A brilliant quote from our beloved Michael Collins, when we were talking about the qualifications that often come after one's name, like degrees and so on. Michael says his name wouldn't have any letters after it; it would only read:


To my thinking, that's about as good as it gets.

Apparently she makes a lot of conducting motions. 3 weeks old - she's a child prodigy, I knew it!!

- Proud Auntie Karyn

I was reading Genesis this evening and noticed something interesting about Abram and Sarai and their belief in God's promise that Abram would be the father of a multitude even though they hadn't yet had any children of their own.

When the promise was initially given, Abram believed it, and God counted that as righteousness. He fully believed it - strong faith in the promise.

Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them " And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:4-6)

Then later on, Abram agreed to take his wife's handmaid as a wife and to try and execute God's promise that way. They attempted to "help it along" so to speak. I guess they were getting tired of waiting and not sure God had remembered - weakening faith.

So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16:2)

Then lastly, when God did finally reiterate the promise to Abraham, Abraham actually laughed at God. That's called NO faith. Sarah traveled a similar path, though we don't really know at what level her faith in the promise started.

Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" (Genesis 17:15-17)

I noticed when I was reading it that it seems like the factor that weakened the faith was TIME. Elapsed time. Time spent waiting, wondering, doubting, questioning, getting excited and then feeling disappointment and bitterly hurting.

I suppose time can weaken faith in God's promises, especially if they are the kind of promises that are given to us personally, and therefore we must do without the solidity of reading them in the Word (depending on how specific they are). Actually, no "suppose" about it - I've experienced in it my own life. But one other thing I noticed about Abraham and Sarah - no matter how little they believed in the promise by the time they were old, there is a place where they were still obedient. You see, they did bear a son in their old age, which means that no matter how odd they thought it, they still were intimate with each other as husband and wife - the requirements for conceiving that promised child. That very action in itself was perhaps a sign of faith being rekindled, however small their hopes were at the time.

For the promises in our lives that we have not yet seen fulfilled - are there places where we need to be obedient to fulfill any requirements that would prove our faith in God's word to us? Or perhaps it only requires us to continue to wait and not to abandon the promise.

Either way, there is one thing that is sure, and I speak from personal experience: God's promises will never fail us. It is only our faith that sometimes fails. If you are waiting on a promise, be encouraged - even if you have to wait through many seasons, God will fulfill it to the greater glory of His name.

I know that many of us have had Shakespeare spoiled forever by well-meaning and well-educated high school English teachers and by Grade 11 and 12 government curriculum, but as I was reading a couple of sonnets tonight, this one stood out unbelievably as one that, for me, is just all about Jesus, the One and Only. Beautiful - check it out:

105.
Let not my love be called idolatry,
Nor my beloved as an idol show,
Since all alike my songs and praises be
To one, of one, still such, and ever so.
Kind is my love to-day, to-morrow kind,
Still constant in a wondrous excellence;
Therefore my verse, to constancy confin'd,
One thing expressing, leaves out difference.
"Fair, kind, and true," is all my argument,
"Fair, kind, and true," varying to other words;
And in this change is my invention spent,
Three themes in one, which wondrous scope affords,
"Fair, kind, and true," have often liv'd alone
Which three, till now, never kept seat in one.


NOTE: After I posted this, I decided to look online at a couple of commentaries and notes on Sonnet 105, and I am amazed at the range of ideas and beliefs about Shakespeare's writing that they express and put forth as this sonnet's only interpretation. Rest assured if you read some of these that poetry is still poetry - intended to be enjoyed and interpreted by all its different readers. If you read a commentary or two, do your best to look at four or five - you'll find four or five different explanations of Shakespeare's intent and perhaps a bit more freedom to therefore find your own understanding in this poem. Or better yet - my advice is not to look at them at all and simply enjoy this sonnet for how it speaks to you.

Do you ever pray and ask the Lord to speak a word to you and have the first thing you hear be "I love you"? Do you ever discount that and think, "I always hear that - I want a real word"?

I was thinking about that tonight. Very often when I ask the Lord for a word for someone or even myself, it is the first thing I hear, and I sometimes don't give it its full impact or I want to move on from that thought since I hear it so much. Sometimes I fear I might sound too cheesy when speaking the words "God loves you" to someone else.

The truth is, though, that it is the first and foremost thing that God thinks about us. He loves us. It ordains everything that He does and has done for us and is the very reason that we can stand redeemed before Him.

No wonder He tells us overtly so very often. It is simply the spoken words that parallel everything He has ever done in our lives, from the minute to the very grand. And it is truth, pure and simple.

