Pen of Iron

Jessica, with my sunglasses.


World, say hello to Jessica. Jessica is the newest addition to our church. Her parents cannot afford to keep her, so Ziad and Katie have, for the near future, borne the joyous responsibility of raising her in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and providing her with familial love and care, as God intended.
We don't know her family name, but as Ziad loves to repeat
"there is no such thing as an illegitimate child, only an illegitimate parent"
Jessica warms our hearts. She is a lively and resilient kid. She has been with us for a few months now. Thank you Jesus.


Psalm 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 4:11 PM | 1 comments    

If you're a believer go out now now now and get

"Pagans in the Pews
(how the New Spirituality is invading your home, church and community)"
by Peter Jones.
It is a sober assessment of an ancient but newly visible and insiduously noxious spiritual war between the God of the Bible and pagan monism; and it will give you tremors. The religious stage is being set for the beast and the man of sin.
I am going to buy 10 copies and give them out.

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 5:06 PM | 5 comments    

Last night I went to a bridal shower to which a lady from another church had invited me seeing I was a friend of the bride-to-be. Time: 6pm at some restaurant in an unfamiliar town, so I drove in to work, something which I don't normally do. Incidentally a lady at the office asked me if we were going somewhere filthy after dinner. We are christians, I briskly replied. We don't do things like the faithless people do. I may have touched a nerve there, but my answer was too quick and spontanous. Anyway back to my story. At around 6:45 pm soon after all the ladies had arrived including the bride, I hear my name being called to go to the front desk. As I moved toward the public telephone booth I wondered who was calling me. Centrainly not my daughter who had just called me on my cell. As it turned out another lady, the only other person from my home church, a very pregnant lady had run into car problems. It was rainy. Her car had broken down. She had no cell phone on her. She could not reach her husband. She was crying on the phone but she had managed to walk in the rain and catch a bus to the closest coffee shop where she thought of calling the restaurant and paging me. I calmed her down and told her I was on my way to get her. Soon after she was calmly seated at the table with the car left behind. The tire had taken a bad blow and the car was stranded near a truck parking lot.

Mercifully the lady whose shower it was had an extended service warranty with the CAA, and once they heard the story they were willing to help out. Leaving all the guests behind, some twenty ladies, the three of us (bride-to-be, my pregnant friend and I) drove back to the car to meet up with the CAA serviceman, the car tire was soon replaced, and again we were all happily seated to the dinner table. It was close to 9.00pm by now. So we were the last three to eat. The waiters were happy to bring our food back again. They had kept our orders on hold until we returned.

Now here's what I have to say, under normal circumstances, and had it been a non-christian lady whose shower it was, the guest of honour would have felt that her bridal shower was ruined. Instead all evening long the sweet christian lady was praising the Lord that the CAA had accepted to service the car of her very pregnant friend. When I picked my friend up she had been sobbing wondering why all this had happened to her, but by the time we drove back home, all the way keeping her in my rear mirror view, she was tearfully rejoicing and praising God for his goodness through it all.

As for me, the day gave me a chance to give a tract to the parking lot guy in the morning, to the CAA man in the evening, and to the Italian man who had waited on us at the dinner table. Who knows, it might have been God's will to reach these men after all. I too came home at night rejoicing and praising God for having mercifully seen us through this ordeal while giving me three different opportunities to reach three different men with the word of God yesterday, all because of a memorable bridal shower. It was not messed up after all.

Posted by Consecrated at 8:48 AM | 2 comments    

Zechariah chapter 3 verse 7: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

Verse 8: Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH...

I see two classes in God's courts. These that stand by are judging and keeping God's courts (notice the plural here). And thy fellows that sit....... men to be wondered at. It seems to me that there are two contrasting types. Some that stand, and some that sit. Who fits where? I don't know. I may have my views but I will not venture there.

The text is taken from one of favorite passages in the Bible. Zechariah Chapter 3. There you will see a picture of Satan standing before the Lord accusing every one us while we stand in our filthiness before God. Then the Lord in his mercy and grace comes to our rescue. He pleads our case, he has plucked us out of fire, removes our filthiness, puts on our head the helmet of salvation and clothes us with robes of righteousness. Once that is done, he commands to walk in his ways and if we do that he promises to seat us in his courts and rule with him in his coming kingdom. Maranatha.

Posted by Consecrated at 8:14 AM | 0 comments    

I think this is going to become a series. Last night Redeemed and I decided to have dinner at a family diner in our neighbourhood. Normally we don't eat out on Friday nights, but it was hot, AWANA season was over, and we were not in a rush to go home. So we got there only to find out that the place was packed and there was a long line-up as we waited in line for a table to free up. The hostess suggested that there was room in the smokers section, but no one wanted to sit there. That was when the people in line started chatting about smoking in public places and the need to ban it from restaurants. True, effective 1 January 2006 the law will take effect in Quebec, but some restaurant administration have taken the lead and have started applying the law as of now. (Obviously it was not the case here). However here's the good thing that came out of this. When Redeemed and I were finally escorted to a booth which seats four people, we invited the couple behind us and with whom we were chatting to sit with with us. They were only very happy to do so. It turned out to be a wonderful evening. We spent around three hours at the dinner table. It was a great conversation. The Lord opened the door for us. I gave my testimony how I got saved. The man, a retired policeman, said that he believes he had been saved. He used to go to a Pentecostal church but it has been a while since he has been in church. As it turned out, he is now working as security at a seniors residence and by coincidence we found out my favourite pastor and his wife have moved there not long ago. A very Godly couple. The man was excited and promised to tell the pastor that he met us. By the time the evening was over, they each had a tract in their hand. We exchanged phone numbers and they promised that we would hear from them again. Isn't that wonderful. I thought it was a blessing how the Lord led us there last night. I am sure my former Pastor will seize this opportunity and I see God at work giving this man another opportunity to see the love of Christ.

I am reminded of the hymn "Bringing in the sheaves". We sang it on Wednesday night in church, and it opens like this "Sowing in the morning, Sowing in Evening,...... ). Isn't that cute, sowing on the train in the morning, and sowing in a restaurant in the evening. Today we go tract passing at noon, so the hymn comes full circle, sowing in the morning, sowing in the evening, sowing in noon tide and the dewy eve. Waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping, we shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves.

Posted by Consecrated at 6:05 AM | 5 comments    

Did you know that taking a bus, riding a train, or taking the subway can be a blessing. Here's proof. Tuesday morning I was on the train going to work when a young fellow got on the train and sat in the seat facing me. Soon he reached out to grab a morning paper that must have been left behind by a previous passenger. I immediately pulled out a tract "The Romans Road to Heaven" from my purse and gave it to the young man saying "here's something to read if you like". The fellow looked at the tract and said "Oh I have it". When I queried how come "someone gave me a copy at the Metro Cote Vertu" he replied. "And did anyone speak to you about it? Did you get saved", I asked. Oh, he said, they just give it to you at the Metro as you are passing by. That was a great open door for a discussion that followed all the way till we almost reached downtown. I explained the gospel to him, and pulled out my personal worker's New Testament from my purse and showed him from the Bible by making him read verse after verse hat he was a sinner in need of repentance, and in need of being born again. the fellow looked very sincere, and we had a good chat, at the end of which I asked him if he wanted to receive Jesus as his Saviour, because it is not enough that you know or believe. You must receive Jesus as Saviour for the gift to take effect. You must ask him to save your soul, I insisted. Then I pointed to the prayer at the bottom of the tract and showed him an example of what he could pray. The fellow read it aloud once. Then he looked at me and said. "I am ready". I wasn't expecting this. At that moment, on that morning train, William bowed his head and read the prayer with all the sincerity that you would hope for. When he finished he looked up at me. I said did you pray it with all your heart. I said, Congratulations brother, and I encouraged him further to feed the new life which was born in his heart and encouraged him to come to church. Please play that William's faith grows. The bottom line for sharing this story is that after I came home that day I thought to myself, you know, technology is not exactly a blessing. I mean people who drive to work or to school may have the luxury of life but they are missing on opportunities to sow the precious seed by mingling with the public. That is what makes me think that taking public transport could be a blessing if you use it for furthering the gospel of Christ, Bless his holy name.

Posted by Consecrated at 9:09 PM | 3 comments    

Hey guys,
Please please take a look at
Mike's Album-----Unashamed Pursuit.

You will love what you'll see there. Mike is a Christian and he had left a comment on one of my prayer requests for the ministry in China. That's where I got his addy from, and Iwas very pleasantly surprised. You will too, I am sure. Take a look.

Posted by Consecrated at 11:57 AM | 0 comments    

I read your very interesting post in Bible Studies about Rebellion. It was after I had posted my comment that a very interesting word in your entry came really alive. You spoke about a confederacy. In my comment I referred to Nimrod and his Babel, the first rebellious city and how he rallied the living world around himself and claimed authority over. He claimed that he is their protector providing them with safety. How interesting that you should refer to a "Confederacy" which has its parallel in Babel. You were inspired by the spirit of God, I am sure.

On another note I want to add this word of caution to every Christian believer who is stuggling with the question of authority. Need I remind you of David and Saul. David had done Saul no harm. The Kingdom was now promised to David while Saul was officially the king. David some to go through some training in the meantime and God had to prepare him for the job lying ahead. Now Saul, aroused by jealousy, had repeatedly tried to kill David, the heir to the throne. What do you think David did. Did he try to fight back. No. There is not one record in the book of Samuel that teaches so. At one point we even read of a unique opportunity presented to David to avenge himself of Saul's wrong doing. Saul is fast asleep in a cave I believe, and he was within reach of David and his men. David could have killed him in his sleep. But David was a man "according to God's heart" the Bible says. He respected GOD'S AUTHORITY vested in Saul (a bad man by now). Although his men encuoraged him, David would not slay God's anointed (evil) king. The point is this. If you raise your hand against the man of God, whether he be in the right or in the wrong, you are actually raising your hand against God's authority. Don't meddle in God's business. Step aside. "Be still and know that I am God" says the Psalmist 46:10. He can look after his own affairs. He does not need anyone. He is Almighty God. I am a worm, David said.

Posted by Consecrated at 10:20 AM | 0 comments