for this mid sixty year old lady and David had about an hour to explain the Gospel to each one of them. They gladly accepted a Gospel calendar to read more for themselves and begged him to come to the next reunion and explain more.

Luke 12:6-7, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Not only that, but as David was saying he had had no idea why the Lord was urging him to call, the lady”s daughter said, “I know, because I need your help.” This girl had been praying about a specific thing and here God provided someone to help her in her dilemma. They had another long talk on the subject and David was able to pray for her and leave.

Divine appointment? Certainly not coincidence!

We need to be ready to listen to His voice, as he sometimes leads us in different directions from we think to meet the need of another. If we do listen and follow His leading, we are generally, the most blessed to see that He is willing to use us and speak so definitely. The person we go to is encouraged and blessed to see their pleas for help being answered and assured that He has it all under control and it is an amazing witness to the unbeliever who is watching. These ladies were astounded at how God is interested in each one of us. They won”t forget that graphic lesson for a good while!

Psalm 145:18-19, “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them”

We got the work finished in spite of time given to “divine appointments”, and as we set off for our travels, please excuse the lack of contact and blogs as internet will be sparse, but I will return as soon as possible to this page

This month in UK is the month of Harvest Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day Parades, when we remember those who have fought and died to protect us. For the USA, this month is synonymous with Thanksgiving, but in actual fact remembering causes us to be thankful.

I talked with my aged grandmother today and asked her how she was and she answered simply, 'I have a lot to be thankful for.' When I think back over her life and how as a young mother of four she lost her husband and eldest son to tuberculosis. This was of course before the second world war, so there was nothing for it but to struggle on to provide for the family. Eventually remarrying and having another little girl, her new husband was killed in battle, leaving her once again with four young children to bring up alone. I am sure the fact that she is almost 100 years old and pretty fit for her age, is due, at least in part, to the fact that she has a thankful heart for how the Lord has guided and helped her through great sorrow as well as joy.

As we think back over our lives, all the times God has provided and guided, comforted us or given us great joy, we can”t help but be thankful for all He has done. In retrospect we can look over the troubled times, the difficult and painful times and be thankful, since we already know the outcome and how He carried us through. Even after Jesus performed bread-multiplying miracles by feeding 5,000 women and children (not to mention the men), healed people before their eyes, turned water into wine, still his disciples, having witnessed all of that, worried about empty pantries. Jesus rebuked them: “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Is your heart still hardened ‚Ķ‚Ķ.and do you not remember?” Mark 8:17.

Short memories harden the heart. Let us take careful note of God's blessings and be able to say with David: “I will hope continually. I will praise you more and more, my mouth shall tell of your Righteousness and your Salvation all the day. ‚Ķ.I will go in the strength of the Lord God. O God you have taught me from my youth and I will declare your strength to this generation” Psalm 71:14-18.

Recent research shows that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotion, are more satisfied with life, and have more energy. They also found being thankful lowers levels of depression and stress.¬†Furthermore, those who write down what they are thankful for and daily count their blessings, are more likely to do regular exercise and report fewer physical symptoms while being more enthusiastic, alert, and consequent. Doesn”t that sound good? We could all do with that kind of lifestyle! But I don”t think we should be surprised as the Bible tells “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

He has fed you, led you, guided, provided, and shown Himself trustworthy to continue to do so. ¬†Meditate on memories and it will make your heart thankful. If you know him you can remember his gift of Salvation and tell others about it. If you don”t know Him, be thankful He has given you another opportunity. Ask Him into your heart and life, to forgive your sin and make you His child. You will then have much more to remember to thank Him for!

After last weeks blog, I had a call telling us of a good friend who is very ill with cancer. My first reaction is, of course, to pray for her. I want God to heal her and I want Him to answer my prayer in the fastest and most positive way. I was tempted to demand, to “name it and claim it.” As the conversation continued and I was given more details of the illness, I heard a statement that changed all that!! The statement was, “She told her dad not to worry about her, as if this is what God has for her she has peace with that.”

