ONE NATION UNDER GOD

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Welcome to our living room! As this meeting of the Women’s Christian Book Club was supposed to be at my house but was unable to get things in order there, I decided to decorate the church kitchen into a living room. New décor from my mom’s curtains she had saved for a rainy day to hang them up but never did, pictures from my sister, and others from Zellers, and red tablecloths that Jo and Valerie picked out for the church. Simple decorations and looking cozy with a clock on the mantle and the very elegant and ornate fireplace to read books by. We could at least pretend for the moment anyway!!!.

Please read the above verse again. That deserves several readings and there will probably be many interpretations. but to go along with the theme, to me it says -Knowledge can break down barriers and if we don’t know who God is, it is because we need to study Him more to appreciate the loyalty to Him others have.

“…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (freedom).” 2 Corinthians 3:17

“When once men recognize, both in private and public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony.” Pope Pius XI, The Encyclical on the Kingship of Christ.

Here's freedom to him who would read;

Here's freedom to him who would write;

None ever feared that the truth should be heard,

But those who the truth would indict.

"Truth asks but one boon; that it not be condenmed unheard."

"The search for Truth is man's noblest endeaver, It's publication a Duty"

A Story

God’s Tears

READ: John 11:28-37

Jesus wept. —John 11:35

In C. S. Lewis’ story The Magician’s Nephew, Digory recalled his terminally ill mother and how his hopes were all dying away. With a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes, he blurted out to Aslan, the great lion who represents Christ, “Please, please—won’t you—can’t you give me something that will cure Mother?”
Then, in his despair, Digory looked up at Aslan’s face. “Great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself. ‘My son, my son,’ said Aslan. ‘I know. Grief is great. Only you and I in this land know that yet. Let us be good to one another.’”
I think of Jesus’ tears at Lazarus’ grave (John 11:35). I believe He wept for Lazarus as well as for Mary and Martha and their grief. Later, Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). And He knows and shares our grief today. But as He promised, we will see Him again in the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:3). In heaven, our grief will end. “God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying” (Rev. 21:4).

Until then, know that God weeps with you. —David H. Roper
He knows our burdens and our crosses,
Those things that hurt, our trials and losses,
He cares for every soul that cries,
God wipes the tears from weeping eyes. —Brandt

If you doubt that Jesus cares, remember His tears.

Prayer Thoughts.....

Not far, never far...a lovely thing
In the still of a Canadian winter night, country dark and waiting..."Stars over snow,
And in the west a planet
Swinging below a star ---
Look for a lovely thing and you will find it,
It is not far ---
It never will be far."
~Sara Teasdale

He gives the gifts close-up, never far, so we with poor soul-sight, can see.
Can see the lovely on a winter night, stars over snow.
They fall from above, inside and out, lace upon light.
Not far, never far...
We nibble tails and ears of cookie-cutter sugar bunnies,
and watch little candle wick dance, shadows in time too.
Not far, never far...
We read Winter Poems as the snow petals fall, as the lovely things pile high and deep.
Not far, never far.

Lord, my gratitude for bestowing the lovely things not far away. For you know the nearsightedness of this myopic heart. Press the lens of gratitude up to this soul, and let me see.

As we read, study and pray together, let this be our prayer,

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Unrest in Kenya and our college there
2. Laura’s court case – that she gets more time with her children
3. Pastor Allison’s health – heart
4. Geraline West heart health – heart surgery went well
5. Lyla – a job
6. Mary (Bonnies sister’s sister in law) cancer 1 ½ yrs to live
7. Jaimie moved to Sask with her dad, that she will have peace with God – peace and strength
8. Depression seminar and its leaders
9. Bonnie and Zanna looking for bible studies in Gitsaguekla, daily for the Spirit to go before her< for her to have timely words
10. Betty’s eye surgery - coming up this week
11. Clint will have a safe trip back to Bolivia
12. New dentist again!

Valerie offered the prayer, naming each one and their needs, and the expression of compassion with concern filled the room as we felt the Spirit near. What a lovely prayer! I like hearing her pray! We talked a bit and someone said “Do you know who I like to hear pray?” That would be Irvin Bennett! He had such a mellow voice and his manner was just so inviting as he talked to the Lord . Some of us have a great talent for praying.

