An Avalanche.

I was doing a research about an avalanche. Simply fascinating! While I was at it, I could not help thinking: 'Sounds awfully familiar. Where did I hear about it before?' What I didn't realise, I had little knowledge of an avalanche, but I was closely acquainted with the affects of it.

The truth is, whether we like it or not, in life no one is 100% safe from disastrous affects of 'an avalanche'. This is a good visual, so I will us it to make my story her more vivid. 

Let's imagine a family with kids. Let's imagine a husband is really tired of the monotonous routine and moves on to where 'the grass is greener' at the moment. Let's imagine how the wife, the kids and the man himself feel and those around them such as family and friends?

When I was researching about an avalanche I've realised that there are different factors that could cause it: by humans or by nature. Guess what? When it happens it is doesn't really matter what caused it. What matters how well prepared you were for it. There is no guarantee that you will survive an avalanche. In fact there are 60% of people caught in it surely die. But if people caught in it had good companions and were well prepared in many cases lives could be spared. Wow! What a life and death difference!

Whilst I write about it, I don't want go on and on making everyone an expert on avalanche, but this is such a great illustration! In order to be wise and safe you need to have with you at least a beacon around your waste, a shovel and a probe. Those will definitely increase your chance of survival. Of course you could be extremely well prepared and bring a map, a compass, airback backpack, Avalung, avalanche safety ball and ect. Those are all extras.

Whilst the world with its pain and evil is raging all around us, it is like a wild nature force that we can't do very much about. Often we are not in control over the wars, killings, family break-ups and ect. And we can't put all the blame on God for it either even though He is in control. Our original sin passed on from Adam polluted this world and formed it the way it is. If anyone is offended by it, it should be God because He is the one we sin against. When some are saying that a concept of God is a lot of nonsense, how do they know what is good or evil, if it all evolved or exploded by pure chance? If there is NO a Moral Giver, we should all do and say as we like! Why mention about justice at all? But unbelievers do by complaining about so much evil and everything that is bad.

When on the trip to the mountains, it is vital to check all the equipment and learn how to use it, become familiar with. When an avalanche strikes, it happens in a twinkle of an eye. The person smothered by it has to be rescued as soon as possible, in a matter of minutes. You should know exactly how to use you beacon, how to 'switch it on search' and ect. In this case a survival is possible.

When we hit by our own sin or by the evildoing of others, we also could be well prepared or it could literally cripple us to the ground.

The Word of God, the Bible could be our Beacon. The Holy Spirit could be our Probe and the Pastor/Church could be our 'Shovel'. In this case, the impact will be great still, but not complete devastation.

I've listened to the people who suffered without the Lord and those who were walking with the Lord. It is heaven and earth difference. Depression, loss of desire to live and function are the main consequences to follow those who were unprepared, thinking that nothing disastrous could ever touch them and giving up Sunday for church is incomprehensible. Sunday is a shopping day! Once you depressed, the shopping will have to go along with your health and function in society anyway.   

A lady who got caught in avalanche (she was well prepared) said: 'The snow was all around, I had to breath very slowly, I could not move my arm or leg, all I could do is wait and hope to be rescued. Somehow I knew that I will be all right.' Yes, she was. Her companion was well prepared and found her in a matter of minutes. A helicopter was called and took her straight to the hospital. Four days later she was already back at home. 

A lady whose husband dropped her like an old habit (she wasn't prepared for that at all) said something like that: 'I feel like I don't want to get out of bed. I can't hear anything about them (his knew partner) and I can't stop crying. I can't believe he already has someone else. I don't want to wait any longer (the husband left her a couple of months ago). I've just filed for a divorce, he has humiliated me so much!' Their child is beyond hurt!

