"I'll Fly Away" on A Friday Morning {#Morevember}

I wake with the words of this hymn on my mind.

"I'll fly away, oh glory

I'll fly away

When I die, Hallelujah

By and by, I'll fly away.

Some bright morning
When this life is over, I'll fly away
To a land on
God's celestial shore, I'll fly away.

When the shadows
Of this life have grown, I'll fly away
Like a bird from
These prison walls, I'll fly, I'll fly away."

I've been fighting a weight of darkness. Swimming upstream in a torrent of emotions, with joy set before me, considering Him who endured, that I may not grow fainthearted.

You know that saying that goes something like, "Don't be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good." I don't know who said it or what he/she thought she was saying, but somehow the saying stuck. The problem is, it's not true. I grow fainthearted when I am not heavenly minded; when I do not have my mind set on things above.

How on earth do you suppose that you could be too heavenly minded? Why not long for the day that John tells us about when he got a sneak peak behind a door standing open in heaven? Why not linger on the hope that I will meet our Saviour face to face, dwell with Him in perfect unity, to sit at His feet, fall down before Him, singing a new song? 

Sickness has a way of giving you a more heavenly perspective. 

The specialist shared his most educated guess that I'd have about two years for my severely narrowed aortic valve to hold up, but he doesn't really know. It could be less time or more. I'll just need to keep toughing it out and when I faint call him and he'll sit down with the surgeon again and see if anything could be done. It's not hopeful, but nothing can be down to reverse the damage, so we will keep pressing on. Maybe, pray for a miracle.

I leave the clinic on Monday thinking of the woman who reached out in faith, touched only the hem of Jesus's garment and was made well. Is my faith too small? 

Do I want to be made well?

Like Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

What's so bad about this heavenly longing?

It actually gives me a peace and an inexpressible joy as I endure various trials. It's the good news that gives hope, the accomplished work of Christ that the angels long to fully understand, and we, as believers, get to experience and believe, and rejoice with this unspeakable joy.

Now on Friday, a young woman, far too young for death to claim her according to human standards, was called home. 

She knows this joy fully now. A few weeks ago, she proclaimed these words of hope as she fought the cancer in her body. The words made an impact on me when I listened the first time weeks ago, but this morning as I watched again after a friend posted the news that she was now FREE, her words reverberated hope in deep crevices:

"We are never alone, and don't have to fear the unknown. I try to live day to day, as everyday as truly a blessing from God because you never know when God may want you to come home. I try to just live through each day and to praise Him for every breath I have because you never know when it will be your last."

As her story closes here on this earth, tears slip down my cheeks. When we pause to bow and praise God for this young woman we've never met and for calling her to Himself, and now home to Him, my little one bores her eyes into mine and asks why. 

I have no words, just this deep rumbling in my soul that whispers of the mingling of pain and joy, trials and trust, an unseeing love that only a heavenly mind would dare to cling to.




God at Work - Jacqueline Li from Harvest Bible Chapel York Region on Vimeo. {email subscribers, please click here to watch this powerful testimony of a young woman called Home today.}

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Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts grateful:
~You love him even though you have never seen him.
~Though you do not see him now, you trust him
~and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

***

Also linking with Five Minute Friday at Lisa-Jo's place. This week the prompt is: Fly

Officially, the rules are:

1. Write for 5 minutes  {Full disclosure: I spent a little more time on this post}

2. Link up at Lisa-Jo's  and invite others to join in.

3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...

Words of Wisdom for the Weekend ~ Beautiful Life =Tried Faith + Thankful Trust {#Morevember}

"Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish as long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her . . . No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those that grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those that glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that with lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would have never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious, too. 

~ Charles Spurgeon

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Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts hard eucharisteo:

~dog-days of motherhood

~heartache and messy grief

~thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

***

{Words for Wisdom for the Weekend: These are words that I have been challenged or encouraged by that I have read throughout my week that I kept pondering; words that I couldn't get off my mind and heart throughout my week. 

For other Words of Wisdom for the Weekend posts see here.}

Behold the Works of the Lord and Be Still {#Morevember}

(Email subscribers, listen to song here)

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Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts silent:
~sharing hearts during storms in life even amidst the chaos
~a bowl of stew delivered to my door by a thoughtful neighbour and friend
~a rare quiet evening at home and a hot bath and a book before bed

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

Startled by the Surprises of His Never Failing Goodness {#Morevember}

Wake up to His wonderful deeds

and there is His tender mercy that never ends.

Listen up to His voice calling 

and there is His everlasting hope for the days to come.

Hold up His precious promises 

and there is His overflowing grace out that never runs dry.

Look up to His ever-present help 

and there is His steadfast love that never ceases.

Treasure up His eternal words of life 

and there is His perfect peace that flows like a river.

"Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!"

"Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day."