BOOK REVIEWS AND DISCUSSIONS FOR CLUB MEETINGS

Here are some of the things we agreed upon for the first meeting.

1. it is a club of people who read the same book and then discuss it

2. we will only have true to life Christian books
3. the host will supply a very light refreshment, as it will be after the supper hour
4. we will rotate members houses
5. meetings will be held the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00pm
6. any lady is welcome to come and the host will be posted in this bulletin so you will know where to go
7. any other rules will be discussed as we get into the routine of the meeting.

An announcement posted in the church bulletin asked everyone to bring books to discuss. No one brought books but a few did have some interesting reviews to talk about the books they did read and that made for an exciting anticipation in the weeks ahead. We all delved into the topics of our books.

1. Bad Girls of the Bible

Liz Curtis Higgs, author, offers a clear-sighted, life-changing approach to understanding those "other women" in Scripture—Delilah, Jezebel, Rahab, Lot's wife, and six more. Liz combines a contemporary retelling of their stories with a solid, verse-by-verse study of their lives and the lessons we can learn from them.
Whether they were Bad to the Bone, Bad for a Moment, or Bad for a Season, but Not Forever, these infamous sisters show us how not to handle the challenges of life. With trademark humor and heartfelt encouragement, Liz teaches us how to avoid their tragic mistakes and joyfully embrace God's grace.
For ten years I studied bunches of biblical role models and finally realized what we had in common: Zip. Sarah was so faithful. Esther was so courageous. Mary was so innocent. I was so none-of-the-above. Girls, it was downright discouraging. Then I found Jezebel and something inside me clicked. I identified with her pushy personality, I understood her need for control, I empathized with her angry outbursts, and I began to wonder... Could those Bad Girls from the past teach us how to be Good Girls in the present? I'm here to tell you—yes! "Grab a veil and dive in!"

2. Wrath of the Huguenots ~ persecutions of a sect of people and their victories thru it

3. Flee the Captor ~ Bonnie says she has read this three times and would even read it more. The Bible will come first in her estimation and then she can settle down to reading these books-- this book is by Herbert Ford.
The astounding story of John Henry Weidner, a Sabbath keeping Christian who saved the lives of 800 Jews, more that 100 allied aviators, and others fleeing Nazi oppression. Many Christians closed their eyes to the brutality around them, but John Henry braved imprisonment and torture to save his fellow man as a part of the Dutch Paris Underground. Prepare yourself for an amazing story of sacrifice and courage.

4. The Blessing ~ No matter what our age, our parents approval affects the way we view ourselves –and how we act with those we love the most. Now we can all learn to find and give, unconditional acceptance - what the bible calls The Blessing. By Gary Smalley and David Trent

5. The Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad, a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and to Canada, was not run by any single organization or person. Rather, it consisted of many individuals -- many whites but predominantly black -- who knew only of the local efforts to aid fugitives and not of the overall operation. Still, it effectively moved hundreds of slaves northward each year -- according to one estimate, the South lost 100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850.
Harriet Tubman or Mother Moses as she was called the originator of the underground organization



6. Not Without My Daughter – The true story of Betty Mahmoody, an American housewife who was trapped with her daughter-Mahtob, in Iran during a visit to her husband’s family in 1986. Mahmoody’s husband is an Iranian doctor, seemingly Americanized after twenty years in the United States. Back in his native country, however, and under the influence of his Shiite Muslim relatives, the doctor suddenly and whole heartedly embraces the tenets of Islamic fundamentalism. He forces his wife to wear a veil, informs her that they are never returning to the united Stares and threatens to kill her when she tries to escape. Striped of her rights and her American citizenship, Mahmoody finds herself a prisoner in an alien and hostile society and must risk her life to smuggle herself and her four-year old daughter out of Iran. Their only hope for escape lay in a dangerous underground that would not take her child. This is a true story of a courageous woman and has been made into a film featuring Sally Fields.

Our church library also has a good selection of books to read. Contact Charlotte Smith or come to church!!! There is also a women’s Christian Book Club starting February 5, Tuesday 7.00pm @ Valerie Shoop MCCreery’s house. We will be discussing the stories in the book called ‘Bad Girls of the Bible’. This book is on the internet at about 8$ each if there are any who would like to get the book. Let me know and we can order in bulk. It will be a nice book to always refer back to.

