Laura J. Davis

My, but I have been silent haven't I? I have good reasons. I've been working frantically to finish Learning from the Master: Living a Surrendered Life (see picture on the sidebar).This study guide is based on my novel Come to Me. Like the book, we look at the events in Jesus' life, but this time we dig a little deeper and learn from our Lord's example (and His mother's) on how to live a surrendered life. This study is ideal for personal use, but is designed to be used in a group setting as well. Unfortunately guys, it is a study suited for women.

The use of Come to Me is to give you a sense of Jesus' day to day life. How he interacted with his family and friends, his sense of humour, his concerns, etc. Then, using Learning from the Master and your bible you will discover how Jesus was able to willingly lay aside his own desires for the Kingdom of God. I hope by the end of the study women will easily be able to recognize those areas of their lives where changes need to occur and how they can make those changes to live a fully surrendered life.

Since the study follows Jesus life, birth, death and resurrection a study on The Star of Bethlehem is included and I'm pleased to announce that Rick Larson, the creator of that wonderful DVD, is allowing me to make The Star of Bethlehem available through my website. I have set aside one week in the study just for you to watch the DVD. Of course you don't have to, but honestly you will miss so much if you don't. You will be amazed at how the Lord orchestrated the heavens the day of Jesus' birth (even before his birth) and in particular, you will be in awe of how the stars were aligned when he died and rose again. The heavens are indeed God's handiwork and have much to reveal.

So, if you are looking for something to dig into with your ladies group this year (or for your own personal use) Learning from the Master will be out soon!

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great time with their families over the holidays. Our Christmas and New Year's was rather subdued. We spent Christmas Day with our kids, Sarah (27) and Andrew (24). The following day we drove to Toronto to spend time with my husband Jim's family. It was bittersweet as we knew it would be our last time with Jim's mom who was dying of pancreatic cancer. She amazed us all with her uncomplaining attitude as she lay on the couch in the livingroom, watching her grandchildren open their last presents from her. We all suspected that Mom was hanging on until she could spend Christmas with us and we were right. On December 30, we got the call that she had gone home to be with the Lord.

In 2009, Jim's dad died December 22,  and while that was hard, today seemed even harder. I'm sure those of you who have lost both parents understand what we are going through. It seems so final. No more going to grandma's house. No more long conversations on the couch. No more card games (she loved to play games). So, a New Year has begun with an empty spot in our family, yet while we mourn her loss we rejoice that she is with her Saviour. We cry tears of joy knowing that she is with her husband of 64 years again. In fact, her 64th wedding anniversary was New Year's Day. We all smiled when we thought about her spending her anniversary in heaven. How great would that be?

As we look at the year before us, it is with the knowledge that our parents are safe in the hands of the Saviour that they loved so much. Both Dad and Mom were shining examples to their children of how one lives a committed life to God. Mom's greatest concern before she died was that we would all see her again. She wanted to make sure each child and grandchild would be safely escorted through the gates of heaven when their time came. She knew we each needed to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus in order for that to happen.  Her dying wish was for all to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

It is also my wish. If you do not know Jesus as your Saviour, may this be the year you realize how much He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. May 2012 be a year of new beginnings for you. If you know the Lord already, I pray that 2012 will be a year that will draw you closer to your Saviour as He draws closer to you.

God bless you all as you begin a new year full of possibilities!

She was frightened by the appearance of the angel. One moment she was alone and the next words she heard changed her life forever, "Greetings you who are highly favoured!" She turned around and there stood an angel of God and he was telling her that God favoured her. I can feel Mary's heart beating fast can't you? Imagine what was going through her mind - the emotions that must have been swirling through her. I'd think fear, anxiety and confusion would be top on her list. But then the angel goes on.

"You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Say what now?

