I AM THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wing! Psalm 17:8

All too often we focus on the negative situation in our life. Earlier in my walk with God, I sadly have focused on the negative more times than I want to remember. We seem to easily concentrate on the chaos and drama each of us experience in each of our lives. Nevertheless,  it is during these times of chaos, trials, and uncertainty that we need to remember one very important and crucial fact: We are the apple of God’s eye. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I know God loves me with an everlasting love. His love is unconditional. It has nothing to do with my performance, my abilities, or my qualities. It has all to do because His love for me is unconditional. In Pastor Joseph Prince's devotional called: “100 days of Right Believing”, he encourages us to see ourselves like God sees us. Our understanding of how much God loves us is very helpful to help us turn our thoughts from a negative to a positive perspective. How wonderful to know that God loves me just the way I am. I do not have to earn His love; I do not have to jump hoops for the Lord to love me. He just loves me. He loves me with my qualities and with my faults. He loves me when I am happy, and He loves me when I’m sad. He loves me on my good days, and He loves me on my bad days. I am always the apple of His eye! The bible says:“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. (1 Corinthians 15:10a NIV). In my life, too many times, I have struggled to win the love of others, their approval, and their acceptance. Often, even if I tried my best, people remained cold, distant, unforgiving, and judgmental. I used to shed some bitter tears because I thought I needed these people’s approval to be loved and accepted. I thought that I needed to change who I was to be loved. But all I learned from that was that there was always someone whose approval I could not get. Over the years, while serving God, reading and studying His Word, I learned that I do not have to strive to obtain anyone’s approval. I know who I am in Christ. I know that I am loved by Jesus no matter what I do. His love is not conditional on my behavior. His love is unconditional because of His great love for me. It no longer really matters if I am different than the next person. It no longer matters when people put me down because I am not who they want me to be. What is important is that I am who God wants me to be. To God, I am wonderfully made. Even at my worst hour, He loves me anyhow. Knowing this frees me to continue to be all I can be, because I know without the shadow of a doubt that the Lord loves me. He loves me! He loves me and yes He loves me. If people are cold, unforgiving, and judgmental, the problem belongs to them. It does not belong to me because of who Christ Jesus is for me. I am the apple of His eye and the delight of His heart. Understanding the reality of the Lord’s love for me is sweet, precious and life changing. My daily life has been renewed. My life has been changed from needing to perform to be accepted by men, to a greater desire to serve a God that sees me as His own, a God that sees me as precious in His eyes. Because I am the apple of His eye, the Lord has plans for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11). Every day, He is with me. He guides me, He gives me peace, strength and wisdom. He also anoints me to do what He has called me to do. He is with me every step of the way. Knowing that I am the apple of God’s eye has so encouraged my heart, given me peace about who I am and the certainly that He is with me always. It has given me the assurance that I no longer have to wait for the approval of man. Neither do I have to wait for man’s promotion or acceptance, because I already have all of this with Jesus. Knowing that I am the apple of His eye, it makes it easy to love Him with all my heart and soul. Do I know how much God loves me today? My answer:“I sure do!”. Do I really believe that God loves me right now? My answer:“I sure do!”

Conclusion: I shared these words with you today to encourage you to be yourself. God loves you just the way you are and for who you are. Of course, it is normal that as we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we will make some changes to better ourselves, but always remember to make those changes because you love the Lord and not because you feel you have to please people. God that sees you as precious in His eyes. Indeed you are the apple of His eye!

To those of you that I know on a personal basis, please be assured that I love you and appreciate you just the way you are!

Love always,

Denise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I envied them, so I bought them breakfast!

