My Cat, MONTY is the "Word of the Day"

I received the "Merriam-Webster" Word of the Day in my INBOX. 

MONTY is definitely a "Rapscallion" if ever I met one - and getting to be MORE like one as time passes. (and you know what they say about pets becoming more like their owners. Or is that the other way around?)

Either way, It doesn't bode well for me ... or him.

L-L

P.S. Cracked ribs healing. Able to move aaround more. Thank you God. I thought this might last a long time but good to see I'm on the mend and relatively quickly. As I said. "Thanks to the Lord"

Bizzare Life; Unusual Week; Sabbath Day

I need this Sabbath day of rest very much after the week I just had. It's been one of those, "Do I laugh?" or "Do I cry?" type of weeks. (I ended up doing both)

If being disabled and all my usual complaints aren't enough, this week I actually got injured as well. And it took me a couple days to seek "help" for my injury because of the bizarre way it happened.  I just refused to believe I was hurt in any serious way until the pain got too severe to bear.

Then I remembered Mom would say I reminded her of "Les Nesman" from the old TV Show, "WKRP in Cincinatti", because he was always wearing a band-aid on a different place for each episode. Mom started referring to me as the "Queen of the Freak Accident".

When Mom was still alive I wasn't as sick as I am now, so whenever I went to the Hospital Emergency Room it was usually due to an injury instead of sickness. And when it's an injury they   ask detailed questions on how you got injured. I was actually chuckling when I was remembering all the different things I had to admit to through the years each time I had to visit an E.R.
But even I didn't "believe" this one. 

Try and explain how you "cracked your ribs" while "laying down on a, uh, ... um, a ... a roll of toilet paper."

(No. That's not a spelling error!)


Also this week,

  You may recall that I once made a  "How-to"  video on adding several different colored ribbons into the spine of your Bible, to use as bookmarks. Well, this week the ones I had made and inserted into my Bible went missing.  I'm still waiting for a pretty neon green one to ... come out of my cat, MONTY!

(I'm sensing a theme here)

So right now I'm stuck in bed more than usual, 
in pain more than usual, 
immobilized (more than usual) by a roll of toilet paper, 
while I wait and watch (more than usual) MONTY's litter box.

(Apparently he not a cat who believes in "chewing 32 times", but more the "swallowing whole" type of cat.)


So what else could I do? I wrote a poem.


Tomorrow in chains or perhaps set free 
Or living in Shakespeare's "Undiscovered Country".
Whether "to be or not to be"
I can't run away for the life of Me.

Say "if it be God's will" when making plans
Troubles don't come single but "in battali-ans"
 I can never escape who I AM,
No denying I was here. Laura-Lee Rahn"
My good God. Doing what's best.
Thank you, Savior, for commanding me, "Rest."

Laura-Lee ... Was Here.

God Speaks Through Cliff's & Notes

People sometimes ask, "How/When do I know God is speaking to me?"  So many times He uses several "coincidences" and "confirmations" to tell me something. Recently I've had good examples of what I mean.

I recently purchased from Christian Book Distributors (CBD) two new Bibles. They are fresh, new, pristine Bibles, but I've already started adding my own notes and comments into them.  

I was just skimming through the pages of  "New Bible #1" and the first place I underlined was Isaiah 42:10.


A few days ago I watched the film "Mrs. Miniver" with Greer Garson. In it a Bible verse is quoted, but they don't tell us where it comes from. For days I've tried finding it's exact location in the Bible, but I couldn't remember enough of it to even locate it in an Internet Search. 

I finally gave up trying to search by myself and asked the Lord to show me where it is. 

Within a couple hours of asking for the Lord's help, I had been able to watch the scene from "Mrs. Miniver" again, get enough of the verse to do an Internet search and discovered it was from Psalm 107:23. 

I had "New Bible #2" with me when God revealed Psalm 107:23 to me, so I read Psalm 107:23 from "New Bible #2". I highlighted it and saw a note from the publisher in the margin. It said: Isaiah 42:10. (which was the only verse I had highlighted in my "New Bible #1").

So out of thousands and thousands of Bible verses, what are the odds of me owning these TWO specific Bibles and that the only verse I underlined in the first Bible, would be in the margin note of the second Bible I bought. (The odds of that happening by chance would be beyond calculating)

And after reading BOTH Isaiah 42:10 and Psalm 107:23,  I know why God picked those two verses and that they ARE meant for me specifically. 

