The day with dianne Louise

“Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.” Daniel‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This verse comes from a passage in Daniel where God is speaking about His people Israel. A commentator says that this refers to the period of time called the Great Tribulation, scripture mentions 144,000 Jews who will keep themselves pure and Holy during this time and will be Messianic Jews. They will lead many to righteousness. However, us Christians can take heart in this scripture. Our role is to lead many to righteousness. Our role is not to live a self-indulgent lifestyle. Here in Nepal I meet foreigners who should not be here as they are self-indulgent. We are not our own we were bought with a price. If we have been bought we belong to another. In our case we belong to Jesus. As His possession we must do as He did.  Today is a new opportunity to lead others to righteousness. Amen!

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”  Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yesterday, on my way home from the swimming pool I was grieved with plastic rubbish. In fact I have been ever since I came to Nepal. Last year I conducted research on ways to manage this rubbish but kept coming back to finance. However, this time I strategised: ‘why not discover how to obtain the finance?’ This time I used AI. I discovered a wealth of information. Now I have the how and where, ai already had the why. After I did all my research I left it with the Lord and prayed. I then spent time doing some artwork and continually asked the Lord, “what do You say?” I am awake in the wee hours and the answers are flowing. My greatest concern was who to partner with in the Nepali world. I think I have my answer. My question was: “can I make house bricks with PET bottles?” The answer is ‘yes’. The recent floods that wiped away complete villages had given me incentive. Why not use plastic that is po...

“God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble— more than enough and always available whenever I need you.”  Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬ ‭TPT‬‬ The next verse says: “So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.” Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yesterday I received a list of Christian churches and people lost in the floods in Nepal. These people lived down river from the initial catastrophe. I asked my flatmates, “did these people not receive warning of impending doom?” They replied, “Yes! But they did not believe the severity of the flood as they had never experienced such a flood before”. As I watch and pray I see more and more earthquakes hit Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Anger is being poured out on these nations. The rage that was poured out in Nepal was massive. A lot of foreigners that were killed were pilgrims to a lake where they believed the demon god Shiva reveals himself. He is a brutal god. T...

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.”  Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬, ‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The verse in the whole passage that speaks to me most is: ‘don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping things of this world’. I have a vivid memory of the time I worked as a financial planner. Many were worried that they would have enough in retirement to live well. One particular man stood out. He was an Anglican bishop...

“Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I have been focussing on Psalms and 1Peter of late. Psalms constantly exhorts us to praise the Lord and give thanks offerings to Him. 1 Peter reminds me of the sacrifice Jesus made for me. I am currently learning to finger pick on my ukulele. As I sat playing near an opening window yesterday, I heard a bird singing. It would listen to my tune and then sign its own. I was honoured! Next a small green and yellow bird arrived. I sang to it and then another arrived, I sang again and another arrived. They were all baby birds. I had seen their parents only a few weeks ago. I was so blessed to have my visitors. I have mainly black crows and pigeons around my area. The colourful birds reminds me of home. It reminded me of how the Lord loves to hear our songs of praise, worship and thanksgiving. I have been learning Yeshua my beloved. I often hear it in the n...

  “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” ‭‭ For the  Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.” Psalms‬ ‭100‬:‭4,5‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Psalm 100 is a short psalm of thanksgiving. The first theee verses are below: “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”‭‭ Yesterday I spent time seeking the Lord in psalms for how to deal with a particular problem. As I read the word thanksgiving kept cropping up. So I kept worshipping and praising and singing songs of thanksgiving. I asked a friend to pray for me and she did. She said as she prayed she heard the Lord say He would be with me. Today this psalm is telling me the same, and so I will give thanks and praise my God. In one’s psalm it talked of...

“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬ In the book of Galatians Paul is addressing religiosity. The Galatians are being deceived into following a doctrine that tells them they must be circumcised as well as receiving Christ.  It is interesting that when people become convinced to be religious they then start destroying one another. Self-righteousness has that effect. We start to believe ‘I am so good, you are less than me because you do not do what I do!’ Paul’s whole message is Christ is enough! In Him is all the freedom we need. There is nothing more I can do to be a Christian. I must follow Him! Amen! Christ is enough for me!

“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...