Only Him

Isn't that the truth?! We can certainly make a mess of things, but only God can turn our mess into a message of hope. Life can really test us sometimes....it can test our patience, our endurance, our character and only God can use those life lessons as a testimony for others. We can be given a trial that seems impossible to win and only God can help us triumph in the face of hopelessness. We may find ourselves victims of evil and left with completely broken spirits but only God can lift us up, mend our hearts and help us claim our crown of victory.

I pray that in whatever you are facing that you remember these words....Only God. He IS the answer. No other answer is necessary and no other answer will suffice. He is the only One who offers a real, lasting solution. And that solution is His grace and love. With it we are free, we are restored, we are loved.

Through Him we have access by faith into this grace in which we firmly and safely stand. Let us rejoice in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. 

—Romans 5: 2

Brooke Fraser Live in Dublin

I had the privilege of seeing Brooke Fraser live in Dublin over the weekend and WOW was it an amazing concert. She played so many of her greats and she told stories in between songs so I got to hear her lovely New Zealand accent along with a bit of her humorous side. She's quite funny. But it was her musical performance that left me most impressed. Of course I have to give credit to her band too because they were all talented musicians as well. Even Cary Brothers, who opened up for her at the show, was great. He played a cover of Peter Gabriel's song 'Don't Give Up' that I actually liked better than the original. He was also quite witty in between songs. I enjoy it when artists don't take themselves too seriously.


The energy at her show was fantastic. During her more upbeat songs everyone was dancing, including Brooke herself. She also played a great cover of Coldplay's Violet Hill during her set which was unexpected yet welcomed. One of my favourites she played was actually the title off her latest album called "Flags". The lyrics are so honest, insightful, compassionate and full of hope. It's clear she writes from her heart. Definitely recommend you check her out.





'Flags' song lyrics


Come, tell me your trouble
I'm not your answer
But I'm a listening ear

Reality has left you reeling
All facts and no feeling
No faith and all fear

I don't know why a good man will fall
While a wicked one stands
And our lives blow about
Like flags on the land

Who's at fault is not important
Good intentions lie dormant
And we're all to blame

While apathy acts like an ally
My enemy and I are one and the same

I don't know why the innocents fall
While the monsters still stand
And our lives blow about
Like flags on the land

I don't know why our words are so proud
Yet their promise so thin
And our lives blow about
Like flags in the wind

Oh oh oh oh

You who mourn will be comforted
You who hunger will hunger no more
All the last shall be first
Of this I am sure

You who weep now will laugh again
All you lonely be lonely no more
Yes, the last will be first
Of this I'm sure

I don't know why the innocents fall
While the monsters stand
I don't know why the little ones thirst
But I know the last shall be first
I know the last shall be first
I know the last shall be first

Think Before You Speak

If we all used this mnemonic device as our filter there would be significantly less word wounds and animosity in the world. If we ask ourselves these very simple questions before we speak, we could radically decrease the amount of "suck" in the world....

God knew how difficult it would be for us to watch what we say based on the amount of times this subject is addressed in The Bible. But it's also clear that how we speak to one another is very important because it is mentioned so much throughout God's Word. Here are just a few of the verses that mentions speech...


Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. -Ephesians 4:29


Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. -Proverbs 21:23


There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. -Proverbs 12:18


A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. -Proverbs 15:1


Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness. -Psalm 52:2-3


A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit -Proverbs 15:4


When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. -Proverbs 10:19


Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. -Matthew 15:11


So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house. -1 Peter 2:1-5


A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. -Matthew 12:35-36


Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip strife ceases. -Proverbs 26:20


Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. -Psalms 141:3


We should strive to not just be heard, but to be heralds of truth, love and kindness. It doesn't take much thought or talent to harm and destroy with our words. It does however, take wisdom and strength to be effective and instrumental when it comes to speaking. Controlling our tongue is a daily challenge we all face...myself included. But to quote The Beatles..."in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make." I believe this to be true. In my experience, the more you give, the more you get. 


The times where I've lost my cool and said damaging things I lost more than just my cool...I forfeited relationships and respect. But in the times where I've spoken the truth in love - not always instantly, but eventually - I gained respect and harmony. I think if we're honest with ourselves we all want harmony. And peace begins with the individual. We have the choice to seek harmony or to harbor hostility. Each conversation, each interaction challenges us to make our choice. Choose wisely. Speak cautiously.