In January 2019, I spent one month in San Diego. Pastor Jorge needed a vehicle and TLCCM was happy to be able to purchase one for him. For this reason, it was more convenient for me to be in my favourite city rather than in Tijuana. On a few occasions pastors Jorge and Rosa came to San Diego. Together we went to look at various used vehicles hoping to find one that would be the vehicle they needed. I was staying in a short term furnished apartment in the area where Roger & I lived for 15 years. I also rented a car to able me to go and check-out  various vehicles in the surrounding areas. On Sundays pastors Jorge & Rosa had to be in their church in Tijuana, so every weekend I made plans to keep myself busy.  One Sunday morning I had plans to visit Mount Soledad and a few other areas I had not visited in a long time. But before going sight-seeing, I stopped at IHOP (short for International House of Pancakes). It was our favourite breakfast place when Roger & I lived in San Diego. As I walked in the restaurant a nice young lady showed me to a booth near a window and handed me the menu. After I ordered my breakfast, I noticed this elderly couple sitting in the next row of booths opposite to mine. The lady looked very frail, and her legs were covered with varicose veins. She had a walker beside her seat. The man was tall and slim. Their clothing was clean, but it had seen better days. They did not look like they had much money, but they had each other and I envied them. They were eating their breakfast without speaking, nevertheless, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Once they finished eating, they drank their coffee and were talking with one another. As I was eating my breakfast, I could not take my eyes off this elderly couple. As I watched them, my heart suddenly filled with sadness as I thought of Roger & I. It was always our desire to grow old together like this couple, but, there I was sitting alone envying this older couple. So, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to pay for their breakfast. I waived at the young waitress and asked her to give their bill. She asked her manager to come to talk to me. After I explained to the man that this older couple had blessed me because they were old but still together and how much that meant to me, he gladly cooperated with my request. My only condition was that he would not tell them who paid for their meals. He agreed. Discreetly, I took their picture. After a while, I saw the old man waved to the waitress, I concluded that he wanted his bill. I could not hear what she told them, but after a few minutes they got out of their seats and proceeded to go to the cash. I also had finished eating, so I discreetly followed them with both my bill and theirs in my hand. The old man told the manager that when he asked the waitress for their bill, she told him that someone had already paid for their meals. The manager saw me behind the couple and with a big smile he said: “Yes sir, somebody did pay your bill. Now you folks have a nice day.” The old man replied: “Nobody has ever done something like this for us before today,” and they walked out of the restaurant. When I gave the manager both bills, he smiled and said: “Thank you for what you just did, that was really a nice gesture on your part. Have a nice day!” I smiled back at him, and I also walked out the restaurant. I sat in my car and saw the old man help his wife into the car. He then folded her walker and put it in the trunk of his car. He had to lift her legs into the car. He buckled her up and then gently close the car door. From a distance, I took a few more pictures. With tears running down my face, I thought that could have been Roger taking care of me. In this older couple I saw real love and compassion for one another; feelings that Roger & I had for each other. Precious feelings I will cherish for the rest of my life. CONCLUSION: For every husband and wife that will read this article, please appreciate your spouse, take care of her or him and never let any silly details come between you. Cherish each other for you never know the day that you also will be looking at an older couple wishing your spouse was still with you. I will never forget that older couple who for a short time on a lovely Sunday morning reminded me how blessed I was to have known that kind of love. I recently read this comment: Love gets you married, and love keeps you married.

Denise

Yes, TLCCM bought a black 2016 Jeep Patriot for Pastor Jorge. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack in December 2020. Now his son uses the Jeep to drive Pastor Rosa wherever she needs to go.

 

An angel in the operating room

 