"For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised"

"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name"

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"

***

Hunting for more of God's Grace, Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts behind a door:
~Listen, He's standing at the door and knocking {the gracious calling of a long-suffering Saviour}
~Looking outside and seeing the sparkle in his eyes as he plays in the snow shimmering in the sunshine
~Children gathered and learning together at our homeschool co-op

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

We Remember ~ Lest We Forget {#Morevember}

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Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts of remembrance:
~ the many who have fought that we might have freedom
~ the One who won the victory over death that we might live
~ "In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace"

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

Words of Wisdom for the Weekend ~ Drenched in Riches of Divine Grace {#Morevember}

"Are you this morning thirsting for the living God and unhappy because you cannot find Him to the delight of your heart? Have you lost the joy of thy salvation, and is this your prayer, "Restore to my the joy of thy salvation"? Are you anxious also that you are barren, like the dry ground; that you are not bringing forth the fruit unto God . . . that you are not so useful in the Church or in the world as your heart desires to be? Then here is exactly the promise that you need: " I will pour water upon him that is thirty." You shall receive the grace you so much require, and you shall have it to the utmost reach of your needs. Water refreshes the thirsty: You shall be refreshed; your desires shall be gratified. Water quickens sleeping vegetable life: Your life shall be quickened by fresh grace. Water swells the buds and makes the fruits ripen; you shall have the fructifying grace; you shall be made fruitful in the ways of God. Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace you shall receive in plenty; you shall be it as it were drenched with it; and sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be--the thirsty land shall be springs of water." 

~Charles Spurgeon

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Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts harvest:
~hope laid up in heaven
~Good News that is going out all over the world, bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives 
~the day I first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

***

{Words for Wisdom for the Weekend: These are words that I have been challenged or encouraged by that I have read throughout my week that I kept pondering; words that I couldn't get off my mind and heart throughout my week. 

For other Words of Wisdom for the Weekend posts see here.}

The Hunt for Grace and Truth Sets you Free {#Morevember}

Truth be told, I wanted only to soak in a hot bath, curl up with a new library book, and tuck myself under the comforter for the night. I had just put my littlest to bed, wrapped her up in covers and my arms and spun her a bedtime tale. Every night it begins, "Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her name was 'Lael' and she had a pet and his name was 'Wolfie' . . . "  Tonight's story was kind of lame, but she was tired and settled for it anyway.

By the time I left her room, she was about to go to the land of Nod. As I walked through the kitchen my son was waiting to 'help' his Mama bake cupcakes for his birthday celebration. I confessed to him, there was no way I had the energy to bake until I had a 15 min power nap. I promised him we'd start the baking at 8 o'clock.

Promptly at 8, he came to get me. And five times before that too.

I'm not so sure any such thing as a nap took place, but the baking began.

Some days, I need to keep hunting. From the moment my feet hit cold planks of wood the demands are perpetual. And by the end of some days, days that have included washing windows, and behind fridges and ranges, I realize the day may have ended but the to-do list has only expanded.

When I turn frazzled and frayed at the edges and threaten to fall apart, I can keep whirling in the chaos,  or be stilled and trust in the unfailing love of God to sustain me.

The Word, He became flesh. He knew what it was to be weary.

Jesus Christ came and dwelt among us and with Him came and grace and truth.

By humbling himself to become human, He communicated the greatest love possible; gave the greatest gift ever.

All that we receive comes through His grace. This is what I'm hunting.

Grace has redeemed me and Truth has set me free.

In the stillness of His presence, I find peace.

***

Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts ~sweet, salty, sipped:
~mixing batter with my son for his birthday cupcakes
~all my tears collected and bottled
~green mint tea to refresh and energize after dinner

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

***

Also linking with Five Minute Friday at Lisa-Jo's place. This week the prompt is: Truth

Officially, the rules are:

1. Write for 5 minutes  {Full disclosure: I spent a little more time on this post}

2. Link up at Lisa-Jo's  and invite others to join in.

3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...

"Mercies Anew" - A Song for Your Morning or At the End of Your Day

"Mercies Anew"

"Every morning that breaks there are mercies anew.

Every breath that I take is Your faithfulness proved,

And at the end of each day, when my labors are through,

I will sing of Your mercies anew.

When I've fallen and strayed, there were mercies anew.
For you sought me in love and my heart you pursued.
In the face of my sin, Lord, You never withdrew.
So I sing of Your mercies anew.

And Your mercies they will never end;
For ten thousand years they remain.
And when this world's beauty has passed away,
Your mercies will be unchanged.

And when the storms swirl and rage, there are mercies anew.
In affliction and pain, You will carry me through.
And at the end of my days, when your throne fills my view,
I will sing of Your mercies anew.
I will sing of Your mercies anew."

(Sovereign Grace Music)


(Email subscribers: to listen to song, click here.)