I know this girl has a young family, she is much needed and has everything to live for. I know she would love to be healed and if God chooses to heal her physically (and I still pray to that end), she will give Him all the glory. Yet, she is accepting whatever He has for her and using her remaining time on earth concentrating on other things rather than wasting it worrying about what God is doing. That is exactly the point we rob ourselves of so much, if we continually beg or demand God for our will, instead of His Will.

David Watson, in his book “Fear No Evil” writes words he penned 48 hours before his death from cancer. He said that he wished he had spent the last months learning from his circumstances and learning a closeness to Jesus ‚Äì instead of asking God to change the circumstances. Maybe we need to learn from some of the situations God puts us in instead of naming and claiming the change.

I can hear you ask, What about His promises? He has given us so many in the Bible and they are ours to claim! I ask myself that question often as I look around at those who love God and follow him actively, yet are very poor and often don”t have enough to eat. Paul in the same chapter of Philippians 4 says, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content‚Ķ I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. We all know Paul suffered immensely to bring the Gospel to Europe and to us. But he also writes in verse 19, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches.”

This is no contradiction even though it appears to be. Some of the most happy and satisfied people I have ever met are those who have very little of this world”s goods. God has supplied, first the acceptance and the peace and then the food to still the hunger. It is like the three friends of Daniel who were placed in the fiery furnace. They knew His Power and ability but were prepared that if He did not rescue them, they would still worship Him in His presence.

He will answer our prayers, He will fulfill His Promises, but it may be in a way other than what we think or would wish. Yes, we should pray and pray earnestly, but it should be according to His Will. Sometimes we know things that are His Will, like the salvation of those still unsaved, so we can continue to plead for their souls, but oftentimes we don't know what to pray for as we ought and need to let the Spirit 'present our prayers before the father'. I for one am glad He does that!

As a parent, it is always more pleasant and rewarding to give to a child who is thankful. Not that we give for that reason, but when we hear and see gratitude, we know our effort was worthwhile. As we thank God for what He has given us, for how He has cared for us, even for the difficult circumstances He has carried us through, then we give Him pleasure and glory and we gain peace, acceptance and assurance that He is in control.

Thanksgiving in the USA, a time to thank those we love for what they have done or do, a time to remember all that God has done and all He has given us, a time to accept with a loving heart His plans for us and be thankful we only have to know the last step and the next one. He knows the way that we take in between.  As we praise and worship Him, He reveals His plan and uses our experiences to help others find the way of acceptance and peace.

This week I have been challenged afresh as to my approach or attitude to God in prayer. There is a whole new teaching out there that we have to “name it and claim it” before God and at first, I was not sure if it was just me, my upbringing or what it was that makes me feel that claiming something is demanding it! I can”t imagine me being very pleased if one of my kids had named and claim something before I even gave it to them. Is that not just a little presumptuous? I would think my child was disrespectful if he demanded his rights, and I certainly don”t want to spend time and effort being disrespectful in prayer, yet neither did I want to miss something if it was important. I decided to look into this further.
I guess the first prayer to look at is the one taught by Jesus Himself to us. The model prayer in Matthew chapter 6 is full of respect and yet clearly states what we want God to do for us and in us, according to what He has promised, but also in direct relation to what we have done for others. “Thy will be done,” it is important to remember that we pray and ask according to His Will. “Give us this day our daily bread” (He has promised to provide our daily needs and we can expect He will provide in His way.) “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors,” I wonder how much claiming we can do on this one, as it is always easier to ask God to forgive us than it is to forgive someone who has wronged us.
I note this name/claim philosophy especially in the area of healing. When someone we love is sick then of course we want to claim every promise Christ has made for their healing. That is true! We can and should plead for them in prayer, but in a humble manner, not demanding that God answer our prayers, our way, but rather in the way which will bring the most Glory to Himself.
The Apostle Paul, was one who asked God on three different occasions to remove whatever was afflicting him. Yet, God chose not to, but rather told him that, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. Sometimes we can glorify Him better with our debilitation, as He gives the needed strength to carry it and to use it for His glory.
If Jesus could ask his Father to remove the cup of suffering from Him and then accept God”s Will as perfect, who are we to think we can do different? Knowing the answer would be that He had to die bearing our sin, did not however stop Jesus asking for it.
We are to “ask and it shall be given us (according to His Will), seek and we shall find (sometimes what we find might be peace in acceptance), knock and it will be opened unto us (humbly and pleadingly knocking, not barging in and demanding.) Matthew 7:7
The Shorter Catechism, which being brought up in the Highlands of Scotland, I was privileged to learn from, teaches that “Man”s Chief end is to Glorify God and enjoy Him for ever”. Larry Crabb in his book, Finding God ‚Äì isn”t that Attractive, writes, that as Christians we have changed the teaching from this to, “the chief end of God is to gratify people.” How sad!
I know this is a huge subject and don”t be surprised if I come back to it again as I work on it. I want God to answer prayer in many ways, dramatic ways, assuring ways, but most of all I want Him to be glorified, in even my prayer life. Let us ask, believing, taking comfort from His Promises and having the deep assurance that He has it all in control, and will work things out according to His Will for our greater good.

