Montreal Gathering (June 27 - July1)

I’m on the plane heading back from an incredible few days in Montreal.  I attended the “One / Une” Gathering with Watchmen for the Nations and it was a gift of untold worth for me to be there.  Once again I was able to travel with Barb to experience another level of God’s kindness to us as a nation and to gather with people from across the world to worship our Great and Glorious King and to intercede for His purposes to be fulfilled here on earth as they are in heaven.

I love to attend these Gatherings for many reasons, one of the most important being that they give me a perspective that is invaluable in this day and age.  When I listen to the news and see how the church is still slumbering, in many respects, and not yet unified I can grow discouraged.  However, when I lift my eyes higher, higher, and yet higher I am swept up with the faith and the clarity that comes from corporate discernment and worship and I feel my courage rising again. 

The inklings I have had over the past months and year are suddenly confirmed as others bring their “pieces of the puzzle” to the table and we see the bigger picture.

My flight left from Kelowna and I met Barb in Calgary where we boarded a plane and started our journey to the heart of Canada.  I was treated with incredible kindness all the way through and my travels felt completely “cushioned”, for lack of a better word. Not every trip goes this smoothly but this one was an absolute pleasure.  Our last trip together was two or three years ago when we flew to Edmonton for a Gathering.  We have both been busy and she is in the midst of caring for her parents and enjoying three sweet new grandchildren so her life is very full.  No matter the distance nor time between our visits, we pick up immediately and joyfully enter into one another’s lives. We caught up excitedly on our four hour flight, sharing the latest stories and praying with faith for our loved ones….together looking forward to the fulfillment of dreams and praying that His desires would be fulfilled in our lives as we continue to wait on Him, loving those He puts on our path along the way.

Montreal is situated on the St. Lawrence river and it feels a bit like going to Europe without having the cross-Atlantic flight! 

That's right up my alley.

I have never had a huge desire to go to Montreal, but since I was flying this far I added one day for a bit of sightseeing and Barb & I were not disappointed. 

What a very lovely city.

Our hotel was in the Chinese quarter and was very conveniently located just kitty corner to the Palais de Congress where the conference was held.  The room (and bathroom!!) were perfect and after a good nights rest we headed out the next morning to enjoy the sights on a flawless summer day. 

Since we were right downtown (just a few blocks from the St. Lawrence River) we found all sorts of grand old buildings and churches interspersed with modern architecture and there were two plazas that became our favourite haunts. 

Heres Barb sitting at the fountain under some historic figure that I can't remember at the moment.

I was absolutely smitten with a historic huge church called the Notre Dame Basilica.  Barb paid for me to go in while she headed off to listen to the live music in the plaza.  I cannot adequately put words to what I experienced in that holy place.  Of course there were all sorts of Catholic overtones that I don’t fully comprehend, but there was a sweet and powerful presence in that place that settled on me.

The interior was absolutely stunning.  Huge, colorful, ornate, magnificent… loads of beautifully carved wooden staircases and statues, brilliant stained glass that told the stories of the early settlers coming in and how they lived together with the natives of the land. 

But the part of the church where I had the deepest encounter with God was near the back where a wood carving of Jesus on the cross stood behind an array of lit candles.  Thankfully the church was not very full on the Wednesday and I had ample time to sit before that likeness of Jesus and meditate on the glory of finished His work on the cross. 

Again, words fail me as I try to express the beauty that captivated me in those moments.  Tears fell as I gazed at the feet nailed to the wood, the outstretched arms,the opening in his side and His head hanging down.  I love it when He comes so close and meets me in my desire to love Him.  When His presence leaves me weak with love and desire…when I am undone with His beauty and merciful, huge heart.

I moved through the huge sanctuary, listening in on some history, amazed that this place took only 32 months to complete. I gazed on the artwork and stained glass windows adorning many of the walls.  

There was another sanctuary behind the huge one and no pictures or speaking were allowed in that place.  It was very silent as I went in and gazed on a gigantic bronze carving that was on the wall at the front of this smaller sanctuary.  There were beautiful scriptures and a short writing about how the people on the carving  were thronging through three arches towards a depiction of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

A powerful presence in that place left me feeling overwhelmed with the desire to stretch my arms wide and to bring with me and to carry along as many people as I could through those arches to the beauty of the Trinity. 

“For my inheritance Lord, please give me the lost”…

Somehow I needed that connection point before God, that quieting of all that was within me before taking part in the Gathering.  It was actually a highlight of my entire time in Montreal.  I am so very grateful for that silent and incredibly beautiful place. 

Barb & I continued our adventures through the downtown core and to the really “old” part of the city where there are cobblestone streets and many beautiful stone buildings and more churches near the St. Lawrence.  It is the former “Ville de Marie” where much of Montreal’s original history took place.  

