POSITION YOURSELF!

If you are a Christian reading this, let me encourage you today. You and I are not meant to live our lives without direction and without God-ordained purpose. Too many Christians, sadly, seemingly have no idea what their calling is meant to look like, and have little, if any, sense of their destiny in God. I remember the director of the Bible College I attended in New Zealand many years ago saying that it was probably true that the graveyards of the nation (s) are filled with the bodies of Christians who never reached their potential in God - for various reasons.

I remember reading of several high-profile Christian leaders, such as Rick Joyner from MorningStar Ministries in the USA saying that sometimes when preaching in different places, he has asked the audience how many know their calling or purpose in God. Only five to ten percent were able to respond positively to this question, and of those, only about half were actually fulfilling that God-ordained calling or ministry! For the Church of the Living God, this is tragic!

Over the years, my wife and I have received a number of personal prophetic words related to aspects of ministry the Lord has been preparing us for. We have been greatly encouraged by these words, many from people of known spiritual maturity and integrity in ministry. Although encouraging, the specifics of the outworking of some of these words has not been made clear, and as with much personal prophecy, we have realized that there is a time period and a process to get from the prophecy to the place of fulfillment. This, of course, requires faith, obedience and much patience on our part!

At least on two or three occasions when I have received a personal prophetic word, I have been told to "Position Yourself!" 
The Word of God provides plenty of examples of men and women whom God used mightily who positioned themselves to hear from God and then to see the outworking of His direction for their lives fulfilled in specific detail. 
As a people of God, in the book of Joshua, as they were about to cross the Jordan River, they were instructed: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God and the Levite priests carrying it, then you shall set out from where you are and go behind it. There must be a distance of two thousand cubits between you and it. Do not draw closer to it, in order that you may know the way you should go. For you have not passed this way before."
Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wondrous deeds among you." Joshua 3:3-5.
So the children of Israel as a whole were instructed that they needed to consecrate or sanctify themselves - to position themselves for breakthrough in being able to cross the river. 
We too, as Christians need to consecrate ourselves as a means of positioning for all the Lord would lead us into in His purposes for our lives. 
The apostle Paul in Romans 12:1,2 says I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. [Emphasis mine]
Following the great faith hall of fame chapter in Hebrews - chapter eleven, the writer encourages us in Hebrews 12:1,2 Therefore, since we are encompassed with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Again, we see this is all to do with how we position ourselves for blessing, guidance and ultimate breakthrough and fulfillment of the outworking of God's purposes in our lives.
Faith is a vital key in realizing our God-given destiny in practice. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Faith will require us to step out of the boat as it were into the unknown at times, to overcome fear of failure, that we might begin to walk in our callings in God. I have often heard it said, that if you want to get an idea of what God is calling you to do in your life, be committed to a local church and volunteer in areas of service in the church. You may then start to sense in God, and others may recognize also where you are gifted and the areas of strength in ministry. 
I remember hearing Joyce Meyer say how that, in her early Christian life when she was seeking the Lord about her particular ministry gifting, she volunteered for children's church, and it only took a couple of weeks to discover that was not where she was meant to be.
God will honour those who walk humbly before Him who really want to know His will for their lives. The verse in Zechariah 4:10 about not despising the day of small things or small beginnings comes to mind. God honours our faith and our faithfulness!
Patience is another vital key in seeing promises fulfilled, and destiny realized for the glory of God in our lives!
Again, the writer of Hebrews in chapter 6 says: God is not unjust so as to forget your work and labour of love that you have shown for His name, in that you minister to the saints and continue ministering. We desire that every one of you show the same diligence for the full assurance of hope to the end, so that you may not be lazy, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (verses 10-12)
The church in this day is being called to "Arise and shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For the darkness shall cover the earth
and deep darkness the peoples;
but the Lord shall rise upon you,
and His glory shall be seen upon you.
The nations shall come to your light
and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:1-2.
Melbourne, Australia, the nations second largest city, has just hosted a strategic gathering of Christians from across the nation and from other parts of the world in a powerful witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ - in Awakening Australia. Tens of thousands attended the meetings and hundreds, maybe thousands of people committed their lives to Jesus for the first time. God is on the move in Australia. Revival is coming! It is pivotal that every believer in Christ is on fire for God, and fully functioning in his or her God-ordained cailing and purpose. JESUS IS LORD!

