"In the days before the .... (insert your disaster) "

http://www.belpoz.com/picture-6059

" In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. They were getting married. They were giving their daughters to be married. They did all those things right up to the day Noah entered the ark. They knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. Matthew 25:38,39

Haiti is considered the poorest nation in the western hemisphere and yet no one ever imagined the disaster that happened on January 12, 2010. And while we might talk discuss for hours the “why?” question … or even the “how did it happen?” question, the point is that they were not prepared … the world was not prepared … no one knew that it was going to happen … no one was looking for it. Like the Tsunami and Katrina, everyone was taken by surprise.

^{We, from the relative safety of not being in Haiti, perhaps feel as though we’re safe. But the truth is that we don’t know at what time or hour or in what manner the Lord will chose to end our lives. It might be in a natural disaster or it might be that we just don’t wake up tomorrow morning. From that point of view … from the outlook that we really don’t know what the future holds … what is most important today? Who do you need to make amends with? Who do you need to hug? What good deed, left undone, needs to get done? May God show you what He has planned for you this day.}

You've Been Given A Task

You've been given a task, whether you chose to do it or not, you are the only person who can do the task you've been given. Do you know what it is? Sometimes a direct quote says it all ... and better! I've shown you the First ones, can you find the others?

The Silver Chair:

Chapter Two – Jill Is Given A Task

“You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you.” said the Lion.

“Then you are Somebody, sir?” said Jill

“I am. And now hear your task. … I lay on you this command, that you seek this lost prince until either you have found him and brought him to his father’s house, or else died in the attempt, or else gone back into your own world.”

“How, please?” said Jill.

“I will tell you, child.” Said the Lion. “These are the signs by which I will guide you in your quest. First … Second … Third … Fourth …”

As the Lion seemed to have finished, Jill thought she should say something. So she said, “Thank you very much I see.”

“Child,” said Aslan, in a gentler voice than he had yet used, “perhaps you do not see quite as well as you think. But the first step is to remember. Repeat to me, in order, the four signs.”

Jill tried, and didn’t get them quite right. So the Lion corrected her, and made her repeat them again and again till she could say them perfectly. He was very patient over this, so that when it was done …

“Shall I catch him in time to tell him the first sign? …

“You will have no time to spare,” said the Lion …

But long before she had got anywhere near the edge, the voice behind her said, “Stand still. In a moment I will blow. But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters. And now, Daughter of Ever, farewell –“

Psalm 199:9-16 : Beth

⁹ How can a young person keep his life pure?
First: By living in keeping with your word.
¹⁰ I trust in you with all my heart.
Don't let me wander away from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
so that I won't sin against you.
¹² Lord, I give praise to you.
Teach me your orders.
¹³ With my lips I talk about
all of the decisions you have made.
¹⁴ Following your covenant laws gives me joy
just as great riches give joy to others.
¹⁵ I spend time thinking about your rules.
I consider how you want me to live.
¹⁶ I take delight in your orders.
I won't fail to obey your word.

John 14 (NIV Reader's Version) : Jesus Comforts His Disciples

¹ "Do not let your hearts be troubled. First: Trust in God. Trust in me also.

² "There are many rooms in my Father's house. If this were not true, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go and do that, I will come back. And I will take you to be with me. Then you will also be where I am.

⁴ "You know the way to the place where I am going."

The Father Will Send the Holy Spirit

¹⁵ "If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶ I will ask the Father. And he will give you another Friend to help you and to be with you forever. ¹⁷ The Friend is the Spirit of truth. The world can't accept him. That is because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you.

¹⁸ "I will not leave you like children who don't have parents. I will come to you.

¹⁹ "Before long, the world will not see me anymore. But you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father. You will know that you are in me, and I am in you.

²¹ "Anyone who has my commands and obeys them loves me. My Father will love the one who loves me. I too will love him. And I will show myself to him." …

²³ Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love him. We will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. The words you hear me say are not my own. They belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ "I have spoken all these things while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.

²⁷ "I leave my peace with you. I give my peace to you. I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do not be afraid.