God loves you.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Flipping through my journal this morning, I found a word the Lord spoke to me last April. I thought it was a profound thought, so I decided to share it.

I am Light. The further you are from Me and My light, the darker a place in which you will live. Near and far and darkness and light are relative to the place where one has been living. If you have been living in the place of light, the tiniest movement away from that light will seem utter darkness. But those living apart from Christ - in total darkness - do not know that they live apart from light at all. Their eyes have adjusted to the darkness. Their spirits have adjusted to the darkness.

An interesting thought, and one that sparks my mind to fresh avenues of prayer for the lost and for believers who are not living in the fullness of the light of Christ. It also spurs me on to seek and pursue knowing whether there is more Light than I have been experiencing.

I am absolutely convinced that there is.

OK, if you've met me even once, please stop laughing.

It's true. I talk too much. Sometimes I have good things to say. Sometimes I ramble on and on. Always, I speak. I'm not an introverted person anymore (only those who really know me well can imagine that I once was), and I'm not particularly self-conscious anymore. I know who I am. I don't mind speaking. I do mind looking foolish, but it doesn't often stop me from saying what I think anyway. (And it gives my friends a good laugh regularly....)

The thing is, sometimes I speak because I don't want to forget my thought or my point in a conversation. Sometimes I speak because I really think people need to hear what I have to say. But always I speak because there is a thought in my head. If it's in my head, it most often comes out of my mouth, especially when surrounded by people around whom I feel safe.

I tend to think a LOT. About EVERYTHING. And so I talk TOO MUCH.

There are seasons where I all of a sudden notice that I'm talking too much. I seem to interrupt everyone and for some reason feel the need to express my opinion or advice about everything and to everyone. Even as I write this I hope I'm not as annoying as I'm starting to sound even to myself!

Regardless of the depth of the potential reality of that last fact, what grieves me more is that I'm finding an overflow of my "talking too much" in my friendship with God in this season. It has happened before, that moment where I realize that down time - quiet "sit at His feet and rest in just being with Him" time has been thin - and I miss it terribly. Ministry is there in spades. Time with people is there in abundance. But the quiet time that it takes to come down from being "on" all the time - that quiet time that for me has to come before I'm ready to both cease talking and to listen - has not been enough. It's true that it's been missing for good and enjoyable reasons, but it's still been missing. And so when I spend time with the beautiful Saviour, I am talking, or working at worshipping, or something else, instead of enjoying Him, relaxing, listening.

I find when the time to listen wanes, so does prophecy. So does listening prayer. So does the ability to hear even a "left" or "right" when asking for direction, let alone asking for vision for our congregation or for God's will in my life. My faith for answered prayer starts to weaken, because I haven't heard from Him what to pray for or how to ask it of Him.

Wow. All because I talk too much. And perhaps because I often DO too much in general. That's a high price to pay. Too high.

So tonight I am staying at home. And after I finish this blog (you'd think it would be shorter - a blog about how I should talk less!), I'm going to stop talking and rest. And maybe after I've rested for a good long while....

I'll listen.

46 sleeps until we go!

Pictures of Eliana and the family from yesterday - less than 24 hours old!



















Eliana McKinnley Baker



















Proud new Dad - my brother Greg
(Also - check it out - future singer!)



















Auntie Karyn!



















Nana and Papa - my Mom and Dad (Baker)



















Papa



















Nana















Auntie Karyn and Opa - Steph's Dad, Ed Bohlmann

(Not sure how we missed pictures with Oma - sorry, Christa! Steph herself was not in "picture mode" that day, so hence none of the proud Mom!)

Name update (now we don't need to call her "Baby Baker" anymore - HALLELUJAH!):

Eliana McKinnley Baker

Eliana means "God has heard our prayer" - the most fitting name I think I have ever heard. Greg and Steph both cried when they told me, as did I. I am as I write this. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to give good gifts to His children. My brother and sister-in-law have been waiting to meet Eliana for something like 8 years.

I saw her this morning. She's perfect. She certainly does have lots of dark hair. That's a Bohlmann trait, as Steph's baby pictures can attest to. She has the Smith nose (my mom's side of the family) - that nose would knock anyone's genes out of the way, I think. When she sleeps she looks like my Papa Smith. That's rather bittersweet, as he passed away about two and a half years ago.

I'm thinking Steph and I aren't going to make it to that movie we planned to see tonight. Too bad. I really wanted to see it.

I think I'll get over it.

Pictures were taken - they'll be blogged when I receive them from Dad.