You see what I mean?!! It is a drastic difference between being prepared and unprepared. People can say that the Bible is 'a lot of rubbish.' I've just met with an ex-Jehovah witness. He spent his whole childhood listening to people who turn, stretch and twist the Bible in all different direction with the purpose of sheer deception.  Now he wants nothing to do with it being full of disgust towards it. I saw him leaving his Xbox on loan at Trade Inn. I was so surprised that someone will buy it and get rid of it so fast. Turns out he has no money, so he came to borrow some. Even though he is in trouble financially, he still won't turn to the true and living God.

Fighting an avalanche with your bare hands that are firmly tide up by a lot of compressed snow is fatal. The best thing I got out of this man was:' I will think about it in a few years time.' Do you have a guarantee to survive 'a spiritual avalanche' for a few years with the super powerful force up against you? Satan's lies and deception have supernatural power. Once you are enticed by them, anything ridiculous will sound just great! You can't win single handily against such avalanche or Satan's super power. You need God on your side. You need his counsel. You need His wisdom. You need the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Some of us could take a deep relief by saying: 'I read my Bible daily, I pray and I go to church.' What I haven’t realised myself for a while, that the Scripture says: ' work out your salvation with fear and trembling; search me, O God, and see if there be any wicked way in me…' Oh lala….. That should be as a morning exercise - prayers like this. Yes, born again Christians have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, but they are still on a very dangerous ground. Humans, believers or not are still great sinners to the core; therefore they love sin so much more than they love God, naturally. To sin comes naturally  easy. To love God is a mammoth effort at times. While I believe that salvation once obtained from the Lord stays with the sincere, true believer and his name has been recorded in the Book of Life Forever. But I wonder how much we are willing to obey Him and serve Him and display out affection towards the God who saved us from eternal punishment?   I wonder if some of the families in the West experienced what believers in Orissa (or many other places) had to deal with when Muslim neighbours cooked their children, served them on a rice platter and were put just outside their homes. How many families still will be attending the church knowing their children might be next? We can't say 'I will think about maturity later on in life.' Robert Murray M'Cheyne died before his 30th birthday,so did Jim Elliot. We are not always guaranteed tomorrows. I don’t know the answer myself. I only hope that I would be prepared and ready to face that sort of test of my faith by the Grace of God.

We must examine ourselves on a DAILY, not yearly bases! We need to learn how to spend quality time with the Lord in this fast paced life.     

We must guard our hearts from idols. We must maintain spiritual discipline, but it should never become an unbreakable tradition or a barrier for the Holy Spirit' intervention.

    

We must have godly people around us, in order to be able to have an accountability and wise council at times of need.

It does sound rather a lot, but looking at devastating consequences of an avalanche, would you rather be ready for it, or sorry because of it?

Happy Bible reading in the light of the Holy Spirit! That's what I said to an ex-Jehovah witness as he affectionately called his Xbox: 'my baby'. 'You spent hours on it. You never read what God has to say. Why do you think He would wish to spend an eternity with you in company?' Yes. That's is a good question we must ask ourselves when ANYTHING comes between God and us.

Is it worth gambling eternity with for a non-believer?

Is it worth getting vexed, being thrown to and fro by Satan while trying to reach a Celestial City for a believer?

   

A gift beyond price or The UGGs.

A Gift Beyond Price or the UGGs.

Nurturing five young children is anything, but easy. Our family had a routine   dental appointment. My husband and I decided to walk by the beach first; the dental surgery was not far from the pier. It all ended up in a big rush. Parking in tiny street spaces was a challenge. My husband was repeating as a consolation: 'When they were building towns in England, they didn't have cars in mind.'

 'Yes, the world is changing.' The children were already miles ahead when it came down to the computers.  I've prayed that they will be just as hungry for the spiritual knowledge.

The minute we came in, an elated receptionist enquired for our surname. There was a generous selection of magazines on the display. My four-month-old baby, who just recovered from a nasty chest infection, seemed content. The older children were already absorbed into an imaginative make up game.

'What bliss,' I thought, landing in a chair. I knew why God intended for believers 'to be fruitful and multiply', they will long for heavens rest more! My eldest, Laura, was immersed in the world of fashion. She found it entertaining to look at the price tags. Maths is her favourite subject.