Deuteronomy 4 : Love the Lord Your God (NIV Reader’s Version)

¹ The Lord your God has directed me to teach you his commands, rules and laws. Obey them in the land you will take over when you go across the Jordan River. ² Then you, your children and their children after them will have respect for the Lord your God as long as you live. Keep all of his rules and commands I'm giving you. If you do, you will enjoy long life.

³ Israel, listen to me. First: Make sure you obey me. Then things will go well with you. Your numbers will increase greatly in a land that has plenty of milk and honey. That's what the Lord, the God of your parents, promised you.

⁴ Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is the one and only God. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength.

⁶ The commandments I give you today must be in your hearts. ⁷ Make sure your children learn them. Talk about them when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Speak about them when you go to bed. And speak about them when you get up. ⁸Write them down and tie them on your hands as a reminder. Also tie them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses. Also write them on your gates.

¹⁰ The Lord your God will bring you into the land of Canaan. …

The land has large, wealthy cities you didn't build. ¹¹ It has houses that are filled with all kinds of good things you didn't provide. It has wells you didn't dig. And it has vineyards and groves of olive trees you didn't plant. You will have plenty to eat.

¹² But be careful that you don't forget the Lord. Remember that he brought you out of Egypt. That's the land where you were slaves.

¹³ Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve. When you make promises, take your oaths in his name. ¹⁴ Don't follow other gods. Don't worship the gods of the nations that are around you.

¹⁵ The Lord your God is among you. He is a jealous God. If you worship other gods, his anger will burn against you. And he will destroy you from the face of the land. ¹⁶ Don't put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.

¹⁷ Be sure to obey the Lord's commands. Follow the terms and rules he has given you. ¹⁸Do what is right and good in the Lord's eyes. Then things will go well with you. You will go in and take over the land. It's the good land the Lord promised with an oath to your people long ago. ¹⁹ You will drive out all of your enemies to make room for you. That's what the Lord said would happen.

²⁰ Later on, your son might ask you, "What is the meaning of the terms, rules and laws the Lord our God has commanded you to obey?"

²¹ If he does, tell him, "We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. But the Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of Egypt. ²² With our own eyes we saw the Lord send miraculous signs and wonders. They were great and terrible. He sent them on Egypt and Pharaoh and everyone in his house.

²³ "But the Lord brought us out of Egypt. He planned to bring us into the land of Canaan and give it to us. It's the land he promised with an oath to our people long ago.

²⁴ "The Lord our God commanded us to obey all of his rules. He commanded us to have respect for him. If we do, we will always succeed and be kept alive. That's what is happening today. ²⁵ We must make sure we obey the whole law in the sight of the Lord our God. That's what he has commanded us to do. If we obey his law, we'll be doing what he requires of us."

"You Have Lupus"

by Barbara Chadwick



I was sick. I was feverish and weak. I was shaken. I lay in bed looking at a landscape my sister-in-law had painted. Yucca plants, cactus and desert rise up under an incredibly blue New Mexico sky to meet the Organ mountains. God seemed very close and personal that day. I wanted to just rest in Him but thoughts of everything I had to do kept pressing into my consciousness; there were our four children, my piano students, Sonrisa, the youth choir I led and my job. Oh, and don't forget the housework.

God seemed to say to me, "I created these majestic mountains and I created you. I have sustained this desert and these mountains through thousands of years and I can sustain you through this illness. If you trust me I can take care of you." I Peter 5:7 went through my mind, Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

"You have lupus." This was not the Doctor's usual approach. He was in his thirties, a big guy, usually smiling and joking with me. Today he was somber. "You will continue to have joint pain, fatigue and probably some life threatening situations in the hospital. We know a lot more about Lupus now than we did ten years ago. I'll give you the name of a specialist. For now take this medicine and go home and rest."

I went home to bed. All of my activities were put on hold. My husband's traveling appointments to visit and encourage missionaries were canceled for a short term. The children jumped in to help with the housework and laundry, and each day I studied the painting. Each piece of cactus was place there by God.