Here's another example of God communicating through "coincidences": (It happened a few months ago)

I tried to download a movie to my iTunes program, but it just wouldn't work. 
I emailed iTunes for a week, but all their messages just got more confusing. 
Then I got bounced around on the telephone through 4 different "Apple iTunes Representatives", until I finally ended up on the phone with "Cliff" from "Tech Support". He formed a Link with my computer (so he could see my computer screen) and we began to try to discover and fix why my computer would not download the iTunes movie.

That first day we worked on it for 3 hours and got nowhere. Cliff  made a phone appointment for the next day for us to continue to try different solutions. 
The next day we worked his entire 10 hour shift together, but still could not find ANY solution why I couldn't download the movie.


By that time I was getting an impression that God was "hiding" the solution from us. That until I told Cliff about Jesus and how much Jesus loves him, the solution to the iTunes problem would not come. So before Cliff hung up to go home, I told him about Jesus. 

Cliff said nothing, but we made another appointment to phone and continue to look for the solution during his next shift.  

Before I spoke to Cliff again, I heard a sermon where the minister was discussing baptizing new Christians on a beach in Hawaii. It gave me an idea of a way to fix my iTunes problem. 

 When I got together by phone appointment again with Cliff, my iTunes problem was fixed in less than 20 minutes. 

Before I said "good-bye" to Cliff  (and even though he could have lost his job for speaking about God to a customer) he asked me to continue praying for him, but didn't say more.

Isn't that amazing?!

Oh, I forgot to mention, not only did the solution come during the sermon about "Baptisms in Hawaii", but before I said "Good-bye" to Cliff he revealed that

Cliff works in Hawaii and 
Cliff lives in Hawaii.

And what was the name of the movie I couldn't download from iTunes that started all this? 
"Hawaii"


And from both these examples I've even left out several "coincidental" details. But just the ones I've given you demonstrate how God talks to me. 

Jesus is ready to speak to you too. Are you ready to listen to Him?

Have a restful and happy Sabbath.

Love Laura-Lee       

Laura-Lee's "Green" Party

In one of my former posts (about who is visiting my blogs) I was wondering why people from English speaking countries weren't joining my "Laura-Lee Was Here" Party. (Or should I be "cool" and call it a "Par-tay") Then, in just the past couple of days I've had 26 people from the "United Kingdom"  come by. I guess when the Bible says, "Ask and you will receive", God wasn't kidding.

And since God always gives MORE than He needs to, a handful of people from the "Ukraine" stopped by too. What are the people from the Ukraine called? "Ukrainese"?  (I actually know the answer because there is a large Ukrainian population in my home city and,  besides the French Canadians, they are the best cooks you'll find)

Still waiting for some "Australian-ese" people to come for a visit. 

" Hello. Hello. Laura-Lee to Australia. Laura-Lee to Australia. Is anybody there?"  ;-)

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

CHEAP "Post Christmas" Music & Gifts from CBD ("Christian Book Distributors")

If you're a regular at my blogs you know I've removed advertisements, but I have a few links to "Christian Book Distributors" (CBD.com). I've shopped there more than 20 years and know they have massive selections and massive sales. It's too  good not to tell you about!

Also, a few "tips" I've learned about CBD: 

1) the BEST time to buy music is in January. I just got my annual shipment. (listen to my new PLAYLIST above to hear a few of the songs). CD's that would cost $15.99 - $19.99 BEFORE Christmas are now under $5.00. And there are TONS to chose from! 

2) all the extra inventory CBD didn't sell at Christmas has to be cleared out now. So you can get up to 90% off.

3) Wait until February to purchase a Calendar and you'll also get massive savings ( like 90% off again).  


I created 2 DIRECT LINKS to these webpages (in the right side column of this blog).  

~~ FYI ~~

(I'll come back in February, when the Calendars are selling for  cheap and leave another Direct LINK to the needed CBD page.) 

Don't spend all of your "grocery" money, okay?

Hope this helps.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

ようこそ Japan is Green ...

... on my Statistic Map

ようこそ！

"WELCOME"

My first

Japanese

Visitor, at

Laura-Lee Was 

Here.

Mom Memories (Got Milk?)

Mom was an extremely cleanly person. In fact, she actually got a large reputation for it. As a result, she was a big "fan" of rinsing out a dish after you've eaten. That way when it's time to do the dishes you aren't faced with food all stuck and dried on.

