The Lord is saying. How precious you are to me. If you only knew how it warms my heart as you search for me, as you think of me and when your heart turns towards me. In those moments I can pour in to you healing, life and strength. Take time in your busy day to be quiet in my presence and feel the sunshine of my love upon you and breath in the fresh clean air of my Spirit of truth to renew and replenish your soul.

 

I receive Words of Life Devotional from James Robison.... this cute story really touched me and I thought I'd share it with you.... Click to read more on how when we look to others to complete us we ultimately feel dissatisfied because only Jesus can fulfil our longings and complete us totally.

Incomplete Loves by Beth Moore

 

This poem from Catherine is so beautiful - it made me think of how precious, fleeting yet packed with opportunity is each moment we are given. Shirley

REFLECTIONS - A Moment of Time

Here, neither fluctuating nor deviating,
yet intent on relinquishing to your future spasm of time.
A moment of truth, a moment of lie
A moment of love or one of hate,
Neither intruding on our will
Nor extinguishing our thought,
Yet here for us to use for good or ill,

Aware of your awesome presence, yet you escape,
and then ......the next, never to be experienced in a lifetime again.
How were you used you moment of a moment ago?
How tiny you seem
but yet how overpoweringly
awe inspiring.

How quiet you are in stillness,
But where can we find you in the tumultuous cacophony of sound?
With how much respect are you treated in a world so frighteningly divesting herself of such
a necessary commodity?

To kill or heal to maim or bless?
You, moment of a life, do you feel sadness or joy?
Or are you just here?
Neither taking from the last nor giving to the next.
You exist, uniquely embodied in a terrible power.

Are you the last moment of my time?
Do you know how many of you are allotted to me?
Do you know when to stop for me?

Unlike the butterfly caught in the net you are free
....never to be trapped.
You, moment of ecstasy or joy, grief or pain,
you flee, gone forever,
You, moment of a moment ago
to whom do you flee?
Where is your home?
Where do you go?

You, moment of time
your existence is shrouded in veils
of mystery, how beautiful,
how terrifying, how sure.

Friend or foe, or are you just here,
touch-typing the clouds
in the valleys of space
as we dream on?
Some of us searching and wishing
for more of your sweetness,
others eager to bid you farewell.

Catherine O'Halloran.

 

 

Adventures in India ....Monday 7th December I choked back the tears when the children who lived next to the Western Rubbish Dump danced to music with such joy and eyes shining. After a story about Jonah, we had the priviledge of handing them toys that Brother Raju had bought with the money we had given him and biscuits. The children are so polite and patient. If by accident we give them more biscuits then allocated they would tell you. We then were asked to help feed them with white rice, an egg each and vegetable curry. This was probably the only meal they would get that day. I helped serve from a massive pan of rice. The teacher was an expert at making sure everyone got a large amount and that there was enough for them all. She kept scraping the bottom. I was so surprised after all we had fed, that the last few queueing up all got enough to eat. No one pushed in but they all waited so patiently with their plates even though they must have been so hungry. Gudrun sends money every month from the Watch of the Lord to help feed these children. However many more could come to school and be fed one meal a day if there was more money. House of Bread pays every month the wages of three teachers. This was one of the schools we support. Gudrun always the evangelist made sure that they all got saved and we all prayed for them. Anita writes about what a humbling experience all this was, of how quiet we were afterwards. She says she could hardly take it all in; How pleased they were to see us and how unworthy it made her feel, that they had nothing and we have so much.. As we went out and through the village, we took biscuits to the little huts (small as little kitchens). The people gave us such a wonderful send off, and we went back to Brother Raju's for lunch overawed by what we had just experienced. We left a part of our hearts in that little village that day. See Gudrun's newsletter about India

 

email shirleyhowitt@yahoo.co.uk