The day with dianne Louise

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ This is a constant challenger as fear causes us to adopt distractions. Lately, I have experienced bowel problems and had resorted to laxatives and anti-dairrhear tablets. However, I gradually, came to know that my meddling was exacerbating the problem and turned to the Lord in faith. The result was much better. My medical training had caused me to run to the pharmacy as my first port of call in all medical issues. When I diagnosed the why I discovered fear. I had to control! Now, I have a God who created me. He designed my inward parts and knows how best to fix me. I am learning to love Him enough to ask Him first. I can yield to Him and love Him and trust Him with my body. Amen! https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=CLJr1PU_UGk&si=nssIeEgaCFq80cE1

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”  John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ John the apostle wrote this. He loved Jesus and Jesus loved him. It was the closest example of what us loving Jesus would be like. Because of his love and recognition of Jesus being the Son of God John understood Jesus with a depth that others did not reach. There have been many others who have loved like this. Jesus told us that if we abide in Him He would abide in us and make His home in us. This is close and personal. We must overcome all the noise and accusations of our enemy and choose to worship Jesus as He is, irregardless of feelings or circumstances. Today is a good time to start. I choose to worship, I choose to praise! https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=lCurAnLiwiY&si=_52PJUdql_D5fPSb

““Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬ When we set up the flat in Jalkeni for use when we are here to do school presentations about trafficking I asked a local carpenter to make us some furniture, thus it was all new. When we arrived back in Jalkeni after an absenteeism of, for me, some months i saw deterioration.  The furniture was marked and affected by water damage. The carpet we put down had rust and water stains from roof leakage and from a drunk vomiting all over the entrance carpet. I was not happy. However, after being here a few days and mingling with the people who live in huts with dirt floor it mattered little. The people are why I come, they are lovely. I went on a bus trip with one of the relatives of my colleague yesterday. The amount of buses we took was not funny. It was hot and humid, the buses noisy with music and loud horns, there was various items blo...

“Everywhere—from east to west— praise the name of the Lord.”  Psalms‬ ‭113‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ An ungrateful and selfish heart would question why we should praise the Lord. I recommend reading the whole psalm, however, the following verses give a good reason: “He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!” Psalms‬ ‭113‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yesterday ai meet some such people. While waiting for a bus I stood beside a young mother holding her precious baby. I commented on her new baby. She lit up. She was waiting for her young husband to return. When he did they departed. I arrived in Jalkeni around 11am desperate for a bathroom. I was grateful I found one soon enough. Later in the day I went down to the tea shop below. A little lady was there, along with the proprietors daughter who was splendidly dressed in her outfit she wears ...

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I just awoke from a dream in which I was going camping with church friends. I had made a last minute decision and asked the two men if I might travel with them and share their accomodation. This had caused another friend to be bumped from the same arrangement. That friend was visibly upset, but I was going to do what I planned because I needed it.  Selfishness and compromise won out in my heart. Awareness that I was not considering her or my parents lingered in the background. Obviously this dream is not about me, I am 72 and my parents are long dead. However, the girl in the dream I recognise. She has a lot of this sort of behaviour thrown on her plate. On Sunday she had been rejected from the worship team. She was very upset because she was told she sang flat. She did not believe that was the case. However, in any church we have a mix that ‘get...

“Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What Paul is describing here is the truth about the Christian life. When we come to Jesus we are set free from the bondage of sin. Baptism is the symbol of us putting to death the flesh. Now we can live, by faith, in the work Jesus wrought for us, in resurrected, new life. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so are we. There is power in the blood of Jesus. His death was not an empty act, the power that raised Him from the dead is ours. The same Holy Spirit raises us up to new life. We can walk in that power.  The daily challenge is to walk in that power, stay in the zone (as Pastor Phil...

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.”  Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I find myself awake in the wee hours aware of my ‘casual conversation’ with friends at lunch and afternoon coffee. Why did I need to talk about people? Why not be aware of our roles to build one another up? At one point I sensed the Holy Spirit cautioning me, ‘be very careful!’ I heeded His instruction. However, in hindsight I needed it way before He gave it. Why discuss people? Casual conversation is so dangerous, it can be so destructive. Casual conversation very easily becomes proud and judgemental. What m...

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This psalm was one of the psalms of ascent, written for the return of the children of Israel from captivity. They had been 70 years in Babylon, a foreign land. Daniel had read the scripture and knew it was time for them to return. He went to prayer and after three weeks and angel came to tell him his prayers were answered. He did not go back with those who returned, by this time he was an old man and had served in the kings court. Imagine returning home after 70 years. I am 72 and to have spent all that time in a foreign land and knowing I was returning to a land God gave to His people and where He resided would have been special. I would have grown up hearing the stories from afar. Yet I would return to a land that had been descimated by the same enemy who took me captive. Going out to once again sow grain, ...

