Yesterday, Today, Forever-

“If you pray the sinner’s prayer, you will instantly be a Christian; just repeat it after me.” "Wow, that’s all I have to do to become saved and become a member of the church? That’s like magic!” These comments by two young chatters initiated a valuable discussion on the subject of prayer. The impression was given that repeating a formula prayer leads to salvation, even though the chatter indicated no serious interest in becoming one! God does hear a genuine heart cry, even in the last moments of life, but I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that people who are coerced, coaxed or compelled to repeat a certain prepared prayer, are saved. I’m glad however, that it is God who sees each heart and knows whether this person even meant and knew what they were praying and that they got another opportunity. When we share the good news of the Gospel with someone who doesn’t know Jesus, we will come to the point of asking them to make a decision to follow Him. Hopefully with patient, gentle ...

She has beautiful eyes, set in a friendly, mature, laugh-lined face. I am fascinated by and drawn to people’s eyes, but here it’s not the color, depth, the look or the shape that intrigues me; it’s the way she sees people. The first time I ever met her, her eyes radiated a kindness I had seldom sensed before. I was convinced that the love of people which she had in her heart could never be suppressed, but simply had to burst and bubble forth through her smile and her eyes. It almost never fails. She spies me from afar, her step quickens, her arms are outstretched, her eyes fairly sparkle like stars, as she runs to hug me. Giving a generous hug back without reservation, I take a deep relaxing breath. I have been tense from the day’s stresses and she surrounds me in a soothing, comforting blanket of acceptance and affirmation. Love! Her hug is a delightful, generous gift in itself, but she doesn’t stop there. This tiny woman reaches up to touch my face. She tells me how loved I am and ...

Father, Things in this world are constantly changing. Change is the one thing of which we can be sure. Change can be a good thing; No one wants to remain stagnant In their personal life or in their faith. Change is an opportunity for growth. Our perceptions change with increased knowledge and wisdom. Our discernment matures and grows Our awareness of our need for growth encourages us to change. But to change things that are tried and true is not a good thing. We must resist change when it takes us away from you. You, our wonderful Father, never change! You are faithful! You are always with us. You are the same yesterday, today and in all eternity. Thank you Father that you don’t change!

Do simple and ordinary things teach you spiritual lessons? Here are just a few I’ve learned from the birds. The two of us were strolling through a beautiful garden, admiring God’s awesome creation! The diversity, the colors, the textures; what a feast for the eyes! Then we came upon this pretty bird, walking along the sidewalk, just like us. It led the way for what seemed a long time, often turning around to see if we were still there! I found it quite humorous. Was it tired from flapping its wings? Was it hosting a tour for us? So, I raised a question to the bird. “Why are you walking when you can fly?” A clear message came to me. So often in our spiritual lives we plod along earthbound, our little legs running as fast as they can, making things difficult for ourselves, and always looking over our shoulder at who is behind us. What a limited perspective on everything, when we could let our spirits fly and soar above earth’s problems and strife, carried along by the powerful wind of th...

It's NATIONAL NURSES WEEK in Canada! Here's my tribute to the caring, committed, and dedicated nurses at the Shepherd's Care Foundation. May God reward you abundantly for the compassion you show to those who need you! NIGHTINGALES Our nursing staff at Shepherd’s Care Deserves the term, “Beyond Compare!” It’s round the clock, I do declare, You’ll find a nurse on duty there. Before Almighty God she pledged To use her knowledge faithfully To serve devoted and committed; Treat matters confidentially. A nurse is gifted with compassion, With loving hands and listening heart, With willingness to care for others, Then write their progress in the chart. All that she does is person centered – Respecting needs unique or rare! To celebrate the lives of seniors Plans are designed for wellness care. Working with doctors, pharmacists, With all those specialists and staff, She deeply cares for families - To share a prayer, a hug , or laugh! The Nightingales at Shepherd’s Care Are worth all...

