Christian Author Laura Davis

Have you ever asked the question, "What does God want me to do with my life?" I know I have, especially when I thought I had it all figured out. But, life happens and things changed and I was once again asking, "What does God want me to do with my life?" Unfortunately, I was asking the wrong question. I should have been asking, "What is God doing?" You see the difference right away. You can't miss it. It is no longer a self-serving question.  It is now geared  to serving God wherever He is working.

When I looked closer at my life to see where God was working, I realized that the frustration of not being able to walk faster than a snail, or dealing with infections in a leg that is starting to look more and more like a watermelon, could be my clue as to where God wanted me. And like a big lightbulb over my head that blinked on with a sputter -  "I saw the light".

If I had never fallen down those stairs 10 years ago and if my situation had not deteriorated to the point where I needed a walker, I would never have been aware of the difficulties and frustrations those with physical challenges go through on a daily basis. To be honest, I had recognized the problem with debit machines at the Metro checkout. My height alone prevented me from using them, which made me wonder how a person in a wheelchair managed. But, when I started trying to get my walker over curbs when there were no accessible sidewalks I became more aware. Then the day that I went to my favourite mall and discovered that most of the handicapped parking had been given over to "Mother's With Children", I just about blew a gasket right there. Pregant and nursing mother's with children were getting the spots that used to belong to the disabled? Something was wrong with this picture and I was fuming. I'm pretty sure that most of the disabled people I know didn't choose to be disabled. Whereas, most pregnant women had some say in the matter. That is when the light went on for me.

God wanted me aware of the trials of those with disabilities, so that I could be a voice. Once I realized that, everything else fell into place. I contacted the Canadian With Disabilities - Ontario region and joined their group. Hoping to help in some way. They generously accepted my help and have asked me to write a quarterly article for "A Voice of Their Own" a publication for the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. 

I am thrilled to be able to help in this way. So, if you start to hear more rants from me on the rights of the disabled, you'll know why.

Have you ever made a vow to God? Or have you ever prayed something like, "Dear Lord, if you give me this, I promise to...?" When the Lord answered your prayer and you received your request, did you keep your promise?

In1 Samuel 1:1-28, we learn about Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, who prayed that the Lord would give her a son. In fact, she had been barren for so many years that she promised God if He would give her a son, she would dedicate the child to God and bring him to live in the Temple in Shiloh, as soon as he was weaned. God heard her prayer and Hannah gave birth to Samuel and as hard as it was for her to keep her promise to God, she did just that. As soon as he was weaned, Hannah took him to the Temple and left him with Eli the priest.

Can you imagine how hard that was for her? She had waited years for a baby and when God granted her request, she kept the vow she made before Him. She dedicated her son to Him and left him in the care of an old man (Eli the priest in the temple). She saw Samuel once a year, when she came to the Temple to offer sacrifices with her husband. Each year she brought him a new robe. Some commentaries suggest that Samuel was between 3 and 5 when he was left at the temple to live. He would have been of an age where he could serve in the temple. Let's assume he was around the five year mark, about the time we send our children to school. Remember the anxiety you felt when you put your child on the bus for the first time? You worried about their happiness, whether he/she would make friends. You worried about whether or not they would behave! But, with relief they returned home to you at the end of the day, excited about their new friends. Or maybe not - I know my son never wanted to go back and it was a challenge just to get him out the door in the morning!

Now think about Hannah. She wasn't putting Samuel on a bus that was going across town. She was journeying to a place that was far away from where she lived, to LEAVE her son there - permanently! She saw him once a year. Imagine the reunion! Imagine the heartache. Hannah knew that a vow made to God was not something to be taken lightly. She kept her promise and God blessed her with three more sons and two daughters! Imagine, the blessings we lose by not keeping our vows.

Today, we vow before God to love our spouse until death parts us. Yet many couples (Christians included) do not take their vows seriously enough to realize they are covenanting with God, and they divorce at the first sign of trouble. We vow to bring our children up to know the Lord when we dedicate them. We vow to follow the Lord and serve him when we go through the waters of baptism. We declare to all who witness our baptism that we belong to the Lord and aim to follow Him. We make rash promises to God when we want something, without realising theconsequences of those actions. And we fail. We let our children go their own way. We choose to love the world and all it offers over serving God and honouring Him. We break our promises and our relationship with God is broken. And then we wonder where it all went wrong.

