Summer time
Well it is finally summer and the weather is good. We have had a heat wave and in my apartment it has been terrible. The apartment building is built back in the days when the Cold war was a fact, so it has armoured concrete in the outer structure. So the heat comes in and warm up the whole place, making it almost impossible to be inside. Go out side was not really an option, since it was almost as bad there as well. We had rain twice during this short heat wave and it was most welcome.
So why did I just share this? Well, we humans have a nasty habit of complaining about more or less anything. If it is not the weather, it is the price on gas, the line in the super market or just anything else. Instead we should be glad that we have a car to get around when needed, food to eat and a roof over our heads. We take things for granted when we should not. Rejoice in what you have and thank God for His gifts!
Acts 14:17
Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
Rejoice when it is sunny and warm. Rejoice when it is raining, because God loves you so much that he let the rain fall on you. We need the rain for crops and other plants to grow. The rain make things clean and take away thirst. When God let it rain on you He shows you how much He loves you.
Isaiah 55:10-11
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Life goes on
So it has been a while since my last post. Life has a habit of reminding me that there are only certain amount of hours in a day. (Yes I know that, but I am one of those horrible people that are time optimists. I always think I can fit more in a day than possible. So my writing here can get a bit of the feeling later, after I have done this and that. Well, I think I have to make a change. Not on my own, but with the help of God I will make it work.
One of the things that has happened is that one of my kids have moved out. She is nineteen and goes to the universety. She moved two hundreds meter away. Just a cross the street. My other kid is graduating highs school and I could not be a prouder mom. My twins are grown up and a new phase in my life is starting to emerge. The one when my kids will come and visit and then go home to their place. Yes it is hard, but I have to let go sooner or later. I have to trust that they have learned enough from us to know what to do. I have to trust God in all this. He is my rock and my fortress. Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (For me the enemy to get refuge from are my worries about my kids. By prayer and hope I can rest in Gods arms knowing that he got this.)
I know that it sounds like I am a person with no worries and that I got this. But no! Nothing could be further from the truth. It is because I do not got it that I need God my Abba! I need his strength and love now as my two kids start their lives on their own. It feels strange to know that soon it will be just the two of us and God in this house hold. Life is funny that way, it just moves on and we have to follow with it. There is nothing stopping it, not even death can stop time, because it goes on after we are gone from this place. God is the only one that can stop time. Joshua 10:12-14 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
So while life goes on and we with it, try to do what God wants you to do on this earth while you still have time. Remember that it stopps for no one. How you live your life here will show where you will spend eternety. I know where I want to spend mine. God bless!
by Lady BirgithaDecember and the end of this year
The snow came this year and it has been very cold. I dislike the cold, but I can stand it, since I know that it is temporary. Well, life in a way is that as well. No, I am not going to be morbid. In this case I just have to look outside, summer is gone, left is just the memory of it. Now all is at rest, just waiting or the new start and a new life.
Our Lord and saviour came to us already dead in the spirit, due to sin. His birth was the marking of a new age. He came for us and we were given the choice to say Yes and actually get a new life, a clean slate. Or we could say No and continue our lives as they were dead inside (spirit wise). The thing is that the choices we make here has a meaning later. But that is another story. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So think about this during your celebration of this one perfect persons birth. Think of what His birth really means, not what traditions and stories say. Remember that you are one of His children. You are loved and wanted.
God bless you!
Lady Birgitha
by Lady BirgithaThings are not always as they seem
I could have named this entry “Do not believe everything you hear”. But in this case I think it is more or less the same.
We are given one life here on earth. It is up to each and every one of us to do what we can to make something out of the time given. Use the time carefully and not foolishly. You do not know what is ahead, or whom you might meet. Who knows if the person you pass is an angel. Genesis 18:1-5 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the large trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent. It was the hottest time of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. So he quickly left the entrance to his tent to greet them. He bowed low to the ground.