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”  James‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus’ brother James wrote these words. He did not have foreknowledge for Jesus’ return but he anticipated it with hope. He likens the wait to the farmer, who has to depend on rain for his crop to come to harvest. I hail from a farming community and have seen the need first hand. The whole community is affected by a drought and likewise they rejoice in an abundant rain at the right time. As we see the times we live in and carry the burden of its outcome we pray in hope for Jesus’ return. His return seems imminent, yet the Father is the one to call it. He knows when all He wants has come into the kingdom. My impatience only frustrates me.  Rather I should apply mysel...

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.”  1 Corinthians‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ There are times when I must pray, “Jesus please cover me”. These are times when I have been unwise. I have said it done things in a way that could cause a problem. At these times I have asked the Lord to cover me with His grace and He does. I must be on guard with what I allow. The enemy wants to steal and destroy. I cannot give my free time to read, listen to, or watch what does not edify my spirit. There is too much rubbish. Rubbish infects and pollutes my spirit with wrong standards. If I am to stand strong in these last days I must stand firm in my faith. I must have the courage of my convictions. I cannot water them down. I must be strong in what God has called me to do. I cannot be lukewarm. This causes Him displeasure. I must live for His pleasure. Amen!

“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭44‬-‭48‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This is sobering! Who are my enemies? Who can I love into the kingdom? I only have family who do not want to know me. I am not persecuted like people in countries all around me. I have not been put in prison or been beaten for my faith.  I can love those who reject me. I can be willing to bless them in any way I can. I can pray for them. I can refuse to moan and complain about them. I can pray for those in the world who hate Christi...

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What is spiritual darkness? It is allowing darkness to rule attitudes, thoughts, behaviours. Whereas walking in the light is a daily submission to Jesus, Hiw ways, attitudes and behaviours. I can wake in the moring with praise on my lips or a grumble in my heart. Bad thoughts about others will seek to deter me from relationship with them, whereas refusing those thoughts and choosing to bless brings light. If we are living in the light we have fellowship with one another. This is better than walls that divide. Amen!

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Sometimes doing good, to the Lord’s way of thinking, is opposed to mine. “But Lord, this will make a prescedent, and this person has become a beggar instead of helping himself!”  On Sunday, or even before this. Way back 6 weeks ago I received an urgent call for help. A refugee had broken his foot and could not work as a day labourer as he had been doing. I helped at that time but saw him well on Sunday. He did not ask for help then but later reached out through WhatsApp. Earlier that morning I received a scripture about giving and suspected who it involved. However, still I stalled. Last night, I asked another person who I had used to remit the funds before, how this man was going financially. He is about to receive assistance with his hospital bill, he had some work he could do whilst unable to walk during the time and it seemed h...

“You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This verse is a tag on the end of a discourse on loving your enemies. We all experience times when someone close behaves like an enemy, in a way that hurst us and a way we do not understand. We so easily feel our own hurt and react out of that hurt. However, why is what is happening happening? What is that person going through? What are they not telling us and attempting to deal with all alone? I just received a prayer request. It is 1:14am. Someone cannot sleep. This has been going on for the last two months. It is only now this person is asking for prayer. For two months this brother has struggled alone. He now has prayer warriors beside him. Why am I awake? I often wake at this hour, have time with the Lord, write my blog and go back to sleep. Mind you I go to bed much earlier. Jesus offered us His peace. I pray Jesus’ peace on this brother and on all those who are struggling in turmoil. Amen!

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus said it another way:  “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”  Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I have seen this principal at work. While away from Nepal and while in it. God wants me to pour out blessing and finance upon others and He pours it back on me. The Lord went before me on my trip to Europe. I successfully went through Dubai even with the war going on between Iran, the US and Israel; nowhere was I having to weigh my carry on luggage, except in Cairns, Australia; even in India where I did not have a boarding pass or a transit visa, He went before me. In Amsterdam, a difficult and unclean city, I was protected. My train journeys covered and protected. Today I go to church, I wonder what i...

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬ It is interesting that the following verse is straight after this one: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”  Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Holding grudges are easy to do and we don’t recognise we have them until we need to love that person. Then, the grudge falls out of our hearts and defies the love required. In fact the grudge stands in the way of faith for answered prayer. When we discover the grudge repentance is required because we cannot move into faith with it there. It is a road block! Today I determined to walk to the bank to hand in my latest visa and reopen the account. The people at the bank were most helpful. My feet started to hurt and after I had visited the last shop before going home I told the Lord my trouble and asked for help. Out of the bl...

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ One thing I have learned lately is to not walk in fear or act out of fear, but rather to seek God and His love for me and in that His answer. Yesterday was a prime example. I had flown all the way from Amsterdam to India knowing I did not have a boarding pass for my flight from India to Nepal. It attempted to cause me anxiety and so I kept myself distracted by reading and praising God. When I landed in India I had to present my checked in  statement and ask to have my boarding pass provided. However, the junior staff could only compute that I must exit the airside of the terminal and check in again downstairs, the port side. I constantly replied that was impossible as I did not have a transit visa. I contacted my friend who had booked the flight and he prayed, as did I. Unknown to me he prayed exactly what I pray...