At one time, I was possibly one of the handful of people who spoke fluent Spanish in my local church. Therefore, if we had an Hispanic visitor, a church volunteer would come find me so I could welcome these newcomers. In 2015, I had the opportunity to talk with visitors from Peru. As I walked in the visitor’s room I saw an entire family already speaking with another volunteer. They looked to be French Canadians. I thought someone had made a mistake, nevertheless I approached this new family and introduced myself. A very pretty lady extended her hand and said: “Hermana Denise, Mucho gusto de conocerte. ” (Sister Denise, I am pleased to meet you.) Then she proceed to give me her name and the names of the family members that were accompanying her. We exchanged a few more words in Spanish then proceeded to continue our conversation in french. She had been in Canada for several years and her husband is French Canadian. She told me she was a surgical nurse at Montfort Hospital. As a family they were already attending a Spanish speaking church, but her husband and two teenagers wanted to visit a French-Canadian church. We had an instant connection, and we spoke every time she came to church. After a few months they decided to go back to the Spanish-speaking church. We stayed in touch through Facebook and even went out for tea just to talk. In March 2020,  after a routine mammogram came back positive for a tumor, I had to go for a CT-Scan at Montfort Hospital. By the time I came out of that screening room, I was a complete mess. With tears running down my face all I wanted to do was to get out of the hospital as fast as I could. Turning the corner of one hall to go down to the next one, my friend from Peru was standing right there in front of me. She was obliviously shocked to see me and said: “Hermana, what are you doing here?  I never slowed down and just said: “I’m OK” and I just kept on walking.  Back in my car, I realized that as a nurse she could easily find out the reason I was at the hospital. I really expected her to call me but being a very professional lady, that call never came. On March 27, during the first surgery to remove the tumor under my right breast, my surgeon also did a biopsy. This revealed that I had some problematic lymph nodes under my right arm which had to be removed during a second surgery a few weeks later. My oldest son drove me to the hospital, but by then we were in the Covid-19 crisis, and he had to leave me at the front door of the hospital. Going inside all by myself was emotionally very difficult but I was determined not to let the possibility of cancer spread in my body. The day following the surgery, I received a text from my Spanish speaking friend. She was asking me how I was doing. Not wanting to say more than I did the day I had met her in the hospital hallway, I told her I was doing well, and I wished her a nice day. Within minutes, another text came including a picture of operating room door #9, and it said: “Hermana, I was in room 9 yesterday morning at Montfort. I was one of the nurses assigned to you during your surgery.”  Well, now my secret was out, she knew about my situation. I asked her if she had told my surgeon about knowing me. “No”, she replied. “It was best I kept quiet about knowing you, this way I could stay in the operating room, do my job to take care of you and pray for you.”  Before the surgery, an orderly had pushed my wheelchair right to the door of operating room #9, but because of the Covid-19 protocol he was not allowed to go any further. I had to get out of the wheelchair and walked in that operating room on my own. I can honestly say that at that moment, I was very anxious and I felt quite alone. My surgeon’s assistant met me half-way and held my hand as I stepped on the little footstool and then laid on that cold operating table as instructed by the anesthetist. From the corner of my eye, I did noticed some medical staff all dressed in their yellow surgery gowns with plastic masks over their faces. I never even for one moment thought that my Hispanic friend was one of the team. After reading her text message I sat in my living room and cried. I cried because I realized that the Lord loves me so much that He made sure I was not “alone” in that cold and antiseptic operating room. He sent me an “angel” to pray and take care of me. Not only an angel but a Spanish speaking angel. The Lord is in the details and on that day, He made certain that all the necessary details were in place to bless me, care for me and give me peace. Amen! 

 ^“For He will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;”

Psalm 91:11 (NIV)

Denise

The names of the people in this BLOG are not mentioned to respect their privacy.

I have fully recovered and doing well. 

A spiritual seed sown years ago!

 

In the late 1990’s Roger & I were invited to speak in a church in Brantford, Ontario. The pastor wanted us to speak to his congregation about Tender Loving Care Children Ministries and the work we were doing with children in Tijuana, Mexico. He had recently taken a group from his church to Tijuana on a mission trip. We spoke during a Sunday morning service while a slide show presentation was being showed to the people. The pastor prayed for us, and we received a generous offering. After the service we had a display table in the hallway with more pictures and our ministry pamphlets. The church had organized a pot blessing meal, so we got to meet many people. The entire day was very pleasant and encouraging to both of us. This church also financially supported us for several years. Now, let us move forward to 2023. In May, I attended a conference in Cambridge, Ontario with Anchor Ministerial Fellowship. It was a great conference and I really felt encouraged and blessed by everyone. During the day sessions, I had the privilege to sit with two very nice ladies from Chatham, Ontario. On Friday evening, I made my way to the table where these two ladies were sitting. Already sitting at the same table was another nice lady. I noticed that she looked at me several times during the session. When it came time for a coffee break she asked me if years ago, I had ever spoken in a church in Brantford with my husband. I answered yes. Then, she proceeded to tell me that she remembered us speaking about Mexico, the poverty, the kids and what we were doing to feed the kids and teach them about Jesus. She also mentioned that her 14 years old daughter also was in attendance. As per her mom, this young girl listened to everything we said and then came to our display table and looked at all our pictures. Once back home, she told her mom she wanted to go on a mission trip. After a a few years she had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Haiti. Apparently, she came home completely changed and told her mom that she wanted to be a missionary. I’m not sure how many years passed before she finally returned to Haiti as a missionary. To this day she is still there. She eventually married a Haitian man, and they have two children. Together, they work with Campus Crusade for Christ. I was very excited to hear this testimony. I thank her mom for sharing this with me. Her answer was: “Well Denise, you & Roger answered the call of God on your lives and by sharing your testimony on that Sunday morning a long time ago, you touched my daughter’s heart. Today she is a missionary because you deposited a seed in her heart and that seed changed her life forever. Thank you.”  Once back in my hotel room I kept remembering what this lady had shared with me. As I put my head on my pillow, I cried tears of joy for permitting our testimony to change this young girl’s life. It is so important for all of us to share the Lord with people. Our example or testimony can be a life changing experience for someone. Our testimony is a seed and God uses that seed even if we never know who’s heart it has touched. 