Another big plaza surrounded by café’s and shops captured our hearts and we took ridiculously many pictures as we investigated the little roads and historic buildings.  Thank goodness we are both a little nuts when it comes to picture taking so we have an understanding of this common bit of insanity.  

I do wish I could relax and just enjoy the sights without feeling the need to capture the beauty on “film” but I’m not quite there yet.  Hopefully I will be able to become more balanced in my frenzied need to preserve posterity in its many different forms. We loved the flowers and color and energy buzzing through the crowds that were enjoying the plaza around us.  

That evening we went to register for the Conference and we were surprised by a “pre-gathering” where we worshiped in a smaller venue and began to hear the prophetic insights that people were feeling and turn our hearts towards the heart of God for our beautiful nation and all those nations touched by Canada. 

We crawled into our extremely comfortable bed that night with our hearts very full and with anticipation for the rest of our journey.  Barb had packed all sorts of fun snacks and she treated me to some massage time as well to keep my back in good order. 

The Gathering never has a set agenda other than for us to wait on the Lord, to hear His heart and to align ourselves with His purposes.  Those who live in Montreal had done an exceptional job of making the venue feel like “home” and since the theme was about being “One” and being a “family” everything was geared towards that end.  There were dancers and artists and musicians and people from many, many, tribes, tongues and nations and from all ages.  This young boy Daniel drew a picture of the vision he received during one of the sessions showing how the heavens were torn open as we gathered with one heart in unity and love.  

Apparently 500 Chinese brothers and sisters applied for visas to come but only 50 were given permission.  They are such an incredible support to the Body of Christ in Canada and they have walked with us for many years, praying for us and loving us. I was thrilled to meet up with other beloved friends as well! 

As always, God was faithful to speak and to make His heart’s desires known to us.   We repeatedly heard that Canada is a womb for the nations and  the verse that is written on our peace tower “He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the rivers to the ends of the earth” Psalm 73:8 was highlighted on a whole new level. 

We were able to witness sons coming home to the family on a literal level; very heartening and beautiful.  A first fruits of many more of the family who will have their hearts turned back to the Father’s heart.  One of David Damien’s sons had a real encounter with Jesus and he was weeping at the front amongst many of his peers as he got a revelation of what His journey here is all about.  It was incredible to behold and to be a part of.  The joy on Ruth and David’s faces as there was another answered heart’s cry – watching this son who is a high level athlete and who wasn’t interested in coming to the Gathering having his heart re-aligned, was beautiful. 

There was another young man, a pastor’s son from CA who has gone into hip hop dancing on a high level was also hugely impacted and released as he danced with abandon on the stage and felt a new freedom that he has never before experienced.  To see the reconciliation between him and his own father and the blessing of the leadership being poured out on him was powerful. 

One of the more significant sessions was a corporate time of offering God our hearts to be “circumcised” and enlarged so that we can carry the nations of the world with love into their destiny.  We covenanted together to begin afresh as Canada celebrated her 150^th birthday.  It’s like God has given us a clean start, a new sheet to begin to write our history as we open our arms to the world – holding the nations in our womb until they are birthed into their fullness, but also declaring that we are actually not many nations but One nation under God.  His ways truly are higher than ours and the prayer of Jesus in John 17 is finally becoming a reality.  We are wanting to be One, to honor each other and walk together in a way that calls for sacrifice – like we would do for actual family to see their lives made whole and their purposes come to fruition.  I am so happy that the Lord has begun this work inside of me in a very small seed form, but it all felt so right – familiar even – when I heard  the words being spoken and the call to unity.  I have finally, in these last few years, begun to pray for love as I have never prayed before.  That I would be soaked and saturated with His love for others and that I would see others as He sees others.

I was convicted again of the selfishness that marks my life and my need to draw nearer to His heart.  Not to focus on theological debates and differences that abound in the church in this time, but to lift up Jesus.  The verse was highlighted to me “If we lift Him up, HE will draw all men unto Himself”  John ?  and I see this as an answer to some of the consternation and concern I have been feeling as I watch the church slide further away from the Word and more and more towards a “comfortable gospel”. 

So may God have mercy on me as I set my eyes on Jesus and on lifting up His Name.

I had to hurry home to attend a wedding a few hours after my flight landed, but my heart was humming and full of the goodness I had experienced.  

I was happy to fly in to the beautiful, familiar  Okanagan valley...

Home Sweet Home!

Sweet Sister's Sixtieth

My lovely, sweet sister is celebrating her sixtieth this year. 

She has overcome so much and continues to do so, sometimes on a moment by moment basis, but her faith is strong and vibrant and she loves so very well in the midst of trials and joys.

My dear cousin Esther whose birthday we were also celebrating is another faithful warrior of love, persevering and overcoming all sorts of obstacles knowing the eternal reward will make it all worthwhile. 

I surely will not take up cake-decorating as a career any time soon, but the loving sentiment and effort was there. 

The cheese cake was yummy and the strawberries and blueberries in season added    some delicious flavour as well as the awkward decor.

