All posts by Gwenyth

I live on the outskirts of Whangarei, the northernmost city in New Zealand. I enjoy many things, ( writing amongst them), have been married to Keith for sixty-one years, have three married daughters, nine grandchildren and seventeen great- grandchildren who are scattered in various countries. No cats and no dogs as they would cramp our life-style.. We are obviously retired, but were farming further north before moving to the town over thirty-five years ago. We attend one of the local churches across the same side of town that we live.
Stories for Littlies

Why Clean the Shower?

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   Bobby and Betty were playing ball outside on a winter’s day. The ground was quite wet and it wasn’t long before the ball was covered in mud. The next shower came and they went inside for a drink.

“Bobby!” exclaimed Mum, “Just look at your hands and your clothes! You are covered in mud!!” “That’s alright, Mum”, Bobby said, “It’ll wash off!” and he reached out for the drink that Mum had ready. “Bobby!” Mum said sternly, “That’s no way to talk! Don’t you know how much work it takes to get your clothes clean?”

Betty came bounding into the kitchen just then. “Betty!” Mum exclaimed, “Whatever have you been doing? You’re so grubby!” “I’ve been playing ball with Bobby!” Betty said (as though Mum couldn’t tell!) “Well, you’d better both go and have a shower and put clean clothes on as soon as you’ve finished your drinks”, Mum said.

“I’m going first!” Bobby said, as he gulped down the last of his drink and went off to the bathroom. “You make sure you wipe the shower box out with the spray cleaner when you’ve finished”, Mum called after him. “Why do we have to wash the shower box out?” Betty asked, “It’s clean water”. “Well”, Mum said, “there’s the dirt that comes off you, and the soap has a certain amount of grease in it, so the splashes inside the shower get thicker and thicker until it looks like a greasy scum over the whole thing. That is VERY hard to get off. It’s much easier to keep it clean all the time”.

“That’s right”, said Dad as he came into the kitchen catching the last bit of conversation. “You know it’s just like the little bad things that we do and say every day. If we don’t keep telling God that we are sorry for these things and ask Him to help us do better next time, we  end up being mean and nasty all the time. It’s not a good idea to be like that! It’s much better  to do it every day.”

     This little story has a great application for each one of us. We all need to confess our shortcomings to God every day. Just as we need to constantly shower and wash our bodies, so we need to constantly clean our souls, This can only be done by confession of the wrong and repentance (which means turning away from it). We cannot do this on our own, but only with the help from Above. This is another reason for a daily prayer time.

Morning Musings

Taking a Break!

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     We’ve just been away, and have come home ready to tackle all the things that have happened while we were away….namely in the garden! It is always good to get away and see new things, and have experiences that make one glad to be back home. For instance, the traffic in the big city is not so bad for a one off time, but imagine having to put up with that every day (as so many do!) So we came back ready to take up things again, and thankful for what we do have!

     It reminded me that even in the time of Christ, He said to His disciples, “Come aside and rest a while”…. they had been so busy dealing with the crowds that were following Him for what they could get out of Him, and He knew they needed to have a rest from it all. But alas, when they got to the other side of the lake, there were the crowds waiting for Him again! How their hearts must have sunk! They had only had a couple of hours of rest while the boat sailed across the lake!    But Jesus had compassion on the crowd and began talking and teaching them things about the Kingdom of Heaven. The day soon passed, and dusk began to fall. The disciples said to send the people away so they could buy some food. They couldn’t see how they could possibly feed this huge crowd, and Jesus asked how much food they had between them. They only found five buns and two fish, barely enough for one grown man.

    But Jesus took the food, and gave His Father thanks for it….He then broke it into pieces and gave it to the disciples to pass around to the crowd.  They all had enough to eat, and there was even food left over! What a miracle this was! If they had stayed on their own without this crowd, they would never have seen this happen.       So it with us when we put ourselves out for others, we will find the extra energy to meet this need. God never asks us to do anything for Him, even in the small things, without giving us the wherewithal to do it!

Random Devotional Thoughts

How Much Rubbish do you Have?