I was confused. Why would God permit me to be sick when everything I did was to serve Him? I taught Sumday School, I was church pianist, I directed a youth choir, I encouraged my husband to be all that he could be in Christ. Yet, this illness seemed like a large piece of cactus in my life.

I learned some things about my spiritual condition at that time:
- I thought I could do everything "for" God. I was very proud of it all.
- I thought "I" was strong. I thought I could handle anything. I didn't call on God's strength.
- I rarely, if ever, stopped long enough to "listen" for God's voice.
- I hadn't read I Peter 5, verses 5b and 6
"God resists the proud. But gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of God."
- I was sure my life would continue tripping along into infinity at that hectic, exhilarating pace.

I thank God that I'm in remission now. Along the way I learned some things about living with Lupus. I have to get adequate rest. There are times when I can keep going and times when I have to stop and rest. There are times when I can live with the joint pain and times when I have to have some medication to help. Stress almost surely brings on a "flare-up" so I know it's better to give whatever stress factor it is to God.

Also, I learned that God loves me just as I am. I don't have to prove anything to anybody. I can praise Him for His mercy and grace. I can rest in the assurance that He holds me in the palm of his hand and He gives the strength for each day. I have memorized I Peter 5:7 and take particular delight in verse 10 of that chapter, "May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

New Beginnings
by Barbara Chadwick



Each of us is given a chance at a new beginning every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

At the beginning of each new year most of us feel we have a chance at a new beginning in life
- to do better than we did last year
- to go further
- to study harder
- to accomplish more
- etc.

I asked the Lord last January to help me be a light in a dark world during 2009. Today, January 3, 2010 I look back and realize that sometimes my life didn't really shine at all. Sometimes it was just a glimmer! But, when I messed up God didn't zap me. He didn't dissolve me or cause the ground to swallow me up. Instead He said, "Try again."

I want to share with you some answers to questions on science tests by 11-year-olds. (from Dr. Bunce, Baptist New Mexican, Dec. 5, 2009):
"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe you expire."
"H2O is hot water, CO2 is cold water."
"The body consists of three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abominable cavity. The brainium holds the brain. The borax holds the heart and the liver. The abominable cavity contains the bowels of which there are five - a, e, i, o, u."

Thank God we don't have to carry all of our mistakes in a bag with us through life! Our bags would be so big that we would be exhausted just lugging them around. But God's mercies are new every morning and Psalms 103:12 tells us that, As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As you begin this new year remember that:
- you inspire others when you are faithful
- Jesus is the Living Water
- the parts of your body belong to the Lord. Take care of them and use them well.

I pray that 2010 will be a time of New Beginnings for you. Begin it with Joy and Light and Love.

Jesus IS the Light

by Barbara Chadwick



We were sitting in the forward lounge of the Le Conte ferry on our way to Tenakee Springs. Being the second week in December in Alaska it was naturally dark at six A.M. Clouds covered the sky making it seem darker. World news was dismal - Crime, War, Congress seemingly working against the people, every kind of Vice and Lawlessness, and the economy. People around us were sleeping - oblivious to the chaos of the world.

This was my first time to go to Tenakee. I was told there was a lot of alcoholism and depression there. They have some Mormons and a Catholic chapel. The village has about forty-five people in winter and fifty-two dogs! Our church in Juneau provides an evangelical worship service once a month so this was our time.

Tenakee has a hot springs where the people bathe. There are hours for women and hours for men. One woman told me that you develop the Tenakee Stare - that is you look at eyes, never lower your eyes!

A couple of hours later after daybreak - still sitting in the darkened lounge looking out over the ocean - my mind was full of heavy things. Suddenly in the distance the sun broke through the clouds and a shaft of light came straight down. The reflection of the light on the water was brilliant!

I was reminded of the scripture in Isaiah "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2

That scripture is quoted in Matthew 4:16 "The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the shadowland of death, light has dawned. "

God looked down from heaven and knew we needed a Savior. He placed His only Son in a manger. A bright star and angels announced His arrival. Shepherds and Wise Men worshipped Him and He became the Light of the world.

Our Light.

Jesus says in John 8:12, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life."