When I was a teenager (of about 14 years) I had just scarfed down something to eat and was racing around to get out the door to go and meet my friends. 

I was in the kitchen and had just decided to leave my plate in the sink and was in too much of a hurry to rinse it. Suddenly I heard Mom call out from another room, " Don't forget to rinse your plate!"

I picked it back up and thought, "How did she know I wasn't going to rinse it?"

I gave it the merest and quickest rinsing I could, then put it back into the bottom of the sink.

Mom walked into the kitchen right at that moment, placed her hand on my shoulder and said (in her regular voice),
 " Don't just introduce the water to the plate. Let them meet and have a relationship."

I found it funny then and I've been chuckling over it for a couple days now.

Here's another memory:

For the last two years of Mom's life we lived together, but previously to that we each had our own apartments for more than a decade. It took a 50 minute bus ride to get to her apartment, but I didn't have to transfer (which is a wonderful thing during the winter months in this cold, Canadian city).

One weekend every month we called our "Long Weekend". 
I'd take the bus to Mom's small apartment in a Seniors Building, do a "big" grocery shopping, which included a bunch of stuff to cook and bake with. Then we'd spend a 4-day "long weekend" working together in her tiny kitchen, cooking and baking and putting the food into little containers in her freezer for her to  heat in her microwave throughout the month. While we worked together we sang, prayed, laughed and talked. Talk, talk, talk, talk.

I thought I knew my mother well at that point in life, but during  our "weekends", I got to really delve into what made her tick and discover the amazing person she was.

It was during one of these marathon cooking/talking sessions that a shared memory came back for us to talk about. (Yes. This is a "flashback" within a "flashback")

When I was 7 years old my family lived on a small farm. It was the last year we lived with my father and to call our home "dysfunctional" is a gross understatement.

I had a dog named, Trapper. A naughty, little terrier that somebody had given to me. One late Saturday afternoon my father was hauling lumber in his pickup truck 20 yards from barn to shed and back again. Over and over. 
Now, one of the ways Trapper was naughty is that he like to chase cars. He was always trying to bite the tires of a moving car or truck. I had already scolded him several times to stay away from Dad and his truck as he drove back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. 

I was in the house with Mom and finally heard the noise I'd been expecting and bracing myself to hear for the previous couple hours. I heard Trapper let out a big scream!

We all went running and I came barreling out of the kitchen to see Dad getting out of his truck. He said that had run over Trapper's back leg. Dad was always looking for a reason to "shoot them d**n dogs" (my brother had a dog too), so I knew there would be no trip to the veterinarian.

Mom went immediately to Trapper to inspect his back leg that had been run over by Dad's truck. By some miracle, his leg had been in a place where the soil beneath had been loose and covered in moss, so his leg didn't appear to be broken. Mom said, "Let's go and heat some warm milk to give to the dog."

As I was sitting with Mom at her kitchen table, peeling carrots and we were recalling these events I said,
 "I remember thinking at the time, 'If Trapper's leg is broken, giving him some warm milk isn't going to help him much' ". 

I realized that Mom had stopped peeling and was just looking at me with a small, sweet smile. It suddenly dawned on me ( after 'only' 30 years) what had really been going on. 
I said to Mom, "The warm milk wasn't to make the dog feel better, it was to make your daughter feel better."

Mom didn't say anything, but the smile on her face just got bigger for a moment, then she went back to peeling her carrot. As an adult I had finally been able to share something with Mom that I couldn't share as a child. 
During that decade of "long weekends" we had many of those types of moments. Moments when I came to understand fully something I had missed as a child and it drew us so close to each other.

In the margins of my Bible you will see several question marks. I put them there when I don't understand something about a story, but mostly when I don't understand the "why" of what my Heavenly Father is doing. But when I do come to finally understand and I'm removing the question mark, I know that He has that same sweet smile Mom used to get whenever I would "get" something. Not because He's proud that I'm smarter, but because we can now share something we previously couldn't and we can enjoy and delight in a new closeness between us.

Do I have any clever or profound point to make? No. I just wanted to share something that mattered to me ... with you.

Thanks for listening.

Love Laura-Lee   
                                            

"Here. I made you a silly hat out of a Coffee Filter for your birthday.
Put it on your head, Mom."

"Okay. Now I want a picture of me wearing the hat you made me."

