Mandy Baker Johnson

Living without Shadows

Month: March 2014

Mighty

Five Minute Friday

Five Minute Friday is where bloggers from around the world write for five minutes flat on a topic chosen by Lisa-Jo Baker without stopping to edit or self-critique our work. The topic for this week is: Mighty.

 

BEGIN:

You’re mighty in love:
You chose me and adopted me as Your daughter,
You’ve made me a princess in Your kingdom.
You pour Your compassion into my life,
And the more I get to know You, the more Your compassion spills over.
Who would have thought that I could ever begin to love without judging?
Thank You for changing me to be more like You.

 You’re mighty in power:
You saved me from sin and self,
Although I rebelled against You, You forgave me.
You don’t reject me or toss me aside,
Instead You paid for all my wrong doing at the cross.
You’ve set me free – and You are setting me free,
You give me victory over sin and self.
Who would have thought that I could be free?
Yet You have done it, and You are doing it.
Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed –
And I say Amen to that!

 You’re mighty in faithfulness:
Your faithfulness is my shield,
I am not afraid of the terrors of the night,
Because You deliver me from fear and perfect me in love.
You are my healer and You make me whole,
And You give me Your peace.
Peace is under-rated Lord, yet the best thing ever when I experience it.

 You Are Mighty, God, and I love You!

 

FINISH.

Joy

Five Minute Friday

Five Minute Friday is where bloggers from around the world write for five minutes flat on a topic chosen by Lisa-Jo Baker without stopping to edit or self-critique our work. The topic for this week is: Joy.

START:

I love to be around joyful people. They have a positive outlook on life, no matter what they happen to be going through, and they make you feel better just by being around them. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking of a couple of our good friends, Chris and Helena. They glow with the love of Jesus and visiting with them is like stepping into Heaven for a brief time. Whenever Adi and I spend time with them, all our conversation is about Jesus – usually trying to outdo one another (in a good way) with how God is blessing us and how wonderful He is!

Joyful people are attractive – there is an inner beauty that shines through despite physical looks or lack of them – and good to be around. Jesus was attractive in this way. People flocked to be around Him especially those on the fringes of society (prostitutes and ‘sinners’). The Bible tells us that Jesus is full of joy and gladness. And, after His disciples returned to Him excited after an encouraging time of sharing the Good News with people, we are told that Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.

Over the last few months, my eyes have been opened to who I am in Christ – that His Dad has adopted me and I am a child of God, and that I am a co-heir with Jesus and can enjoy all the things that He enjoys:  peace, joy, love, etc. Joy is not an emotion that we manufacture and isn’t reliant on circumstances, but is a precious gift from God. Consequently, I am beginning to enjoy joy! And I know that the more I understand with my heart what Jesus has done for me, and as I continue to follow Him and know Him better, my faith will grow stronger and I will overflow with joy and thankfulness.

Rejoice

FINISH

Christ Or Hitler?

Christ or Hitler

Christ or Hitler? is a collection of stories – in loose chronological order – about the life of Wilhelm Busch, who was an evangelist and pastor during the Nazi regime in Germany. It has been compiled and translated by Christian Puritz.

The book opens fairly dramatically with Busch’s house burning down during an air raid at the same time as him having an altercation with the secret police, which is a good hook to draw the reader in. We are then introduced to his parents, for whom he evidently had great respect and who, in his eyes, could do no wrong. Busch seemed to have a happy childhood and a fulfilling ministry. No matter what situation he found himself in, he took the opportunity to share His love and passion for Christ.

Busch’s ministry was filled with adventures, since he rubbed shoulders with all kinds of people, but he handled the different situations in which he found himself with a great deal of boldness, humility and grace. His encounters with the gestapo and imprisonments are not the main thrust of the book; it is more about what everyday life looked like during the time Hitler rose to power and ruled Germany.

I thought the translation was excellent, although it does not paint quite such a clear picture as if written and read in the mother tongue. It would provide some insights into life in Nazi Germany for anyone with an interest in this area.

I am grateful to Cross Focused Reviews and EP Books for providing me with a free ecopy of this book for the purpose of writing a review.

Rupert: A Letter To The Stuck

Rupert and Piggies

Rupert and his piggy pals, Bilbo, Nutmeg and Cocoa, were stuck in their hutch. Herself had decreed it, since the weather was rainy and windy. He could hear talkative Cocoa chuntering in the hay, Nutmeg sighing and Bilbo rummaging in the dry food bowl. Rupert stared grumpily through the wire meshing, wishing he was outside playing in the grass.

Bilbo failed to find any hidden treat in the food bowl so headed over to the hay to lie down beside Cocoa. Suddenly there was a loud squealing and squeaking. Rupert jumped round grumpily: ‘Shut up Cocoa! You’re such a drama queen!’

‘Shut up yourself!’ Cocoa shouted back, followed by a sudden squeak as she nipped Bilbo, who shot out of the hay in a hurry.

His furry face wrinkled in a deep frown, Rupert lumbered down the wooden ramp to the play area. His paws sank into the soft sawdust and he pushed past some wooden chew toys, heading for the large blue plastic box lying on its side. He jumped up and sprawled across it with a sigh of relief. Peace and quiet.

Rupert awoke to find himself sliding sideways. He tried to dig his claws into the plastic but he couldn’t get a hold. Thud! He was firmly wedged between the wooden wall of the hutch and the plastic box. Nutmeg called from the top of the ramp: ‘Rupert, are you okay?’

He grunted and, with difficulty, turned himself the right way up so that he could stand on his hind legs with his front paws on the top of the plastic box. He looked up to see Nutmeg’s white and cream face staring at him in shock. ‘What are you going to do?’ she asked.

Rupert tried to jump onto the box, but he was wedged too tightly and his paws merely scrabbled at the plastic. Panting, he gazed up at Nutmeg with panic-stricken eyes. He was completely stuck. By this time, Cocoa and Bilbo had joined Nutmeg at the top of the ramp. They could all smell the mess of Rupert’s droppings from fear. The three furry piggies scampered down the ramp and stood on their hind legs to push the plastic box with their tiny front paws. When that failed, they put their heads against it and pushed. They even took a run up and threw their little bodies against it. Nothing worked. Rupert scrabbled frantically against the plastic.

Nutmeg called a halt. ‘Don’t worry Rupie, Herself will rescue you when it gets dark.’

Bilbo brought mouthfuls of hay for Rupert to nibble while Nutmeg foraged in the play area for any leftover carrot or broccoli for him. Cocoa established herself on top of the plastic box, where she stayed throughout the day, nose-to-nose with Rupert, sometimes licking his face and ears. Drama queen she might be, but all her maternal instincts came to the fore whenever anyone was hurt or scared.

As the sun went down, the patio door opened.  All three piggies raced to the wire mesh door of the play area and squealed loudly and urgently. Herself knew at once that something was wrong. ‘What’s up little ones? she asked. She bent down to peer through the door. Bilbo and Cocoa ran in circles between the plastic box and the door, while Nutmeg scampered up the ramp to jump on the box. They kept up their constant, piercing squeals.

It didn’t take Herself long to spot Rupert’s desperate brown eyes peering at her over the edge of the box. ‘Oh Rupie!’ She quickly moved the box before scooping him into her arms. They all breathed a sigh of relief that Rupert was no longer stuck.

Rupert

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