Baby NIECE - first baby in the family! (Since me, that is....)
11:07 pm
July 6, 2006
7 lbs. 9 oz.
No name yet.
Pictures to come - she's apparently got a lot of hair.
Everybody's doing great - Steph's a trooper. Neither she nor Greg have slept in almost 48 hours. Now neither of them want to.
The Bakers increase to 6!

I spent the day today out in Squamish, BC (a little way up the Sea to Sky Highway towards Whistler, for those from out of town). Beautiful!!

While there I was able to spend some time down by the river. I love the water. Generally speaking, having grown up in North Vancouver, "down by the water" is not really "the" water unless it's the ocean. But fast-moving rivers are a close second. I was able to sit down on some rocks right at the water's edge at a really rapid, wide part of the river and watch it fly by me.

There's something about water that is peaceful to me, even when it's a river running so rapidly or a waterfall or huge crashing ocean waves. There is something about water that reminds me of God and makes me more aware of His presence. I have recently told a friend that I am most at peace when I am near water. He, in all his wit, said that this means I should always have a glass of water in front of me. Well, not quite what I meant.....

Today at the river's edge I couldn't help thinking again of a couple of favourite passages of scripture: Revelation 22 and the river that flows from the throne, and Ezekiel 47, where Ezekiel experiences walking into that river. Can you imagine? Walking into the river that flows from the throne of God. The river that feeds the trees that bear fruit every month and whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. That river.

As I was watching the river and its power fly by, I noticed a tree on the side, some of its branches kind of drooped towards the water. Some leaves were dunked in the water, tossed around as the river moved, but drenched and rarely coming up out of the water for long. Some were touching the water as it came closer to them - as the river became more violent and reached upwards, they would get wet, but not much. Some branches were not particularly leaning towards the water, and some were stretching up towards the sky instead.

It reminded me again of who I want to be near the river of God. I don't want to be carelessly drooping somewhere near the water but never being in it, and I certainly don't want to be the branches so oblivious to the water that I'm reaching for the sky instead. I don't even want to be the "sometimes wet" leaves that get a semi-dunking only when the water reaches out to them. I want to be those leaves that even though they are tossed about, they are drenched in that river all the time. Drenched in the river of the water of life - the river that comes from the throne of God. I want to be drenched in the presence of the Lord. I want to be so desperate that I will let myself be thrown about in it just to experience it so fully and so consistently.

Desperation is a word that the Lord spoke in our worship gathering on Sunday morning. Desperation. He is longing for us to be desperate for Him. He is a passionate lover. He is pursuing us. He is power and life and refreshment and strength. He is salvation. He is the King. And He is ours.

I am desperate. If I drown for it, I want to be drenched in the presence of the Lord Almighty.


Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side. When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me back to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing." (Ezekiel 47:1-12)

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2)

HAPPY CANADA DAY, EVERYONE!!


Ah, Canada Day. The day of hot dogs, sunburns, fireworks (when there's no controversy about them), insane crowds everywhere and feelings of national pride. A whole day.

We Canadians have been accused of being far less patriotic than our southern neighbours (USA, for those of your who really need to bone up on your geography....), but the truth is that we are just as patriotic, simply in a very different way. It is true, however, that usually only about once a year we suit up, paint our faces red and white, decide to spend the day with 2 million other people in the city, and show outwardly the fact that we really are intensely excited to be called "Canadians." We really do love our country and are proud to wear the flag, though funnily enough it seems only on this one day do we really let loose and celebrate that fact.

Can you imagine if we only celebrated our freedom and independence from the grip of sin on one day of the year? Do we fall into this sometimes - only celebrating the cross at Easter and the birth of Christ at Christmas? (Should I go one step further and question whether we only celebrate and worship one day a week, or is that too close to home?) I have before now chosen hymns to sing our worship for a Sunday morning service, and been asked why I would pick "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" in November. Granted, I'm not sure I would sing "Silent Night" throughout the year, but isn't the redeeming work of the cross in our lives something to be celebrated and remembered all the time? Even Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me," and he said it when He and his disciples were eating. I definitely plan to eat more than just at Easter and Christmas.

Now, if you're about to say that I'm blowing this out of the water as far as proportion and reality, you're absolutely right, I am. But it just got me questioning how much I revel in the work of the cross on a daily basis. It is amazing. It is eternal. It is something that could only have been done in the way it was done and by Whom it was done. There is so much to revel in as far as God and who He is and all the things He has done. But the basic truth of the matter is that the ability that we all have to actually revel in those things at all comes from the foundation of the work of the cross.

So, Happy independence Day. Every day.