3 He said, “My lord, if you are pleased with me, don’t pass me by. 4 Let me get you some water. Then all of you can wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat to give you strength. Then you can go on your way. I want to do this for you now that you have come to me.”
Think about that. Who knows what else you might find or whom you might meet. Remember to read your bible together with God and other people, so you may grow in your faith.
Gods blessings
by Lady BirgithaLife here is to short
Fall has come yet again to my neck of the woods. This morning I saw the mist lifting and the sun shining through the thin vail. It was a magical moment of pure beauty. I could feel God close by, it was so intense those short seconds that I looked but what I felt was not only his presence but his breath. I know it might sound crazy but that was the feeing I had. That is how close I felt to Abba for a few seconds.
Psalm 73:28 ESV
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
We get one life here on earth. Make the best of it and choose carefully, because how you choose here will determind where you spend eternety. God will not make that choice, just as he did not make any other choices for you. Only you can make that choice in how you live here and now. Tomorrow has not yet been written, so do not leave what you can do today wait, because you do not know.
James 4:13-17 ESV
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Just a reminder to live your life now.
As I write this my husbands biological grandmother´s funeral is comming up. She had lived a long and as I see it fruitful life. Yes it had its ups and downs, but she had lived a full life. A loving and caring woman is what comes to mind. She was not very tall, but her heart was huge and so was her love. If there are two things I will always keep with me is her way of feeding her loved ones. There was always food and or snacks in her home. If you did not waddle out afterwards, you had not eaten enough. Sewing was anohter thing. She had been a seamstress and she had taught the art of sewing to future seamstress teachers as well. I learned a lot from her during the times we spent together, even if I do not speak spanish or her swedish was not the best. We managed with some help from my husband, pointing and signs. I had a great time with her and she has a special place in my heart.
No I am not going to talk about heaven, but how life must go on for us that are still here. As christians we have a comfort in knowing that we will meet our loved ones again. This is temporary and next time we meet will be for ever. Granted that our loved one is a christian that is.
But it is not easy even if we know this in our hearts. It feels like it is forever. We would love for this person to still be around for just a few more years. I have myself lost my grandparents many years ago. I was heart broken both times, but I can say that as a christian I found comfort in scriptures that I did not have before. (I used to be a seeker, believing in something bigger than myself.)
John 16:22, “So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.“
Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Yes I have found comfort in these words. In my time of grief I have found a friendship so deep and I love so sweet that I cannot explain it. I can only say that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.
I know that there are times when things are not so easy and things seems so dark. It feels like God is not around at all. That all your prayers have been rejected and thrown into a fire. All these verses I just listed feels like a slap in the face. I am not trying to make your feelings small and un real. But I do not sit on all the answers. Only God does, even if he seems far away. (See earlier blog entry.) I hope and pray that one day even you might find comfort in the bible. But remember that it will take time and that God is waiting for you. He is there with you every step of the way, even if you do not see or feel it. He has promised us that. So hold on to that promise with all you got.
Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Deuteronomy 31:8, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This was a tad dark, but I hope that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just remember to live your life and grow in your relationship with God.
God bless!
LB
by Lady BirgithaFellowshipping is the key!
Well, I know I should have written more during my vacation. So sorry about not doing that. I just feel like time has some how just vanished. It feels like I have been doing everything and nothing. I have been out with great friends and family, BBQing with the same people and as of lately BBQing with our church. It has been a very hot summer. At least for us here in Sweden. We are not use to the heat and our homes are not built for it. But I am not complaining, soon winter will come and this will be just a memory.
So if I could sum up this summer so far, it would be fellowshipping to the max! Yes when you are together and sharing something, like a meal or bread with a beverage you are fellowshipping. As a christian you fellowship more than you think. So what could it be? Well in order to fellowship we need a common ground, something that brings us together like our belief (Acts 2:42) “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Work (Nehemiah 4:6), “6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
Faith (Daniel 3:17-18), “17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.“
Need (2Corinthians 8:13 – 15) “13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”[b]
and struggles (Daniel 3:28-29), “28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
Other areas that are necessary for fellowship include a common purpose (Psalms 133:1), “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!“
Conviction (1Peter 3:8), “8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.“
Hope (Ephesians 4:4).,”4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;“
So as you can see for your self, fellowship is more than just eating a meal or sharing something from scripture. I think that fellowship is everything that we do together in God the father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Gods blessings upon all y´all!