I fear, that God is no longer feared and I am heartbroken. He is taken for granted, His name is abused and He is mocked by those who do not know Him. This week is filled with the promise of a coming King, a Saviour. It is filled with the promise of eternal life, salvation, redemption, forgiveness - all because of the cross. All because God keeps His promises to us.

Can we do any less?

If I had found the cure for cancer and kept it to myself, would the people of the world be mad at me? You bet! If I could find a way to tell cancer victims everywhere that I had the cure for them, but they would have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to me, would they be indignant? Of course! But, if I told them they could have the cure for free and all they had to do was believe that it would work, would they line up with their hands out? Unbelievably, no they would not. Why? Because believing that something will work, just because I say it will wouldn't convince many people, until the ones who were desperate enough to be cured came, believed and were healed. Then they would be lining up for miles with their hands wide open.

In John 3:16 Jesus says this, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God gave the gift of His only Son. He gave His Son freely, so that we might have everlasting life! The only catch? You have to believe! Why? John 3:17 gives the reason, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." So, that you might be saved! He sent the cure for eternal damnation and all we have to do is believe. God has presented to the world the secret to eternal life and they rebuke it and call His message of love intolerant.

Since Ponce De Leon's search for the fountain of youth men and women everywhere have been trying to live longer, look younger and feel better as they age, all the while missing the one thing they should really be worrying about  -  where they will spend eternity. Our bodies are but shells that will wither and die and return to dust (Ecc. 3:20), but our souls will continue on. Life doesn't end at death, it just begins!

I have no cure for cancer, but I do have the cure for eternal damnation - Jesus Christ. Whether or not you believe He will come through for you, is up to you. The only way to find out, is to take that first step, hold out your hand and say, "Come Lord Jesus. Come."

Whenever God is trying to tell me something, He usually has to repeat Himself - several times. I admit it is my own thickheadedness that causes Him to have to resort to various tactics in order to get my attention. I'm very thankful He hasn't given up on me yet. In fact, Come to Me would never have been written if God hadn't persisted in nudging me. He went so far as to have a CD delivered in the mail (one I never requested mind you!) that had one song. Can you guess the name? Yup! Come to Me. It was during a time when I didn't know what to call my book. During that time, the verse, "Come to Me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest", (Matt. 11:28) frequently entered my conversations with people. Many of the books I read back then would also bring up this verse. Our Pastor had a sermon featuring it during that time too! When I got the CD I finally got the hint.

For the last couple of months, I've been seeing the same thing happen to me again. Books I'm reading all have the same theme, conversations are once again focusing on one subject and last week I received something in the mail. It's time to take the hint.

So what did I receive? A card that said, "It's All in the Waiting." I'm not good at waiting. I'm an impatient person. I like to go and get things done, but lately I've been forced to be still and well ... wait. I have been unable to attend church for some time now because I can't sit for long periods without elevating my leg. So I watch the services from home. I am feeling very antsy right now. I don't like to sit and not get things done. But lately, I've been forced to wait. I waited 2 weeks to find out if I have cancer. I don't! I have been waiting 4 weeks to get rid of a persisent cough. It's still there. The day that card came? I was waiting on my cat who was in surgery. The neat thing about that card? It had a cat on the front cover! God also has perfect timing!

So, why all the waiting? What have I learned? That waiting can be sacred. Waiting forces me to abide in Him daily. To spend precious moments silently in prayer, waiting on His directives for me for the day. Waiting is a form of worship that causes us to focus on God. It helps us to look inside ourselves to see those parts that are not in step with the Spirit.

Lent began on February 17. For the next 40 days people all over the world are observing it in one form or another. May I encourage you to take this time to wait on God? To use these days as your spiritual act of worship. To find a quiet place each day to pray, listen and most of all - to wait.

