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HAVE A WONDERFUL, MERRY, but ESPECIALLY CHRIST-FILLED CHRISTMAS!

We trust that you are having the kind of Christmas that only a true born again child of God can have. We are so thankful that Jesus not only came as a baby, but as the Savior of all who believe in Him as "...the WAY, the TRUTH, and THE LIFE."
John 14:6
"And the Word (Jesus Christ) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

THANKSGIVING

American Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Here are some good thoughts about Thanksgiving on a blog I follow. The blogster (did I coin a new word?) has gone through some very hard times of late. I really like what she said about about the blessing and the Blesser. "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." II Corinthians 9:15 We are truly blessed! We were just talking about that today. Our greatest blessing is having a personal relationship with the Blesser!

Lest We Forget

We were privileged today to watch the Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa. They were very moving. Today some are trying to rewrite history. We must not let this happen and we must not we forget! Those who saw the atrocities of WWII had much to say. "If we fail to learn from history, we will be destroyed by history!"

Read what Kari has to say on the same theme.

The Results of Socialism

Every once in a while one of those pesky e-mail forwards has something good to say. Check this out.

An economics professor at a local college made the statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism." All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that.

What a profound short little paragraph that says it all:
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for,that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."~~~~
Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

A Wise Word from a Great Man of the Past

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."
Abraham Lincoln

Remembering 9/11 with my brother

I am sorry that I am a day late, but then Gerry wrote this report on 9/12/01. We can remember where we were and why, but our location was not nearly as traumatic as Gerry's during that awful time for our beloved country. Things changed that day and, unfortunately things have changed even more in the last several months. However it is good to know that God is Good and is still in control. I read some things today which made me shudder. I am positive that God is working all things for His Glory and for our good. Even so come Lord Jesus! It can't be long until we hear the trumpet sound, but what about those we love...?

GONE TO GLORYLAND!

About 15 years ago we met some people who have become very important in our lives. They live in the country near The Farm. They are Country Folk. Real People. The Salt of the Earth. The Real Deal. Ed Ness was one of those people. He grew and harvested blueberries, was a dad and grandfather, neighbor and friend, a very giving person, a story teller and joker, all around friendly guy, but most of all Ed was a CHRISTIAN! About 5 years ago his wife, Jean, went to be with the Lord very suddenly. Ever since that time, Ed said he wanted to go to Gloryland! Last Wednesday he did just that! He had been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. While he was there, he told everyone about His Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and he sang about the Lord way into the night.

Today we were privileged to go to the funeral service. What a wonderful service it was! We got to know Ed (called Ned by his family) better than we ever had. One thing Ed could not understand was how people could hear about salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ alone,
apart from any works that we can do, and reject that salvation. We heard the plain message of salvation today! We trust that hearts and lives will be touched and changed!

I know that most people do not like funerals. I love the funerals of born again Christians. They are so full of hope and rejoicing. Of course true Christians know we will meet again in heaven!

Here are some pics of the country that surrounded Ed and that he loved. We cannot begin to imagine what he is viewing now.

Mailboxes take a beating in New Brunswick!
Snowplows!

Farm road

The Star Spangled Banner

THIS is one of those things that made our country great! If 91% of viewers (who voted) responded favorably to this video, what about the 9%.? I am afraid that they are the ones who are dismantling all those things we hold dear and that others have fought and died for. And there are others who claim to love America, but are changing and destroying the freedoms which are so important to each American!

The Watchmaker

This is good! I am so thankful that I was told the truth!

Quotes from Ronald Reagan

I came across some good Freedom Quotes but decided to take a few from just one man first. President Reagan was president when we moved to Canada. I always felt when I heard him speak that I was hearing "Home" or the voice of Uncle Sam.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
But there are advantages to being elected president. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret."

"Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty."

"Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man."

"Don't be afraid to see what you see. "

"Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known."

"Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States. "

"Facts are stubborn things."

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. "

Reagan

FREEDOM THOUGHTS REPEATED

These thoughts bear repeating often. They are much in our thoughts these days. May God continue to grant us the freedoms that we have always enjoyed. If He does not, may He grant us the grace to keep our lights bright!

This particular quote is especially thought provoking:

Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels or idolaters should be a nation of free men. It is when a people forget God
that tyrants forge their chains.
Patrick Henry

JOHN ADAMS DVD

Have you seen the John Adams DVD? It is a must see and a must own for every American. We have only seen the first two episodes so far, but they are wonderful! We have always been history buffs, but never has the history of the founding of our beloved America been so real! Those men were real patriots! Wish we could see some of that today...men who have convictions, not merely personal ambitions!

And here's a video to watch!

My Verse for the Year

I have been so challenged, encouraged, convicted, helped, and blessed by God's Word recently. When we memorized this verse, I knew it would be very special for me in 2009:

Psalm 79:9
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of thy name:
and deliver us, and purge away our sins,
for thy name's sake.

