If any man thirst...

I thought it fitting that on this last day of 2009 that I share a reading from Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" from the December 31st morning section, where Spurgeon quotes John 7:37, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." And here are Spurgeon's most excellent comments on this verse:

Patience has her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the feast He pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year He pleads with us, and waits to be gracious to us. Admirable indeed is the longsuffering of the Saviour in bearing with some of us year after year, notwithstanding our provocations, rebellions, and resistance of His Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders that we are still in the land of mercy!

Pity expressed herself most plainly, for Jesus "cried", which implies not only the loudness of His voice, but the tenderness of His tones. He entreats us to be reconciled. "We pray you," says the Apostle, as through God did beseech you by us. What earnest, pathetic terms are these! How deep must be the love which makes the Lord weep over sinners, and like a mother woo His children to His bosom! Surely at the call of such a cry our willing hearts will come.

Provision is made most plenteously; all is provided that man can need to quench his soul's thirst. To his conscience the atonement brings peace; to his understanding the gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the person of Jesus is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nutriment. Thirst is terrible, but Jesus can remove it. Though the soul were utterly famished, Jesus could restore it.

Proclamation is made most freely, that every thirsty one is welcome. No other distinction is made but that of thirst. Whether it be the thirst of avarice, ambition, pleasure, knowledge, or rest, he who suffers from it is invited. The thirst may be bad in itself, and be no sign of grace, but rather a mark of inordinate sin longing to be gratified with deeper draughts of lust; but it is not goodness in the creature which brings him the invitation, the Lord Jesus sends it freely, and without respect of persons.

Personality is declared most fully. The sinner must come to Jesus, not to works, ordinances, or doctrines, but to a personal Redeemer, who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. The bleeding, dying, rising Saviour, is the only star of hope to a sinner. Oh for grace to come now and drink, ere the sun sets upon the year's last day!

No waiting or preparation is so much as hinted at. Drinking represents a reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejewelled chalice, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the clear Redeemer's loving voice as He cries to each of us,

"If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink."

Jesus Joy!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

We often sing these words at this time of year, I would like to take time to reflect on what this actually means. And how the reality of the joy of knowing Jesus can dramatically change the direction of your life.

It's my turn (Ruth) to set the theme this week, we're slowly getting back into a routine after the birth of our daughter Mae.

I have recently been introduced to the Christian speaker Louie Giglio. If you search for him on Youtube you will find clips. One of his talks is headed Indescribable, he goes into great detail about the Universe, our Galaxy and the size of the stars. They are inspirational messages, that have made me appreciate how great and awesome God is, indeed how indescribable he is. It has reminded me of the humility of Jesus - God's son, in taking on humanity - being human.

The even more amazing thing is, he take on 'being human' for a holiday, or for the 'experience' - he did it for a purpose. He had to become human in order to pay for the punishment we deserve for the things we do that we shouldn't, and the things we don't do that we should.

Although Christmas isn't a day we are told to celebrate in the Bible, it is a time where we as Christians can stop and ponder and be thankful to God that he came in flesh all those years ago. A time to be truly JOYFUL for JESUS.

Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas, from everyone on the Salt team.

Hazel




Stacy

Pauline

Kim

Julie

Ruth

Lythan

"For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you."  Psalm 86:5

Recently my husband and I have learned that some very dear friends of ours are going through deep waters.  This situation has been a total surprise to us and something that we have found ourselves completely burdened about.  It seems that there is nothing we can really do other than to show our love and support through prayer.  I found myself thinking about this a lot today.  Sometimes we tend to look at a situation and think it is hopeless or too far gone but thankfully that is not the mesage of the Bible! As the verse above tells us, God is "ready to forgive". There is no statute of limitations on forgiveness, the only requirement is true repentance.  And unlike us frail humans, when God forgives, He forgives completely, not holding our sins over us.  I am praying for an opportunity to share this with our friends and praying for God's mercy toward their family but what a good reminder for us all!

God with us

In Isaiah we read the prophecy “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), then in Matthew’s gospel, we read of the fulfilment of this prophecy with the birth of Jesus. Immanuel means 'God with us' and it’s this meaning that I wanted to focus on this week.