Soon Laura was tagging onto my sleeve.

'Look, mum', she pointing at a plain blouse with a tag of 180 pounds. 'Why pay a fortune for a top?!'

'Mum, have a look at this!'

She passed the magazine.  A framed tropical heaven, where women sat, with pearly teeth and ocean matching eyes, on white sand in UGG boots, lured you in. Turquoise water was shimmering in a distance.

 Our holiday to Greece came to mind. We visited a Turtle nesting beach. The cigarette butts covered the sand. Turtles were nowhere in site. Here, even if the sheep's skin weren't your preferred footwear, the boots reflected an ultimate fusion of comfort and fashion, with an inaccessible paradise as a backdrop! As almost implying: 'Buy the boots and you feel the same as us.' Looking at the price tag, I closed my eyes. 'Who would not pay to imitate such a dream?' I knew from experience. Exchanging looks with my daughter, we had a hidden secrecy run between us.

My boys enjoy skateboarding. Comfortable shoes are vital. Re-energized, I faced the boys. I knew that when the Holy Spirit gets involved, it is a success.

'Would you like to hear a fascinating story?'

'What is it about, mum?' - inquired Daniel, a fact collector.

'Boots and faith.'

'Go on.'

'Look at this photo,' I've passed the magazine closer to them.

'These are genuine sheepskin boots. One of the best on the market.'

'They're pricey,' - my fact-collector observed.

'Highly skilled people worked hard to produce them.'

'I would not mind having a pair, Laura cut in promptly.    

'We had tried to buy a pair on the Internet, but fell right into the fraud net!' Laura's face showed that she hasn't forgotten about it.

'Remember a parcel that arrived with a fake sheep skin boots?'

'Life can be just like that,' I continued. 'Often we come across people who are not genuine. They will disappoint or hurt us.'

Seeing that I got all of their attention, I pressed on:

The Bible says: 'If God is for us, who can be against us?'

'As long as you believe these words, you don't need to fear. This fact makes all the difference.'

I've made an eye contact with Laura:

'You might not have these boots. Remember what God offers - the pleasure of being in His presence forever. He sent His Son to be slaughtered as a sheep, that you and I have a chance of knowing and enjoying Him. God's word says only faith is required. No price tag.'

They all were staring at me amused, as something had illuminated them.

'Who's in?' - I extended an invitation.

'I am, I am, I am,' all three boys shouting at once, while Laura seemed lost in her thoughts.  

The Holy Spirit had unveiled eternally rooted, unchanging truth to their small, yet inquiring minds.  

The dental nurse opened the door, with look of astonishment, staring at the boys:' One at a time, please, you are eager to check your teeth!'

Belgian Chocolate Hot Cross Buns. Is this theologically correct?

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12.

As I sit down to write my blog, I pour myself an Organic Nicaraguan coffee. The package assures me these coffee bins 'ripened slowly for a sweetness and complex character typical of the region, shaded by native trees high on Nicaragua's mountain slops.' I washed my hair by Australian Spa Organics, found in the charity shop, an excellent product. I take a Belgian chocolate Hot Cross Bun, sold in M&S in January and it melts in my mouth, tasting such richness that it surprises me how much chocolate there! Wow! God's goodness is overflowing in my life. ( By the way there will be lots of food illustrations here since the festive season is not long gone, and we all indulged a little bit too much, so please bear with me).

The closest thing to what I call a 'trial' at the moment in my life, was when one child got down with the seasonal flu. I had to carry him on my hip for a week. Now another one got it straight after and I have to carry him also. The other sees it and thinks, 'oh, it was good last week, let’s cry and make her carry me again.' So they both are competing for my sole attention and it is an energy sucker. In the future I might need a hip replacement from all the children that I've carried through the years!  But this is an advanced difficulty that possibly might not come true. So I hope and pray.

