To Our Grandchildren...With Love

You are not yet here.  In fact, our children (your parents) are still teenagers.  
I am thinking ahead to the day when you might read this.

Perhaps you never will.  But, if you do, these are some of the things
I would want to say to you if I could.

First and foremost, the Lord Jesus Christ is everything.

Eternity is what really matters.  Temporal things are temporary.

And, what you put your faith in here will affect your life forever.

Our prayer has always been that all those who are born into,

or marry into, or by any other means become a part of our family

until the day when the Lord returns would belong to Him.

It is our greatest desire.  Nothing else is more important.  Absolutely nothing.


L to R ~ Fraser, Howie, Camille, Emma, and Calvin (2016)

So, though I might tell you that manners count for something
(and they do), or that saving up and being wise with your money matters
(and it does), or to wait and be patient will pay off in the long run
(and it likely will), and to work hard and be faithful in the small things
is important (and it is), I am going to leave you with a few verses to ponder.

Because at the end of it all,  God's Word will remain.  
It is unchangeable and true.  It is infallible and inerrant.
It is lasting and eternal.  It is the foundation upon which we stand.

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is found throughout Scripture,
however, it is spelled out very clearly in the following verses.
Each one of us is sinful and separated from God by our sin.  
We cannot bridge the chasm between us and God.  We need a Saviour.  

The Lord Jesus came to earth, fully God and fully man,
to live perfectly so He could die to pay the penalty due for the sin of His people.
He absorbed all the wrath of God for that sin on the cross, 
rose victorious over death and sin and Satan, and is now seated at the right hand 
of the Throne of God making intercession for all those who belong to Him.

Those who come to Him in faith and repentance will live eternally
with Him, and those who don't will be cast away forever.
It is not popular to proclaim these things in this day and age,
however, it must be said.  Look to Him and live!



"...all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."  Romans 3:10

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  Romans 6:23

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8

"For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life;
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."  John 14:6

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
 and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."  John 6:37

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."  John 1:12

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is none else."  Isaiah 45:22

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 
or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"  Matthew 16:26

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:21



On Austin's grave marker we have the words "...with Christ which is far better"
from Philippians 1:23 etched into the granite.  We believe that phrase
with all of our hearts.  One day, we hope the same words will be etched onto ours.
Until that day, however, we are called to live here.


Our Austin (2011)

So we carry on with an eye on the eternal.
We go forward step by step seeking to keep
our hearts fixed on those things that will last forever.

L to R ~ Fraser, Emma, and Calvin (2016)

We are about to launch into another year, and as we do, we say farewell to the current one.
I am sure it will be this way until the Lord returns.  Seasons change, years come and go, 
and time marches on.  It is a lovely thing to reflect on all that the Lord has done

and look forward to all that He will do.

What a precious thing it is to rest our hearts there.

When we are the Lord's, we have nothing to fear and everything to hope.

This life is not all there is.  Eternal things are what truly matter.

In light of that, we are seeking to follow our Saviour wherever He may lead 
and to trust Him with our future.  To trust Him with all who come after us.

He is the One Who holds everything in His hands.

We are His slaves.  We live and we die for Him.

There truly is nothing else.  From first to last, it's all about Him.
What a freeing and liberating thing to ponder.
However, it is a sobering thought as well.

It ought to make a difference in how we live.

So, as we embark on another new year, I reflect and I rejoice.
In all that has been and all that will be.  All because of Him.
And, because we know that our Saviour is in control of it all,
we can confidently face the future.  By His grace and for His glory.

With So Much Love,
Your Nana (Camille) 
xoxo

**Ocean image courtesy of Emma ~
Thank you my love XO

The Reason

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Reason we celebrate.
He is God incarnate.  Fully God and fully man.
We reflect on His first advent while anticipating His second coming.
 
"Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call His name Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14
 
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS:

for He shall save His people from their sins."  Matthew 1:21

Our Saviour came to live perfectly to fulfill the law of God
in the place of all those who would trust in Him.
He went willingly to the cross to lay down His life for His people.

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
2 Corinthians 5:21

The Lord Jesus took upon Himself all the sins of all those
that the Father would give Him, and consumed the wrath of God for those sins.
He rose victorious over death and sin and Satan and is now seated
at the right hand of God in heaven, interceding for His own.

At Christmas, we ought to look beyond
the manger and consider the cross.

One day, Jesus Christ will return to gather His people to Himself.
All those who have not put their trust in Him will be cast away forever.
It is a sobering thing to ponder.  Where do you stand?
This Christmas, are you trusting in the Christ of Christmas?