Lady Birgitha
by Lady BirgithaSummer!
Well summer is here! The snow has been replaced by green grass, plants and leaves. It is beautiful, but also for some of us, a terrible time because of pollen.
It has been a year with restrictions and darkness. From time to time it has felt like being in a dark room and not being able to find the light switch. But now it seems like there is a light under the door, so finding the switch is easier. Soon we can come back to see people again without being afraid of hugging or being close. (Well that is what I pray and hope for. But we are not out of the woods just yet. We have to be patient, so not to stumble.
Philipians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Yes the only thing we can do is to pray and wait. We are not very good at that waiting part. It is like we want it all and we want it now. But we have to wait and not haste, or we will fall short just before the finnish line. In all of this God is working. We just do what we can and let him do his part. I know that it is hard just to not being able to do anything except to pray, wait and be still. (This does not mean siting on ones butt doing nothing, it means do your job and keep away from crowds as much as you can. Use your head and be wise in your decisions.)
Proverbs 19:20“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”
God bless y´all!
Lady Birgitha
by Lady BirgithaWeekend!
Ah it is a great day! It is sunny and I have not done much today. Yes some laundry and some writing in one of my books. But other than that… Oh yes a work out this morning and some early bird shopping. But it has been nice, to actually do nothing, or less than usual. A well needed rest. Rest is important.
God think it is so important that he urges us to do so. To rest at night while sleeping, or in his arms, or on the seventh day.
To rest is to reflect and listen to Him. There is physical rest, mental rest and spiritual rest. Spiritual rest is as important as breathing, or we will not be able to follow God and go where He leads us. In order to get that, we need to get physical rest in order to get both mental and spiritual rest. Spiritual rest is best achieved through prayer. When we talk to God our spirit connects with the Holy Spirit and get renewed energy by just being lifted up and into Gods arms.
So how do we get to rest in and with God?
Hebrew 4:9-11
9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
Philipians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
It is good to keep it in mind, especially now when so many are mentally stressed out due to Covid. I can only urge to pray. Stop whatever you are doing and seek Him in prayer. Seek Him for comfort and friendship. Get to know Him and your spirit will rest. Maybe it will be easier now when we can see the light in the tunnel. Soon we can slowly get back to our lives, but we will no longer be the same. What kind of person we have become is up to us. Are we better or bitter. It is a choise to make. I for one hope I will better. I know for sure that I will not be bitter. Why? Because being bitter hurst every one around me, just as being better. Just the latter one brings joy to everyone instead.
So remember to rest and seek the Lord
God bless!
LB
by Lady BirgithaSnow is falling…
Well we are still in the hard grip of this pandemic. Life is still in a limbo state. Some people still act like they are entitled to do what they always have done. For me it feels like they do not care about anyone else but themselves. How hard could it be? Do not travel unless you really have to. Do not meet with too many people. Keep your distance…. And so forth. To go on vacation is not a need, it is a want. We have to stop making our wants into needs. Make your vacation at home and have fun with what you have. Save that want for when it is safe to do it.
Philippians 4:11
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
As I write this there is a heavy snowfall outside. I pray that it will be gone before I go home today. But it is not needed, I just want it to stop. I long for summer with long warm days and evenings. With a sun that hardly sets, since I live so close to the arctic circle.
Life must continue and it is, we just have to adjust to it as it is at the moment. It is not funny, but nobody said it would be ether fun or easy. We just have to do our best to live it as gracefully and kind as we can. Let us be the light that shows the way.
Matthew 5:6
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
God bless!
Lady Birgitha
by Lady Birgitha