This is actually a picture from the airplane as we flew over Minneapolis and Saint Paul in November.

WITHIN THE CITY

Within the city there is hidden
Many different kinds of people;
Some are broken, lonely, forgotten and/or hiding;
Others are achieving, excelling, working and moving.

Within the city there is opportunity
For people to hide in many ways;
There is the workaholic, alcoholic, drug addict and homeless;
There is the self-centered, individualist, and depressed.

Within the city there is community -
Community of sharing and caring;
Community of support and helps;
Community that one can choose or avoid.

Within the city many of us find ourselves living;
Do we find ourselves hiding from others -
Whether acceptable hiding or not so acceptable;
Or do we find our lives intertwined with others to share, care and help.

Within the city we need hope today;
We need those who will help another along the lonely way -
There may be grief over loss of a loved one, job, home or family -
But together we need to create a safe community to bring healing to our land.

Within the city today we need to recognize
The Spirit's presence and power;
Invite Him to come and give each one of us strength and wisdom
For each and every moment that lies before us in our life.

Copyright by June Friesen 3/09

Have a blessed day - June

Yesterday as I shared the day with a precious team of women God touched me with a precious truth I would like to share with you.

And this title is on a plaque given to me by a precious woman of God.

JESUS KNOWS ME - THIS I LOVE

Jesus knew me before I was conceived.
As He planned for my life to begin in my mother's womb,
He held me for a moment or two or three -
And I felt a tear or two or three drop upon my face.

I could not understand His tears
As I was about to embark upon this special journey called life,
To be lived on the earth that He had created
To serve His purpose for my life.

Yet as I have lived my life and made choices along the way,
I have told Him I believed and would follow Him -
Yet I would get side tracked by the darkness of the enemy
And soon find myself in a prison of my own making far away from God.

In the pain and agony I would cry out - God help me,
I need to be bailed out and set free - and He came and set me free.
He did not condemn me or ask me why or tell me to pay Him back,
Not the first time or the second or the third.

I have been called to parent a child in this world,
One who was nurtured with forgiveness and unconditional love;
This child made some choices and became a prisoner of the justice system -
And now it was I who was called to love, forgive and pay without condemnation or answers to the questions.

It is a lonely road to walk -
For Jesus it was and for me it was and sometimes it is still;
Have you pondered lately how you have lived or treated the life God has given you?
Have you reflected lately on how He desires you to love another as He loves you?

Copyright June Friesen - 3/09

In prayer for you as you read this today - June

Could not get my pictures to load up to Picture TRail this morning and I have to get going - so will add some pictures maybe later today. I have grown to love Enya so I trust you will enjoy this short video of hers.

SOMETIMES

Sometimes things just do not go like one wants them to;
Other times it seems as if all is going our way;
What does one do in each situation is what counts;
Persevere when needed or to step back if that is what is called for.
Sometimes one needs to say -
"What could be different here?"
"What do I need to learn from this?"
"What do I carry away from here?"
Answers to questions personally are often hard to face,
As we think it is someone else's issue,
Or at least it is not something we need to learn,
Yet life is all about change and growing.
Yes, life is like that sometimes -
So today is a 'sometime' that I choose to grow,
It is a 'sometime' that I will move on from this moment,
It is a 'sometime' that I will give myself to make the world a better place not only for myself but for others around me as well.
Copyright by June Friesen 3/09

Have a wonderful day - much love - June

Our friend who is older than we are and has been handicapped all of his life with us at a hockey game recently; it was his first game. And indeed this man had accepted his body and life situation and lived his life to the fullest in spite of the difficulites faced.

CELEBRATING LIFE

Complaining about this wrinkle,
Grumbling about that weight,
Frustrated with the pimple,
And grating about your age.

Trying to fix this and that,
To give oneself a better and more fashionable look,
Be it in the form of surgery, cosmetics, diet or clothes,
Surely there is a way to find the happiness longed for in the soul.

Yet, midst all the struggle, fuss and fuming,
Somehow an emptiness remains;
Could it just be that this outer being
Needs a 'fix' beginning on the inside?

So take a moment to breathe,
Take a nice warm shower,
Take time for a leisurely, healthy meal,
And spend time communing spirit to Spirit.

Recognize that who you are in body and spirit
Is a gift from God for you to enjoy;
Accept what you have been given, embrace and care for it;
And life will begin to be worth living from this moment on.

Copyright June Friesen 3/09

We are celebrating our friend's birthday today going to a concert. This fellow is indeed an inspiration to celebrate life in any way that you have it! Have a great day - June

This is the door to our chapel in our back yard; the reflections in the windows are incredible; I tried to get a picture that day without them but it did not work.

This post rises out of my own struggle with something that may not make alot of sense to most - but yesterday our hockey team traded two of my favorite players -uugghh! So I am trying to give an open mind and door to the new ones and change my allegiance.

OPEN DOOR TO THE NEW
There comes a time in everyone's life
When things begin to change;
One needs to determine the necessary change
And then begin to move on.

It is not always easy to leave behind
The things and people that are familiar;
To reach out and expand to new beginnings
Yet growth and maturity can then develop.

What lies ahead is unknown,
There is unfamiliaraity and maybe even some confusion,
There are new ways, plans and people,
All to which one must adapt.

Open the door and accept the challenge -
Well, as hard as it may be it is indeed necessary;
Welcome the new, the change and the challenge,
And live each moment to the fullest with the sheer joy of just being alive!

Copyright by June Friesen 3/09

At least the most important allegiance in my life is secure and that is my walk with God; and I could not be more secure anywhere than in His arms. Have a blessed day - June