The Lord Jesus said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."  John 6:37

If you wish to read more, click here for a wonderful
article explaining the Gospel and the Reason we have hope.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!
With Love, Camille

The One Thing Necessary

"Before, the soul sought after this and that, but now it says,
I see that it is not necessary for me to be rich,
but it is necessary for me to make my peace with God;

it is not necessary that I should live a pleasurable life in this world,
but it is absolutely necessary that I should have pardon of my sin;
it is not necessary that I should have honour and preferment,

but it is necessary that I should have God as my portion,
and have my part in Jesus Christ, it is necessary that my soul should
be saved in the day of Jesus Christ...



...when the heart of a man has nothing to do,
but to be busy about creature-comforts, every little thing troubles him;

but when the heart is taken up with the weighty things of eternity,
with the great things of eternal life, the things of here below that
disquieted it before are things now of no consequence to him
in comparison to him in comparison with the other --

how things fall out here is not much regarded by him,
if the one thing that is necessary is provided for."

Quoted from "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment"
by Jeremiah Burroughs pages 92-93.

With Love, 
Camille

**Photo courtesy of Calvin ~
Thank you my love xoxo

The Art of Contentment

"...if a man or woman have their desires cut short,

and have no large desires, that man or woman is rich.
So this is the art of contentment: not to seek to add to our circumstances,

but to subtract from our desires. 

Certainly that man or woman is rich,

who have their desires satisfied. 

God satisfies them, that is, all considered,
he is satisfied that his circumstances are for the present

the best circumstances.  So he comes to this contentment

by way of subtraction, and not addition."

Quoted from "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment"

by Jeremiah Burroughs, page 47.

With Love,
Camille

**Image in this post courtesy of Calvin ~
Thank you my love XO

Storms of Afflictions

"(The Lord Jesus Christ) has undertaken that all who come to Him shall have 
all things pertaining to life and godliness; but He has never undertaken that

He will make them prosperous, or rich, or healthy,

and that death and sorrow shall never come to their family...

...I dare not offer (any son or daughter of Adam) long life,

an increased income and freedom from pain.

I dare not promise the man who takes up the cross and follows Christ

that in the following he shall ever meet with a storm.

I know well that many do not like these terms...

...they do not like Christ and the cross, Christ and tribulation,

Christ and the conflict, Christ and the howling wind,

Christ and the storm...

...How should you know who are true Christians,

if following Christ was the way to be free from trouble?

How should we discern the wheat from the chaff, 

if it were not for the winnowing of trial?...

...The storms of afflictions and care are used in the same way.

They discover whose faith is real and whose is nothing

but profession and form.

How would the great work of sanctification
go on in a man if he had no trial?

Trouble is often the only fire which will burn away the
dross that clings to our hearts.  Trouble is the pruning-knife
which the great Husbandman employs in order to make us fruitful in good works.
The harvest of the Lord's field is seldom ripened by sunshine only.

It must go through its days of wind and rain and storm.
If you desire to serve Christ and be saved, I intreat you to take
the Lord on His own terms.  Make up your mind to meet with your share
of crosses and sorrows, and then you will not be surprised...

...If you profess to be a child of God, leave to the Lord Jesus
to sanctify you in His own way.

Rest satisfied that He never makes any mistakes.
Be sure that He does all things well.
The winds may howl around you, and waters swell.
But, fear not, 'He is leading you by the right way, that He may
bring you to a city of habitation' (Psalm 107:7)."

Quoted from "Holiness" by J. C. Ryle pages 193-94

With Love,
Camille

**Image in this post courtesy of Calvin ~
Thank you so much my love.  XO

Sorrows and Troubles

"Let us learn, first of all, that following Christ
will not prevent our having earthly sorrows and troubles.

Here are the chosen disciples of the Lord Jesus in great anxiety.
The faithful little flock, which believed when priests and scribes
and Pharisees were all alike unbelieving, is allowed 
by the Shepherd to be much disquieted.

The fear of death breaks in upon them like an armed man.
The deep waters seem likely to go over their souls.
Peter, James and John, the pillars of the church about 
to be planted in the world, are much distressed.
Perhaps they had not reckoned on all this.



Perhaps they expected that Christ's service would at any rate
lift them above the reach of earthly trials.  Perhaps they thought that He,
who could raise the dead and heal the sick and feed multitudes with a
few loaves and cast out devils with a word, He would never allow
His servants to be sufferers upon earth.

