The Refiner's Fire

He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore.
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.

He knew He had ore that could stand the test,
And He wanted the finest gold
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems with a price untold.

So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Tho' we fain would have said him 'Nay',
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
As it melted and passed away.

And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears,
We saw but the fire - not the Master's hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.

Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us,
With a look of ineffable Love.

Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moments' pain?
Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.

So He waited there with a watchful eye.
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,
Than was needed to make it pure."

-Author Unkown
From "Streams in the Dessert" By Mrs. Chas Cowman

The Promises of God

Take hold, oh fainting heart, upon the Key of Promise. Do you think it will break beneath your weight? Fear not! God's honor rests upon keeping His promises, He will not fail to uphold them. Throughout the ages His faithfulness has been proven, His changeless nature shown. The promises of God are not idle words or hopeful fancies, behind them stands the weight of He who spoke the world into existence. What God has promised, He is more than able to fulfill; therefore look up. Dwell not on the greatness of your problems, sink not in the waves of circumstance. Be not consumed by impossibilities, and your own inability. Only look now to the Powerful One, He who delights to do the impossible. See not your great troubles, instead see your Great God. Take up the shield of Faith, it is given for your defense.

A trip, and Where are God's People?

It has been far too long since I have written on here! I have been very busy canning garden produce. We had a hard frost several weeks ago which sent us scrambling to bring in all the green tomatoes before it hit. With my Dad and brother's help, we managed to pull all the plants and box up the green fruit. Now they are ripening, so I have been canning almost every day. We are also making and canning applesauce, chutney, various jellies, and ketchup.

Two weeks ago my Grandma who lives with us, had a mini stroke. Thankfully it did not do too much damage, but she needs to have an operation on her carotid arteries soon. Wednesday last week, my brother and I took her down to IL. to visit family and attend a cousin's wedding. We were able to see our Uncle & Aunt from WA, who we have not seen in a long time. It was a great time.

The bride and groom! Josh & Cathy

My cousin Danielle and I

We also visited with our brother Dan, sister-in-love Basia, and their two boys, Kristofer and Noah.

Hanging out with Kristofer

Cutie!

We had a little extra bit of time on Friday, so we drove down to an abortion mill in Chicago, and did some sidewalk counciling. It was a late term killing center...we saw mothers great with child going in there to kill their little ones. . . . . Soon after we arrived, one young woman came out crying. My brother asked if she had changed her mind, and she affirmed that she had. Praise God! There were no other sidewalk councilors out there when we arrived, no one obeying Proverbs 24:11-12, just some catholics praying their repetitious prayers. Where are God's people? What are you doing?
This is a gospel outreach, not just a humanitarian effort. God commands, who will obey?

Pleading for souls, and lives.

Michael and I came back on Saturday, my Grandma stayed down there for a few more days. One of my Aunts is bringing her back up here today. The surgeon thinks that it will be safe to wait a few weeks to have the surgery...I hope he is right since there is danger of her having a major stroke that would leave her paralyzed. Please pray that that won't happen!

God really impressed upon me how much He protects us. Driving around the Chicago suburbs for four days, made me realize that ANYthing can happen, it is only God who keeps and protects us. We do the best we can, drive the best we can, but ultimately God keeps us safe. If anything does happen, it is because He has allowed it, and it is for our best.

Keep seeking God with all your heart, and praise our Lord Jesus Christ always!