It's also vital to be reminded that we WILL inevitably slip up...none of us are perfect...therefor seeking forgiveness and extending forgiveness are integral parts of life. Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts the Lord has given us. With it comes understanding. It's a virtue of the brave.

One Year As An Expat

Today marks one year since we moved here to Switzerland. It's been a year full of blessings & challenges, trials & triumphs, ups & downs, smiles and tears....overall I can look back on this year and be extremely thankful. We could not have come this far without the love and support from our God, our family and our dear friends. There were several fragile days within the year that those relationships gave us the strength and inspiration we needed to keep ourselves from cracking. You were also there to share in our joys and exciting times. Thank you for every prayer, every word of encouragement, every laugh, every moment that you shared with us. You all rock! I'm happy to say that this time next year we will be back HOME with our loved ones. Until then....we will enjoy the NOW!

....Starting with a trip to IRELAND!! :) Next week Jared has a chemistry conference to attend in Dublin, Ireland so I am tagging along and we're adding on a few extra days to our trip so that we can try to see a bit of the countryside while we're there. This is Jared's first time to Ireland so I'm excited to spend a few days in my favourite country with my favourite person! :) We'll be there just short of a week but I have some fun things planned for us to do in those few days. I think we're both equally excited about being in an English-speaking country for a few days and having a break from communication challenges. We've also rented a car which will be a luxury since we have gone without a car for the last year. It will be a much needed and much appreciated mini-vacation for us. Both of my previous visits to Ireland were in the spring and summer so I'm anxious to see what it's like in the fall. You know me...I'll be armed with a camera so I will likely share photos and stories when we get back.

All my Covered Bridge Festival faithfuls...I'm looking forward to joining you again around this time next year! Have fun and eat lots of yummy fair food for me! :)

Ciao for now!

Relationships & Social Connections

Is social media detrimental to personal relationships? This was a question I asked myself recently when looking at some of my own relationships — friendship, professional, and family alike. Social media plays a role in many of those relationships these days, and what I have noticed is that it isn’t always for the better

Here’s what I noticed when looking at my own relationships. Those that were primarily based on contact through social media outlets were much less substantial than those relationships where we kept in touch in person, over the phone, or via email on a regular basis.

For example, I have several friends that I stay connected with online. Many of them I keep in touch with solely through twitter, social networks like facebook comments, and blog comments. Those relationships tend to be much more casual, and we tend to know much less about each other. Once we begin emailing each other though, things change. Those relationships were much deeper than the social media based ones. We could have more personal conversations. We could have longer conversations. And I found that people tend to open up much more about things via email than they did in social media. Social media based relationships seemed to be more surface relationships in my experience.

The same was true with family. Those who keep in touch and worked on maintaining a deeper personal connection generally turned to email, the phone, and in some cases snail mail. Those who only kept in touch via social media did so much more casually and the interaction seemed much more impersonal.

 I'm discovering that social media outlets tend to encourage relationships of convenience. It has become this world of 140 characters or less, "Like" buttons and emoticons, making it quick and simple with minimal interaction. Social media seems to have become more like the drive thru window of relationships. Which when it comes to personal relationships I find a bit concerning.

Now I'm not saying that I think social media is totally damaging to personal relationships. We have the responsibility of whether or not we let our relationships slip and stop making a decent effort just because social media is “easier.” In fact, I think social media can do positive things in helping to build relationships. Social media outlets have the ability to serve as a stepping stone to deeper and more personal relationships with those we want to build them with. I think what it comes down to is being conscious of what we are doing, being aware of how we are investing our time and not making social media a substitute for personal relationships.

What about you? I find it hard to believe that this could be exclusive to me and my network of connections. How has social media affected different types of personal relationships in your life? Does it really bring you closer just because you might stay in touch more often, or is the quantity sometimes a substitute for quality conversations in those relationships? Do you reach out enough to the people you care about, or do you let social media suffice? I'd love for you to share your own thoughts and stories with me.

I've been doing my own reflecting recently and have decided to take an indefinite break from personal updates on my blog and other social outlets. I've been blogging regularly for well over a year now and in many ways I think it's time to step back for awhile. A part of me is really welcoming the break and a part of me feels reluctant. I receive lots of positive feedback from many of you through comments and emails about my blog and how many of you even "look forward to" my posts, so in a way I feel like I'm letting some of you down. But I know you understand and are supportive. Not sure how long of a break I'll be taking but I enjoy writing too much to give it up completely. I'm not giving up email, phone calls or Skype though so we will definitely stay connected that way...so don't be a stranger! :)