“All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. “Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.” Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This scripture is referring to Israel. You might say Israe is the focal point of all that is happening in the Middle East and many nations are watching. Also in the last 60 years many Jews are returning to their homeland, especially as the west and Muslims persecute the Jews. Whilst us Christians are drawn to this scripture it is not about us. Nonetheless we can take the essence of what it says- blessing and favour to be what is pored out on us by our God. I have just flow from Amsterdam and have been awake now for over 24 hours, well if you add up all the time differences. On the past leg from Helsinki,  I was fretting a little and had to distract myself constantly to worship the Lord, think on scripture and pray as I anticipated trouble in Ind...

“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬ It is sweet to join with others of the same heart; those wanting the presence of the Holy Spirit, and seeking yeh face of Jesus. I awoke at 3:45am and knew the presence of God was here. There was someone dear praying for me. I enjoy these times. I truely lean in to worship the Lord. As of yesterday I knew something had changed. The atmosphere was different, in a good way. Favour was present. I spent the day with a new friend, a South African woman who lived with her daughter’s family. We shopped, lunched and had fun together. Her granddaughter drove me home. That granddaughter will marry my grandson Archie. We chatted on the way home. She asked me where I was going when I left. I told her and she was impressed. I suppose international travel is special. I am praying about my next stop, Cairns. I will stay at a Christian retreat. There will be many unknowns there. I will make new...

““If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Usually I think of theirs scripture in terms of finance, however, if I ponder it I can apply ‘little things’ to time and bothering to respond to the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, I caught two trains to Haarlem here in The Netherlands. I was booked on a Corrie Ten Boom tour. My feet did not want to go, but I went anyway. When everyone came there was a bunch of Americans. My initial response was being dismissive as they walked by me without a second thought. However, we got to know one another on the walk and ended up having lunch together. They paid for me. This was generous!  Now I am friends with the leading lady on Facebook. The best part was I was able to share my testimony with these dear folks. Who knows who needed to hear it? Sharing Jesus has always been His priority, not always mine. I’v...

“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” James‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ James is dealing out truth, he goes on to speak about jealousy and selfish ambition then delivers the punch line:  “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.” ‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I see the words ‘’ no favouritism’. I attended a church on Sunday here in Amsterdam. The heavies were all on the front row. A young woman who was seated on the front row in front of me was asked to move so a group of ‘inportant people’ could sit there. One of these ‘heavies’ went and got a camera and was all over the place taking photos and not engaged in worship at all. That same ‘heavy’, at a time when people shake hands with others, perfunctorily took my hand. ...

“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I am going to have to step into this scripture! I am having, what appears, a challenge. My flight back to Nepal on Wednesday, has hit a snag. I am transmitting through Delhi. It is unsure whether I need a transit visa or not. I prayed that if I needed it the process would be smooth. It wasn’t! I could not complete the online application, it was stuck on the second page repeatedly. So now I must pray for a miracle and trust the Lord. Today I am going on a tour of the Dykes and canals. I plan to enjoy the day. Yesterday, before she left, the girl that accompanied me here to the Hostelle sat down to have breakfast. I was able to share the gospel with her and give her my Gideon’s Bible. She told me she has a friend in Columbia who is born again. I told her to spend time with her friend. There is another girl here who needs to hear this message. She is from Perth Australia. I p...

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yesterday I came across three Muslim men who had set up a table and were attempting to preach their gospel. They picked on the wrong person when they approached me. I gave them the true gospel. I told them the above scripture. After a heated and lengthy discussion I asked if I could pray for them, they consented. I asked the Father to send His Holy Spirit and give them dreams and visions of who my Jesus is, a loving saviour, that He is the way, the truth and the life. Being a senior I could get away with being bossy and overbearing. However, I could see that now only a revelation by the Holy Spirit would set them free. Amsterdam in filled with tens of thousands of homosexuals and like minded people. There are disgusting sexual images hung around Newmarket, where I happen to go on a tour about Ann Frank, her father and their home. I felt quite ill. On tour w...

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This scripture blesses me! Yesterday I walked and walked and walked. As my feet hurt I said to the Lord, “I am stepping into healing and trusting you!” I could not succumb to injury. I refused to talk about hurt or pain.  When I returned to my accomodation I paid dearly for a foot soak and massage, however it was worth it. I had such fun talking to people, sharing my walk with the Lord and loving them. All day I found people to share with. Even when I returned to the Hostelle I found girls to talk to. I found that sitting at the lager table where space provided others to sit brought the girls to talk to. I pray for another such day today! God is good’ amen!