My conclusion is: Be yourself, be genuine & sincere and let the Lord use your life as a seed in someone else’s life. I am so excited that on that Sunday morning a long time ago when Roger & I shared in that church in Brantford, a spiritual seed was sown in this young teenager’s heart and life. Now years later that seed has blossomed into a beautiful testimony. Glory to God who uses all of us as seed sowers for His Kingdom.

Denise

No names mentioned to respect the privacy of the persons involved.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

Imagination is the ability to see what is yet unseen. It is a powerful gift from the Lord. Learning how to use our imagination correctly is vital in the life of God’s children. All of us have dreams and visions, but none of it will ever happen if we do not dare to think or say: “I can only imagine.”

Dave Thomas was the founder of the restaurant chain called Wendy’s. He was between six weeks to six months old when he was adopted and raised by his adoptive parents, Rex & Auleva Thomas. As a child he always imagined one day owning a hamburger restaurant. On November 15, 1969, his dream was fulfilled when the first of his many franchises called Wendy’s opened for business. His dream happened only because Dave Thomas had dared to think: “I can only imagine.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also thought: “I can only imagine.” In his speech "I Have a Dream" delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., changed the lives of every African American. He sadly was murdered while still young, but his dream is still stirring people to strive for peace and equality in the hearts of nations all over the world.

Dreaming, is for all of us. Dr.Cindy Trimm, a well-known Christian author says that it is  time for all of us to consciously paint the canvas of our life with whatever you aspire to achieve. “You are never too young or too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.” 

In Habakkuk 2:2 (NKJV), the Lord says:“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”. So, fill your mind with positive thoughts. Don’t ever think that your vision is not important. Write down what you feel in your heart. Do not be afraid to activate the gifting the Lord gives you. Bring it to the Lord in prayer and then dare to think: “I can only imagine.” Your best days are still ahead for many of you. 

As a little girl I loved it when my teachers would ask us to do a written book report or an essay. When Roger had his accounting firm, he would give me the details for letters he needed to send to his clients and say: “You know what I mean, when the letter is ready, I will sign it.” While on the mission field, I also did all the correspondence with our TLCCM partners. For him it was chore, for me it was an opportunity to express myself.

For years I have kept a spiritual diary of my walk with God. I write during the good times and during the difficult times. By writing down my feelings, my joy or my anxieties, I express myself to the only ONE that can guide me through every situation I face.

In the winter of 2017, one morning during my prayer time, the word “blog” dropped into my spirit. I did not know what it meant, but I wrote it down in my journal and I asked the Lord to give me the understanding. Later that day, when I researched the meaning of the word, I had a sense of joy in my heart that this was something I would probably love to do.  But at the time, the ministry in Tijuana consumed much of my time. I could not see where I would find the time or how I could take on something completely different. Because the thought of having a BLOG was never far from my mind, I started to think: “I can only imagine.” From that day on I would write when I could find some free time and save these notes on my computer under the title BLOG. I had no idea how to set up a BLOG, so I reached out to my good friend and our TLCCM website designer who graciously made that happened. 

