Tag Archives: poor

My Daughter Nora Attends the Queen’s Funeral.

Posted in Family, My thoughts, Nations, Restoration by

On September 8th 2022 Elizabeth 11 Queen of England and the Commonwealth died. Then followed ten days of mourning. People showed their love and respect to their Queen by lining the streets as her coffin passed through Scotland and London. Her coffin lay in State in Westminster Hall. It is said 260,000 passed by her coffin. Two million people lined the streets of London to watch the final journey from Westminster Abbey to Windsor.

Two thousand people were invited to attend the funeral service in Westminster Abbey. World leaders, foreign royalty, dignitaries, religious leaders, the Royal family, former prime ministers were to attend. 200 people who were listed in the recent Queen’s honours list were invited. Other invitations were sent to people who worked in a voluntarty capacity in organisations. .

My daughter Nora was in shock when she received an email on the tenth of September inviting her to attend the Queen’s funeral. How come? Nora worked in a voluntary capacity as Chair of the Museums in Belfast.

Nora booked her flights to attend and waited for the letter with the official invitation. She was nervous all week wondering “Is this real.” The awaited letter arrived on Saturday. We were on holiday while all this excitement was going on back home.

She shared the news with her sister Ruth who affirmed her and reassured her it wasn’t fake news. She arranged accommodation for her in London

The Archbishop of Westminster gave a brief speech at the funeral. The late Queen wanted it to be said before everyone viewing that she was a believer in Jesus.

He stated “Her Late Majesty famously declared on a 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the Nation and Commonwealth. Rarely has such a promise been so well kept!
Jesus – who in our reading does not tell his disciples how to follow, but who – said: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Her Late Majesty’s example was not set through her position or her ambition, but through whom she followed.”

My daughter too is a follower of Jesus. Jesus is the King of kings. When Pilate asked Jesus was he King of the Jews He did not deny it. Jesus told the religious leaders who accused him “. In the future you will see the Son of man seated in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Jesus is now reigning in heaven over all rule, authority, power and dominion .

Nora knows Gods love and care for her with the honor of being seated with kings and princes from the nations. Scripture says in
Psalm113,

He lifts the poor and seats them with princes in the land.

We are a family from humble beginnings. We are all honoured when Nora, one of us was invited to attend such an historical event as the Queen’s funeral in 2022.

Loving others

Posted in Family, My thoughts, Restoration by

Jon van Jon in Les Miserables said “To love someone is to see the face of God”. Someone had shown him love and kindness in his life and he went on to show mercy and kindness to many others.

Jesus said Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. It is good in one’s young life to learn to be kind and merciful to others. This way of life is often learned in growing up in family. The older children helping the younger children. Learning to give and share. Learning to forgive. Learning to be patient with one another. Learning to be supportive and respectful to elderly parents. It is the way of love.

These attributes are easily carried into adulthood. It will be easy then to reach out to someone in need: the baby, the foreigner, the widow, the orphan, the sick, the lonely and the elderly.

Jesus guarantees that when one lives a life of thinking of others that person will always get help when he is in trouble.

So young people learn to be kind when you are young. When you are older and faced with trouble your kindness will be remembered by God.

The Redeemed’s Story

Posted in Cancer, Family, Healing, Ireland, My thoughts, Nations, Slovakia by

“Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭107:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Though my blogs on WordPress I write stories of what The Lord has done for me in my life. I was in despair and feeling hopeless. I developed cancer and was near death. My family and friends cried unto The Lord for me and God saved me from death and delivered me from the growing tumour. The doctors couldn’t explain how the cancer disappeared.

The Lord is the God who made the heavens and the earth and all that dwell therein. No matter what nation you are from God made it all. I live in Ireland, a country on the edge of Europe surrounded by water. We in Ireland have a heritage of Faith in The Almighty that extends back 2000 years. Sea travellers brought the news of Jesus to these shores in the first century AD. We have stories of the redeemed in Ireland that have been handed down through writings or stories told in families from generation to generation. The Irish are renowned as great story tellers.

The Irish travelled by sea to Scotland, England and into the heart of Europe via their rivers. They brought their stories and simple way of life to the nations in Europe. St Coulumbanus is buried in Italy. Another monk is remembered in Switzerland. The Irish went to Slovakia, where my son and his family now live. They told their stories of how they were redeemed from the hand of their foes.

The Lord saved me from the grip of Satan who was bringing me to death because of my sins of rebellion and bitterness. Jesus died on the cross, shed his blood and broke the power of the prince of this world over mankind. He provided a way of escape from those held in darkness by the blinder of people’s lives. I called on Jesus to save me from death. I received his power to be delivered from death. I’m alive.

Psalm 107 describes my situation.

Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭107:2, 17-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

No matter what ones situation or whatever nation you belong to, call on the name of Jesus. Many young people are suffering despair and are suicidal because of war, poverty and disappointment in the nations. God will hear and act on your behalf. His word promises to help the poor and needy.

““The poor and needy search for water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the LORD will answer them;
I the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.
I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together,
so that people may see and know, may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:17-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The water refers to the Holy Spirit whom God will send as we call on his name. He will work the miracle needed for you.  What he has done for me, he can do for you.  God bless you today.

Help the Poor and Needy

Posted in My thoughts, Prayer, Restoration by

Today I read in James 1 v 27

Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for the widows in their troubles and refuse to let the world corrupt us.

Many times in God’s word it is written that God is interested in his people looking after the poor and needy in our midst. One can’t say they have faith if he doesn’t show it by his actions. We can’t say God bless you to someone in need without giving them food if they are hungry or clothing if they have no covering.

We Christians can be busy fighting over doctrine and our differences. We can be so busy disagreeing that we become ineffective in living the way God wants us to.

““Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 22 v 16

Jeremiah rebuked Jehoiakim for living in affluence. This son of Josiah would have seen how his father repented and brought revival to the people of Israel by teaching them the ways of God. Josiah looked after the poor and needy. He was not busy acquiring wealth but he was seeking to please God first. But the son disregarded how his father lived. Judgement came on the son.

Looking after the poor and needy can save your life.
“Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.
The LORD sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭41:1, 3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We had a friend who was kind to the poor in the town in which we lived. He was in distress when his father was dying of cancer. He could not face life without his father. He took poison to kill himself. Some of his friends prayed for him and he was completely healed with no side effects and was restored to life.

Today think about how you can be kind to someone in need. Don’t avoid the poor you come across.
‭‭

How Giving to the Poor Brought Healing to Me.

Posted in My thoughts by

My husband brought me to the accident and emergency department in my local hospital when I told him I was bleeding.
This is now four years ago.
I was examined there by a doctor from Kerela in India.
He asked my husband and daughter to come into the cubicle to talk to us all about the examination.
My daughter is a doctor herself and was very nervous about what he was about to say.
She feared the worst.
I was numb and was willing to go through the process the doctor advised.
Instead of talking about my condition the doctor addressed my husband and said, 
“Don’t I know you?”
“No I don’t think we have met before.” 
“Are you the man with the big family?”
“Yes I have a big family.”
Mary and I were perplexed.  “Why is he not getting on with talking about how he can help me?”
“Ah I know where I have seen you before.  My mother has a book written by you.  There is a picture of you and your family on the back page. That book is in my mother’s home, back in Kerala, India.”
My husband has written two books for a lady in India.  Her work reaches out to the poor.
Brendan and I looked at each other.
We knew God was with us in that hospital cubicle.
In our time of distress a doctor remembered Brendan.
That book has helped raise money for orphanages and poor people in India.
The doctor, a stranger remembered Brendan.  God remembered too.
He was reassuring us he was with us.
Psalm 41 says 

Blessed is he who has regard  for the poor and needy. I will be with him in trouble. The Lord will raise him up from his sick bed.  V 1 and 3

We were in trouble and I was on a sick bed.
We all smiled despite our present dilemma.
The doctor proceeded to tell us that he found a mass of tissue inside my back passage when he examined me.
My daughter quizzed him to get more information.
He answered, “It is a firm mass.”  My daughter knew it can only be cancer.  She did not voice what she thought.
“I will make an appointment to get a colonoscopy.  I will ask for you to be seen as soon as possible.”
We thanked the doctor and walked out of that cubicle, silent, anxious but comforted that God was with us in our trouble.
We would face the future together.
Four months later I knew I was healed from cancer.
God is faithful.  

DO YOU WANT AN INHERITANCE?

Posted in My thoughts by

Another Monday morning and you have to get out to work, or clean up after the weekend when you tried to recharge your batteries but never quite got the required boost.  The treadmill keeps on turning and you wish someday you can step off. 

Well let today be a new start.  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for God and not for men.  Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord which is your reward.  It is the Lord you are serving.  And be thankful.” Colossians 3 v 15 and 23 to 24

So whatever work you do, from the company manager, the home manager, creator, student or voluntary worker you are going to get an inheritance from the Lord.  Each day counts in building up that inheritance.  It cannot be stolen from you.  It will not decay.  If you change jobs or find yourself unemployed and help someone without payment, or are a mother at home with children you are still building up an inheritance with God.  There is no devaluing in God’s bank; you can still invest, even in the recession.

Do you believe me?  Try it.  Start being thankful to God for all things, even the difficult things. You will begin to think differently and the atmosphere around you will change.  Goodness and mercy will follow you.

God is no respecter of persons.  From the king to the poor man, no matter what nationality you are, God created you and he loves you.   He rewards those who diligently seek him.  God’s plans are for you to prosper and give you a hope and a future.

Angela