This seems to be the day of just plain sloppy "Christianity" (and I put the word into quotation marks, because sometimes it is doubtful if it is real!) It seems to me that we would have a different attitude if we would live for the glory of His name! I realize that we are "older" and not "with it" any more. Actually I am glad of that! We are only concerned about being "with it" in God's eyes. We were privileged to grow up in a time of standards instead of standardless living. We had godly examples whom we were happy to follow because they obviously followed Jesus Christ. We saw Jesus Christ lived through them. When I think of some of our dear loved ones and friends who are now in glory (my mom, Mrs. Fraser, Frank and Lorraine Smith, Betty Reed...), I am struck with the fact they were not sloppy Christians! As I finished reading the Bible through last year, I was confronted time and time again with the admonition to "remember the old ways," stick with "the old paths." That does not mean that everything new is wrong, but a lot of it is! We are servants of the Lovely Lord Jesus Christ, ambassadors of the King of Kings. I, for one, want to act like it, look like it, sound like it! I don't want to take the Lord anywhere that would bring reproach upon Him. What ever happened to being in Christ, becoming a new creature, being different from the world, having a new life? "...that in all things He might have the preeminence." end of Col. 1:18 "One day to live, one person to please."

Philippians 1:27a
"Only let your conversation (manner of life, which includes our talk)
be as it becometh (is complimentary to) the gospel."

God's Guidance

Check out Kari's thoughts for the day. They are very good thoughts!!! (That's my niece!) If anything, the political situation is a good springboard for a witness. God gave me a BIG opportunity today. Lord, help us to take and make opportunities! I am more and more impressed with the fact that we are going in a totally different direction than the rest of the world. This should be no surprise to us!

TWO OUT OF ??? SAY "IT WORKS!"

I guess it came from one of those pesky e-mail forwards, but this may be worth noting. It was passed on to us that rubbing Vicks on the bottom of your feet helps to stop a cough. When one of our ladies was sick with one of those awful coughs, we told her to try it. Then another lady had the same problem, and we passed on the same advice. This morning they both told us "IT WORKS!" Now I am certainly not hoping for an awful cough so that I can try it out, but I will try it IF I need to!

God's Word is STILL TRUE!

Our memory verses for last week and this week:

Psalm 73:26 &28
My flesh and my heart faileth:
but God is the strength of my heart,
and my portion forever.
But it is good for me to draw near to God:
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
that I may declare all thy works.

God has not forgotten us!

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

A water color done by Mrs. Fraser
She painted until just a few years ago

Last Friday we traveled to the funeral of Mrs. Hazel Fraser who has been our friend for over 26 years since we moved to New Brunswick. We cannot say that it was a sad occasion. Mrs. Fraser was 100 years old, had lived a long and profitable life and is now in the presence of her Lord and Saviour, and is also with her husband. We enjoyed remembering her life. There were a few humorous stories:
Towards the end of her life Shelley Courser visited her. Evidently Mrs. Fraser did not recognize Shelley. She said, "I'm Shelley Courser!" Mrs. Fraser, who had become VERY deaf, said, "You're selling corsets?"
Also we always did enjoy the story she told about herself. After cataract surgery, she could see without her glasses. "However," she said, "there was a downside. She found out she had wrinkles!" And at that point her eyes would wrinkle up as she smiled.

The most important thing about Mrs. Fraser was that her life was spent serving the Lord. She was a pastor's wife for 43 years until her husband retired and then went to be with the Lord a few years later. We know that her testimony would be that she had accepted the fact of her own sinfulness and and accepted Christ's death, burial and resurrection on her behalf. It is such a joy and comfort to know that she is now with the Lord forever more!

Recently we also said good-bye to Frank and Lorraine Smith. They were also special friends. We stayed in their home the first time we visited Saint John in February of 1982. They moved out to the camp property as caretakers when we bought it. Lorraine had always cooked at camp and talked about "retiring" as a cook until we acquired our own camp. Then she came alive...just bounced...and was ready to dive in! I think she had to do some persuading to get Frank to agree. She never did get to retire. She just moved up to heaven and Frank wasn't far behind. He had not been well for years and was as skinny as a rail, but he kept on going. We will miss them but would not wish them back. And what a blessing that Frank could follow about 5 months after Lorraine. He was lonely for her and lonely for heaven. 23 years ago he was upset that doctors had revived him after his heart attack!

Our lives have been blessed by all three!

What Is Your Vote Worth?

Check out THIS BLOG on the importance of voting on November 4th, and of voting the right way!
I don't know whose blog it is but he sure came up with some good information.

Remember America is only great when America is good!
and that would be good in God's eyes!

(Sorry about all the underlining. Blogger decided that we underline!??)

96 years since October 28, 1912!

Connie just reminded me that today would have been my dear mother's 96th birthday! But she has been in heaven for almost 4 years now. We talked about her today. Today perhaps she welcomed Mrs. Hazel Fraser who went to be with her Saviour sometime last night at the age of 100! Mrs. Fraser was a great friend of ours and also of my mom. What a joy it must be to lay down the cares of this life and step into eternity with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who gave His life that we might have ETERNAL LIFE! We would not for a minute wish them back here, even if they could somehow be young again. Well, they are now!