Perhaps they had supposed He would always grant them smooth journeys,
fine weather, an easy course and freedom from trouble and care.

If the disciples thought so, they were much mistaken.
The Lord Jesus taught them that a man may be one of His chosen servants,
and yet have to go through many an anxiety, and endure many a pain.

It is good to understand this clearly.  It is good to understand that Christ's
service never did secure a man from all the ills that flesh is heir to, and never will.

If you are a believer, you must reckon on having your share of sickness and pain,
of sorrow and tears, of losses and crosses, of deaths and bereavements,
of partings and separations, of vexations and disappointments,
so long as you are in the body.  Christ never undertakes
that you shall get to heaven without these."

Quoted from "Holiness" by J. C. Ryle pages 192-93

With Love,
Camille

**Image in this post courtesy of Calvin ~
Thank you my love. XO

The True Christian

"A true Christian is not a mere baptized man or woman.

He is something more.  He is not a person who only goes,

as a matter of form, to a church or chapel on Sundays,

and lives all the rest of the week as if there was no God.

Formality is not Christianity.

Ignorant lip worship is not true religion.

The Scripture speaketh expressly: 'They are not all Israel

which are of Israel' (Romans 9:6).  The practical lesson of those

words is clear and plain.  All are not true Christians

who are members of the visible church of Christ.

The true Christian is one whose religion is in his heart and life.

It is felt by himself in his heart.  It is seen by others in his conduct and life.

He feels his sinfulness, guilt and badness, and repents.

He sees Jesus Christ to be that divine Saviour whom his soul needs,

and commits himself to Him.

He puts off the old man with his corrupt and carnal habits,

and puts on the new man.  He lives a new and holy life,

fighting habitually against the world, the flesh and the devil.

Christ Himself is the corner-stone of his Christianity.

Ask him what he trusts for the forgiveness of his many sins,

and he will tell you, in the death of Christ.

Ask him in what righteousness he hopes to stand innocent at the

judgement day, and he will tell you it is the righteousness of Christ.

Ask him by what pattern he tries to frame his life, and he will tell you

that it is the example of Christ.

But, beside all this, there is one thing in a true Christian which is

eminently peculiar to him.  That thing is love to Christ.

Knowledge, faith, hope, reverence, obedience are all marked features

in a true Christian's character.  But his picture would be very

imperfect if you omitted his 'love' to his divine Master.

He not only knows, trusts and obeys.

He goes further than this -- he loves...

...Great as the danger is of him 'that believeth not',

the danger of him 'that loveth not' is equally great.

Not believing and not loving are both steps to everlasting ruin... 

...A man may lack clear head knowledge, and yet be saved.

He may fail in courage, and be overcome by the fear of man, like Peter.

He may fall tremendously, like David, and yet rise again.

But, if a man does not love Christ, he is not in the way of life.

The curse is yet upon him.  He is on the broad road that leadeth to destruction...

...If a man truly loves Christ, all is right;

if not, all is wrong...

...A true Christian loves Christ for all He has done for him.  

He has suffered in his stead, and died for him on the cross.

He has redeemed him from the guilt, the power and the consequences

of sin by His blood.  He has called him by His Spirit to self-knowledge,

repentance, faith, hope and holiness.

He has forgiven his many sins and blotted them out.

He has freed him from the captivity of the world, the flesh and the devil.

He has taken him from the brink of hell, placed him in the narrow way,

and set his face towards heaven.  He has given him light instead of darkness,

peace of conscience instead of uneasiness, hope instead of uncertainty,

life instead of death.  

Can you wonder that the true Christian loves Christ?

And he loves Him besides, for all that He is still doing.

He feels that He is daily washing away his many shortcomings and infirmities,

and pleading his soul's cause before God.  He is daily supplying all the needs

of his soul, and providing him with an hourly provision of mercy and grace.

He is daily leading him by His Spirit to a city of habitation,

bearing with him when he is weak and ignorant, raising him up 

when he stumbles and falls, protecting him against his many enemies,

preparing an eternal home for him in heaven.

Can you wonder that the true Christian loves Christ?...

...where there is real justifying faith in Christ,

there will always be heart love to Christ.  He that is really forgiven

is the man who will really love (Luke 7:47).

If a man has no love to Christ, you may be sure he has no faith."