Sometimes the Spirit speaks in a thunderous roar, His Power to impart. Sometimes He speaks in a still small voice, To start a blaze within a heart. But always as He comes along one's side, He is the Comforter, the Trusted Guide. And as I yield my life to Him, Confess to Him my every sin He is so faithful to forgive, To heal, to cleanse, new life to give. He fills my heart with gratitude, He even changed my attitude. He gives great joy and lasting peace, Abundant life which will not cease. In daily life there's victory, To serve Him is real ecstasy. No longer chained! I've been set free, To live the life He's willed for me! The purpose of this full release? To share the faith and never cease To love, to pray, to praise the Lord, To live according to His Word. Rejoice my soul, you've been made whole! Karin Ristau

Mom always had a servant heart! Whether it was in women's ministries in the church, teaching Sunday School or Saturday German School, or being a deaconness, she loved to be involved. Before mom moved into the long-term care centre, she lived in the manor next door. Both buildings are connected by a 'link' - a lovely year round indoor garden space. Mom volunteered for over 20 years and gave thousands of hours to the service of others. She kept the link looking fantastic; a warm, inviting retreat. She also portered people to physio, assisted with nutrition, used her green thumb to plant magnificent flower beds in the courtyard, did pastoral care visits especially with the German speaking residents, planned Gemuetliche Stunden programs, and so on and so on. One of her fun things to do was crochet crafts to sell in the lobby on Saturdays. Even when she could hardly stand, she would say to the president, "I can still sit here , hold out my hand and accept the money for the ...

Well, here he is...the father of our most recent grandson, when he was a little guy! Evi over at Keeping Up With Yesterday talked about her memories while we lived in Louisville, KY, and reminded me of the crafts I used to make. Wow, that's so long ago! Here's a photo of quite a few completed projects that I used as gifts. Our son Ken giving my work a grade. I've always loved flowers and other natural things with which to make crafts that looked good but didn't break our student budget. With the pressed flowers I made greeting cards and bookmarks. During the years we lived in Wyben, MA, my friends taught me how to make pine cone wreaths. That Christmas many on my gift list received a handmade wreath for their door. Then came pine cone candleholders, plaques, and teardrop wallhangings. Later I also worked as a Recreation Attendant where I could use my craft skills to make beautiful silk-flower arrangements, centrepieces and door decorations. The residents loved watch...

We are so excited that our little grandson has made his grand entrance into the world this afternoon. That makes grandchild #9 for us! Mother and child are doing fine! Our son is so thankful that everything went well. Big sister and older brother have already held and loved the little one. To me it is amazing how much pain a woman can endure. As soon as it is over and we hold our little one close to our breast, the pain soon fades into the distant past. It is awesome how God has created us. We are truly filled with gratitude at God's wonderful grace in all our lives. We thank HIM for our children and our grandchildren!

Congratulations to the Shepherd's Caring Friends Auxiliary on their silver anniversary celebration! It was a hugely successful fundraiser! The Cake Parade and Auction was fantastic! All monies raised will benefit the residents! SHEPHERD’S CARING FRIENDS Celebrating Silver! A special anniversary! 25 years of helping others; To the glory of God may it be! Oh, how the years have just flown by And what a blessing they have been! We’ve worked, we’ve prayed in unity - What growth and changes we have seen! We’ve shared, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried; Formed special bonds of friendship there! Dedicated and faithfully we have served The fragile and frail at Shepherd’s Care. What funds have been raised through years of sales! Garage sales – hard work, but also much fun - Bake sales, cookie sales, huge craft bazaars Countless events that with love have been done! Serving together and seeing rewards, Has made Caring Friends so very close-knit! Our willing good deeds done as unto Him; Yet our resi...

The 3 things on my 'to do' list today were to relax, refresh and rejoice! A leisurely drive through the back roads took daughter, granddaughter and me to a popular greenhouse. Definitely a way to achieve all the above at once! The body relaxes immediately as the eyes feast on all the gorgeous flowers, ornamental grasses, color combinations and different textures of greens in ornamental pottery. "Oh, look at this." "Wow, these are amazing." The earthy smell, the increased humidity, the warmth of the sun, all refresh me as I intentionally breathe deeper to take it all in! I rejoice that our Creator has given us such an abundance of beauty to be enjoyed every new spring. The real thing far surpasses the silk creations found in the gift shop at one corner of the greenhouse. Gone are the days of my own gardens. Sometimes I miss it! It is a lot of hard labor to plant and maintain a garden! Perennials were my favorites. Double hollyhocks along the back fence, delp...