(1996)

Green is Now My Favorite Color Because ...

... that's the color Blogger uses for their Statistics page map. They have a map of who is reading my blogs and the darker the green of a country, the more people are viewing from that country.

Then I can go and see a list of exactly who is 'stopping by'  under the topic of  "Audience". But I think it should be titled, "Visitors" instead, because that's more how I think of you. Especially when I pray for you each and every day. 

Not only do I have increasing visits from the Polish and Romanian people, but the Russians are almost always equal to my fellow Canadians. (WOW) 

India is getting greener in a big way, and there are growing hints of green from France and Germany. 

And now a "smidge" of green tells me I've just gotten my first people from the "United Arab Emirates", Netherlands and 16 people from Taiwan. And even one, lone New Zealander out there. And "God bless you" for it. (Also, "Congratulations" for being the first person from New Zealand to come over). But where are all those from "Down Under"? One would think the people from places like Australia and the UK would come by because we all speak English. But my faithful friend, Sue, is from England and she, all by herself, gives me enough support to equal an entire country.

Everyone is Welcome to this little "Laura-Lee Was Here" party, but for some reason I feel more flattered if it's somebody who doesn't speak English as their first language. I am too sick to travel any more, but to know that YOU are coming to ME makes me feel both "big" and "small" at the same time. And flattered ALL of the time!


It's hard for someone like me, who still finds devices like a microwave oven and a TV remote control "marvels of science", to wrap my head around the fact that people from around the world, who speak other languages can visit my blogs. But not just that you can visit my blogs but that you want to vist my blogs. Amazing! 

I'll keep watching for your GREEN on the Map and reading the Statistics page, but what I'm really waiting for is my first "foreign language" Comment or Feedback. So don't be shy. Because it's even more important that you are here than that,  
 Laura-Lee Was Here.

(And you probably thought STATISTICs were boring)

January 7th - Extra Memories

January 7 - A day for Memories

We Shall FIGHT ON (Winston Churchill)

For a Christian, the fight against Evil goes on, but instead of guns we use something much stronger ! Love and it's weapons: Forgiveness, Patience and Sacrifice. But not AGAINST our Enemies but FOR our Enemies.

Remember our true battle is not against people, "for our struggle is not against flesh and blood," (Ephesians 6:12), but against Satan and Evil, wherever we find it. But especially when we find it within ourselves.

" Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."  (Ephesians 6:13)


Link to the Bible verses Re: ARMOR OF GOD

Then I saw  a new heaven and a new earth,  for the first heaven and first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling is now among the people and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be thier God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain because the old order of things has passed way.He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true." (Revelation 21:1-5) Revelation Chapter 21 (To Read it for Yourself)

"If I Was a Tree" Poem by Laura-Lee Rahn

‎

If I Was a Tree

 ~ by Laura-Lee Rahn

I wonder if I'd be happy if I became a tree?

Not turned to a mighty oak, but a tiny sapling be.

All my little branches need not touch the sky,

As long as I could bow, when the Master of the Wind came by.

I needn't live for eons, but merely for a day

If in that span I learned, that the stone was rolled away.

I'd still remain just "Little Me", if it's all the same.

No matter what I look like, my Savior knows my name.

(So) let others be an ocean, to be deep and true blue.

I'll just be a tiny seed, we can move a mountain too.

SAPLING

I surely could be happy, if I were a tree,

But it would break my heart if I couldn't move 

                 when God says, "Come Follow Me."

Mighty Oak

  

A Fun New Year's Resolution 2016

Here's a fun and cool idea that you can do and call your "New Years Resolution". 

Sign up at the "Merriam-Webster" (dictionary) website to get the "Word of the Day" sent to your email INBOX.  It took me less than 60 seconds to sign up and all they wanted was an email address. (Follow the LINK provided at the bottom of this page)



They tell you how to pronounce the new word, what it means and use it in a few sentences and suddenly you're one word smarter and will impress friend and foe alike.

For example, today's word is "bogart". It means, "to use or consume without sharing". It's a word that isn't commonly used, but not hard to learn. And now you're one word smarter.  ;)

Why not give it a try. You can always UNSubscribe quickly if you don't like it.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

P.S.  The "spellcheck" here at blogger didn't know what the word "bogart" was (except capitalized as some body's name). So you'll actually end up being smarter than a "spellcheck".