If you have read this blog, and would like to know how to become a Christian, please go online to www.vision.org. Click on the Grow your faith tab then Looking for God! god Bless.

TWO WORDS TO DETERMINE DESTINY

Recently we were blessed to sit under the ministry of a young prophetic married couple, Nate and Christy Johnson from Brisbane (everydayrevivalists.com), at a couple of meetings while they were ministering in southern Tasmania where we live.

Christy shared in one of the meetings, how, at the beginning of this year, she kept seeing the same two words over a period of a couple of weeks. One day she was driving, and stopping at an intersection, a truck went past with the words on the side. Obviously, the Lord was bringing these two words before her because, for the Christian, these two words are very significant. In fact, as she stated, what we attach to these two words can determine our destiny.

In our nation, there are so many people who are going through an identity crisis. 

 She shared that she believe we have crossed over to a time of HARVEST! Far from being disinterested and closed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the world is hungry. We, as children of God really do need to know who we are - we need to clearly know our God-ordained identity.

What are those two words this anointed servant of the Lord kept seeing before her? The two words are: I AM.

She challenged us with the question: What are we declaring with our mouths?

Hebrews 11:3 states By faith we understand that the universe was framed by the word of God, so that things that are seen were not made out of things which are visible.

Genesis 1:27 says So God created man in His own image;

                                   in the image of God He created him;

                            male and female He created them.

The image of the Father God in us was marred through sin, but as we commit our lives to Him through the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus shed for us on the Cross at Calvary, we are reconciled to the Father God, and are being changed from glory to glory into His image through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God renewing our minds.
We need to be speaking words of LIFE! Our identity, as Christians is in the Father.
Jesus in John 10:10 says: "The thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." The thief, Satan, is on a mission to steal your identity, and he really doesn't care how he does it. If he can stop you from knowing your true identity in Christ, and discovering what the Word of God says about you and me, as blood-bought heirs to the Kingdom of God, then he has succeeded in keeping you from your destiny, from Kingdom fruitfulness and from fulfillment in God's purposes for you. 

It is imperative that we know, as the title of the Hillsong worship song says: "WHO YOU SAY I AM."
This is a powerful song of declaration affirming God's provision for His children. To see the full lyrics of this song, simply Google "Who You Say I Am."
As a child of God who has been reconciled to the Father, through faith in Jesus Christ, I Am:
 - Bought at a price (the shed blood of Jesus) 1 Corinthians 6:20
- Set free from the power of sin John 8:32
- Chosen, not forsaken. 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 1:4
- Redeemed from the curse of the law Galatians 3:13
- Accepted in the Beloved Ephesians 1:5-7
- Delivered from the dominion of darkness to light Colossians 1:13
- Called of God 2 Timothy 1:9
- Reconciled to God 2 Corinthians 5:18
- Free from condemnation Romans 8:1
- More than a conqueror Romans 8:37
- Complete in Him.
If you are a Christian - that is, you have acknowledged your sin before a Holy God, and by faith, have confessed Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you and I have no grounds Biblically to confess  and profess with our mouths negative soul-destroying statements such as: I AM a mistake, a failure, hopeless, forgotten or unforgivable. We need to replace these lies from the enemy of our souls with the Truth of God's Word.
God is calling forth an army of worshipping warriors, who know their God, and who know Who They Are In Him, to go forth into this world with bold faith proclaiming the liberating message of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and ever increasingly confused and hope-less generation. More than ever, those who name the name of Christ as Savior and Lord, who are in close communion with Father God, and being led daily by the Holy Spirit - will be those who have the unspeakable joy of imparting life and truth to those who desperately are seeking their true identity. How wonderful and amazing to read in the Bible that God knew all about each one of us even before we were born. See Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139; Galatians 1:15; Ephesians 1:1-23 Revelation 13:8.
In this army of worshipping warriors that God is calling forth, young and old will play a vital part. Even now, the Lord is raising up children to know their calling and purpose in God, and as children, will bear good fruit for the Kingdom of God. The supernatural equipping through the power of the Holy Spirit is being poured on those who are hungry and thirsty for all that the Lord has in store for them. 
God is looking for those who will say YES to Him, no matter the cost, and who will follow Him in full surrender to His will. The I AM God is the All-Sufficient One!

