The Speech

Thank-you to all those who have been faithfully checking this blog. It has been quite a while since I have written. It is not there there hasn't been anything to write about but it seems like every time I try I can't get the words down on paper. My very wise husband Jason says it is like the game Boggle. I have the words ready to go and then somebody comes along and shakes them all up and I know that the words are still there somewhere but I just need to find them again because everything looks different. So if you have ever played the game Boggle that is what our life has been like as of late.

I have alluded in other blogs to the fact that we were facing some big decisions that would really affect our family and life in general for the whole McGibbon clan. For those of you that we see everyday you know that we have a friend staying with us. She started out as a friend of Caroline's and over the past ten months or so we have all become friends. We have invited her to stay in our home and she has accepted. So for now we are a family of six and one friend who is like family while she is living with us. As we only have three bedrooms for this new clan of seven it has meant some changes and lots of sharing! We are all adjusting to our new situation and we look forward to seeing what God has in store.

I was struggling with some of the issues that surround our expanded clan this past week and I called Anita. I was wrestling with self doubt that I could handle all the pressures of this new situation. Not because of the little girl we have taken in who is a sweetie but because the arrangements are a complicated situation.

I started to cry, as my friend answered "Hey what's up!" "I am calling for the speech" I responded quickly as my voice started to crack. "I know, I know the speech, I know I have given the speech but I need you to give me the speech and quick." And my dear friend instead of calling me a ninny reminded my how much God loves me and she quoted scripture about what He says about me. And she reminded me what He says about this little girl who is in our home and she told me again that with God all things are possible. "You can do this" she said "because He is going to do it." And as the words sank into my heart, the lump in my throat started to get smaller and my voice got stronger and I was reminded again by my amazing friend that God is control and He has plan for our family and He has a plan for this sweet little girl.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

When I got off the phone with Anita, I felt so much better. A few seconds later the phone rang and it was Cheri. "Hey" she said. "I can't get you off my mind are you okay?" "Yes" I laughed! I just called Anita and she gave me the speech and I am doing much better. Cheri also gave me her version of the speech which ended with her telling me to call Louise for more prayer and scripture just to make doubly sure that I was going to be okay!

Every once in a while life requires your good friends to give you the speech even when you know the words by heart. Thank-you to my dear friends who gave me the speech and those of you who would have given it to me if Anita and Cheri had been out!

A Lesson from a Group of Fireflies

I feel like I have been unplugged forever! We are back from family camp where the whole gang had a blast. TJ (and Jay and I) survived her first camp experience including sleeping in a tent. She loved the worship and continues to go around our house singing at the top of her lungs. "I just want to be a sheep" and "Oh when the saints come marchin' in!" At the last minute we took a friend of ours and the kids had a great time teaching her all the songs and showing her all the great stuff about camp. Jason and I taught together for the first time and really enjoyed all the adults in our group. We used Ephesians 1:1-14 to look at what scripture has to say about, our Heavenly Father, our Saviour His Son, The Holy Spirit, the body of Christ and our call to missions. The directors of family camp and the permanent staff at Ryerson did a fabulous job of blessing all of our families and we loved hanging out with them and watching God work!

Each night I would head off some time between 8 and 9 pm and try to get TJ settled down for bed. Jason and kids would head off to the dining hall, to play some board games with other families and so it was usually nice and quiet. It is really dark at camp when you are away from the city lights. Once I turned off the flashlight in the tent it was too dark to read or really see too much so I would usually lie on my air mattress and chat with God about the day, as TJ started to drift off to sleep.

I think it was about mid week that I noticed the tiny flying lights. At first, I thought, I was seeing things as I saw one little light quickly glow and then vanish into the dark. As I stared into the open space, I realized that I had seen it again and then the glow became more frequent and soon there was more time that I could see the tiny lights then not. I realized that they were fireflies congregating together and shining their beautiful sparkling lights for all the world to see. Pretty soon, the light show was amazing and I could hear other campers talking about the fireflies and commenting about the beauty. I heard kids asking their parents what are those lights and why do they do it? I must have watched them for over half an hour.

When I finally laid my head back down on the pillow, I thought what a great reminder those fireflies are for the body of Christ. I had noticed the one little firefly on his own but as he attracted more of his firefly friends the beautiful show began and that is when the kids began to ask about why these little bugs do what they do. God wants us to be in community shining brightly together for Him. When we go out into our communities as the body of Christ our neighbours will ask who we are and why is it that they do what we do? So as you head out into the world this week take a lesson from the fireflies and shine your light!

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16