***

Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts ~ from my window:

~pulling back the blinds to welcome a brand new day

~watching, with my son, the bluejays and chickadees

~looking up to a sliver of a moon that offers a hint of light in the immense darkness as another day is tucked away

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

The Steadfast Love of God IS Better Than Life {#Morevember}

"Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you."

(Psalm 63:3)

"Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it hold out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired that life itself (Psalm 63:3). Which means that the power of sin's promise is broken by the power of God's. All that God promises to be for us in Jesus stands over against what sin promises to be for us without him. This great prospect of the glory of God is what I call future grace. Being satisfied with that is what I call faith."  "The promises of future grace are the keys to Christlike Christian living. The hand that turns the key is faith, and the life that results is called living by faith in future grace. By future I do not merely mean the grace of heaven and the age to come. I mean the grace that begins now, this very second, and sustains your life . . . By grace I do not merely mean the pardon of God is passing over your sins, but also the power and beauty of God to keep you from sinning. By faith I do not merely mean the confidence that Jesus died for your sins, but also the confidence that God will 'also with him graciously give us all things' (Romans 8:32)"  ~ John Piper, 'Futre Grace'

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Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts ~government:

~ "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder"
~"The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will."
~democracy/freedom

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

His Grace is Sufficient {#Morevember}

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, 

so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

"We shall bring our Lord most glory if we get from Him much grace. If I have much faith, so that I can take God at His word . . . then I shall greatly honour my Lord and King." ~ Charles Spurgeon

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Hunting for more of God's Grace,Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts ~ small:
~ bands of gold on my finger - small tokens of the vows made 14 years ago

~ pitter-patter of little feet as she scampers down the hall to snuggle at the break of day

~the promise that faith the size of a mustard seed will move mountains 

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.   

More of Him Who is Stronger {#Morevember}

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations."

(Psalm 100)

For days I wake with the feeling of knives cutting my throat. Each morning that I stir and the jabbing pain persists, the weariness increases. I carry on as best as I can.

But Sunday morning, when the daylight savings has ended and we've fallen back in time, I wonder if I should just stay home and rest.

While I linger in bed a morning to myself seems tempting. I think of the promised quiet.

My husband brings me a glass of orange juice and lovingly informs me the coffee is ready, but only after I drink my o.j. My taste buds are off and I don't even desire a cup of coffee but I gulp down the orange.

And I get up and dressed for church.

There's been tormenting winds and biting words. The noise of this house has not been all that joyful. And as much as I disciple these children of mine in our home on speaking words of respect to one another, I need to keep hold of my own tongue that threatens to whip words that burn, and refuses to be tamed.

The constant battle leaves the warrior desperate for hope. We are just broken ones clinging to the cross.

I'm weak and weary and worn, but I need the communion.

So I come out for breakfast and join my family. Rest can come later.

I need the community, the fellowship, the singing, the breaking of the bread, the prayers, the teaching and exhortation.

We roll in just in time, or as some may consider late. We find five seats and plop our Bibles and bags down around us. And I'm sure I've frustrated my husband for making us 'just in time', but he graciously never bothers to mention it. His heart has been preparing to share with the believers of how Jesus is the only One we need.

We remain standing to sing. I'm no singer on the best of days, and I'm cutting in and out, singing bass, a few octaves lower than my normal mezzo-soprano. But these words beg to be sung. And at the chorus, I break, and raise my raspy voice.

There is love that came for us

Humbled to a sinner’s cross

You broke my shame and sinfulness

You rose again victorious

Faithfulness none can deny

Through the storm and through the fire

There is truth that sets me free

Jesus Christ who lives in me

You are stronger, You are stronger

Sin is broken, You have saved me

It is written, Christ is risen

Jesus You are Lord of all

No beginning and no end

You’re my hope and my defense

You came to seek and save the lost

You paid it all upon the cross

There's my hope. More of Him. 

Of Him who is Stronger. 

When I was nothing but a sinner.

When the storms of life rage.

When I am weak.

When I have no hope.

More of Jesus Christ who lives in me.

My hope set on the living God, who is my Saviour.

His mercies are new every morning and His goodness never ends. 

His grace unfolds and in the joy of the Lord, He gives strength.

"The covenant of grace set down in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, with so many rich promises, to strengthen the faith of every weak  believer, makes the matter of God's praise and of his people's joy so sure, that how sad so ever our spirits may be when we look to ourselves, yet we shall have reason to praise the Lord when we look to his goodness and mercy, and to what he has said in his word for our comfort." ~ Matthew Henry

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Hunting for more of God's Grace, Steadfast love and His Mercies that are new every morning in 'Morevember'.

3 gifts ~ gathered, given, good:

~believers gathered together making a joyful noise unto the Lord

~ a hug given to a dear woman as we cry out to God for reconciliation

~how good it is to live in unity 

I invite you to hunt along with me for more of His mercy and grace in #Morevember on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter your email address to subscribe to A Soft Gentle Voice and have this series delivered to your inbox.