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

Have you ever asked yourself why you want Jesus in your life? I was reading a story today about a woman who was gazing at a picture of Jesus and instead of feeling love, she felt only resentment. She thought Jesus was too hard to love, that He was someone she had to appease, yet she still wanted Him in her life. That's when she did some serious thinking and she realized that she wanted Jesus in her life for all the wrong reasons. She wanted Him in her life for material blessings, to feel righteous and maybe superior to others. She wanted Him as sort of an insurance policy so that she wouldn't go to hell. But she didn't really want Jesus.

What about you? Have you ever asked yourself why you want Jesus in your life? To be honest,  I've never really thought about it before. I enjoy my relationship with Christ. He is someone I talk to on a regular basis. I think at times I might be guilty of taking our relationship for granted, but I know He is always there for me. Even if He is silent I know He is there. That is enough for me. I take great comfort in 1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." And isn't that what it is all about? He loved us FIRST! Imagine that! He loved us warts and all - no matter how bad we are/were He made the first step toward us. This alone compels me to love Him with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.

So why do I want Jesus in my life? I guess my reasons are all selfish. I want Him because I would be lost without Him. There would be a big hole in my life if He wasn't there. He is quite simply my best friend.

Here is some food for thought taken from a wonderful little devotional called "40 Loaves". These questions require deep thinking, but if you're willing to share I'd be interested to hear what your responses are.

• When have I used Jesus for my own purposes?
• What are the things I expect Jesus to do for me?
• Can I honestly say that I love Jesus?
• How would I describe Jesus to someone else?
• Do I really understand how much Jesus loves me ... no matter what?

One more thing - if you don't know Jesus as your Saviour or Friend, ask Him to reveal Himself to you and don't be surprised when He does! He loves you and invites you to fellowship with Him on a regular basis. This requires some action on your part:

• Confession - it is good for the soul! Let it all out, God knows all about it already, but you need to voice it to Him.
• Repentance - That sin you just confessed? Turn from it forever. Don't do it again!
  
• Thanksgiving - Thank God for the gift of His Son. He died for you on purpose!
• Invite - Now ask Him to be a part of your life. Give Him your life, as He gave His for you and rejoice in your new relationship with the Son of God!

Really? It's that simple? Well ... yes! But if you have any further questions please contact me at davis_duo@sympatico.ca

I love books! I receive about three or four in the mail each week for review. My pile has grown quite large and can get distracting,especially when I'm in the middle of writing my own. But everytime I open my mailbox and see another stuffed envelope or box I get excited.

This love of books began when I was in public school. Fairy tales, adventures, picture books - anything that would whisk me away to another land was fine by me. I was the first one in line when the book mobile came to our school and I was the last one to leave. When our school library needed volunteers, I jumped at the opportunity. I felt like a kid in a candy store! When it was time for recess I would be inside cataloguing books and when I could, finding a corner to read my favourite book series, "Little House on the Prairie". What girl didn't read those books growing up? 

At home and at school, my love of singing, combined with my love of reading, led me to write poems and then songs. In  highschool, while I spent a great deal of time singing, I also took creative writing classes and after highschool, I took more classes in writing. At the time, I was heavily involved in singing ministry, so I couldn't quite figure out, why I was so interested in learning how to write a novel.  I didn't believe I would actually write anything or do anything with that skill. Any stories I wrote were for my eyes only! In fact, the first writing class I took, the author (who had several books published) shared some wise words of advice - "If you think you are going to make thousands of dollars writing - think again! Writing," she said, "Is not a good way to make a living." She was right.

Since I was singing for a living, I wasn't too concerned. I knew what I would be doing until the day I died - and it wouldn't be writing. But God knew better.He designed me with a love of music, reading and writing. He saw the big picture and prepared me for the day when singing would no longer be an option and writing would be.

Sometimes,God takes us places that we don't want to go. Life is going along at a merry pace and then wham! Everything changes. We lose our jobs, we get sick, we have to move away from our family and friends. Any number of things can happen that we aren't prepared for. Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem impossible. But nothing is impossible with God. He tells us in His word that He has a plan for us: For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Are you going through a difficult time right now? Know this - God loves you and is giving you the opportunity to trust Him. You can cower in fear at the events going on in your life, or you can start another chapter and let the adventure begin!