If you have read this and would like to know how to become a Christian, one online resource I would recommend is: vision.org.au This is the website for Australia's Vision Christian Media. Click on the Grow your faith tab then Looking for God. God Bless!

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Proverbs 1:7 says: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

                              But fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverbs 9:10 says: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

                                And the knowledge of the Holy One is 
                                understanding."

The Bible uses the word fear at least 300 times in reference to God, so it must be vitally important for us to, not only have a Biblical understanding about what the fear of the Lord is, but in experience, if we are to fully walk in the ways of the Lord, we must personally be walking in the fear of the Lord.
Jesus, in the New Testament, speaking to His disciples, states: "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:27,28.
The fear of the Lord is demonstrated by personal holiness, as seen in the following passage from 2 Corinthians 6:14 - 7:1.
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness. What communion has light with darkness. What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he who believes with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
                          "I will live in them
                           And walk in them.
                           I will be their God,
                           and they shall be My people."

Therefore,
                          "Come out from among them
                           and be separate,
                           says the Lord.
                           Do not touch what is unclean,
                           and I will receive you."

                          "I will be a Father to you,
                           and you shall be My sons and
                                 daughters,
                           says the Lord Almighty."

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
(The verses in quotes above are highlighted by the apostle Paul, originally being stated in the Old Testament - Isaiah 52:11; Isaiah 43:6; Jeremiah 31:9).

Christian author and speaker, John Bevere, who is known for his uncompromising approach to God's Word, says concerning the Fear of The Lord: WHEN WE FEAR GOD
WE CHOOSE TO LOVE
WHAT HE LOVES 
AND HATE WHAT HE HATES.
john Bevere says that to fear God is to love Him so much that we are afraid to be away from Him. We love and value His presence above all. Out of reverence for Him, we choose to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
He goes on to say:
The fear of the Lord can be identified by one simple thing: OBEDIENCE. People who fear God....

             - Obey Him instantly
             - Obey Him even if it doesn't make sense
             - Obey Him even if it hurts
             - Obey Him even if they don't see the benefit
             - Obey Him to completion.

A prime example of this is seen in the life of Abraham in Genesis 22, the first book of the Bible.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews in the New Testament is called the Faith chapter, the "Hall Of Fame" citing many of the giants of the faith in the Old Testament,who, in spite of personal weaknesses and failings, shone through to accomplish great exploits for God.
Of the patriarch Abraham, it says: By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out into a place which he would later receive as an inheritance. He went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the promised land, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs of the same promise, for he was looking for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah [Abraham's wife] also received the ability to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, who was as good as dead, sprang so many, a multitude as the stars of the sky and innumerable as the sand by the seashore.

Back to Genesis 22, where the Lord asks something of Abraham, which, in light of the above would have seemed to be bizarre. As a test of Abraham's obedience, God calls to him: "Abraham!"
And he said, "Here I am."
Then He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
You can read the rest of the story in Genesis 22, and discover that Abraham passed the test as he obeyed instantly in every detail the instructions the Lord gave him.
When Abraham responded to God: "Here I am", the Hebrew word used by Abraham, Hineni, apparently means "Whatever you ask of me, I'll do it." It was much more than a mere acknowledgement of God calling him. It was an affirmation of Abraham's total obedience to the Lord. Although it did not make sense to Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, his son of promise, he obeyed the Lord's instructions explicitly. He was about to sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah, when the LORD called to him: "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, because now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
Abraham then saw a ram caught in a thicket by his horns, and proceeded to sacrifice the ram. Verse 14 tells us: Abraham called the name of that place The LORD will provide [Jehovah Jireh], as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the Lord it will be provided."
Here are a few more of many wonderful verses about the fear of the LORD in the Bible:
 Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.
Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
Psalm 145:19 He will fulfill the desires of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and save them.
Luke 1:50 AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM
Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindess toward those who fear Him.