On August 12, 2017, I published my first article. Today this article is called I can only imagine, is the 63^rd one I have published. Now that I am retired, I will certainly publish articles on a more regular basis. I will also continue to write in my Manuscript because again that is something I think of as: “I can only imagine.” 

I said all of this to encourage all of you to have dreams and visions. Don’t let age, situations or people stop you from making your dreams a reality. If I can do it, so can you!

Ephesians 3:20 says, “God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, and above all, you could ever ask, imagine, or think, according to His power at work in you. To Him be the glory.”  What an encouraging promise. God is able to do way more than you could ever even imagine! Dare only to imagine!

Sincerely, Denise

 

.....and then I heard the children shout out my name

Recently I attended a prophetic conference in my local church. Although I did not receive a specific prophecy for my life, I felt a renewed spiritual strength, which will bless me for months to come. Through the speakers God has chosen to teach us, I also sensed an encouragement from the Holy Spirit that refreshed my soul.  During a conference such as this one, various people received a personal prophecy. For some it is exactly the answer they had been praying to receive. For others, it was a prophecy that will change their life forever. Others received a prophecy that at this time, they do not quite understand. What is very important to remember that in this type of situation it is wise to write down the prophecy and keep it close to your heart. Do not disregard what you received; no, rather continue to pray and let the Holy Spirit guide you. I remember a similar experience while Roger & I were attending bible school courses in the years 1984-1985. I found the course on prophecy interesting, but I must admit that at the time I did not really understand what prophecy meant for my own life. During the last session, the teacher, a humble and anointed lady, asked the entire classroom to start praying. She felt she had prophetic words for some of us. After a few minutes, she told us to stop praying, but to listen very carefully to the prophetic words she was going to speak over the lives of several people in the classroom.  After a few minutes, she approached Roger & I and with her hands on our shoulders she said: “The Lord sees your servants’ hearts and He is going to give you something to do that will surprise you.”  She continued with the following words:“I see many children around you, many children and for you Denise, you are going to be the mother of hundreds of children. When you will arrive in various locations, the children all dressed in white will shout your name. The Lord is going to use you both in ways that right now you don't even understand. Amen!”  She was right. We had absolutely no clue what this prophecy meant. Once we got home, I wrote it down and we kept those words in our hearts. At the time, we were not involved with the children's ministry in our local church. We both knew in our hearts that it was a word from the Lord, but the revelation was still a few years away. I say this to encourage you to be willing to wait upon the Lord. Pray and in His own time, the Lord will give you the revelation. For us part of the revelation came to Roger on our way home from a mission trip we made to Tijuana in July 1989. At an altitude of 38,000 feet in the air, somewhere between San Diego and Ottawa, Roger understood the calling on our lives. When he explained this revelation to me, I felt a great peace and in complete agreement with my husband. But this was just the first part of the prophetic word we had received back in 1984-1985. 

The other part of the prophecy the one where the kids would shout out my name only came several years later. In 1992, on nice sunny afternoon, we were driving on a rugged road on the side of a mountain, on our way to deliver groceries to some poor families. The children in that area knew us because every week we had a bible study with them at their small local church. When the children saw our vehicle, they started shouting: “Hermana Denise, hermana Denise” and they came running towards our vehicle. And it has never stopped. Everywhere we went the children would run to our van shouting my name. One day Roger told me laughingly:“Denise, do you realize that the kids are always calling your name and not mine!”  The part of the prophecy that said “children dressed in white” never became a reality or so I thought. The children the Lord gave me were for the most part were poorly dressed and often dirty. After a while I understood that although in my human eyes I saw them in rags and dirty, BUT GOD SAW THEM DRESSED IN WHITE!

I shared these details with you to encourage you. When the Lord has a prophetic word for you, even if it doesn't make any sense to you at that moment, please remember that the Lord never speaks without a purpose or a reason. Keep this word in your heart and pray, for there will come a day you when you will understand the revelation and the fulfillment of “your prophecy” will be at your doorstep. It is also important to be cautious that if you feel that you have received a word that indicates a call to ministry, don't rush and try on your own to make that word “happen”. Wait for God's timing.....for His timing is always perfect. God bless all of you who are still waiting for a revelation from heaven! It is coming!

 Denise      Please note my New Email address:  deschampsdeniserev@yahoo.com

 

One more sandwich!

One more sandwich!

In the gospel of John 21:15-17 Jesus says to Peter:“Feed my lambs”, then Jesus said:“Take care of my sheep.” Finally in verse 17 He says:“Feed my sheep”. These scriptures greatly motivated Roger & I once we arrived in Tijuana, Mexico in August 1990. Again, these words were my motivation to write this article, because it is so very important to take care of the poor. Upon our arrival in San Diego, for several months we worked with a black American lady who was already working in the shanty towns of Tijuana. Every Sunday, we would pack up her van with food and used clothing and go to three different colonias. With the help of an interpreter, Sister Stamps would preach a short gospel message. Only after she finished preaching did the people gathered outside, where we then distributed groceries to each family. Sister Stamps was very adamant that the people received the Bread of Life before they got bread for their bellies. Actually, Roger & I adopted that same “rule”. In 1992, after we founded Tender Loving Care Children Ministries, we went back to one of those areas to teach the children a weekly bible study. Afterwards, we fed the children. Many of them had to go to school and had not eaten since getting up that morning. We fed them various type of easy to make meals but the most popular was peanut butter and jam sandwiches made with fresh white bread and accomppanied by a glass of cold white milk. To some of you, this will seem to be a very humble meal. But for these kids it was a very special meal. We would set up a table at the front of the little church and then we would make lots of sandwiches. Some of the moms would help us by making the kids line up to come to the table or by serving them a glass of milk. For sanitary reasons, we always wrapped the sandwiches in a white paper napkin. The children were always permitted to get back in line if they wanted a second sandwich. One day one of the moms approached me and said:“Hermana Denise”, and pointing to a little girl in the line up, “this little girl has come several times to get a sandwich, but she has not eaten any of the sandwiches you gave her, she has them all on her chair.” As this cute little girl, about eight years old, got yet another sandwich, I decided to follow her to her seat to find out what she was doing. She had already 6 sandwiches on her chair. When she realized that I was beside her, she bowed her head probably thinking I was going to scold her. Instead, I took by the hand, and I asked her: “Mija, (which means dear in spanish) why are you accumulating these sandwiches but not eating one of them.” She lifted her cute little face and said:“Hermana Denise, we are nine living in my house and we have nothing to eat. I was planning to take these sandwiches to my house to feed my family.” With tears in my eyes, I took her by the hand and picked up the “accumulated sandwiches” and I went back to the table where Roger was still busy making sandwiches. I made three more sandwiches, grabbed a plastic bag and put all of the nine sandwiches inside. Giving the little girl a hug and the bag of sandwiches, I told her:“Precious, go home and bring these to your family”. I also I handed her a bag of groceries that the kids always received every week before going back to their shacks.” She gave me a big smile and out the door she went. Roger had noticed that I had left the table and he had seen me come back with this little girl, but he had no idea what was going on because he was busy making peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Once we finished feeding the kids and gave them their bag of groceries, we got in the van to return to San Diego. Once back on the road, Roger asked me:“What happened with this little girl that made you disappear from the table and then come back to the table with her. What happened that made you cry? With tears pouring down my face this was my answer: “Roger, this little girl got in line several times, because all she wanted was another sandwich.”

Sincerely Denise !

I have no picture of the little girl in this story.

 

 

Through the Roof!

 In the gospel of Luke 5:17-20, we read: ¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. ²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”  When we read these verses, we learn or are encouraged that other people's faith can and will brings miracles into our lives. The faith of the friends of this paralytic man has always impressed me. In those times, the roofs were made of branches and straw with a good thickness of mud through the rafters (equivalent to 2 x 4’s) to hold all these materials together. Those rafters were supported by rows of pillars along and in the middle of the room. Jesus had become very popular. Everywhere He went crowds followed Him. The power of God was always present, and every day many miracles were happening. Therefore, it was absolutely normal to see a crowd gathered inside and at the door of this house. The paralytic's friends wanted Jesus to heal their friend, but not only was there no room in the house, but also there was no room outside the house. But these men were determined. In desperation, they carried the paralyzed man to the roof. They began removing branches, straw, and mud to make an opening large enough to lower their friend to the feet of Jesus. We can only imagine how that scenario must have surprised the crowd gathered inside the house. Much of this debris must have fallen on the people inside. But nowhere in these verses do we read negatives comments from the crowd. Nor does it mention that the pharisees and doctors of the law, sitting inside listening to Jesus teach, were unhappy that this situation had disturbed their teaching time or had disturbed their schedule. For Jesus, certainly, this situation did not surprise Him. What He saw was the determined faith of the friends of the paralytic man. In verse 20 Jesus seeing their faith, He said: “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Which meant your faith has saved you. In verse 24 Jesus says:“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. So, He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  With these words Jesus confirmed that He was the son of God and that He had the power of the Holy Spirit to heal this paralytic. At times, desperation makes us do things that under normal circumstances we would not do. In this situation, the paralytic's friends found cables and tied their friend to his bed. Then, they mounted the bed on the roof. I’ve always wondered how the paralytic felt during this time. I believe this man was so desperate to receive a miracle, that he agreed with the actions his friends were taking on his behalf. Nevertheless, he must have wondered if once lowered into this house and at the feet of Jesus if he would be accepted or if the crowd would throw him out. He had certainly completely altered the plans the people the house already inside had for that day. But faith took priority. Faith removed despair, doubt and the fear of the crowd. Other people's faith brought a miracle into the life of this paralytic man. For each of us, faith must always take priority in our lives. If faith takes priority, despair, fear and doubt will disappear and miracles small and big will be our reward. Today, I shared these thoughts with you to encourage you to never give up, never despair. Never think that God will not do for you what He did for this paralytic. Because of Jesus, faith overcomes despair, and the faith of other people does brings miracles in our life.  

Take care,

Denise

Jesus is my peace!

In this short article I want to encourage you to always seek the peace and calm that only Jesus can bring in our lives. In Philippians 1:6 the Bible tells us:“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”  Therefore, when we go through difficult times it is good to remember the words in this verse. It will always help us to remember that the Lord daily continues to work in our lives, no matter what situation we are facing. In Isaiah 30:15b we read: “…..in quietness and trust is your strength,”. Staying calm and peaceful during stressful times is very important. Stress drains our emotions and often also affects our physical strength. Jesus is our peace, and He is the only One that brings calm during our storms. While I studied this theme, I found several bible verses that speak of peace or calm. Each one of these verses help and encourage us to trust God's Word when we feel stressed or overwhelmed by various circumstances that we encounter throughout our lives. In Philippians 4:13 we read:“I can do all things through him who strengthens me,”.  It is indeed Christ Himself who always brings us the calm and the peace we need when tribulations come our way at times when most of the time we do not expect them to come. In Matthew 11:28, I really like this verse that says:“Come unto me, all you who labor and are bent down under a burden, and I will give you rest.”  When we have the Lord's rest, we also have calm, even during hardships. Hardship means times of deprivation, great need or want and destitution. If Jesus is our peace, we have the certainty or sureness that no matter what happens, we are in HIS good care. Peace and calm are so important for all of us, therefore, here are some good tips to help you stay peaceful and calm. a) Refuse to give anyone power over your attitude and mood. b) Refuse to allow anyone else to dictate your response to the situation you are facing. c) Refuse to give anyone the power to change your behavior. This means not listening to what negative people are saying about you or about a problem you are facing. d) Refuse to allow anyone to steal your joy. Stay in the Word of God and in prayer and ignore those who come to bring stress therefore robbing you of your peace. e) If someone is mean to you, be nice. Keep calm. Keep peaceful. At times, we all encounter people who are filled with bitterness. Unfortunately they like to give us advice that reflects their emotional unbalance. Refuse to hear these negative words. Always stay kind and forgiving. Someone you know may be bitter, pray for them. But be thankful that because Jesus is your peace, you don't have to live with that poison in your soul. In John 14:27 Jesus says:“I leave you peace, I give you, my peace. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled or be frightened.”  

 Therefore, in every circumstance, keep calm and stay at peace.

 I am not telling you what to do. But I can tell you what I do. I cling, which means to hold tight to Jesus, my Lord of peace. He always takes care of me and He keeps me calm.

Sincerely, 
Denise