Monthly Archives: January 2014

DAVID’S BIRTHDAY part two

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My daughter got in touch with Brendan at the airport.  The information desk paged him on the intercom.  He was soon to board his flight to London.  He returned home to be with me at the hospital.  Our baby was well on its way when Brendan arrived.  I was delighted to see him.  The labour progressed.  Brendan brought me extra courage and strength.  David was born, a healthy baby boy of ten pounds with a strong pair of lungs.

I have always been excited when I started in labour.  I know the waiting is over and my baby will be born soon.  I had no fear for my well being or my child’s health.  I believe in God’s promise that “Children are a gift from God”Psalm 127 v 3 and “He will keep me safe in childbearing.” 1 Timothy 2 verse 1.

Children wait in anticipation for a Christmas present from parents, or “Santa Claus” and do not be disappointed.  Before Christmas I see parents going around franticly looking for their children’s presents, greeting stressed out and spending much money.

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11:11-13 NLT)

Brendan and I decided many years ago to delete Santa Claus out of our family.  We had many reasons.

1.  Santa Claus is a lie. If we as parents tell our children lies when they are young, then how will they trust us  to believe important things we tell them later in life.

2.  This lie is mixed in with an important event in the Christian calendar, Christmas, the birth of Jesus, a gift from God the Father.   It is good to give gifts to one another at this time to celebrate God’s gift to us.  But let us be truthful about it. You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.

3.  One can live within ones means.  Many people get into debt at Christmas time.  The consumer society makes most profit at this time.  How come Santa does not go to the poor countries of Africa?

4.  One does not have to get stressed out living up to expectations of having to buy presents, Christmas tree, turkey, make big meals, celebrating.  Christmas Day is the most stressful day of the year when family tensions run high.

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:31-34 NLT)

5.  Many people want the fun, fellowship and feasting but do not acknowledge the One that Christmas is all about.

It turned out that eight of our children were born around the Christmas season.  Our children were gifts from God to us.

I was very comfortable in the maternity unit I was transferred to.  It was a home from home.  Twenty five years ago mothers were happy to stay in hospital to get help with their babies. One could get a good night’s sleep.  The night nurses fed the babies.  Now because of financial cuts and mother’s choice the stay in hospital is one or two days after the baby is delivered.

I was happy for Brendan to go to the conference.  I would stay in hospital and enjoy the care, until his return.  I got plenty of rest, good food, and had time to bond with my beautiful new son.
I had no care for tomorrow.

David is a bright, handsome young man.  He has a heart to work with disadvantaged people.  He has already worked in Nicaragua and India.  He is overcoming difficulties to get into his destiny that God had planned for him before he was born. May God bless him this year.

It is also the twenty fifth anniversary of the Keg Worth aircraft crash today. On the night of David,s birth, when Brendan was on his way from Belfast to London, a flight from London to Belfast crashed with 114 people on board.  Forty seven people died.  It is a sad day for many.  I will not forget David’s birthday.

COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW

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Today there is a display of colours of the rainbow in my living room.  My husband bought me a beautiful crystal bunch of grapes many years ago.  I had it sitting in my display cabinet for a long time.  
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About three years ago, after he was decorating our living room, Brendan decided to give the crystal  a more prominent place in our living room.  He hung it from an old gas light fixture on our wall.  It hangs like a bunch of grapes on a branch.  Brendan is very creative.
 
Later that morning he entered the room and there were flashes of rainbow colours all along the wall.  He called me to see the spectacle. Whow!!  It was special moment.  We watched as the lights danced along the wall when Brendan spun the grapes around.  The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant.  
 
When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” (Genesis 9:14-16 NLT
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

David’s Birthday

Posted in Dreams, Family Friday by

On the  eighth of January my son David will be twenty five.  He is my tenth child and fifth son.  That made my family up to five boys and five girls, a nice round figure and an equal number of boys and girls.

When I was expecting  David we had the opportunity to get some renovations done in our home.  We were blessed to move to a house big enough for all of us while the work was going on.  Aine was our live in Nannie at the time.  She was with us for two years and was a great blessing, helping with my work of rearing children.

Different events happened to us in that year. Brendan had a smart little black sports car.  He was driving past a building in Coleraine when a bomb went off.  The car windows smashed, debris reigned down on the car and Brendan was pretty shaken.  I think the loud blast affected his ears.  But Praise God Brendan was able to drive home.  The car was restored.  Life went on as if nothing happened in the Mc Cauley household.  Brendan did not have time to think he was injured.

I was learning to drive.  I was enjoying my new freedom driving out in the country with the driving instructor.  No children to look after for a while.  One day Brendan suggested I apply to do my test.  The instructor was happy to drive me around as long as I was paying.  So a driving test was arranged.

I had a dream while I was expecting David, that I will never forget.  I saw these scorpion / horse like demons.  They were coming to get me.  I was frightened of them but I remember saying to them “I am going to tell Brendan on you.”  They all ran away.  What the dream was telling me, if I come under attack from any demons, all I have to do is tell Brendan and he will deal with them.  My husband has the authority to protect me.  When I had cancer Brendan was able to take his authority over me and drive away the demons that were trying to kill me.

We spent Christmas in our temporary home and got ready for David’s arrival in the New Year.  A friend sent us a Christmas card with a family of rabbits on the front.  Ha Ha. It did not bother me what friends thought about me having a big family.