(The LINK below takes you to Merriam-Webster's Main Page. Once you get there, scroll to the very bottom of that page and you'll see the place to insert your email to sign up for the "Word of the Day").

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Homepage

Jesus and Satan Want to Grab You

‎
WARNING:  This Blog Post requires PARENTAL GUIDANCE.


I believe the Bible from cover to cover.

I believe Satan is who the Bible says he is. He used to be God's # 1 angel named Lucifer, but he didn't like being in the #2 position behind God, so he rebelled against the Almighty and convinced one third of the angels to rebel with him. God's judgement was to condemn him to hell with his fallen followers and he became who we now know as Satan.

He is God's enemy and ours too, but don't let that lead you into the mistaken belief that he is anywhere near God in power. He was and is thoroughly conquered and so very tiny in comparison to God it's barely worth mentioning. 
In fact, I don't like talking about  Satan because I feel he's a waste of my time when I could be talking about how wonderful God is instead. But since I am engaged with a war against Satan, it would be foolish of me to completely ignore him. I must know something of his strategies if I am to stand against him on a daily basis.

Satan has always had a few basic tricks:

** Have people completely unaware that he exists.  OR

** Let people know he exists, but lead them to believe he is bigger and stronger than he actually is. (remember he's the "father of lies")                    OR

** Have people obsessed and afraid of him.

One of the reasons I believe (and many Christians share this belief) that we are living in the generation known as the "End Times" or "Latter Days" is because Satan is no longer subtle. And employing temptation usually requires subtlety. But right now Satan doesn't just tempt and deceive us, he will reach right out and try to grab us in bold and brazen ways to get us involved in a life of sin and open rebellion against Jesus as deeply and quickly as he can. The days of guerrilla warfare against Satan are over. This is a straight up, head to head fight. And if you aren't prepared for that, you will get sucked in and trampled under in the Fight.


I've heard about people who participate in festivals that depict the past. They dress up and re-enact some historical event or time period. This is  particularly popular in England, which is understandable because they've got a LOT of history.  I was browsing through websites that make and sell period clothing. One of them was in the UK and all about different types of corsets that women wore in the Victorian era. Even though we have new cloth materials now and things like whale-bone isn't used anymore, corsets still look terribly uncomfortable.

As you know, advertising on the Internet is geared towards whatever interests a person. Your browsing is "watched" then any items that might be of interest to you are placed somewhere for you to see so that you will buy them. Buy, buy, buy.  A lot of these invitations to "buy" will come directly to our personal email INBOX.

Because I had been looking up "period clothing" I got some emails with period clothing, period jewelry and even some period weaponry (even though it's doubtful I'll ever have a need for an authentic two-edged sword). But  when I opened an email to see a woman wearing a corset that covered her mid-drift and NOTHING else, my attention was momentarily snatched. I wondered what Queen Victoria would think of that email and those massive breasts?!


I don't go to Twitter very often. I usually just give a Tweet to notify my "followers" I've done a new post on one of my blogs. 
But I was there on January 1st in order to update my password, security settings, profile info etc. I noticed I had several new "followers", so I was reading through the list to see if there was anyone I should "follow" back. I went to look at the profile of one new "follower" and discovered their covering photograph was a completely explicit photo of a woman being sodomized. Everything was shown. EVERYTHING.

 I don't think it will come as a big surprise to you if I admit that I've never witnessed sodomy.  But what I do need to admit and what disturbed me most about these two encounters is how small an initial reaction they got from me.  

The woman in the corset is understandable because I've seen naked breasts many times. So after making the "Tsk" sound & deleting the email, the matter was over.  When I saw the Twitter sodomy photo I paused for a moment to be disgusted, then clicked the "block" button, sent in a "report" to Twitter and considered that matter closed too.

Jesus Washing Feet

 It wasn't until several hours later, when I was having an in depth conversation with Jesus and He pointed out that I needed to be "cleansed" of these two events, that I actually gave them some deeper thought. That's when I started to ponder how they fit into Satan's strategy. And even though they seemed not to have made much of an impact on me, my brain still records everything, so they are in there and I did need to be "washed" by Jesus. (The Lord and I also discussed some other things in relation to this topic that I will leave for another time)


Now men and women are very different sexually. No big surprises there. But one big difference is how we get aroused. For women it seems  we need to be more emotionally motivated, but for men visually seems to be enough. So as I was talking to Jesus about all this I was wondering how I would be reacting if I was a man. It felt to me as if Satan had reached right out through the computer, grabbed hold of my collar and said "LOOK. SEE. SEX. You want it. You 'gotta' have it!"