Brown Paper Bag Book Cover

Here is the link for the Book Cover for the pictures

You will Need:. The Book you want to cover. Paper (any color). Scissor. Pencil. Adhesive Tape

First of all you lay down (flat) of your book.----->
Take the paper and cut one of the sides.Then cut off the bottom of the paper so you have a nice flat piece of paper to work with. Lay the paper down (flat).Then lay the book on the paper. Use the pencil to draw an outline of the book.----->
You can move the book off the paper (show you the layout of your right side). Use a ruler to draw the cut out lines.----->
Fold the two center pieces in, and adhesive tape in place.Cut away the four corners.----->
Lay the book back on the paper.Fold over the sides. Do one side of the book at a time.----->
Fold over the end piece, and adhesive tape in place.----->
After that do the other side of the book.Be careful when you add the adhesive tape that you don't add it to the book's inside the cover.Only add the adhesive tape to the book cover (paper).----->
Now you have a nice clean cover for your school book.This will help to protect the damage of your book.-----

RECIPIES

Since you will need some food to munch on when you read a book! Here are some good things to eat......


Ready made pastry shells
1/3
cup sun-dried tomatoes, but I think she used fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
150
g feta cheese, crumbled
1/4
cup basil leaves, chopped
1/2
cup pitted black olives, halved
1/2
cup grated tasty cheese
2
eggs
1
cup light cream

Use your favorite Classic Pastry

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill

Filling:1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil

3 cups (750 mL) sliced shiitake mushroom caps or white mushrooms (about 8 oz/250 g)

1 onion, sliced

1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper

1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced green onions

2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp/5 mL dried dillweed)

3 eggs 3/4 cup (175 mL) 10% cream

Bonnie’s Quiche’s were so good and everyone loved them. At the time of printing I did not connect with her this week and hope these recipies are close to what she baked. If not they will appear in next issue.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

500 gms. brocolli chopped into florets

250 gms. cauliflower chopped into florets

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium potato peeled chopped

1/4 tsp. dried crushed herbs (of your choice) optional or Chicken style seasoning

2 small sticks celery chopped

1 clove garlic crushed

2 cups water

1 can canned milk

4-5 mint leaves finely chopped-optional

1 tsp. salt to taste fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:
Chop onion and fry in water. Add chopped celery. Add potatoe and cook until tender then add the cauliflower and remaining ingred. Adding the broccoli last just before serving so it still retains the green color. Then pour in a can of canned milk.

Making time: 25 minutes.Makes for: 4Shelf life: Fresh piping hot

WEATHER THAT DAY

Good day for chopping wood too, view behind the church in the parking lot

View towards Old Town a little cloudy

Mountains toward Smithers give a spectacular view also.

Roche de Boule
Nine Mile Mountain with its grey cloud hovering waiting to dissipate

The ever fantastic view of Seven Sisters can be rarely seen without clouds, but clear that day

CALENDAR

Thank you each for coming to our Book Club meeting, what a great feast we had with worship, books, friends and food and so healthy too!! Jo made a taco casserole, Valerie- a couscous salad with a hint of lemon, Ruth brought bread and other things, Betty made her famous Ears or tenderbits with mushrooms, and I made Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup. Dolores made rice and vege casserole.

Next meeting will be at Bev’s place, on a Sunday for breakfast, 9:00am. It will be a pajama party. If you do not feel comfortable wearing that, bring a housecoat to put over top of your clothes!! And a hat that you wear at night—you know the funny bonnet things!!—optional. Bring the usual and breakfast type foods. My oven and stove will be installed. February 17, 2008, 9:00am sharp.

There is now $35.oo in the fund for the Ugandan orphans in the FACE project. We are halfway there for the rest of the money to be in by the end of February.
$2 is in the soup fund also.

March 1 is Women’s Day of Prayer

Don’t forget to save for Women’s Ministry Retreat in September 26-28- $12 a month.

NEW WORD: if someone is physically compromised in some way, they are “diametrically imposed”.

No Birthdays or anniversaries to remember except Rose Johnson on Feb 1. Happy Birthday Rose.

May the good Lord bless and keep you ‘til we meet again