Faith and Life Blog

Watch the Finish: Keep Pressing Boxing Day started off on a rainy note. It seemed that the planned family gathering would not materialize. It rained and rained. It stopped and then it started again. The skies were gray and all seemed lost. But eventually, the rain stopped. The sun came out. The sky was blue. Lazy clouds drifted by. There was a gentle breeze. The early rains were now a forgotten bump in the road. My siblings arrived one by one. We talked, we laughed, we ate. We had a good day together. Who would have thought that it would have ended like this? The rain came, but it did not have the last say. It came to pass. So it is with life, my friends. Your beginning may be tumultuous. Things may seem impossible, but great things lie ahead. Do not allow a temporary situation to cause you to lose sight of your permanent vision. Go through the storm. Go through the pain. Go through the challenges, the hurts, and disappointments. Keep going. Don’t stop. Use your obstacles as st...

  When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Psalm 27:10 Daddy. Dad. Papa.Pops. Pa. These are but some of the names we use to describe our earthly father, the person who gave us life, cared for us, and protected us as children.  This was the person to whom we looked for guidance and protection as we navigated our way in a big scary world filled with challenges and obstacles. We were comforted by the fact that there was someone to whom we could turn. We had no worries because our daddy was present and provided the security that we needed. The love of a father is a life-changing experience for a child. A child develops a sense of safety and security when a father plays an active and supportive role in their life.  When a father teaches, loves, guides and provides, he gives his child the right environment which moulds him into a well-rounded individual, equipped with the right tools to make a meaningful contribution to society and the world at large...

  A Lesson From WD-40 My chair at work was squeaking so I decided to apply some WD-40 in order to solve the problem. As I made a mental note to take mine to work the next day, I remembered the story behind the water displacement (WD) product, which was perfected, not on the first, second, or third attempt, but on the 40th attempt, hence the name WD-40. What a lesson in perseverance, dedication, and stick-to-it-iveness! What if the developer of the product had given up on the first, second, 20th, 30th, or even the 39th time? There would be no WD-40 today and the world would be worse off without it. So whatever you are doing, keep at it. Keep trying, keep pushing, keep believing. Never let go of your dreams. Remember that the darkest hour is just before dawn. Success might be just around the corner. If you give up, you deny yourself, your loved ones, and the entire world of something that only you, in your uniqueness, were designed by God to give to the world. Don't quit!

Third place winner in the LOVE 101 Mother's Day Poetry Competition on May 6, 2022.  Mama’s Love  Mama dearest, I know you love me, Let me count the ways Mama dearest, I know you love me,  You’ve shown me throughout the years  You fed me, clothed me, made sacrifices for me  When I cried you wiped my tears  You taught me right from wrong  Mama dearest, how much I love you  On this Mother’s Day, I wish you   Abundant blessings and good cheer!!  Lona Isaacs May 1, 2022.  Written for my mother Mrs Esther Isaacs  Mother’s Day 2022.

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 (NIV)   The story of Esther’s meteoric rise to the position of queen and eventually rescuing her Jewish people from death and destruction is a well-known Bible story. Esther, a young Jewish orphan girl in the care of her uncle Mordecai, was suddenly catapulted from obscurity when she found favour with the King who was seeking a wife to replace Vashti who had defied his orders to appear before him. Having emerged head and shoulders above the other competitors, Esther was placed in a rigorous programme of treatment and preparation in order to step into her role as queen.  The signal act of her queenship was her daring, uninvited approach to the king, which set the stage for her people to be delivered. She had come to the kingd...

Therefore, seeing we also are compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. - Hebrews 12: 1   My handbag was waaaay too heavy. It was too much weight for me to be carrying around daily. It aggravated the pain in my shoulder which the doctor had diagnosed as tendonitis. Too much burden for my slim shoulders. So I made a decision. I was going to get rid of the unwanted stuff. When I got home, I immediately set about my task. I was determined to lighten the load. A 50-odd page document..... out. I had totally forgotten that I had put it in my bag, intending to read it at home. Several loose-leaf pages that I had printed from the computer...to file 13. Old bills and receipts.....gone. And the list goes on. The end result? A much lighter bag. A much lighter load for my slim shoulders to carry. The fluff was gone. Only the essential remain...

  Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60: 3 It was 6:15 a.m. and I was on my way to work. As I headed east on Washington Boulevard, I was struck by the awesome display of God's handiwork when I encountered a beautiful sunrise in all its glory. It was quite breathtaking, but at the same time, blinding. Not only was it breathtaking, was ....pardon me as I coin a new phrase...sight -taking...lol. At the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Molynes Road, the traffic came to a halt at the behest of the red light, and I seized the opportunity to reach into my glove compartment. I needed to put on my 'shades.' As I marveled at the spectacle in front of me, the phrase 'the brightness of your dawn',  dropped into my spirit. I knew it was biblical, but I couldn't remember the exact reference. But thank God for Google! I made a mental note to do some research as soon as I got to work. My research unearthed Isaiah 60:...