No more subtle temptations. Satan is bold, brazen and is going to grab you if he can get even the smallest hold on you somehow. I wonder how many men are currently hooked, trapped and in bondage to pornography, good Christian men, because they didn't see that first attack coming.

I don't have any clever point to make. This Blog Post is about one thing: Warning you!  Be ready. Satan is going for you. Especially if you are a Christian! Especially if you are a married Christian. Destroy your marriage and maybe he can destroy your entire family and on and on it goes.

Now I'm riled. Now I'm angry. Now I'm ready for a "THOSE ARE MY BROTHERS and SISTERS. GET YOUR HANDS OFF"  fight! No wonder for days I've been running into the Bible verse, "Zeal for your house consumes me." 

I have prayed for you. I will continue to pray for you. Put on your "armor of God" (Ephesians 6) and wear it at all times. But mostly remember that God's grace, available because of the blood Jesus spilled is always sufficient". Always available. And because of that you cannot be beaten. You are forgiven. Satan is NOT the one in control. That's just another one of his lies. 

The Bible tells us two things have tremendous power: 1) the blood of the Lamb [Jesus] and 2) our testimony. We don't lose when we sin, we lose if we stop getting up after we sin. Repent. Learn from your past. Keep marching forward. You are destined to win! Our Eternity is guaranteed. Just like Satan's is. Except he will spend his eternity in the Lake of Fire prepared for him and his angels. He will not be getting the inheritance of cherished children. 
If you belong to Jesus, there's no way to sin yourself away from Him, or out of heaven or out of his love and protection.

"I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"  (Psalm 23)

Jesus Walks on Water
Saves Peter

Remember, if Satan is throwing all he has at you it's because 1) he knows you will cause him trouble and 2) that Jesus loves you. If Satan knows these things, maybe YOU should know them too.

David's Victory Over Goliath
(after sling shot about to cut his head off)

And here's even better news. Jesus is ready to "grab" you even more than Satan is. Except the Lord's methods and motivations are very different. His power is as unlimited as his mercy and love. And God doesn't just want to be in control, He IS in control. And always has been.

I realize I have a need for that double-edged sword after all. At least according to the Bible. 

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ... Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."   (Ephesians 6:17)

Love Laura-Lee

Good-Bye 2015 - Hello 2016

In a previous blog post I told the story about how I spent one New Years Eve reciting a chapter in the Bible I had memorized (Romans 12), because I had decided to attempt a Resolution that I would not abandoned mere hours into the New Year.

In my family, when we celebrate the New Year, whether it's been simply those in my immediate family (which was the case for many years) or we had gone out or had company over, by the time mid-night rolled around we were less ready to party, but feeling more thoughtful as we remembered the year that had just passed. All our hardships and blessings; memories both sorrowful and joyful returning. It's mostly been a time for reflection by mid-night of December 31.  This night is no exception for me.

So, as I'm about to say "good-bye" to 2015, I am again reflective. Thinking not just about 2015, but all the previous years and circumstances that have brought me to this time and place. As the midnight hour approaches it will be just me and Jesus, but right now I have a few things on my heart I'd like to share with you, my faithful friends (for friends is how I have come to think of you). I don't want to sound arrogant or critical, but I've learned a few things along the way I wish to say in order to "share and spare" you.

As each New Year comes around I ask Jesus, "Lord, what one BIG thing do I need to be working on this year, as far as my character is concerned?"

He always has an answer ready for me.

I remember the new year of 2005 specifically, especially when I consider the ridiculously UNfaithful person I am. As that year approached, Jesus had made it abundantly clear to me that I needed to clean up my lying. I found that surprising because my "little white lies" weren't that serious. And they almost always were told to enhance a funny story or anecdote I was telling. That was something that made people laugh and enjoy themselves. Not a big sin. Something I should probably be commended for. For instance, I might make a story funnier if I began with "I was standing in line at the bank for almost half an hour ... ", instead of the 10 minutes I had actually been standing in line. Those aren't "real" lies, are they now? 

But when the Lord sent me the Bible verse, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord", that pretty much put an end to the debate and  "not lying, no matter how big or small"  became my official New Years' Resolution for 2005 (even if it wrecked some of my funny stories).