Esther's parents were in town for the occasion and it was also close to Esther's birthday so we did a double celebration. 

So nice to have summer birthdays where we can enjoy the amazing outdoors.

This group is so very precious and we are grateful to still have our mom's, even if they are slowing down and sputtering along at times.

Family moments with puppies and granddaughters under umbrellas. 

I am endlessly thrilled with my new lake and city view.

Friends & Family

It's amazing how quickly you can feel connected to people when you're all part of the extended family of God.

This gal, Liz, has worked her way quickly into all of our hearts and she has become not only friends with my kids, but my friend as well.  So, when her family came to visit from Ontario we had a wonderful time connecting and getting to know each other over a yummy fish dinner.

I also put everyone to work pulling a rather large branch to the back yard.  

It had blown off one of our pretty flowering trees during another one of our big windstorms.

The branch was the size of a small tree so I was happy to have so many willing workers at my disposal.

Many hands make light work, as they say.

I met up with Arnold downtown to hear his stories and to share a cup of delicious coffee.

He continues to love Jesus and pray for people he meets on the streets. He is a true evangelist!

These two beautiful people stopped in for a visit ad prayer time before they went over to my mom's place.

Uncle Paul Thiessen  is my mom's cousin and his wife Louise is his faithful companion.

It just worked out that another cousin (Mary Pries) from this grouping was visiting from Calgary with her husband so they all had a delightful spontaneous reunion, ending with them all standing in a circle and praying. (even my dad joined in!) 

A formidable legacy of prayer warriors and lovers of God goes before me!

Joys of June

Ok - I am SO FAR BEHIND in my story-telling.

Don't know if any of you out there in this silent blogging community have noticed, but hey - I'm back!   

It's actually the end of July and I'm trying to sort back through my June pictures.

And no one wants to skip through June without paying tribute to the beauty that shouts for attention everywhere your gaze happens to fall in this stellar month.

Because June was full of so much beauty, joy and glory, I'll just tell my story mostly through pictures.

At least that is my goal - I may break into wordy passages because, I am who I am.

A woman of many words.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll simply pop in a few headers to make sense of these memories when I look back.

Because of my rather extreme case of "extroversion" I have a variety of groupings of friends.

Sometimes they overlap which is always fun, but this little combination of friends is very precious to me.

We were getting together to celebrate Donara's 60th which had happened back in May but she brought us all gifts! 

Quite a delightful little turn of events.

So many favourite things fell out of heaven that night, the most exciting being the little bottle of "sleep aid" which Donara picked up for Lisa and I in the States.

It has provided a tremendous boost to my ability to get through the night - with less time awake and more time in actual deep sleep.

That is a gift that surpasses many others in this stage of my life.

Our Wednesday night prayer group was invited to join in with some others again this year, up on Knox Mountain.

And because I know that unity is a big deal to God, I jumped in my car and joined the radical prayer people up on the hill.

Such a beautiful place to spend an evening.

Heaven touches earth as we cry out on behalf of our city, this valley and our nation.
Kingdom of God, come.

My friend was there with her sweet little gal so I managed to squeeze in some snuggles for a perfect ending to the evening. 

Dusk, shadows and pine trees.

Father's Day also happened in June and Dad came up to the orchard!!

We were so excited to have a picnic on the patio to celebrate him.

He is 91 and hardly comes up here anymore.

Exhaustion, dizziness, an unsteady gait, and a touch of depression are all factors in this, but he overcame and blessed us all with his presence! 

What a very sweet and kind man.

Somewhat tormented in his old age, but 

so incredibly precious to us.

He actually ASKED for a wallet and a belt this year. 

That is quite something because he usually complains when we give him gifts. 

He is living longer than he thought he would so he finally needed to replace his very worn out ones. 

I bought him some new handkerchiefs just for good measure since he's not a Kleenex sort of man.

June also looks like this.

The field in front of our house sings a very happy song and the weeds show their best colours.

Seems a shame to call them weeds so maybe I need to do some investigating and find out their proper names.

Gotta show some respect. 

I drove to the school for a good bye luncheon and one of my lovely students had a thank you gift for me. 

She's definitely a little favourite. 

I have so many of them...

There's an organization in town run by one of my friends that has a fund raising walk along the lake in June. 

As you can see, because of the severe flooding this year and the high level of the lake there are barriers up on the beach behind us.

I LOVE what this group of people do so I am ALL IN!

They bring groceries and salad planters to homebound people, help the disabled to get to appointments, clean their homes and are basically the hands and feet and heart of Jesus to a suffering demographic in our city.

Patrice and Anna were my extremely cheerful companions.

Anna was also 'covering' the event for one of her journalistic endeavours.

There is more to come for June but with this lovely closing shot (taken on my way home one evening) I will get ready for my regular Wednesday evening prayer group!

The one in the valley and not on the hill.