My Walk with God 🌱

  "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."  -Revelation 21: 2-3 I can't wait to walk down the aisle ... and hear the words: "This is your captain speaking...✈️" 😉 I don't know about you, but I enjoy getting on a plane, travelling, being a tourist and exploring this big wide beautiful world we live on, observing and learning about various cultures and seeing different people. So when I discovered that today was World Tourism Day, my curiosity was peaked. I learned that the United Nations sets aside this day (September 27) every year to promote awareness of the benefits of tourism to personal development, local, regional and international collaboration and the wo...

"The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." -Song of Solomon 2:12 For the past few weeks, I have been pretty blessed by the sight of some beautifully coloured trees gracing the landscape. These bursts of colour have been appearing in spots that we would have otherwise seen completely green and not given a second look. You may have guessed it by now, but yes, I am referring to the beautiful poui trees. Out of curiosity, and my being an eternal student of nature, I have decided to take a closer look at these interesting trees. Pink Poui Trees, located in Carsenfield. (Photo Credits to CJ Photography) It belongs to the plant genus called “Tabebuia”. Did you know that the poui tree is native to South and Central America? I think we can all agree that the Poui Tree has become a well-loved tree in Trinidad and Tobago due to its beauty and vibrancy and has inspired many an artist and nature lover alike. Our...

Illustration ©  Review & Herald Publ. Assoc. "And I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself. that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3 I remember reading a piece of writing some years ago that described a vision that the writer received. They recalled seeing a large group of believers sensing the darkness of this world and setting off on a journey to heaven, or as some may refer to it, the promised land. As they progressed along this journey, they noticed that the path got narrower and steeper, and little by little, they needed to shed the bulk and the weight of the things they had started with on the journey. The path was challenging, and oftentimes, they would have lost their footing if they hadn't maintained their focus on the light provided by the Holy City ahead. Some got discouraged along the way, and fell away. Almost at the end of their road, the path was so narrow, all they could depend on was holding on with both...

"How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small." -Psalm 104: 24-25 Insects are following me! Ok, that was just me being dramatic. Thank God they aren't following me. However, recently, I have been coming across a few insects that have allowed me close enough to them to take their photo. I sure do love getting closeup shots of all sorts of creatures. I like to be able to see the detail our heavenly Father has put into them. Spending time observing the fine details tends to give me a better appreciation of not only the creature itself, but also of the Creator we all share in common. But I digress. Allow me to introduce you to two personalities. Common Green Bottle Fly (Jan 06, 2024) Our first is a humble fly. It has probably been called many unpleasant names, and understandably so due to its function in spreading d...

  "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 Have you ever heard someone testify of a smooth road, paved with the blessings of everything in their life aligning at the expected place and time, someone who has need of nothing, and door after door was opened for them where they found favour and advancement, and they attribute it as evidence of the goodness of God in their life? Perhaps you might be such a person too. No one can fault such a person for giving God all the praise and honour and glory, because He makes all things possible. Sometimes, another believer may be looking on and listening however, and comparing their road to this person's. It is after all, natural and human, to wonder: "God, aren't you with me too? Why aren't things working out like clockwork for me too? Does this mean that You aren't with me? Does this mean that You don't favour ...

"Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed;  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever.  I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah" - Psalm 61: 1-4 A few weeks ago, while returning downhill from a hike as darkness fell, my friend and I passed a chapel. Usually it is quiet when we pass, but this time, the voices of a group of Christian brothers singing emanated through the open windows and blessed the night air with a spiritual flavour. Accompanied by the sounds of a gentle drum, they were singing the heartfelt psalm of David, as is quoted by tonight's scripture. The words of this psalm resonate with many folks, but it was a unique experience listening to male voices banding together in faith, praising the Lord their Father, their source of strength and help, and echoing the words of a f...

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." -Psalm 51:17 Have you ever been in a relationship or heard someone who is in a relationship complain that their partner doesn't make time for them or doesn't pay attention to them? Maybe you yourself have been the one guilty of this too? Perhaps crucial elements like communication, honesty, humility have broken down, and the closeness and intimacy that was once shared that brought the two individuals together in the first place have sort of fallen through the widening distance and faded into familiarity. While this may not necessarily be the end of the world for the relationship, it does weaken it. Experts have often shared that relationships are like plants, and just as plants need certain things to grow well, it is of great benefit when partners can among many other things, maintain date nights, shared activities or goals, or even accessing prayer and counselling...

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book”  -Psalm 56:8 NLT This week, a teacher died suddenly from a heart attack. Last month, a young man died due to gun violence. This week, the lives of several members of a family were taken by an unknown assailant in their home. A few months ago, a man lost his father. A son is still numb from the death of his mother decades ago. A father died years ago while battling a terminal illness. A sister leaves her sister behind. What do all these unrelated persons have in common? All these persons who are now asleep, have left behind friends, family, and even communities who carry the memory of them and miss them dearly.  While death is something that occurs daily, I was especially moved this week with compassion for those who are grieving. I am surrounded by persons suffering silently and I quietly share in and empathize with their pain. Some are weighed down with ...

"Bless the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name." -Psalm 103:1 This week, this particular song has been replaying in my mind. What a beautiful joy it is to find oneself in a state of gratitude for all of ones blessings, and praise and worship to our Creator and Redeemer. It lightens our hearts, and is infectious to those around us. It doesn't always come easily though, because as individuals, we go through several ups and downs in life, with regards to what may pre-occupy our thoughts and minds. Reflecting on God's goodness and His mercies and blessings in these times will then have to become an intentional exercise, one that re-directs our thoughts and heart to Him, acknowledging and refreshing ourselves with the reminder of the goodness of God through it all, generally and in our own personal lives.  The psalmist David wrote a beautiful tribute to the Lord during one of his moments of reflection and appreciation. It is one that we can all ...

Happy World Steelpan Day! "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!" -Psalm 150:6 This week, I was engaged in a conversation that happened to centre on the workings of artificial intelligence. We touched on the fears about serious possible implications of it, and also on all the many benefits that can be derived from it. It took a while admittedly to come around to dropping parts of my guard about it (perhaps the movie " i Robot " is still playing on my sub-conscious to this day), but I had to have a good chuckle at myself when an article was later shared with me which traced some pretty early inventions and explained the controversy surrounding them at their inception.  For example, the train when it was first invented was feared because it was thought that the human body couldn't withstand moving at such a high speed (50km/hr) and would be dismembered automatically. Similarly, the telephone, telegraph and radio when first invented were...

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. - Ecclesiastes 3:11 This month was the start of my vacation, and I felt quite exhausted, run down and out of shape, but oh so thankful for the break. I was being convicted that I needed to start taking better care of myself and I was determined to let this vacation find me at the end of it in a much better condition than I was in at the beginning. By God's grace, I have set out to be more intentional about my diet, to have a more consistent exercise regime, and I have established some goals that I hope to see achieved by the end of the period. This week my mind went back to a photo a student shared of a butterfly captured a few days before vacation began. The decision to have a 'self-care July' came first, but the photo lead me to use the butterfly as a source of inspiration and motivation to the end goal. I imagined mysel...