If you would like to know about how to become a Christian, two of many websites I would recommend are: livingwaters.com and vision.org.au  The Vision website is that Vision Christian Media in Australia. Vision Christian Radio and Vision180, the youth Christian online station can be accessed here. God Bless

THE BIBLE

God's Indispensable Word To Man Part 3

Although the Bible is not set out as a scientific textbook, a large number of now accepted scientific facts, some only formulated in the last two hundred years, are clearly attested in the Bible. 
Some examples, cited by evangelist Ray Comfort of livingwaters.com and wayofthemaster.com in his excellent "The Evidence Bible" can be viewed online by googling Bible Facts The Evidence Bible. I will not reproduce them all here, but there is a fascinating list of clear evidences given for many now accepted scientific facts and principles in various scientific disciplines, including medicine and cosmology, provided by the all-knowing Creator God, and recorded by men of God, thousands of years ago for our understanding and benefit.
Such facts as: the Earth being round, and not flat
- the importance of washing hands and infected clothes after contact with sick or diseased persons,
- the importance of blood to our bodies - up to one hundred and twenty odd years ago, people were "bled" to seek to rid them of disease, resulting in many deaths,
- clear Scriptural support for a revolving earth etc.
Ray lists the Scriptural references for each of these facts and others.
Another classic book which makes for fascinating reading is a book called "None Of These Diseases" written by S.I. McMillen, a medical doctor, which has been recently been revised and has sold over one million copies worldwide. It is also a great source of discovery of how the Creator God recorded in the Bible many facts relating to our bodies and healthy living, which have only been confirmed in medicine and scientific endeavours in the last two hundred years.
There are are other websites listing many Biblically attested facts related to science and medicine, astronomy, chemistry, physics and biology.
In John 1:1. we read, concerning Jesus, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Verse 14 reads: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me."
The Bible is not merely a history book, but a treasure chest of the revelation of God to man, and a storehouse of life-giving instruction from the heart of the Living God, that when received by the spiritually reborn child of God through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has the power to transform the vilest of sinners from darkness to light. THERE IS NO OTHER BOOK THAT COMES ANYWHERE CLOSE TO ITS IMPACT ON MEN AND WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE A CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND, AND A DESIRE TO KNOW THE LIVING GOD.
If you have read this blog and would like to know more about how to become a Christian, two websites I can recommend are: livingwaters.com and vision.org.au
God Bless!

THE BIBLE

God's Indispensable Word To Man Part 2

In my previous blog post "THE BIBLE - God's Indispensable Word To Man", I quoted two verses in 2 Timothy 3:16,17 which bear repeating at the start of this blog, as a reminder of the vital importance the written Word of God is for the individual believer in Christ, as well as the wider Body of Christ.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Concerning the inspiration by the Holy Spirit of all the writers of the books of the Bible, the writer to the Hebrews says in chapter 1: God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son,whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; Hebrews 1:1-3.

As to the authorship of the thirty nine books of the Old Testament, the first five books, referred to as the Pentateuch, were written by Moses.

Some of the historical books from Joshua to Esther have question marks over them as to their human authors. King David penned nearly half of the Psalms; his son, Solomon, wrote all of the Proverbs save the last chapter, and most, if not all the major and minor prophets' books were written by the men whose book bears their name.

I find it interesting that there is real conjecture concerning the authorship of some of the Old Testament books, and also the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament. What it says to me, is that, in some ways, it does not really matter if we know for sure who physically wrote the books. The most important takeaway is that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, provided the inspiration for whoever the human authors were, and it is to Him that all the glory goes for providing us with the outstanding revelation we have of our great God - our Saviour and Lord.

It is estimated that about forty writers were responsible for producing the sixty six books of the Bible, the apostle Paul in the New Testament, having written thirteen or fourteen (if he wrote the letter to the Hebrews) of the twenty seven books.

The people involved over a period of some 1500 years came from vastly differing backgrounds and occupations - such as traders, shepherds, fishermen, soldiers, preachers and kings. They served under different governments and lived within contrasting cultures and systems of philosophy - and yet, there is a common thread that binds all of the books of the Bible together as a unified whole, with the message of God's great love for humanity, His hatred of sin and rebellion, the remedy for sin and the unspeakable rewards, both in this life and in that which is to come, for those who repent of their sin.
Christ, God's provision for the redemption of fallen mankind, is pictured in every book of the Bible through prophecy and through character types in the Old Testament. Various websites can be readily accessed on the theme of Christ in Every Book of the Bible. Genesis 3:15 at the beginning of creation following the sin of Adam and Eve states:"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." The Lord, speaking to the serpent in the garden of Eden, spoke of His remedy for sin, already in His mind before the world began - that His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ would die on a Roman cross, the sinless Son of God dying in our place, that we might be restored to fellowship with Father God.
TO BE CONTINUED
In the meantime, if you would like to know more about becoming a Christian, or as a Christian you would like to access some encouraging Christian resources, a couple of suggested sites are: vision.org.au (the Vision Christian Media online portal) and livingwaters.com (the online site for access to evangelist Ray Comfort's excellent videos, audio messages and other evangelism tools).