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     We were staying on a friend’s property in our caravan once. This place had high hedges around the paddock edges. Our friend had taken his hedge trimming machine into these paddocks to cut and trim back the tall trees that were keeping the sun from getting in. This had only made a worse mess than ever. The branches and cut pieces of the trees all fell on the ground beneath as they were cut off. There was no way the grass could grow up fresh and sweet there.     We went home and then came back the following week. By this time he had taken his tractor into the paddock again, and had pushed all the scraps and branches into large heaps ready for burning when the weather was right. It was surprising what a large area was now clear right up to the tree trunks, enabling the grass to grow there as extra feed for the cattle.

   It made me think how this is a lot like our lives. We allow things to creep in and crowd out what is helpful to others. Our time is taken up with things of no real value, and we have no time for the things that matter.      Sometimes the things that we do are creative and beautiful, but if we can’t give them away to someone who appreciates them, we are really just wasting our time. Other things are  frivolous time fillers just to keep us occupied.

    These are the things that need to be cut off in our lives and let fall to the ground, and then pushed up into piles and burned. What is taking up all our thoughts and time? Let’s make sure that we clean up around the edges of our lives, and give ourselves more time and space to do things for others.

   The Bible talks about building our lives with wood, hay and stubble, and how these things are easily burned, whereas if we build with valuable metals these only get refined if a fire goes through them  (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). So we need to take stock of our lives, and see what should be taken away NOW, as it will all go through the refining fires of our Master in a time to come….and then what will be left?

Life Lessons

The Storms of Life (continued)

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        Sometimes when we are faced with several choices to make with quite monumental results, we hesitate and think things through, weighing up the possible results carefully. Then we make our decision in the light of our research. This is especially true for those who believe that God can and will direct their paths.

    Take the time that the disciples  crossed the vast lake at the command of the Lord Jesus, and ran into one of the worst storms they had ever experienced. They were experienced fishermen who could read the weather signs and knew how to handle these sudden storms that whipped up the lake surface into a frenzy. Jesus knew all this, and He knew a storm was coming up that would test them to the maximum.  They hadn’t made a mistake that brought this upon them, they were there for a purpose.

     Remember this….Jesus Christ knows the storm we are in at any given time. He could have stopped the storm coming to the disciples, but He wanted to show them His power. We don’t encounter these storms because we have made a mistake, we have to go through them to learn more about Him. He knows the storm that I may be in right now, but He wants me to go through it so He can show me His power and refine the dross out of my life and strengthen the faith I have in Him.

The Lord speaks to us in these three ways …. In the storm….He comes to us through the storm, walking on the water…”I will never leave you”, He says. (Read Matthew 14: 22-26) Through the storm… He reminds us that He is there with us…”don’t be afraid”, He says, “trust Me”. (Read Mark 4: 35-39) The storm within you….often when these storms come, they attack us from the inside. We get in a turmoil because of circumstances beyond our control, and wonder where we are going to turn next. A man named Nicodemus was like this, and he went to Jesus to ask for help. It seems that he was a man in turmoil, not knowing which way to turn. But Jesus went straight to the root of his problem, and told him he needed to have a whole new way of life, and how to get it….we read about this in John chapter three.

Don’t be afraid of being afraid….storms always have an end. There will be a period of calm when it is over and then another one may come but because we have proved our Lord’s help with the first one, we have confidence within the next one. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

We cannot build the house during the storm, we must have it built before it comes! Remember….He is the Lord of all our storms.      Transitions in life come to all of us, and how will we handle them?  Will we go through them kicking and wrestling as it were, or will we just trust  God to work things out? Transitions are never peaceful, they are a time of turmoil. Take the birth of a child….a time of labour for the mother and time of turmoil for the child leaving the womb to enter this world.      So many things in our lives are a transition….a new baby brings a whole new way of life to a couple; a move to a new area is a period of turmoil until settled in; children reaching the teenage years bring a transition for both themselves and their parents.     Then again there is the transition into the empty nest syndrome and finally into retirement. But that is not the end….what about the transition into the retirement village and then the rest home? What about the transition of the loss of a spouse? It seems that the whole of life is a series of transitions. We need the Lord’s help in each of these transitions in life. Nothing remains static…change is the essence of life. Let’s make sure that we approach each of these transitions with the peace of God in our heart and mind. Let’s remember the verse in the  Bible that says….    Be anxious about nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Life Lessons

The Storms of Life.