Can you see her eyes blinking rapidly trying to take it all in? Her face is flushing too. Her heart is going a mile a minute! New emotions are tumbling in and building to a fever pitch. She is no more than 14 or 15 years old. Some scholars suggest she may have been as young as 12! She is a young Jewess. Deeply devoted to God and His laws. Getting pregnant outside of marriage would result in a stoning, according to those laws. So, we have no doubt that this is not very good news for Mary. That fear is clutching at her throat right now waiting for release. Yet, at the same time, she experiences peace and joy at the angel's words. Why? She has just been told that she would have the honour of bringing the Messiah into the world! She is no doubt flabbergasted at such an honour.She has so many questions to ask - but only one comes forth. "How will this be since I am a virgin?"

A logical question considering all the other ones that were probably going through her head like - why me? When will it happen? Will it hurt? What will I tell my fiancee Joseph? How will I explain this to my parents? And oh...yeah...how will I avoid a stoning?

After the angel explains to her how it will be done, he tells her about her cousin Elizabeth so that she might know she wasn't imagining everything.

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” 

And after all that, this lovely young teenager says, "I am the Lord's Servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Mary obediently surrendered to God’s desires for her life. God was pleased to honour her by using her for His good purposes. Mary knew she was about to face a world full of trouble and hurt when her friends and family discovered her pregnant. Yet, she said “yes” to God. How do you react when God asks something of you that you fear is way out of your comfort zone? Do you automatically question God? Say no? Stall for time? The next time God asks something of you, take a lesson from Mary and say yes. He might just use you to change the world.

Several months ago it was put into my head by several well meaning souls that I needed to write a bible study on the life of Christ, to go with my novel Come to Me. At first it was suggested that I write something geared to a book club, but as I started writing I felt myself drawn to exploring the faith of Christ, his mother and the events of their lives that changed the course of history. In all honesty, I was in the middle of writing another book in a totally different genre, when this "idea" for an accompaniment studyguide to Come to Me took over my days and nights.

I am happy to report that Learning from the Master is almost ready for print and it is good for book clubs and bible study groups. It isn't until you sit at the feet of the Rabbi from Galilee and meditate on his words that you start to see patterns in his life and his faith. This study will, I hope, help young and old believers alike to discover the true meaning of surrendering to God. In addition, I will have the privilege of making the DVD The Star of Bethlehem available with this study. The two books - Come to Me and Learning from the Master will be available as a package with the DVD. Or you can order each book and the DVD separately. I am over the moon that the creator of The Bethlehem Star has blessed me with this opportunity. It is one of the best videos I've ever seen on the Bethlehem Star and it will blow your mind!

You can purchase the DVD from my web-store in time for Christmas for $10.00 plus shipping. I have limited quantities so get your orders in fast (if you are interested). Or, you can pre-order Learning from the Master and I will include a copy of the DVD for a reduced price, (but you won't get it until after Christmas). In the meantime, enjoy the trailer below.

In my daily study time I am working through Francis Chan's book/workbook Crazy Love. It's an awesome study and one that will make you ponder things for hours. For example, today I was faced with something that I had always assumed was a given, but when I really thought hard about my answer I began to wonder.

The theme of the chapter was simple - do you love God? Well, my immediate reaction was - of course I do! I wouldn't be devoting my life to Him if I didn't love Him. But then, Francis Chan went a little deeper and I was faced with these questions: 

Do I love God like I love my spouse or my children? Do I want to be with Him - to pursue Him? Is my love for God like that "Crazy Love" I experienced when I first fell in love with my husband? Does the spirit within me "light up" at the thought of spending time with my Saviour? While the author never directly asked those questions, the study inadvertently pushed me in that direction. I didn't like my answers.

I began to think of all the ways God has expressed His love for me. Not just the death of His Son, but in other ways throughout my life where He has shown me how much He cares. Shelter, clothing, jobs, safety during moments of danger, healthy kids, delightful surprises, friendships, family, a loving husband. The list goes on and on. Yes, there were some bad times, but God was still there during them, holding me up and keeping me strong.

So, how do I express my love for God? He has given me so much, what can I possibly do to return that love? Will going to church or having a bible study everyday make Him happy? What about volunteering to help the poor? Will that make Him smile? Or perhaps a daily morning devotional that is at a set time everyday will let Him know how devoted I am. Are these adequate ways to show my love for Him?

Before I married my husband I couldn't stand being away from him for even a moment. We had a long distance relationship and racked up the phone bills talking to each other everyday for hours. Why? Because we loved each other, we wanted to hear each other's voice and get to know one another. When I hung up the phone, I missed his voice right away.

Is your love for God like that? Do you long to be with Him? To talk to Him? Do you constantly think about Him? Do you LOVE the Father like that?

Did you know that's how He loves you?

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

When you get up in the morning, what is the first thing you think about? The first thing I think about is that I want to sleep some more. Then I think about having a shower, getting dressed, feeding the cats, taking my pills so that I can walk with minimal discomfort, driving my husband to work and stopping at Timmy's* on the way back for a coffee. At this point I'm still half asleep, because I am NOT a morning person. My brain has yet to kick in to actual thinking. So far, everything I've done has been by rote. It's my morning routine, which begins at 6:00 am everyday (way too early for someone who isn't fully functional until after 11:00 am).  I am like the walking dead - not quite dead, yet not fully alive either.

By the time I get back to the house after dropping my husband off at work, I'm ready for breakfast. I still haven't a thought in my head - again everything is by rote and I'm not fully awake. The coffee helps - a little - and my head begins to clear of the sleep induced fog it has been in since early morning. It is now 8:30 am and I'm starting to come around, so I check my emails. I should be praying and having a bible study, but I'm afraid to, because I worry that I'll fall back to sleep. God deserves better than that. So, I try more caffeine and by 10:00 am I'm starting to think - thoughts are actually forming in my mind. It is time for prayer and bible study.

Surely, this is not how God intended my days to begin - as a comatose, middle-aged woman who can't put two thoughts together until the morning is half over? Whatever happened to jumping out of bed in the morning and singing, "Good morning, good morning!" (a la Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor). Oh wait - that has never happened in my life! I have ALWAYS been a night owl. But, somehow I thought that once I became a Christian my grumpy (I wish I were still sleeping) morning attitude would go away and be replaced with a more "Christlike" attitude. One that immediately thought of God and rejoiced that I'd been given a new day in which to praise Him.

It bothers me that I don't even think about God until AFTER I've had a shot of caffeine. This can't be right. Each day God has given me is a gift and I want to live it to it's fullest, praising Him and serving Him. Yet, somehow it never turns out that way. Oh, I do have my prayer and bible study times and I do have wonderful moments of worship, but it never seems enough. I could always fall back on the old "God made me this way" excuse and leave it at that. But I can't. God deserves more from me. He deserves all of me. He gives me the gift of life and I really need to be awake to offer it back to Him or my life is worth nothing. 

So today, I want to honour God the best way I know how - by staying awake. You may think - "That's awful! Your only gift to God each day is to stay awake?"  Yes, it is, because even now at 10:30 am as I write this, I am overwhelmed by the desire to fall asleep. It is so intense, this need to sleep, that I get dizzy trying to fight it off. I could easily crawl back into bed and not wake up again until 1:00 pm. I confess this is something I do all too frequently. But no more.

How can I take a day God has gifted me with and sleep it away? How can I not live it to its fullest? Even though most of my work gets done in the evenings, when I come alive, God still deserves more from me and I must not waste this day.

What about you? How are you spending your days? Maybe you are a morning person and you do jump out of bed shouting "Good morning!" But what happens after that? How much of your day do you give back to God? All of it, or only a teeny bit? Do other things get in your way like your job, shopping, children, the gym or TV? How much time do you devote to God each day? 15 minutes? An hour? God cannot be relegated to our agenda for the day, to where He'll "fit" in. Each day is a gift from God that we can open like a present on Christmas morning with excitement at the prospect of what it will bring. For some, this day may even be your last. So, ask yourself, how are you going to live your life today? Like the walking dead who go through the motions? Or are you going to use it to bring glory to God and be a gift to others? 

*Timmy's is Tim Horton's here in Canada. The best coffee Canada has to offer.

Last week I shared with you the passing of my friend Susan Minns. Sue's philosophy was "always find the funny". Well, I'm here to say that I have probably attended, for the first time in my life, the funniest and funnest funeral/memorial service I've ever been to. It was no coincidence that Sue wanted her funeral to be called a "going away party."

It started out normal enough. We enjoyed a slide show of pictures of Sue's life. We listened to people share humorous stories about Sue. We sang her favorite songs and listened to a soloist who did a beautiful job. Her husband and sons also had a few words to say about Sue and many of us laughed, as well as cried.

Then the preacher got up to speak and halfway during his sermon he put on a red clown nose. The video below will clue you in on why he did that. He also asked everyone to take off one shoe and hold it up in the air. Hundreds of red shoes popped up throughout the church. Why? I'll let Sue tell you, "The way I see it, if you have to spend your days in a wheelchair, you can either whine about it or your can seize the opportunity to wear smokin' red high heels with zero discomfort."

Sue chose the red shoes and we all honoured her by wearing them as well. As the service came to a close the preacher explained that one of Sue's favorite songs was about to play (it was by Stevie Wonder) and he said Sue had one final request of us - "She wants you to dance."

And so we danced. We danced our way out of the church laughing, smiling and crying (a wee bit) over how our friend turned our mourning into joy.

I left inspired. My tag-line above says, "Living a Joy-filled, Surrendered Life." That kind of life requires that you try to find a reason to be thankful and joyful in any situation. I'm going to add to that and start looking for the "funny" in life as well. I might even sport a clown nose once in a while. We are, after all is said and done, only here for a brief moment in time. So, let's make the most of what time we have left and find the funny.

This is my friend Sue Minns. This picture pretty much describes everything about Sue. That smile lit up a room and her laugh and sense of humour stayed with you for hours after talking to her. Sue was an incredible speaker who managed to touch the hearts of people all over Canada. She loved to laugh at what most people would call "bad" things, but she could find something funny about any situation. Her philosophy? Try to find the humour in everything. Keep an eye out for it because there is always something funny to find - even with MS and cancer. Her humourous attitude toward life was a gift from God and her faith in Jesus to see her through life's trials - and she had many of them (depression, breast cancer, a devastating house fire, MS) - made her testimony about God's faithfulness all the more powerful.

Sue was famous for her red stiletto shoes.

"The way I see it, if you have to spend your days in a wheelchair you can either whine about it or your can seize the opportunity to wear smokin' red high heels with zero discomfort."

That was the way Sue looked at life - always with a positive. She even tried to convince me that I should get a wheelchair as it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. "I can go anywhere I want now. Best thing that ever happened to me was getting this wheelchair!" Her words, not mine. She saw me limping and new I was in pain. In fact, right up until the time she went into hospital, she was still trying to convince me to get one.

Sue died on September 29, 2011 of stomach cancer. I was supposed to go in and see her that day. I was going to surprise her with a bouquet of flowers - and my new red scooter. It wasn't a wheelchair, but I knew it would have brought a smile and a chuckle from her and it's no coincidence that it's red.

Today, I will in some small measure (I hope), give comfort to her husband Rick and her sons Jake and Jesse. Tomorrow, we are having a going away party. Again, Sue's idea. I know almost everyone there (men and women) will be sporting red shoes of some kind. I also know, for me at least, that when I think of Sue's red shoes I hear in my head the constant refrain, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home." So, I will wear my red shoes, share a story or two and then click my heels three times and rejoice in the fact that my dear friend is truly home.

If you have 33 minutes, take a moment to watch this amazing documentary by author and film producer Ray Comfort. From the opening I was stunned at how many of our young people today did not know who Adolf Hitler was. From the outset, I sincerely thought this film was going to be about making comparisons to Hitler's Nazi regime and Islam. I couldn't have been more surprised to where it lead and how quickly people changed their minds on the topic discussed within.

Initially, 180 was not the film Ray Comfort meant to produce. At the time, Comfort was taping interviews for a DVD to go along with a book on Hitler and the holocaust. In the course of the interviews, one question led to another, and the discussion led to abortion. Comfort explains, “It began with two male university students completely changing their minds about abortion when we asked them this one question. We realized it wouldn’t be convincing to have only males speaking on the subject, so we took to the streets, asking that one particular question, and found that six women changed their minds from pro-abortion to pro-life in a matter of seconds. It was amazing!”

Though it was not Comfort’s original intention to create a documentary specifically about the abortion issue, when he saw the direction the film was taking, he quickly recognized its potential to open the doors of discussion. “I have held up pro-life signs. I have printed pro-life literature and spoken against abortion in pulpits and in my books, but I have felt that all my efforts were almost futile—that is, up until now. In 180 we have a nation changer.”

As to the rest of the question Comfort asks in 180? You’ll have to wait to watch the video to find out what it is. “For me to tell you what the question is,” he explains, “would be cheating you. You’ve got to see the facial expressions change. You’ve got to see the people, when they are asked that one question, change from one of a hard look in their facial expressions to one of a light going off, as they change their minds and realize how evil abortion is. Their thinking makes an abrupt 180 degree turn, all because of that one game-changing question.”

Although the film is just now being released to the public, an early edit of 180 was submitted for consideration and won a 2011 Telly Award.

I invite you to watch the film and welcome your comments afterwards.

Earlier this year, my mother in-law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Given her age and the prognosis, she opted out of surgery. She knows where she is going and feels she made the right decision.

Recently, a good friend was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Her prognosis is not good and she has been given a few months to live.

In November, I'm going in for surgery to remove a lump on my leg that has been a "thorn" in my side (or should I say leg?) for more than two years. I'm told the operation is risky, but it needs to come out - the lump is so big I run into it with my other leg!

On Sunday, my mother had a stroke. She couldn't walk or talk. Everything that came out of her mouth was gibberish. She became quite agitated in the hospital because we couldn't understand a thing she said. She lost the use of her right leg. She was understandably confused at what was going on. The doctor's said the next few days will determine if she gets better or not. I immediately put out a call for prayer to my writer friends in The Word Guild.

I needed some good news.

On Monday morning my father walked into my mother's hospital room to discover her sitting up in bed reading the paper! She was also talking normally. The doctor's and nurses were astounded. We all were. Today is Thursday and I'm happy to say Mom is still doing well. She is walking with the help of a walker and her aphasia has not returned.

Does God still hear our prayers today? Yes! I believe my mother was healed by God through the power of prayer. I may be alone in that assessment, but nothing else can explain her remarkable recovery. Some may ask, "Why did God heal your Mom and not your friend or your mother in-law? Didn't you pray for them?" Yes, and I still am praying for them. In fact, my mother in-law hasn't been given long to live and should be in a lot of pain right now. But she's not. She's doing great. My friend however, is not doing so great and this makes me very sad. But, I don't stop praying for any of them. God knows the plans He has in mind for my Mom, my friend and my mother in-law and He answers my prayers for all three of these women accordingly.

Sometimes we don't get the answers to prayer that we want and other times we are astounded over God's goodness to us. Right now I'm celebrating the good news of my mother's healing. Tomorrow I may be mourning the loss of a good friend and yes it does make me question "why", especially when I see how much my friend has to live for (she's still so young). Is God fair? Yes, He is. We don't know the future, but He does and He alone knows what is best and that is where trust comes in.

Prayer can only have two outcomes - "Yes or no." Positive answers are what we long for and they make our faith stronger. Negative answers will cause many to ask "why?"  and it may even cause many to struggle with the goodness of God. But, don't let it. God sees beyond what you can see and knows what is best for you and for those you are praying for. Keep on trusting Him. He knows what is best for you and your loved ones. He sees their future clearly. Just keep praying and let Him take care of the rest.