**Quoted from "Holiness" by J. C. Ryle pages 234-237

With Love,
Camille

**Images in this post courtesy of Calvin ~ thank you my love. xoxo
(Image #1 ~ Anglesey, Wales; #2 ~ Mojave Desert, CA; #3 ~ Fairmont, BC)

As They Come

The days run together in one long line-up of ordinary things

and before we can catch up with it all, it changes.  We change.

It was like this when the children were small and there were

four precious little ones around our table.

It is still like this, even though the three who remain here

with us are no longer little.  And, Austin's chair sits empty.

We somehow think that things will go on as they always do.

And when they don't, we are caught by surprise.

But, it's all good.  Life is good.  As long as we remember

that this is not all there is.  Something better is coming.

We need to prepare our hearts for change

while living out the moments as they come.

Our Austin has been in heaven for over three years.

Fraser just caught up to Calvin's six-foot-two height.

Emma is becoming a woman right before our eyes.

These days do not look like those of ten, or even five, years ago.

I like to fill my heart with the idea that each season is precious.

That all seasons of life are gifts to be embraced and enjoyed.

So, we seek to live in this moment, this day, and in this season

with all that we have and all that we are.  By God's abundant grace.

 And, we seek to remember that in the midst of it all,

we are to bring glory to our Saviour's great Name.

After all, He is the Reason we live.

He is the Reason we have hope.

What season do you find yourself in?
Are you finding that there is grace and strength to
accomplish all that is set before you?  Are you weary?
If so, don't despair, the Lord is faithful to see His people through.

"And He (Jesus Christ) said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee;
for my strength is made perfect in weakness..."  II Corinthians 12:9

We must keep our hearts fixed on those lasting and eternal things,
and refocus our attentions to the tasks of the day in which we find ourselves.
How good and gracious the Lord is to give all we stand in need of.
Moment by moment.  Step by step.  Until the day He calls us Home.

"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work
in you all perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."  Philippians 1:6

With Love,

Camille

**Image in this post courtesy of Calvin ~
Thank you so much my love. xoxo

One Thing Needful

"Oh, it is a great thing in these days of unbelief to believe the whole Bible!

If you would ever be a healthy and scriptural Christian,

I entreat you to beware of any ministry which does not plainly

teach the reality and eternity of hell.

 Such a ministry may be soothing and pleasant,

but it is far more likely to lull you to sleep than to lead you to Christ,

or build you up in the faith.
 

It is impossible to leave out any portion of God's truth

without spoiling the whole.  That preaching is sadly defective

which dwells exclusively on the mercies of God and the joys of heaven,

and never sets forth the terrors of the Lord and the miseries of hell.

It may be popular, but it is not scriptural;

it may amuse and gratify, but it will not save.


 

Give me the preaching which keeps back nothing that God has revealed.

You may call it stern and harsh; you may tell us that to frighten people

is not the way to do them good.  But you are forgetting that the grand

object of the gospel is to persuade men to 'flee from the wrath to come',

and that it is vain to expect men to flee unless they are afraid.
 

Well would it be for many professing Christians

if they were more afraid about their souls than they now are!    
 

If you desire to be a healthy Christian, consider often what your own end will be.

Will it be happiness, or will it be misery?

Will it be the death of the righteous, or will it be death without hope...

 ...I beseech you, by the mercies of God, to look this question fairly in the face.
 

I entreat you not to stifle conscience by vague hopes of God's mercy,

while your heart cleaves to the world.

I implore you not to drown convictions by childish fancies about God's love,

while your daily ways and habits show plainly that 'the love of the Father is not in you'.


 

There is mercy in God, like a river,

but it is for the penitent believer in Christ Jesus.

There is a love in God towards sinners which is unspeakable and unsearchable, 

but it is for those who hear Christ's voice and follow Him.
 

Seek to have an interest in that love.

Break off every known sin; come out boldly from the world;

cry mightily to God in prayer; cast yourself wholly and unreservedly

on the Lord Jesus for time and eternity; lay aside every weight.
 

Cling to nothing, however dear, which interferes with your soul's salvation;

give up everything, however precious, which comes between you and heaven. 

This old shipwrecked world is fast sinking beneath your feet;

the one thing needful is to have a place in the lifeboat and get safe to shore.

Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.
 

Whatever happens to your house and property, see that you make sure of heaven.

Oh, better a million times be laughed at and thought extreme in this world,

than go down to hell from the midst of the congregation,

and end like Lot's wife!"
 

Quoted from "Holiness" by J. C. Ryle pages 172-174

With Love, Camille