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and strength to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

This verse has become especially meaningful to me this week. I guess I have always known that people work better with a little encouragement rather than tons of “helpful” criticism, but this week I have watched it in practice.

We have family working here helping in our building project and one of those is a dear nephew who was born with Down”s. He is a great young man and always wants to be doing whatever the men in the family are doing.

Many of the tasks being done here are hard work and Glen is not the most able, but will he take a break?. He is determined to do every job he gets and do it perfectly. As long as he gets encouragement!!!

Being typically Irish the “uncles” are given to teasing a good bit and when they tease Glen about a job or tell him he is doing it too slow or not well enough, it is amazing to watch the light leave that young man”s eyes as he trudges through the task attempting to finish it in any way possible.

However, when he is encouraged just a little, he takes off and does his work with joy and really very precisely. Glen has a work ethic which I seldom see in people nowadays. He tries his best, and by doing so, overcomes much of his disability. Yet, without encouragement, he is not able to function nearly as well and certainly not happily.

How true this is of each and every one of us. Not that we go looking for praise for all we do, but it is so special and encouraging when someone says some appreciative words, especially when we don”t feel that what we do is worth noticing. Somehow when praised we see the job in a different light and the burden seems to suddenly get lighter.

For some reason, it is also much easier to take advice from those who have an encouraging spirit, than from one who, although happy to teach us how to do something better, is very critical of what has been done up until that point. We want to listen to the encourager and have him show us even better methods.

Sometimes, it is not easy to find something that a person is doing well, but if it is important enough to mention in the Bible, then it is obvious we are meant to use encouraging words with every person. No matter how hopeless is the work which has been done, there has to be something good we can say about it, even if it is only to tell them not to worry as it can be done again at another date. The Bible tells us to “encourage ourselves in the Lord” and the more we do that the more we will be able to encourage others.

Let us try to encourage one another by looking for the positive in every situation, meaning more will be achieved, and those we come in touch with will be more inclined to listen to what we have to say. People who have strong bones and sweet souls are good workers for the Lord and God has allowed us the privilege of strengthening others merely by encouraging them. It doesn”t take a rocket scientist, anyone of us can do it and indeed we should.

Doesn”t it give us a special thrill to see God doing his own work, through us? Sometimes without much effort of my own, I feel God working things out for His Glory.

This month I had an aunt go on to meet her Savior. This lady loved Jesus, told others about Him and effused the Gospel to people with her life. I have no doubt that today she is enthusing over Heaven and all that she experiences there, and especially over Her Savior, whom she has finally met face to face. She was faithful to Him in every possible way in her life. I will miss her, especially as a prayer partner, but yet I rejoice that she is already there and I am going to be there with her some day.

In the intervening time, we serve as best we know, we reach people every day and influence them one way or another. But there are times (and this week was one of those times) when you just know God has a heart prepared or a situation worked out already, and all you are required to do is be in the right place and watch and learn!

