Immortality

I have a confession to make.

The Bible says to confess your sins to one another so this is an attempt at that. The Bible also says Do not covet. That means, don't want what other people have, be content with what God has given me, be thankful.

So, here's my confession:

I covet other people's healthy, living children.

There. I said it. It's out there. And as I say this, I have two fully healthy children. Though I am incredibly grateful for them I brace myself for the day that Madelynn will come down with some awful, life threatening disease- like her 3 older siblings. I dread the day that Hudson will end up in the emergency room like his brother. 

I see other people's children. Healthy. Happy. Living. They can eat what they want. And it does not affect them. They can go out for ice cream without a second thought. Restaurants and festivals are not intimidating.

Children laughing and yelling, not silent and dead in the ground.

A friend posted this quote awhile back. And it has changed my view of people, of life and of eternity...

you don't have a soul.

 you ARE a soul.

you have a body.

-c.s.lewis

My children are SOULS. Living souls who yearn for heaven just like I do. We are souls made in the Image of the Eternal God Himself. These bodies we walk around in may be full of disease and death. But that does not change the fact that we are souls full of life. 
Joshua is not a diabetic. He is an immortal, treasured soul whose body has the disease called diabetes.
Rachel is not celiac. She is a precious soul made in the likeness of her Maker but her body cannot handle gluten at this time.
Emily is not dead and silent in the ground. Her body is dead and silent. SHE is alive, because she is a soul, an eternal soul like her Creator.

So though this life is not "fair", I am grateful for my God. The God of hope and restoration. Of life and heaven. For Him, I am grateful. And for Him, I will not covet. For Him, I will not compare my children with others. For Him, my heart will be grateful. 

And to Him, I pray that all my children will someday have a heaven day like our Emily.

Sunshower

August 15. Another little heart. Another little girl. A precious little girl. Full of smiles and joy. Full of life. Eva. Though we've never met you, sweet child, we miss you.

Say hello to our sweet Emily, give her a hug for us. Let her know we yearn to be where you both are- in beautiful, joyful paradise. With Jesus. Our Jesus.

One of our Sunflowers for Eva

What is truth?

'Thank you God for reminding me that there are so many people out there that are lost. Spiritually lost. And yet some of them believe that they are not lost. These people seem to be the hardest to reach. And yet all I can do is to love them. Like You love me. Unconditionally and always.'

This past weekend Joel met a young couple with a 5 month old baby. They were camping on a beach while he was out Saskatoon/Juneberry picking. They got to talking and it wasn't long until Joel discovered they were Christians. They described themselves as Anabaptists. Joel offered hospitality for the next night should they need it.

The next day they called us. I was excited. I really enjoy having guests spend the night and share meals with us. And, of course, meeting new people. Especially people with similar beliefs. They arrived later that night. After talking with them for several minutes it was soon clear that something was amiss. It turns out they were not married. They claimed to be strong believers in Christ, they spoke of living in a community with other believers of Jesus, they also spoke of being guided and directed by the Holy Spirit. And yet they were not married.

Needless to say, I was disappointed.

Later, after saying good night and going to our bedrooms for the night, Joel and I didn't know what to do. After much angst, we decided what we must do. There was no way around it. Joel asked the man to sleep in the living room while his partner and the baby slept in the guest room downstairs. The man was understanding and polite, though he did not agree with our conviction.

Looking back over this situation, I am reminded of the strong moral relativism in our culture and society. What we ran into this weekend, though, had a Christian mask. But it was still the same beast: "My truth is different than your truth." "Seek your own way of spirituality." "Morals are dependent upon if they hurt someone else or not."

This man's opinion was that his adulterous choices were hardly comparable to the sin of usury, organized religion, and anything to do with government.

'So Lord, I thank you for your amazing grace in our lives and in the lives of others. Continue to make us shining stars in this dark world. May your people not be swayed by fine sounding arguments and please, open the eyes of the deceived. May they know the Truth that will set them free. Amen.'

Raw Vegan...Ice Cream?

Oh you betcha! And yum, is it delicious!

Here's the Link.


And here's the recipe:

Strawberry Mint Raw Vegan Ice Cream 
5 minutes to make // Yields: 6-8 servings
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Ingredients

Water (1/4 cup)

Raw Cashews (one cup, soaked in water at least 4 hours)

Banana (one, frozen*)

Strawberries (3 cups, frozen)

Mint (10-12 big leaves)

Strawberries (1/2 cup, fresh, for garnish, optional)

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Instructions

1- Place water, drained cashews, banana, strawberries and mint in a Vitamix or high speed blender.

2- Process on high for about a minute.

3- Spoon ice cream into serving bowls.
4- Garnish with fresh strawberries.

5- Serve and enjoy.

Photo (Home) Booth