Life in our house (and no doubt everyone else's house too!) is always busy in the run up to Christmas and with this being the first year I’ve been working full time since having our eldest daughter, I’ve found it difficult to adjust to the changes, and I’ve felt less ‘festive’ than I normally do. Bryan (DH) is in the midst of preparations for Christmas services and activities and the girls are busy learning their lines for the nativity plays at school and church. Yet at the school I teach at we haven’t really started thinking about Christmas because the focus has been on prelim exams for the senior pupils. It’s only really this week that the staff have started to realise that Christmas isn’t too far away! It’s for these reasons that I’ve been reading the Christmas story and taking time to reflect on it.

There’s a lot of conflict happening around the world in big and small ways. I’m thinking not just of conflict in terms of war but also in terms of the number of redundancies, financial difficulties etc that people are experiencing. People are hurting for many different reasons and many are fearful of what may happen next. The inspiring message of Christmas is that we are told, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2) God understands our fears but doesn’t want us to be controlled by them. The prophecy of Isaiah meant that Jesus birth was not unexpected. God became human just as He had promised. God became completely accessible to all of us.

I feel so privileged to know that Jesus’ birth was promised many years before it happened and that when he was born the prophecy was fulfilled. God is faithful and will keep His promises.

Pauline

Hazel

Kim


Stacy

Lythan


Mona



Julie

Thoughts for advent

One of my favourite passages to ponder on at this time of year, at the beginning of the advent season, when thoughts turn towards Christmas and the coming of Christ as a baby born among us, is John chapter 1.

Matthew and Luke give an account of the foretelling of the birth of Christ and the actual event, including those who went to visit the infant Jesus.

John doesn't give any account of the Christmas story, but he paints a far deeper picture of the incarnation when in verse 14 of chapter 1 he says: ' The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.'

What a staggering truth to ponder that the Word became flesh and lived among us. Indeed, that Word was there at the beginning of Creation - v.3: ' Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.'

May I suggest that at the beginning of this precious advent time that we reflect again upon John chapter 1, particularly the first 18 verses.

As we think towards Christmas and listen again to the nativity account, let's remember that 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.' (John 1:1)

Christmas didn't start with the birth of the baby Jesus at Bethlehem, it started in the heart of God way back in the beginning of time - God's redemption plan for fallen mankind.

Giving Thanks - Colossians 3:17

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

On November 11, Remembrance Day in Canada, this verse was in my devotions and it really spoke to me. Having grandparents who were in the war and having lost a cousin in Afghanistan it really spoke to me - especially as a Mennonite woman who believes in pacifism. Then I thought about it and realized that NO MATTER where we are in our lives nothing is more important than what we do FOR OUR FATHER; nothing else matters. There is nothing more important in my life than knowing that everything I say and do needs to be for the praise and honor of my Lord. I am thankful to my Father every day for the life he has given me and I want everyone to know that all I do is to HIS glory. That is what my life is for - Thank You Father!


Kim

Hazel


Lythan

SNR Blog Hop Winner

We have a winner!!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the SALT blog and left such lovely comments! We were thrilled to have you and hope that you not only enjoyed everyone's artwork but that you'll be back to visit and participate in our upcoming challenges!! And now...

to announce the winner of our bag of stamping goodies....

Grace who left us this comment, "Oh wow... how wonderful! LOVE the friend one!! I'm so glad to meet you my sister in Christ! This hop as been a pleasure to hop along as well as an honor to participate in! God bless!"

Congraulations Grace! Please contact me at ksdm@comcast.net with your full contact info and I'll get a goodie bag out in the mail to you asap!!

SNR "Thankful for Friends" Blog Hop

Welcome to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine's A Faith Perspective Thankful for Friends Faith Blog Hop! Today, we're out in force on the internet -- showing our faith and giving the glory to God. United, we stand as Christian paper crafters and blog owners to make a presence on the internet for all to see. We're celebrating the theme of friends and we're happy to share our projects with you based on the verse:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. " Ecc4:9-10a

If you're just joining in on the fun, you can find the start of the train at A Faith Perspective.