While some of us Christians have it so good, others do suffer intensely. God in His Sovereignty purposed to place some under difficulties and persecution from the start. We can't change it or do anything about it universally. Although, God does promise that each believer will face painful trials during this life. He warns us not to be surprised. The question is: if we are faced today with cancer, death in the family, trauma of any kind, uncontrollable children, can we face it and still remain strong and faithful to our beliefs by the grace of God? 

I have been learning that circumstances don't really matter that much when THE WAY WE THINK is re-adjustable. We could read the Bible for years and choose ONLY what is appealing. A classic example of that is a fact that I've recently noticed. One of my relatives told me about a particular nutritionist, highly praising him for this and that years ago. I was busy, didn't really looked in to it at the time. Now, I bought his book and studied thoroughly. Turns out, he not only advises everyone eat good fat, as my relative informed me years ago. He explains how bad sugar is and we can't feed it to the children and expect them to be smart while brain is 60% made out of fat! This relative of mine never even mentioned about the sugar bit… because she loves sugar so much, she can't even think about giving it up. As years go by, out habits only get more set in their ways, and it is virtually impossible to change things anymore.

We could read the Bible in the same way. We leave the passages we don't intend to apply, ignored. We don’t specifically pray over our own weaknesses. Guilty of that myself. I would admit it first myself. That's how I know that others do it just the same.

What happens next? If we are not crucifying our carnal flesh actively, not asking the Lord to illuminate the sins that we keep on an anchor so keenly in our lives, we will seek the way to indulge in our sin instead. Just like hot cross buns. Traditionally they were produced to remind about Lord's crucifixion. Even today they are often served in churches on a Good Friday after the service. Suddenly, they sell them all year round in the shops. And they are not plain with raisins; they are full of indulgent Belgian chocolate! No more focus on sufferings or the cross, just something to satisfy our pleasure-seeking taste.    

As I was listening to pastor Tim Keller, he summed it up like that: ' If you seek after happiness, you will never find it; if you seek after righteousness, you will find both.'

As we wished each other 'happy new year' I hope and pray, it included some possibility for intense sufferings and pain to take place if God purposes so. Those are tools that will chisel Christ in us better than any pampering ever will: 'God loves you so much that He can't leave you the way you are. His love isn't pampering, it is perfecting.'

If we are not under intense persecution now, (that is a primary lesson that I need to learn at some point in life, it does take time, a lot of time), nothing should stop us from looking into what God says in the Bible about pain, fiery trials and an evil day that could easily come upon us at any time, no guarantees, and getting ready through prayer.

If we are not ready, it is going to crush our spirit. And you know what? If God wants someone to learn or experience something, He will do it. Only it could be more painful or less painful for us. If all that we want to eat are 'chocolate hot cross buns theology' as believers, it will be hard to swallow when it comes out way. But if we are ready to say together with Jesus, 'not my will, but yours be done', we can count on all the support from the Lord. That's how Paul got up again and again after being left for dead and carried on serving Him till the end.

I just discovered that Italians make a bit of pasta with 12 egg yolks. One of the ladies on the photo was making pasta every day of her life since she was 4 years old. Now she is 86. When we need God's strength, it will be like Italian pasta that is full of egg yolk. Our life will be full of the Holy Spirit to sustain us no matter what. This makes a heaven and earth difference in life. My mum made her dough as long as I remember for pelmeni ( a Russian dish that has dough & meat, cooked in boiled water - yum). She only puts one egg yolk there. It is delicious, and the minute she is through the door, my children put it straight on the menu. But imagine, now when I will introduce her to the Italian way of cooking?! I already know what she will say: 'Wow, I lived my whole life and never tried that!' Well, lets not miss out on what the Holy Spirit could offer in our life or what the Bible really says when we take it in all entirety & prayerfully. And does not matter how deep we tread into spiritual waters, we could never walk away from the centrality and simplicity of yet eternally meaningful essence of the cross & our sufferings. Not even if it is spiced up with oldest indulgence enhancer - the chocolate!      

'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.' Jesus

                                                     Are we willing...