Brendan had booked to go to England for a conference in January.  We thought our baby would have been born before Brendan was due to leave.  My babies tended to come late and David was no exception.  I was happy Brendan went ahead to the conference in England.  I hoped our baby would wait a little longer.

We all waved to Brendan as he headed off to the the airport with his friends.  I reassured him I would be okay.  About an hour later my waters broke, which is the beginning of being in labour.  I sent one of the children across the road to my friend, who sent me the card with the rabbits, to ring the airport to try and contact Brendan.  We did not have mobile phones or i Pads then!

Brendan had been to the birth of all my children.  He was always a great support to me at the births, comforting and praying for me.  Would we be able to get in touch with Brendan before his flight left, and return to be with me for the arrival of our son?

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/weekly-writing-challenge-cliffhanger/

The Salmon

Posted in Canada, Prayer, Provision by

When Brendan and I were in Seschelt our friend Ivan took us for a drive up along the coast.

We parked near a bay and our host told us he often went fishing there. The salmon were abundant in these waters and one was sure of a catch. What an ideal way to spend an evening in the sunset on his little boat in the bay. This certainly was the good life.

We stopped off at a coffee shop. Some people called over to us and told us “The salmon are running!”
There was a small river flowing nearby. We crossed over to it and sure enough we saw salmon spawning in the shallow waters. What an oppportunity for us!

While Brendan and I rejoiced to see this feature of nature before our eyes, our friend took some video footage. We were all excited as we spent those moments. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Salmon live their adult life in the waters of the ocean. The Pacific is a big ocean, and millions of salmon return up the many rivers along the Canadian coast in Autumn. There are many types of salmon. The Sockeye is the biggest and most popular salmon caught. Wild bears and eagles have a feeding frenzy when the fish return.

The salmon has one goal, to return to the place where they were born to hatch their young. Once they leave the salt waters and enter the fresh water of the river the salmon stop feeding. They start the hazardous journey upstream over rapids, waterfalls and potholes to get to the shallow water when they can swim no further.

There the female releases her eggs in the sandy water bed and the male fertilises them. The parent salmon work is done. Every ounce of their energy has been used to get to their destination. They die soon afterwards.

We watched as the salmon released their eggs in that Creek. There were queues of fish waiting in the shallows to take their turn to lay their eggs. Perhaps they were not so keen to go forward because they knew their end was near.

Brendan, our friend and I savoured this moment. What is nature saying to us?

As I pondered on this I thought of my own life as a parent. Our goal as parents is to raise our young and help them through the stormy waters that we have passed through and show them the way.

The salmon entering the fresh water begins the journey of dying to self. This is symbolic of the one who decides to follow Jesus as well. He leaves the ocean, which represents the world and enters into the river of The Holy Spirit. Just like the salmon one has to die to self so more of the life of Christ lives in us.

As I get older I realise that on my journey in the river of the Holy Spirit I have had to die many times to my own will. As I trust God ‘s leading in my life I have peace. I can pass what I have learnt on to my children. I do not have to die physically like the salmon, but I have to die to my own will. The following scripture sums up the Christian journey.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen (Jesus the author and finisher of our faith) since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:7, 16, 18 NIV)

Weekly Photo Challlenge: Joy

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It is a new month, a New Year, and new beginnings.  I am getting rid of the empty boxes, bottles, wrappings, and cards.  The festivities are over.  It is time to recover

The Christmas preparations take their toll on ones strength.  One needs to be super strong to receive friends, family and give generously.
Did you know that joy gives one strength.  I was going through a difficult time and who does not have them, when I heard a voice say to me “The joy of The Lord is your strength.”
I built up my reserves of strength when I was in Canada in November.  I enjoyed seeing friends, making new ones and receiving love and kindness.  I enjoyed the beauty of Vancouver and the Rockies. We enjoyed the snow.
I particularly enjoy seeing the big trains at Whiterock as they trundle past and the whistle blows.  It is music to my ears.

An Invitation for 2014

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I want to send you an invitation for 2014.

“Come.  Let the thirsty one come, anyone who wants to;  let him come and drink the Water of Life without charge.” 
The invitation is to come to “A river of pure Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.  On each side of the river grew Trees of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month;  the leaves are to be used for the healing of the nations.    Rev v 1-2 and v 16.
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. (Revelation 22:3 NLT) 

The river speaks of the Holy Spirit.  God the Father sent the Holy Spirit after Jesus rose from the dead.  The Holy Spirit is symbolised by the river that flows from heaven to earth.  If one seeks to drink from this river one’s life will never be the same.
Isaiah 55 says “Come to the waters and you who have no money, come buy and eat.
Seek The Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near.”

Jesus said “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:4, 7, 8 NKJV)

I started to put this word into practice sincerely twenty four years ago.  Abide means to obey, follow or agree to.   I wanted to bear fruit.  I began to read the Word of God for fifteen minutes each day and meditated on it.  I wanted to know more of the truth.  Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life”in John 14 v 6

I prayed for fifteen minutes as well.  I prayed in my own language but also in the language the Holy Spirit gave me.  The fruit grew.
The Holy Spirit gave me the power to have my children, to rear them, to be healed of cancer and continue to live.  
2 Timothy 1 v 7 says God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

How precious is your constant love, O God.  All humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings.  You feed them with blessings from your own table and let them drink from your rivers of delight.

For you are the fountain of life. Never stop giving your blessings to those who long to do your will.
Psalm 36 v 7-9

Accept this invitation today.

Angela