May the Light of Life be reflected in our words, our actions and our faces this week.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

The thermometer on my back porch reads 20 degrees and we woke up to snow on the ground! … A white, soft, feathery two inches of snow! We hardly ever get snow here in Las Cruces, NM and so it’s such a delight and treat when we do. Now as I look out my window the sun has risen to reflect itself in sugary sparkly rays off the snow and as it warms the world, fine powdery snow drifts off the trees and floats softly to the ground. And the song that’s running through my head is … “Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”

At this time of year right before Christmas, with this being just the very beginning of colder weather …not cold as in staying in the 20’s or even going to be in the 20’s regularly, but rather that it is just “beginning to look a lot like Christmas” weather …snow is wonderful, awesome, magical …especially as I’m living in a very snug home, my heater works, and my fireplace is burning.

But if my circumstances were different … like some of the homeless guys who live under the trees near the overpass to the highway … or if I couldn’t afford to pay the gas, or coal bill like friends of mine in Canada … or if this was the end of a very hard cold winter and I thought it was going to finally be spring but instead it was another two inches of snow … then the 20 degrees on my thermometer would conjure up entirely different feelings … magical would be replaced with tragic … feathery with icy cold … soft white with icy glare.

Proverbs 29:25 says “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe” I’d like to offer a suggestion that you could replace the word ‘man’ with ‘circumstances’ … “Fear of ‘circumstances’ will prove to be a snare.” How we see our situation -our circumstances- will determine the attitudes and actions that we have and our responses to other people. In Revelation John says that the best reason for reading that book is to receive a blessing. My dad always says that the main message of revelation is “We Win!” … in the end we win! The writer of Hebrews says that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”

It is so important that we ‘read’ today’s story in light of ‘Christmas Is Coming’ … Christ is coming back … it’s exciting and fresh and new. If we interpret the snow -today’s story- in light of the past, in light of our feelings, in light of what the news media tells us, then the 20 degrees -our circumstances- is devastating news, the two inches of snow becomes the feared two inches that will break the camel’s back instead of two more inches to fill the water aquifers underground.

“… but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Trust the Lord today regardless of how you see the snow today, regardless of your circumstances. He is the One who can keep you safe, who can provide, protect, defend. He is FOR you! God tells us in Proverbs 1:7 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. Now there’s a place to put some healthy fear. Fear God. Serve Christ. Love Men. And … “Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”

Matt Redman - You Never Let Go
From the album Passion 06: Everything Glorious

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught

in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light

that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Chorus:
Yes, I can see a light

that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

God's Wife
by Barbara Chadwick


We visited with four-year-old Alex last week. We went actually to visit her parents, James and Jesse (This really is the mother's name!) but Alex was the center of attention and conversation.

She showed me all her toys and all her baby sister's toys. She took me into her bedroom so I could see and admire her new "big girl" bed and pictures on the wall. She raised the blinds on the window. It was sort of frosty so she started to play tic tac toe. She asked me to play with her so since she already had an X, I drew an O. She jumped up and down and said I'm going to block you so she put an X over my O!

Her mother, Jesse, later told me that they were in the car a few days ago. Alex, in the back seat, said, "Mom! You won't believe this! I'm playing tic tac toe with myself and I'm winning every time!"

Wouldn't that be something if we could do that in life?! But the fact is we can't do anything really in our own strength. It is only in God's strength that we accomplish anything worthwhile.

Well, when Alex became busy with something else during our visit, Jesse sat beside me and said I want to tell you what Alex said this week. We were driving home from school and Alex tells me from the back seat,

"God's wife is so pretty."

"Is she?" Jesse asked

"Yes, she's so pretty."

"Where did you see God's wife?"

"At church, of course, she's married to our pastor!"

I laughed delightedly and said, "That's the sweetest thing anyone ever said to me." What an awesome thought but I can barely live up to being the wife of the pastor!!

Don't you love how a little child's mind works?

Mar 10:15 "I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Alex is always telling Jesse and James, "You know, Jesus loves us."

It's simple in her mind. Everything in the world belongs to God and He loves us.