I soon discovered it was "easier said than done". As I became watchful of the lies I told, I realized I was telling my "little white lies" everywhere. And they were NOT  easy to stop! Part of my resolution was that whenever I lied, I would go and admit the "truth" to whomever I had told the lie to. Easy. Right? Wrong again, Laura!

It would go something like this:

I would tell a lie, and quite quickly realize I had done it.  I would think, "Great. Now in front of all these people I just told my story to, I have to admit I lied to them." 
So I would say, "Actually. I lied. There weren't 50 people on the bus with me, but only  half that amount." 

People were always very understanding about it. But that's when I understood how difficult my problem actually was. In my "coming clean" I had actually just told another lie. It wasn't "50 people" or "half that amount". It was more like only 6 people.  So I had to go, seek out those same people and confess that when I was telling them "the truth" I was actually just telling them another lie. That didn't go over so well and led to some truly awkward and embarrassing moments. My lying was a much bigger problem than I had ever imagined!

I remember at one point when I had lied to Mom and had finally managed to get around to the "whole truth and nothing but the truth" (around my 4th attempt) I said to her, "Oh Mom, what must people think of me when I go back a second and third time and say, 'You know when I confessed that lie, I actually just lied to you again?' People must now dread the sight of me and not believe one thing that comes out of my mouth. They probably think, 'Here comes "Lying Lips Laura-Lee" ' !"

That was a difficult year and many, many months of embarrassing and uncomfortable moments and conversations. Yet, with God's grace and strength I gradually started ridding myself of the lies. But, I won't lie to you, it was very hard, but it brought about some interesting results. 

By the time the next year (2006) came I had actually started "catching" several people blatantly lying to me. When I immediately confronted them with, "That's a lie!" or "I know you're lying to me!" they would NOT even pause but just say, "Yeah. I lied, anyway ... and just continue on, as if I had said nothing more important than "your shoe is untied."  It was happening everywhere. From my landlady to the cashier at the grocery store. Everywhere! And I found it very unnerving in a foundational way that so many people were lying, being caught and couldn't have cared less! 
 And I started to realize why the Lord had wanted me to get my own "house in order" before this wave of lies hit me the following year.
Also, I had presumed I would get the reputation for being a massive liar because I was always admitting to someone that I had just lied, but the reverse happened. I got the reputation for telling the truth because of all the obvious pains and embarrassment I had gone through to tell it. God actually took my evil acts and turned them  for his glory and His good. Only God could do that.

I still have problems with lying. Like an enemy army waiting, Sin will always encroach on your territory if you don't keep a watchful eye on it. So there are times when I realize I've gotten rather "loosey-goosey" with the truth and I need to "tighten things up". But at least I can realize it. Many people don't even care about telling the truth. They don't know; don't care. So it's more important now than ever before that I stick to the truth.

"If the salt loses it's saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matthew 5:13)

And I am far from immune to the influence of those around me. When I start telling myself it's "not that big a deal" (AGAIN), I only have to read the story of Ananias and Sapphira. ( Acts 5)

 And if I read Revelation 21:8 and can't find something about myself to change, then I'm just not trying very hard.

"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral,  those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." 

But after I've focused my eyes on myself and what I need to change,  I am going to turn to Jesus and focus on His great mercy towards me. 2016 has just begun and I "prayed it in". By approaching God's throne with confidence and knowing I have the assurance of being His beloved daughter. Forgiven in spite of my sins, empowered in spite of my weakness, REcreated in spite of my brokenness.

Please join me, as you have joined me so many times this past year by reading what I have to say.

" So he said to me, 'This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: "Not by might. Not by power. But by my Spirit says the Lord." ' ."  (Zechariah 4:6)

"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well."  (Matthew 6:33)


I know all this stuff seems pretty "heavy" when all you might want to do is have a "good time" right now and forget the bad. But we live in hard times that I believe will get even more difficult. I don't know what this coming year will bring. But as Jesus sat with his disciples and looked forward to this time period he said, 

" 'Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.' "  (Matthew 24:35)

So the best advice I can give you is to read the Bible and seek Jesus. Read, read, read! Before you can't find a Bible left to read.

May Jesus guard and protect you and you will come to know (REALLY know) that "safety" isn't found in where you hide, but in Whom you hide. (Psalm 91)

My love to you.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee   

  December 31, 2015, Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA