Wings of the Dawn

If today you wonder why,
If darkness overcame your sky,
If you wonder if He’s there …
He is able and He cares.

If today you cannot hear,
If your vision’s blurred by tears,
If hope left and fear moved in …
Christ has paid for death and sin.

If today your faith seems small,
If trusting makes no sense at all,
If this world has let you down …
Look to Christ! He wears the crown.
~
“Lord, You always were in charge.
Today, you sit on Your throne
and You will rule securely over our future.”
~
(Picture and Poetry, Heidi Viars, 2016)

Long ago a stranger did say,
“May we hold hands and quickly pray?
May the last thing you remember of me
Be a prayer we prayed for your family.”

I never forgot her kindness and deed.
That she prayed for a stranger in her need.
I thought of her words so often since then –
Try to apply them every now and then.

Just last week I said to my friend,
“May I hold your hand here at your end?”
We prayed as we spoke our last words that day.

“Lord, help me remember and teach me to pray!”

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12
~
(Pictures and poem, Heidi Viars, 2016)

My earliest memories of my grandfather are vivid. After Sunday afternoon walks with the family we sometimes ended up in the Gasthaus, a quaint local gathering place in the middle of the village. The adults would sit with beer and wine and talked, while the kids played outside, often until late into the evening. First, conversations were peaceful and centered around the family. Later, when the Schnaps came out, my grandfather turned louder and less polite, cursing and going on about his hate of Jews.

He had grown up in a dysfunctional family. He had no anchor at home, no father who cared for him. Hitler’s propaganda and lies fell into fertile soil. The seed of hate was fed by the Hitler Youth, and later the German Army. All those provided my grandfather with a purpose and a place of belonging, an evil and wicked place.

Many years later, after I had moved to the States, I learned about Jesus and placed my trust in Him. I wrote my grandfather a letter telling him about God and His plan for him. He was ill with a lung disease. The letter arrived one day after he passed away. He never heard about the forgiveness of God in Jesus, at least not from me. I blamed myself for many years after that, for not having spoken up to him and for not having shared at a time he would have been able to listen.

Jesus Christ has promised us a place of belonging and purpose. In Him we find everything our hearts long for. Yet as Christians we fail to share the cure and fail to point the way to the place of belonging. We encounter many lost souls, many who are searching for a place of belonging and identity. Before Satan fills them with His counterfeit, let’s go and share about our King and Messiah, Jesus Christ, who came to show us the way to God.

I have come into the world as light,
so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
John 12:46
~
(Heidi Viars, 2016)

My laundry line had been staring at me through my kitchen window. The sight of it made me feel guilty for not using it more and my dryer less. While I love the smell of laundry that has been hung out to dry, I don’t like the work that comes with it, especially with all the loads I do.

A few days ago I had an idea; I replaced the laundry lines with bird feeders.

Since then, a variety of birds have been finding their way in
and have replaced my guilt with delight.

I have been wondering, if that’s how God sees our lives as well?

Often we fail to live out our calling.
We miss opportunities, choose the wrong paths,
run too far ahead or fall too far behind.

YET GOD DELIGHTS IN US!

He is able to use us despite our greatest failures.
Nothing we do, or fail to do, can mess up His plans,
Nor stop Him from loving us.

“Lord, use us despite of us.
Instead of letting guilt and shame define us,
show us a new and pleasing way.
Help us not to doubt Your Love.
You are our Creator.
You always know how to use what we have.
Lord, help us in our weakness to point others to Your Son,
Jesus Christ and His Love.”

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

I made my summer plans. I called a few of my friends and put out a challenge.
In the middle of more laundry and less quiet time, of running around and spinning about, I have made room!

I am challenging my friends and myself to read and become RESOLVED.

I am flabbergasted. In only two weeks, we have grown into a group of over sixty women (and still growing) who will be reading Lina Abujamra’s book. I am challenging my friends (and now you!)
1. to be in sincere prayer, before even cracking the cover, for God to show you how to stand strong and live what you believe – in real and practical ways
2. to pray for one other person to read the book with you

We are planning to meet with our group at the end of summer and share how God has used RESOLVED.

I can’t wait!!!

Go here to find out more!