Author: Sue Wilson

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Magnolia Season

Sue’s Views
Yay! It’s magnolia season! These beautiful trees remind me that ….. in every season ….. there is something beautiful! Just as most trees have lost their leaves and blossoms ….. these beauties do their thing. The same God who waited for the wine to run out at a wedding and then made the best wine out of water ….. the same God who waited four days after Lazarus died to bring him back to life ….. is the God who waits till things seem hopeless and then shows up in amazing ways! If you are in a winter season ….. look out for the magnolias!
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Signs Of Spring!

Sue’s Views
Early signs of spring up at the Gardens! A reminder that the winter season is temporary ….. it must give way to the new! You may be in the middle of a fiery trial ….. or a time of barrenness ….. but your breakthrough is coming. ‘Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning!’ God is faithful! This too will come to pass!
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Through The Cross

Sue’s Views
Are you living with regret for mistakes you’ve made in the past? If only life had a ‘delete’ button ….. or a ‘rewind’! Most of us would be going backwards more than forwards! The truth is ….. we have all done things that haunt us. That’s why Jesus came! There’s no way we can erase the past ….. but through the Cross we are forgiven. God’s grace and mercy are the greatest gifts because we can’t earn them and we certainly don’t deserve them. Now ….. if God says we are forgiven ….. who are we to dispute that fact? He has ‘blotted out our transgressions like a cloud’ ….. and we can move on to see His promises fulfilled!
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Reflections

Sue’s Views
Reflections can be beautiful! The only problem wth them is that they are not always exactly true. For one thing ….. they are upside down and back to front. And if the water is rippled ….. the reflection will be distorted. So it is with our memories! Our childhood memories ….. as true as they may seem ….. may not be totally accurate. We may not have all the facts. Over the years ….. we may have added to or subtracted from what really happened or what was really said. Many of us live our lives with resentment or disappointment due to a painful memory. Because we’ve focussed on it ….. it may have become bigger in our mind than it needs to be. Ask God to show you the situation from His perspective. He will not only reveal the truth to you ….. but will also bring healing to your heart and reconciliation to your relationships.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, 
because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Is 61: 1-3
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Blessed Assurance

Sue’s Views
No matter what you are going through right now ….. one thing you can hold onto is hope! Hope is not wishful thinking ….. ‘I hope things will change’. Hope is a blessed assurance that God already knows the future ….. and has your very best interests at heart. He is the One who made a dry path through the Red Sea ….. made streams flow in the desert ….. fed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish ….. and countless other miracles. Put your trust in Him! He will change your outlook from bleak to sunny!
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Faith and Works

Sue’s Views
One of the hardest things to understand about Christianity is that we are saved by faith ….. not by works. We are so used to earning our way through life that the idea of receiving something free doesn’t sit right with us. On the other hand ….. there are some who having received the gift of salvation ….. think they can live as they please. The balance is explained in this illustration. If the rower uses only one oar ….. he goes round in circles! If he uses both oars ….. he will get across the lake to his destination! ‘Faith without works is dead’. We don’t do the works ….. or good things we do  ….. to earn our salvation. We do them out of gratitude for it.
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Communication

Sue’s Views
Communication is one of the most important ingredients in any relationship! It requires two skills ….. assertive speaking ….. and active listening. Don’t assume your partner knows what you are thinking. They have no idea! Be clear ….. and make sure they have understood your message. When someone is speaking to you ….. listen! Be attentive! Don’t focus on what you are going to say next. In a world of high tech communication ….. we have to work hard to maintain the art of conversation. These two seem to have it sorted!
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A New Way Of Thinking

Sue’s Views
Are you struggling with temptation or wrong thinking? Take it to the Lord in prayer. The hardest part is often facing it and acknowledging it. Once you do ….. God will show you where the door was opened for the enemy to come in and do his damage. But He won’t leave you there! He will reveal to you His power and authority over the lies of the devil ….. and replace them with truth. He will lead you to repent of your wrong doing and forgive those who have hurt you. Then ….. instead of turning to things that temporarily numb the pain ….. He will give you a new way of thinking. Instead of the cycle you’ve been accustomed to ….. you will find yourself on a new pathway to freedom. It all starts with a decision to say ‘No’ to the devil ….. and ‘Yes’ to God!
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A New View!

Sue’s Views
I woke up to a new view this morning! One of the things I thought I would miss most about our old home was the view. It really was awesome!. But this one is equally as inspiring. I love watching birds flying and landing on the power lines ….. and cars going by! Today ….. I have the added thrill of hearing rain on a tin roof! Crazy I know ….. but sometimes it’s the little things that bring joy!
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Change

Moving house has been a great lesson on ‘putting off the old’ and ‘putting on the new’. There are certain challenges ….. like disorientation for example. Things are not where they used to be! I keep opening the wrong door ….. or forgetting where I put things! (OK! That might just be due to my age) But the familiarity of the past has gone. Then there’s new appliances to get used to. The new ones are more technical and require more studying. But on the positive side ….. this experience is breaking me out of my rut! We so easily slip into our comfort zone. We get upset if something is missing or out of place. We settle for the familiar and don’t try the new. You don’t have to move house to break the monotony. Try a new recipe ….. rearrange your furniture ….. join an art class! It’s been said that the only thing we can be sure of is change. We’d better get used to it because there is a lot of it coming our way!

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