The blog hop is being supported by wonderful and generous co-sponsors: Layers of Color Stamps, Gina K Designs Stamps and Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps. Together with Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, these companies have donated some wonderful prizes for today’s blog hop.
Prizes? Oh, yeah! There will be three lucky grand prize winners for today’s event.

To enter, simply hop to the blogs of all of the participating staff members (this blog is not part of the staff, however, Kim from Paperie Petals is so visit her blog to enter the contest!!) of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, take note of the staff member’s name, and leave a comment on their posts. Then send us an email at games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com listing each of the staff members who participated in today’s hop. It’s that easy.

All entries must be received by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 12 noon, EST and three winners will be randomly chosen to win.

What are the prizes?
-One $100 gift certificate from Layers of Color Stamps AND a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
-One basket of goodies -- four stamp sets from Gina K Designs and a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
-One set of digital stamps from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps and a 3 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
In addition, every participating staff member of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine will offer a free one-month subscription to the magazine to one of their lucky visitors by simply leaving a comment on their blog.

That's a lot of chances to win, so let’s get to the Hop and enjoy our DT's artwork!! Leave a comment here by Monday, November 16, and the SALT team will select a winner to receive a goodie bag of stamping supplies!

The next stop on this blog hop is: Scrap of Faith

Kim Hazel

Stacy


Pauline

Psalm 46: Be still

When I really need help I often go to the Psalms as they help me to express my feelings so well. For various reasons the last few weeks have been tough and the phrase that came to mind was from Psalm 46 "Be still and know that I am God". When I looked at the Psalm I noted some other really helpful verses

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

or from the Message
God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.

and also
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I need to know that I am not on my own in all of this - that I can rest in God and he will give me strength. I wish I could follow Desmond Tutu's advice “I am far too busy to pray for less than two hours a day” I certainly need this time to reflect and create and be still with God

Hazel
Kim

Tanis (I decided to go digital this week!)

Mona

Lythan

Stacy Esther

Serving for God's Glory - I Peter 4:10

Congratulations, Ruth

I'm sure you would like to join us in congratulating Ruth on the birth of baby Mae Suan - you can see a gorgeous picture of Mae Suan here.

Serving for God's Glory

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another,

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." -I Peter 4:10

I first have to once again marvel at the way that God works...I was amazed to read Stacy's comments on Romans 12:1 and how she related our need and call to serve others in the name of Christ. This has been my thought since challenging our design team with our theme "Serving for God's Glory", which was long before Stacy's post. :-)

In Peter's first epistle, he writes to encourage persecuted and discouraged Christians, exhorting them to stand fast in their faith. Thoughout the book he continually reminds them of the joys and glories of their eternal inheritance and instructs them about Christian behavior in the midst of suffering.

In verses 7-11, Peter turns to exhortation on how we are to treat others and reminds his readers to be "serious and watchful in their prayers" and to have "fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins." In verse 10 he pens our challenge verse, noted above and Matthew Henry, in his Bible commentary, draws these points from the text.

• Whatever gifts we have received, we ought to look upon them as received for the use of one to another. We must not assume them to ourselves, nor hide them in a napkin, but do service with them "one to another" in the best manner we are able.
• The talents we are entrusted with are our Lord's good, and must be employed as he directs.
• He who has received plenty and ability from God ought to minister plentifully ,and according to his ability.
• The nature of a Christian's work, which is high work and hard work, the goodness and kindness of the Master, and the excellency of the reward, all require that our endeavours should be serious and vigorous, and that whatever we are called to do for the honour of God and the good of others we should do with all our might.
• In all the duties and services of life we should aim at the glory of God as our chief end.

As I considered this verse and how I can apply it to my life, I realized that I have too frequently failed to minister to the needs of others around me. I tend to be far too self-absorbed with my own life and struggles and don't stop to look for others in need. It's too easy for my focus to be only on my circumstances and not enough on Christ, the church, and my neighbor.

There are so many who are in desperate need, either of practical help, a word of encouragement, a listening ear, or genuine love and friendship and we (at least I) have a tendency to pass them by. May God be pleased, and may we be willing, to use us to minister to those around us... not so we can pat ourselves on the back or enjoy the good feelings that come from helping someone but so that God can be glorified as we faithfully use the special gifts He has given to us.