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        We have been trying to track down where the different boats (launches and yachts) that we have owned over the years, are now. This brought back many memories, not the least the very first trip up the coast from where we had bought it, to our home port. At this time we knew very little about sailing, so it was a great learning curve for us. Not only that, but that very first trip brought us a whole range of different types of weather that could ever be found on the sea!

    Leaving port early on the morning of that first trip, we found the whole area blanketed in a heavy fog. Horrors, what were we to do? But we had someone with us who could read a chart, and he was able to guide us through the fog from buoy to buoy marking the channel. This made me think of how we all need a chart to guide us through the intricacies of life. There is no-one apart from Jesus Christ who can do this for us. The main thing is that we have to trust his leading, even when we can’t see the reasons why.     Finally the fog lifted, and we could see where we were after all…..we were right on course after all. Our guide had made no mistakes, and in the same way we can have complete confidence in our Heavenly Guide to keep us in the right way. We had a great sail the rest of the afternoon with a gentle breeze to the island where there was safe harbour to spend the night.  

     After this time of plain and pleasant sailing, we settled down for the night very pleased with our trip thus far.  The next morning however, was a different story. The wind had gone around and was coming right in from the sea with lowering skies, and the weather looked decidedly ominous. We had no option but to carry on, as the crew wanted to get back to work the following day.       It wasn’t long after we set off, that the wind began to rise, and continued to do so until it was reaching almost gale force. After battling this for a couple of hours, our guide said, “This is the last chance we have of getting some shelter before having about three hours of open sea to cross…..what do you think?“     The yacht gave a sudden lurch just then, and fell down a particularly steep wave, deciding us to make for shelter. In the storms of life, we find that things will get almost out of hand before we decide to take the shelter that God offers us. The sudden peace that such a course gives is past understanding! To hear the wind still howling in the trees on the headland while we sat in peace and quiet behind it, was wonderful! So it is as we take a course in life to escape the full force of the wind of trials and troubles to shelter in the promises of God. We can still hear the wind howling above us, but we remain untouched.

    One thing about storms, is that they never last for ever! So on this trip, after a couple of hours, the front passed over, and the wind went around with the sea dropping enough to  enable  us to carry on with our voyage. There was still a strong wind blowing, but it was a kind wind to send us on our way, not a vicious one set on hindering our trip.     This is what we will find during life….after the storms that beset us, there will come a time of relative peace. What we have learned through the storm, helps us to appreciate this wind that takes us along with a good speed, and to make the most of it.    We may wonder what the purpose of this rough weather was, but it may not be for ourselves, as it all goes to make for  experiences that we can encourage others by. Platitudes may not be much help to others, but the experiences that we have been through speak volumes to others in need.

     Darkness began to fall by the time we reached the harbour we were aiming for. But the buoys here were well lit, marking the channel as we made our way to the mooring. Once again, the chart had it all well marked, and we made our way up the channel with full confidence. So as we follow the words in the Bible daily, we don’t need to be groping our way through our life hoping for the best. We just need to remember to profit by the storms we experience, and to encourage others in their walk as well. No one can argue with a real life experience!

Life Lessons

Curiosity Killed the Cat!

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    I grew up in a small country community where everyone knew everyone else’s business, and what they couldn’t find out, they made it up instead! So I always like to find out the whys and wheres when something unusual is seen.

    This time, we had made our usual summer trek north to our holiday area, and what should we see as we came around the bend in the road by the big local river, but a house sitting on the edge of the river bank among the mangrove trees. Not only one house, but behind it was a second house! There was no real road  in to these houses, and they looked as though they had been dumped there from the river itself. Visiting friends a couple of days later, I saw a newspaper clipping about these two houses which solved the problem of how they had got there. They had been shipped on a barge from the big city over  two hundred miles south, and a description of the voyage north was given beside the picture. Their final destination was a few miles further up the river where they were going to be transported by truck the final few miles. So that solved the puzzle of the houses sitting in the mangroves on the edge of the river!

