We used to have a dog.  We used to have two dogs in fact, but then went down to one due to older age, and then we lost Miss Sassy as well.   That meant I went for ALOT of walks.  :) I'm a firm believer that if you have a dog you have to get it out for walks.  It's good for you and it's very good for the dog.

Miss Sassy was my dog.   It was one of our laughing points.   If hubby dear would ask her to do something, she'd look at me first to make sure it was okay to obey him.   She listened well to him if I wasn't around, but if I was... what I wanted happened.  :)

Anyways, the point of this was... we went for alot of walks.  Gives a body time to think.   Since we no longer have dogs, I don't walk as much as I used to.   I've started doing that again and have discovered how much I missed it.  Walking around the town, seeing what is happening, flowers, yard clean up, neighbours out with their dogs, trucks early in the morning doing their thing, and just the time alone.   How I have coveted silence... and now.. for 30-45 minutes in the morning, I have silence.  I am loving it.

Part of what I am doing with that silence is thinking about the week's sermon.   This past week Pastor (not our regular pastor, a guest) preached on Rev. 2:18-29.

In Revelation 2:18-29 we read.

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servantsa]" to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Yesterday I pondered Jesus with eyes of fire and burnished feet.
Today I wondered about Jesus as the Morningstar.   Wondering what does it really mean to see Jesus as the Morningstar. 

Morningstar... it can be weapon you know.  A medieval spikey club, but that's not the imagery called for here.  The imagery is one of brightness and of glory.   The first thing you see on the horizon in the morning.  That bright ball of flame .. kinda goes along with him having eyes of fire and burnished bronze feet.   Jesus is Dazzling.   Hard on the eyes, so full of brightness and glory.  Can you picture it?

But now imagine all that brightness, all that light, in a world of darkness.   Aren't you drawn to it?   Can't you see how it chases the darkness away?   How it bids you draw closer.   Most folks don't like to abide in the dark.  We want to be where we can see.   Jesus is that light, he helps us to see in the darkness.

It was dark on my walk this morning.  For a while I thought about going through the bush, but said nope to myself... don't need to walk a trail in the dark...but in the distance I saw a bob of light and for a moment thought to follow it.   But the light helped it's people to see.  And if I had been close enough, it would have helped me see as well.

Light draws us.   It shows us the path in the darkness.

I want to be like my dog Sassy.  With ears for my master's call FIRST.   I want to be drawn to the light of Christ as Sassy was drawn to the sound of my voice.

What do you want to be drawn to?

Mom, if do you think there is a Mama New Guinea?
This asked when reading a story about Papau New Guinea.
It made me HOOT. 

Oh this lad.... he makes me laugh.

But we have SO enjoyed reading the stories of real folks, serving God, in a variety of contexts.  Seed Sowers has been SO good for us to do for the TOS review crew.  :)

Vendor: Seed Sowers
Product: Seed Sowers: Gospel-Planting Adventures
Price: In softcover for normally $13.95, currently $12.50, it can also be purchased in hardcover for$30.95-hardcover or in kindle for $$3.99
Age Range: any, as long as you are willing to answer questions.   Sometimes missionaries die, and sometimes the people they work with can be a bit frightening to young children.  It is geared for sixth grade independent reading.

Occasionally I will read a book with my son that, when we are done,  he will be very sad and almost cry.   This book was one of them.   We read it as part of our night time reading and if I wanted to skip it one night he would get upset with me, so it didn't take us all that long to get through it.   One chapter a night for 21 nights.

I received the e-book version of it (on Kindle for $3.99).  Seed Sowers is a collection of short stories about missionaries on the field, doing translation work with various people groups.   21 chapters, 165 pages.   It is written by Gwen Toliver.

We SO enjoyed this book.   Even with the hard questions the lad would sometimes ask.  "Mom, why would they want to hurt that man?"   "Mom, why didn't God save that person when he helped the other one?"  "Mom, why did people have to go so far from home?"   "Mom, why...."

Sometimes you just don't know the answers.

We were delighted at times with how God rescued people, the big cat roaming around the house in one of the stories made quite the impression on the lad.  

At times we'd head on over to our world map and look for the places people were ministering in.

We will be reading this book again, probably next summer while camping so dad can read it with us.  :)

There were no pictures interspersed in the reading of Seed Sowers, and I liked that.  It meant the lad could use his imagination or ask me to look it up for him (giving us a chance to review stories in the morning).    Can you imagine having to cross bridges like this?   How about at night when there's a major storm brewing and you have to get across?     They did have some pictures at the end of the book.    It is an excellent book for discussing how big God is. :)

The only thing I regret in this review: not having an actual book that I can pass around to my friends and family so they can easily read it too.

Quite a few other people on the TOS review crew read this book as well.  You are invited to click on the banner below or on this link to see what they have to say.    Do check them out, I heartily recommend it!

Today I was doing my devotions and was reminded of a vital truth in life. 

Christ is Sufficient.

He really is.  He is the firstborn of creation (a position of authority not of actual birthing).   He is the one through him all things were made (remember he is the Word) and through him all things are sustained.

So it doesn't matter you know.. all the bookwork and learning and worrying if I'm doing it all right.

Christ is sufficient for all my needs and longings and hopes and dreams.

He is the one who is in charge.  The creator of all that is important to me.

I need to trust him more.  To rely on him more.  To turn to him more.

My God iS my creator and sustainer.
And I am so humbled before him.

Let me now HOLD to that as I go into this week.  Let me just HOLD ON