We'd love to see your artwork, created based on this week's theme. Just leave us a comment with a link back to your blog or gallery and we'll come visit!

I also wanted to mention that the SALT team will be participating in the A Faith Perspective blog hop on November 14, 2009. The theme of the hop is "Thankful for Friends of Faith." Please stop by on the 14th for a list of participants and to see some lovely artwork created by the team!


Kim

Pauline



Lythan

Hazel


Tanis

romans 12:1

romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.


God demands sacrifice of His followers--but not bloody, physical sacrifice. Rather, he wants us to sacrifice our own selves to Him by committing to do His will in our lives. The worship God wants from us is to serve others in His name.

Followers of Christ continually undergo a process of transformation, by which the Holy Spirit shapes us more and more into the sort of person who is acceptable for service to God.

An offering or gift given to God to remove the guilt of sin. Throughout the Old Testament, God's people brought sacrifices to God.

Are you ready to die to your selfish ways to be worthy of God and what he has planned for you, you feeling lost.This past while has been an eye opener for me, the verses have been speaking to my heart.I have an urge that i have not had for awhile to help people and I am ready to offer myself as a living sacrifice to God. I have been sitting back i will admit. I have been angry with things. I thought i was right with God, when i was thinking of what to write today this is what came to me this is what has been on my mind since starting the journal of our journey. We as a family have been going through this process and i think some major changes are coming for us. I also think our team is going through growth, and not just in babies!!:) I have been taking verses and meditating , and memorizing . Praying ,listening to God and hoping for things to change. I believe all things happen for a reason, i believe God was slowing me down when i had this break happen. To take a breath to realize where i should be and what i should be doing. This blog has been inspiration to me. It has opened my thoughts and brought forth issues i needed to deal with. I hope and pray in does for you as well.............i am encouraging you to take romans 12:1 and meditate on it this week

Confidence in God

Congratulations, Julie

Before I get on to the topic of this challenge, I'm sure you would like to join us in congratulating Julie on the birth of baby Owen Bryce, her fifth child - you can see Owen's gorgeous picture here. And another of our team, Ruth, is in the late stages of pregnancy, so our Salt families are extending!

Confidence in God

It is my (Hazel's) turn to choose the topic for today's challenge. I've been thinking that over the last few years there have been many changes in the way we live, in society in general, some for our better and some not so. Perhaps too, like us, you've had changes in your personal circumstances - deteriorating health, financial problems, family stresses and strains, some of which we ourselves contribute towards, but some that we have very little say in or control over. It would be all too easy to get sucked into the feeling that we can't trust anything or anyone as being permanent. Thankfully, we have a constant God who is there whatever the circumstances, whatever our feelings - we can trust Him completely and utterly.

As Pauline said in her reflection on the changing seasons last week: It can often be difficult to understand why things happen, but as Christians we can be confident that God is involved in the world.

Many scriptures come to mind that affirm our confidence in God, for instance: Numbers 23:19, Joshua 1:9, Jeremiah 32:27, Philippians 4:13, Psalm 16, 1 John 5:14-15, but one particular verse that was passed on to me recently is of great reassurance:

'The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.' Proverbs 29:25.

It is our hope and prayer that you, with us, will deepen your trust in God, acknowledging that it is through Christ that we can be forgiven and put into a right relationship with God if we ask Him to take control of our lives and allow Him to lead and guide us.

I hope that you enjoy seeing the crafting response of the team - please visit their individual blogs to read what they have to say. It would be lovely if you felt able to join in with a creative response to this challenge - please leave us a comment with a link to your creation so that we can come and have a look.

Thank you to those who follow us, leave us comments and join in our challenges - we hope and pray that you are blessed by our little corner of the internet - combining our two passions of faith in Christ and crafting.

Hazel

Stacy


Kim


Lythan

Pauline

The Changing Seasons

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I've been reflecting on the seasons recently for several reasons. The main reason being that in Scotland we've been very suddenly confronted by the changing seasons - leaves are plummeting in great numbers from the trees, the wind has been much stronger and the temperature has dropped so I have finally set the central heating timer! We've also been celebrating Harvest Thanksgiving in church and thinking about world issues of food distribution as well as local issues. Living in rural Scotland in a farming community we still have a sense of the traditional harvest - we have the combines in the fields, livestock are being moved around and every Monday we see the farm vehicles transporting animals to market.