THE BIBLE - God's Indispensable Word to Man

The Christian Bible is, without a doubt, the bestselling and most widely distributed book of all times. It is impossible to know how many copies of the Bible have been sold, but a survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the figure at more than 5 billion. Guiness Book of World Records concurs with a similar figure of around 5 billion.

In late April of 2015, Gideons distributed their historic two billionth Scripture. The distribution of the first of the first one billion Bibles and New Testaments spanned 93 years (1908-2001). The second billion was obtained in less than 14 years (2002-2015). Gideons International began distributing free Bibles in 1908. Members of Gideons International currently distribute over 800 million Scriptures annually, and the numbers are growing, especially in places such as Brazil, India and Asia.
The Bible consists of 66 books, divided into sections - the two most obvious being the Old Testament, containing thirty nine books, and the New Testament with twenty seven books.
The Old Testament is divided into further sections:
1.  The Pentateuch or the books of Moses, being the first five books,
2.  The Historical books being Joshua to Esther,
3.  The Poetical books being from Job to Song of Solomon,
4.  The Major Prophets, Isaiah to Daniel, and
5.  The Minor Prophets, being the twelve last books of the Old Testament, consisting of Hosea to Malachi.
The New Testament consists of twenty seven books:
1.  The Four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
2.  The Book of Acts,
3.  Paul's Epistles of Letters to the Churches - Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 7 2 Thessalonians,
4.  Paul's Pastoral Epistles - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus,
5.  The Letter of Paul to Philemon, 
6.  The Letter to the Hebrews ( believed by many to have been written by Paul),
7.  The Epistle of James,
8.  1 & 2 Peter,
9.  1,2 & 3 John,
10.  The Epistle of Jude, and finally,
11.  The Book of Revelation (written by the apostle John).
As with all books, by their very nature, the Bible is made up of thousands - hundreds of thousands of words.
A little Bible trivia is: that there are 8,674 different Hebrew words in the Bible. There are 5,624 different Greek words, and 12,143 different English words in the King James Bible.
Although there are many English versions and various paraphrases of the Bible, with new ones appearing all the time - one of the more recent, which is receiving much positive response is The Passion Translation - it could be said that none of the translations from the Hebrew and the Greek are wholly inspired by the Holy Spirit to the last word.
The original texts, however, were wholly inspired by God, word by word. The apostle Paul, in writing to his son in the faith, Timothy, with instructions for ministry, says: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16,17
I remember having a book in my possession many years ago called "The Seal Of God" by Frederick C. Payne, which portrays God's incredible design in nature and in His Word. Much of the book was inspired by the study of a Russian mathematician, Ivan Panin, who is remembered for his work on collating clear evidence of Bible numerics, where in the original texts, there are very clear and irrefutable patterns in Scripture relating to numeric values.
The book "The Seal of God" is available online as a PDF download for those who are interested in further study. It is fascinating reading.
The Bible was penned by around 40 different authors over around a 1500 year period. The authorship of all of the books of the New Testament is clear, apart from the Book of Hebrews, which the King James Bible attributed to Paul. He is a strong contender for the author. However, there have been other suggestions, including Apollos, and even the suggestion that the author of Hebrews may have been in fact - wait for it - a woman, namely Priscilla, of Priscilla and Aquila fame mentioned in the Book of Acts in chapter 18, as a married couple, who travelled with the apostle Paul. He described them as his "fellow workers in Christ Jesus." Romans 16:3.
TO BE CONTINUED
In the meantime, if you would like to know more about becoming a Christian or, as a Christian you would like to access some encouraging resources: as a few suggestions, go to www.vision.org.au or livingwaters.com There are many trusted Christian websites I could recommend, but these are a few which may be helpful. God Bless!

WINTER

A short poem by Tessa

The rose survived

                    autumn's pruning

                                             of wind and rain and frost

                                  The child saw

                                        "the first rose"

                                              she said and

                                         hope tinged warmth

                                                             into 

                                                   our hearts.