We were approached by a man who wanted to help us with a translation problem. On meeting us, he told us he knew before leaving home that this was going to be a special day but he was not sure why. Now not many people feel that way about having to help us make ourselves understood, so we were a bit surprised!!!

As we talked, he asked us where we were from and, inevitably, if we were on holidays. So we told him that we were missionaries and we had come to live close by. He immediately wanted clarification as to what a missionary was and what we did. So we explained and he got very excited. “I knew this was a special day”, he declared, “and now I know why!”

With his wife, he had begun reading the Bible every day. They were learning a lot but still did not really understand much of what they were reading. Recently, a few friends were gathering together on a Monday night to study the Word in his home, but they had no one to explain the Scriptures. Does that remind you of anyone?

In Acts 8: 26-36, Phillip met with the Ethiopian man and was asked to tell him what the Scriptures were trying to say. This man asked if we could come along and help them understand. What an opportunity for us! What a hunger for God they have to be searching the scriptures alone! God has already prepared their hearts! He is doing His work His Way and giving us the joy of going along.

In another situation, we have a major prayer request set out before God. He has opened a door and we are willing to walk through it. But, so far we wait for Him to work out the details, in His time. This is, of course, much harder to do. As we get impatient to be doing, we try to find ways round the waiting, but sometimes what is required of us is simply to wait.

I am so glad God gave us the privilege of the first instance before He asked us to wait in the second instance, as it means we can look back and remember in the not so distant past, what He did while we just stood back and watched.

Each of these experiences are special times when you know His clear leading, but the time of waiting is not as easy, yet it is what produces patience and perseverance in our character. Be encouraged, “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:17.

Hang on in there! He has it worked out!

A number of weeks ago, while swimming, David lost his sunglasses in the sea. Of course, we thought never to see them again! But just last week we went for a walk on the beach and on our return journey the glasses were suddenly washed up at my feet. Perfect and complete!

Although it was no real tragedy to lose these glasses, it was still such fun to actually find them again. This reminded me of the verse in the Bible which says, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” Ecclesiastes 11:1 ‚Ķ.and I got to thinking!!

Launching out for Him ‚Äì This verse means “send out your grain in ships.” Solomon who wrote Ecclesiastes was saying that when you send out the grain, you have to have faith that it reaches its destination and that it will return. He had a lot to do with trade and the merchants could have been gone for many months before returning with their wares, but eventually they did and it was then worth it all.

When we launch out in a venture for the Lord, often we don”t see the fruit of the labor for a long time, maybe never in our lifetime, but He has promised that “His Word will not return to Him void.” Therefore what we do for him and in His Name will “return after many days”.

Trusting Him Completely – It requires faith. Neither the merchant nor the seaman has any control over the outcome. The ship could hit a rock, storm or whatever and the ship and grain could be lost. Solomon had already gone through many experiences which made him think that life was futile and yet after all this hopelessness, he can come out with something as profound as this, believing in returns for their labors.

In the Spiritual sense, even though we hit rocks, go through storms, even become shipwrecked, with Christ as captain, we will get through and He will use even our feeble efforts for His Glory and purposes. What it takes from us is complete faith in the Captain! When going through the storm, it is often we want to give up, but after a storm has past there are some of the most beautiful calm seas and wonderful scenery possible. So it is with our struggles. They are never nice at the time, but they do produce in us perseverance and stronger faith in the ability of our captain and His love for us.

Rejoicing in the Returns. – The ships went out bearing grain, and came back bearing wealth in return for the grain. We can be assured that when we go out with the Word in our weakness, it will return with the wealth of souls and Christ at their helm. It is His job to open the hearts and turn people to Himself, ours is to be faithful in whatever He has asked us to do for Him. But we also get to rejoice in the returns. With the angels in Heaven we can rejoice over each precious soul who finds Him. Then we know it has been worth “Casting our bread on the waters and waiting the many days until it returns.”

If you haven”t seen it happen yet, don”t be discouraged it will! He has promised!

If you haven”t trusted Him, He continues to call and says, “Come unto me, All you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest,”