The passage from Ecclesiastes is one I often turn to when there are very visible signs of the changing seasons. I love the symbolism in it and the way in which it paints a picture of how God sees everything that is happening in the world. While people may question God's involvement in what we see on the news, we can be confident that God is involved in world affairs and that he cares about his creation. It can often be difficult to understand why things happen but as Christians we can be confident that God is involved in the world and is calling us to follow Jesus' example to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

I hope that as the seasons change around the world that you will trust in God and know that He has given us all gifts to use for His purpose. We cannot see the whole picture in the way God can but we can be confident of His love for us.

Pauline

x

Growth

'Growth'...

an essential part in living! Where would we be without growth?
Growth and development come hand in hand, and usually developing means learning.
Just as babies and children learn, so also as Christians we need to feed on God's word and GROW!
we should crave spiritual milk 'Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation 1Peter 2:2'

In case you think this is a repeat, or some sort of coincidence- well it's not! I hadn't even seen Mona's post that she had put up about Growth. God obviously put it on our hearts, and must be something that someone out there needs to hear!

So I pray it will be a blessing!

As you meditate on this word may God challenge you through our work at SALT.
Please do share with us how you have interpreted this week's theme.

Thanks. Yours in Christ, Esther.

Esther Lythan
Kim


Mona




Tanis

Hazel


Pauline

Stacy

Meditating on Growth

2 Peter 3:18 - Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For the last few months I(Mona) have felt a little disconnected when it comes to my relationship with God. Life gets so busy - work, kids, scrapping and all the other little things, that sometimes God gets forgotten as my Bible collects dust and some days I only touch it when I move it from one place to another.
I was at the bookstore a few weeks back and the enormous number of books on spirituality and finding "true" spirituality was mind boggling. We are so busy looking for spirituality and that "feeling" of God that we forget that we can just ask for it. It's amazing what happens when you do. When I asked God to "show me" His grace and His presence, I saw him everywhere. In big and little ways God showed me that he is actively a part of my life and taking care of me in everything I say and do. He also showed me that my part is to "dwell" in Him and His word so that I will grow more in His likeness. God is faithful - He will never let us down!


Finally, as a team, we need to say goodbye to a few of our team members. Gina, Nikki and Melita are leaving the SALT team. They have been wonderful contributors and we are sad to see them go. God bless you all as you move on to other adventures in your lives. Hope you'll pop in and join some of the challenges sometime. We'll miss you!

Listening to God

It's usually pretty easy to talk. But how good are we at listening?
We're busy. We live in a busy world. We have lots of commitments. We're pressed for time.

But when it comes to listening to God, we have to make time. Quiet time. And that is hard.

As I looked into my choice of topic over the past week, I found some good words and insights, both from devotionals and from the Bible.
I pray that these will help you as you study the topic this week and create what you've learned.

Here's a few words from a devotional I was reading at delveintojesus.com.

The voice of God whispers directly into our heart and soul, guiding us, counseling us and comforting us. But are we listening, or are we too busy talking? God will not scream at us to pay attention, so if we are too preoccupied with our own thoughts, His gentle voice will be drowned out.

Our prayer time must consist of listening as well as speaking. We need to attentively reach for that small voice and eagerly let it guide us. In quiet prayer, ask God to reveal His will and then listen patiently for His response. The more often you do this, the easier it will become.

And from the Bible, in 1 Kings 19:11-13, Elijah is brought face to face with God. He recognizes His voice, not as a something loud and strong, but as a "gentle whisper". We need to know Him, like Elijah did, in order to recognize His voice speaking to us.

One more verse I wrote down as a good reminder was Psalm 27:14...

¹⁴ Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

I am still reading and studying this topic...I'm really looking forward to hearing about what you've learned as you study too.

Some key words as you look for verses about listening: LISTEN, HEAR, WAIT, VOICE, SPEAK, WHISPER.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Tanis

Pauline




Hazel



Julie

Lythan



Stacy