When I was a very busy mother raising four equally busy growing children, I learned to condense Biblical wisdom in to short ‘sound-bites’, because anything longer would inevitably go in one ear and out the other! One such ‘sound-bite’ which Holy Spirit has been reminding me of in the past months, is: “The only thing you can take with you into eternity, is people!” At the time, I was obviously trying to teach my kids not to invest themselves in ‘things’ or to over-value the accumulation of ‘stuff.’ But MUCH more important was this key Truth: the spirit of Man is the only thing that endures beyond the grave.

And that, for the Christian, should carry an inordinate amount of weight. And responsibility. 

When I was in my 20’s & 30’s I was hugely uncomfortable with ‘evangelism’. I had the (wrong) impression that it required me to approach complete strangers on the street and inform them that they were going to Hell if they did not repent and receive Christ as Saviour. Unsurprisingly, I quickly decided I was not called to evangelise! It wasn’t until I was in my 50’s that Holy Spirit was able to get through my resistance and show me that all the years I had been hosting people in my home - extending hospitality to guests - building relationships with team-mates in sports…all of it had been ‘evangelism.’ That sitting and listening to someone tell me their story, as we enjoyed a cup of coffee together, was how Holy Spirit had been able to ‘turn over the soil’ of their heart in preparation for what He would do in their future. 

People. 

As I get older, I grow to love the people around me so much more naturally. It is as though I ‘see’ them more truly - no longer through the filter of my own insecurities but, instead, with a fascination at the uniqueness of who God designed them to be. Different than me, but created like Him. And because of that, deserving of my attention and my hope-filled, earnest prayers. 

As you read this, I want to encourage you to look at the people in your life - Believers and unbelievers alike - and recognise that God has put them in your path. And that you have an opportunity to to reveal His nature to them and His love for them, through your interaction with them. You won’t be able to take your money or your business or your holiday-home etc, with you when you die. But you CAN bring something infinitely more valuable: people. 

Being back in Winnipeg (central Canada) after 18 years' absence, was especially overwhelming. Luisa& I stayed with my dearest friend, Jayne and on our first Sunday in my old church I was inundated with hugs and greetings from people I had once worked with - both on staff in the Christian School and in ministry at the Church. I am forever grateful for the love and generosity of the friend who made the trip possible. It was a time of incredible affirmation and encouragement, and exactly the holiday I needed to re-charge me.

During my time in Canada I was asked to visit with and pray for a young woman who had gone blind as a result of type 1 diabetes. Luisa, Jayne and went together to minister to her and, after more than an hour of teaching and deliverance, I anointed her with oil and prayed for her healing. She has been completely blind for the past two years and undergone a half- dozen eye surgeries which had left one of her eyes swollen almost twice the size due to scar tissue. During prayer she said that eye "began to burn" and afterward she had her friend confirm that it had shrunk back completely to the same size as her other eye. The scar tissue had completely disappeared. She also immediately exclaimed that she could "see brightness everywhere", and each morning since then she says she wakes up and can "see more light." PRAISE GOD! Please join with me in praying that the healing which Holy Spirit released that day will be completed and the young woman (Breanne) will be fully healed. Amen!