    It seems strange to me, that something like this makes the news, when really it is no-one else’s business but the people who bought them, while the more important things of life that concern every single person are completely ignored. It’s obvious that these houses will be eventually lived in somewhere, but no-one is really concerned with where their soul is going to live for eternity. We make all sorts of preparations for a big trip we may be going to take overseas, but pay very little attention to the most lasting trip of all which every person is going to take eventually. Surely this is the most important thing to be curious about, and the most important trip to prepare for!

Morning Musings

What do You Remember?

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    It’s always good to remember the good times, but not so nice remembering the bad times! I’ve been reminded this past week about some of the boats we’ve owned down through the years, and thought of the first big launch we owned back in 1966-1972.          Then again there is the run-about that has been our last venture out on the water. She is being taken away today to her new home, and we are sad to see her go….it is the end of an era for us, as until now, we have always had a boat of some sort. But we still have the photos and memories of those good (and bad!) times out on the sea.

    It reminded me of how memory is a gift from God to remind us and teach us things that would otherwise be completely forgotten. That is why we are told in Bible to get together with other believers regularly and remember what He has done for us, especially in sending His Son into this world 2025 years ago.  God knows how weak our memories really are, and that is why He has seen to it that His Word is written down for us to read.

   Did you know that God has books in Heaven as well? In these books is a record of every single person who has ever lived, and the things they did and said while they were alive. The Bible tells us that one day, these books are going to be opened and we will have to give an account of ourselves before Him! Our memories at that time will be crystal clear…..no-one else is going to say what we did or said or accuse us in any way, it is each one of us who will give an account of ourselves then!     Then there is another book that will be opened then, and that is called the Book of Life.  In this book is written the names of all those who have come to know God in a personal way in this life. This is the guarantee that they will have a place in God’s home when they leave this world. But for anyone whose name is not in that book, they will be separated from God and all that is good and right and beautiful for ever. We read about that in Revelation chapter twenty, verses eleven to fifteen.

    But there is still time now, to get right with God and have your name written in that Book of Life!

Adult Testimonies

What Are Your Seasons?

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    A good friend of ours passed away a couple of weeks ago, and the funeral was hel at local chapel where she fellowshipped.  When we walked into the hall on the funeral day, there was a plain wooden coffin with paintings of horses all over it and about half a dozen winning ribbons draped over it. It seemed strange to say the least! But we had only known her as an old lady, and that was only a fraction of what she had been and done in her life time! When the Eulogy was given by her daughter, we learned how she had been involved in competitive horse riding for a good part of her life.

    I couldn’t help thinking how we all have seasons in our lives, and those who have only known us for a few years have no idea of what we used to be like. What we are as old people, is only half of what we were or are! I had no idea that Julie had ever been into horses or competitive horse riding! Her daughter said she had drawers full of winning ribbons from her competitions.

     When we were younger, my brother and sister-in-law had a farm next door to ours and we used to do all our big jobs together as a team. I remembered when my sister-in-law died, of this season of our lives and how we used to work and play together. Our children grew up together as one big family, and got into all sorts of mischief.       I thought of her grand-daughters who had only known her as an older lady, so I sat down and wrote them a letter of the things she used to do when she was younger on the farm, how we all worked together, especially at times like hay making or cattle mustering. Then there was all the work she did as a Bible in Schools teacher, and how we worked together in the camp work at the local Christian Youth Camp. Then there were the sailing days on the harbour, when we would all go out together and have such fun on the water. Then there were the trips that she and her husband used to do as well…. the big one going to England and Europe for five months, as well as several around the South Island. Now there are only a few photos and all the memories that go with them.

    So her grand-daughters thought she belonged to them as an old lady, but hadn’t known that she had had another life when she was a young mother, helping in the general farm work when needed and in her church life as well. It is only at someone’s funeral that we learn of these other seasons in their life that have gone to shape them into the older person that those present knew. Let us see to it that those who attend our funeral when the time comes, will have worthwhile memories of us and that we may be an inspiration in some way to those who know us!