Wild Fires!

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Lynn

Banner-AFA+v2+Main+ENOnce again in our province, a raging wild-fire is laying siege to one of our largest cities in Alberta.  I remember so well a similar fire five years ago that devastated the town of Slave Lake.  https://lynndove.com/2011/05/24/wild-fires/  Yesterday Fort McMurray was evacuated, the largest evacuation ever seen in Alberta’s history with well over 80,000 people fleeing their burning city.

As I watch the news, I feel helpless, but I feel emboldened to ask for prayer for my friends living there and for our province as a whole as we begin disaster relief efforts.

Our fair province is in an economic slump.  Thousands of people have lost their jobs in the oil patch and Fort McMurray was one of the hardest hit cities by the economic downturn.  Now those people not only face job loss but may also be losing their homes to fire.  It is, as some would like to say: A Perfect Storm.

This morning my grade six students came into class full of reports from family and friends who live in Fort McMurray.  They immediately asked me to forgo our usual devotion time and just pray for the events happening there.  I am so thankful for students who know that their “help” comes from God and they know that their prayers do make a difference.  Hearing them lift up prayers for safety for firefighters battling the blaze, and praying specifically for family and friends who have lost homes already I was overwhelmed with emotion.  The smell of smoke may lay heavy in the air but their prayers are breaking through and their prayers are the sweet smell of incense, a sweet aroma to God.

I know that there will be a lot of good people who will become the hands and feet of Jesus during this time.  They will be present to help with distribution of clothes, food and providing the basic necessities to those people who have lost their homes.  I am unable to go to Fort McMurray myself, but I can help by donating to the Red Cross and supporting those church organizations who want to provide help right there in the city and surrounding areas.

I have to remind myself that God is in control.  He is sovereign.  He hears our prayers.  This is an out-of-control fire, an out-of-control situation but HE is in control.

Please join me and all the students in my class in praying for the people of Fort McMurray.  I have provided a link for those who would be willing to donate to the Canadian Red Cross and their efforts to provide aid.

“Hear our prayers, Lord!  Protect those in harm’s way and surround them with people who will love and care for them during this very difficult time.  Amen.”

Canadian Red Cross

Canadian Global Response

 

 

 

 

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Car Prayers

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Lynn

psalms-5-3As I travel into school each day I have twenty-five minutes where I can talk to God as He sits beside me in the passenger seat.  It is a wonderful time of fellowship as I have my morning conversation with Him and ask for His daily mercies and ask for His wisdom and guidance for my day in the classroom.  There are days I wish I could take a much longer drive because I want our “talk” to go on longer, and then I remember I have a twenty-five minute drive home so I can take up the conversation again then.

I’m certainly not an expert on prayer.  I have read many books on the topic but sometimes when I read books on prayer I always feel like I’m doing it wrong.  I don’t use a “formula”, I just talk to God and I know He listens.

There are days I do most of the talking.  There are other days I start the conversation but He begs me to just listen and look.  His voice is soft, I have to stop talking to hear Him.  That’s not easy for me!  Still, as I watch the sun rise as I drive to work, I am reminded that “His mercies are new every morning” and I thank Him because that is not something to be taken for granted.  I see the wheat fields and the cattle grazing on the hills and I praise Him that He provides “my daily bread”.  Most mornings I see white-tailed deer but some mornings I will catch a glimpse of a moose hiding in a thicket of trees by the side of the road and I gasp at a marvel of nature reminding me that “…the animals, they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.  Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7-10) 

I love it when God reveals Himself to me through His Creation!

As I praise Him and pray for my family, my students, and friends, I know I don’t need to tell Him what they need, He knows.  I don’t have to go into a lot of detail about what I need, He knows, but He doesn’t mind that I talk to Him about it anyway.  Sometimes I try to tell Him what to do, but He’s gracious and patient with me and let’s me talk and then He does what’s best even though it may not be exactly what I wanted.  I’ve learned it’s not MY will to be done it’s His!

I read this quote recently: “Prayer is like the dove that Noah sent forth, which blessed him not only when it returned with an olive-leaf in its mouth, but when it never returned at all”.  I love Dove analogies for obvious reasons, but this describes my prayer life pretty well…I will keep praying, in the car, at home, anywhere and I know with every prayer I lift before Him, I am well-blessed!

 

 

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Staycation

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Lynn

LightUntoMyPath%20-%20BibleI remember having to write numerous essays on “How I spent my Summer Vacation”.  As an English teacher I told myself I would never assign that kind of tedious writing assignment to any of my students.  Still, I do enjoy asking my students what they did over the holidays and most recently what they did over the Easter Break.  I already know that many went travelling, and there will be many more who just stayed at home and had what we like to call a “Staycation”.

On April 1st my cousin’s daughter arrived for a visit from Denmark.  She has already been to New Zealand and Bali and Canada is her big stop before heading back home at the end of May.  We have spent the past week, showing her the sights near to our home and seeing the beauty of Alberta afresh through her eyes.  Scenery we’ve taken for granted, she finds breath-taking, and we gain new perspective on the beauty around us.  Truly we are blessed!  We spend time comparing her world and culture in Denmark, to our world and culture here in Canada.  She asks us questions about Canada, that I have to “Google” answers for because I honestly do not know everything about this big country of mine.  I’ve learned things about Alberta I’ve never known before as we play tour guides and we lead our enthusiastic tourist around with us.

I remember when I lived on the west coast that even though I lived near the ocean, I did not spend a lot of time by the ocean shore.  It’s interesting that when we visit the coast now, I am drawn to the ocean and can not get enough of it!  Living near the Rocky Mountains now, with a spectacular mountain view just outside of our front door, there are days I barely give it a passing glance.  Our Danish guest has taken so many pictures of our view over the last few weeks that I look upon the view with renewed interest.  Seeing the ordinary in our lives through the eyes of someone else makes it extraordinary!

I am currently teaching a series of lesson plans on the Miracles of Jesus.  I am having my Grade Six students retell the stories creatively through art, video or PowerPoint and I am sure that I will gain a whole new appreciation for the familiar stories that have read so many times.  Just like the beauty of nature that surrounds us daily, taking time to appreciate creation around us, I pray that I will always take time to appreciate the beauty that is also found in Scripture.  I pray I will not take the precious Bible stories for granted, but see each story with fresh perspective and enjoy a “Staycation” at home in the Word!

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  Psalm 119:105

 

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