Springtime in Kristiansand

Spring is finally here and we just enjoy all the wonderful spring flowers! These pictures was taken in my sisters garden last weekend.

First swim April 10'th..

There are some people who insist jumping in the water as soon as the ice has gone. Im happy to say im not one of them, but my niece couldnt stay away. A crazy thing to do...but hey, it gave us others a really good laugh... and still does ;-) hahaha!!

Footprints in the sand...

One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

"Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

By Grace Alone..

Tears...

How large is Your bottle Lord
Where You’ve placed all my tears?
How many have I shed Lord
Down through these many years?


I know there have been many
Each time when things went wrong
But knowing that You count them
Has helped me to be strong.


You listened and You heard
The sound of my weeping
And held me in Your arms
Safe within Your keeping.


Sometimes when I praise You
I try to restrain their flow
But sometimes; praising You with tears
Is the only way I know.


Thank You Lord for counting
Each time I shed a tear.
Thank You for drying each one,
And always holding me near.


There will forever be tears
Welling in these eyes of mine,
Tears of comfort and joy
Knowing I am Thine.



"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, New Living Translation)

Trip to Portland Oregon with my sweet mom! 2008

From time to time my mother and I take a trip together. Last year we went to Portland Oregon to visite a long time friend of my mothers. The trip we had looked forward to for such a long time didn't actually start out in the best way tho! We got to the airport at 5 am and found out that our flight to Amsterdam had been canselled! Well, back home to get a few more hours of kip before trying again at 11 am. This time our flight were an hour late! Ok we thought, we now only have half an hour to rush from one plane to the other... And trying to accomplish that in an airport as big as the one in Amsterdam is not an easy thing to do! -considering you have to get out of the plane, get on the bus to take you to the terminal, find the right direction for your next flight gate, go through customs... yeh, we ran our feet off!!! But hey we did make it! Was the last ones to board the direct flight to Portland!

Im not so sure why we were smiling this much on the flight to Portland! Maybe we were overjoyed that we didn't miss our last flight.. or it might have been the flight attendant who was having so much fun with us, and made us laugh so hard that the whole plain thought we were mad.. or it might just have been the affect of the glass of red wine we had!!??

Portland Oregon is refered to the greenest city in the United States, and is also called 'The City of Roses'. Portland is home to a diverse array of artists and arts organizations, and was named in 2006 by American Style magazine as the tenth best Big City Arts Destination in the U.S. The weekend we arrived there was a big art/hand crafts fair in the city and might I add, a wonderful atmosphere with all the people enjoying the great weather we were having! Kids were having the time of their life as they were alloved to paint a whole car with out getting wrong!!!! Oh - now where is that paint bursh?? (no im not older than that you see!!! ;) )

One of the booths there was watched by my moms friend's daughter, Cash, and we ended up buying a couple of things as there was so much beautiful handmade pottery!

After a long day of walking the streets of Portland doing some serious shopping (atleast for me as I just hate shopping and do as little of it as possible) we had to try out some of the "cusine" they had to offer in many of the restaurants found in this great City. We ended up having Sushi! I just love it !!!!! Could eat it every day if I had the choice ;)

Before heading home and after we had been to this wonderful place to have a manicure/pedicure :-) we went walking through one of Portlands more 'High fashion' streets. Boy, we did not belong there!! Hahaha. But twas very fun;-)

Yes, this is more like it. Digging in the garden! Mom is helping out a bit as sitting on her 'bum' all vacation is not her cup of tea. And before you ask... I did help her too !!!

The neighbour did have their own wine rank growing in their garden. Some of the grapes had grown over to Sandy's side of the fence... And I was pondering, should I pick some during the night, put them in a barrel and do some ' I love Lucy-dancing' in there to make wine??? I found it wise just to let them be in peace. I do want to visite this great place once more you see....

This is what I call a 'drive by picture' ! Not having the time to stop for the pic, I had to stick the camera out the car window taking the pic in aprox 55 miles an hour!! At least you can get an idea of what I was trying to capture... Mount Hood. One of the seven tall mountains situated around Origon/Seattle. Mount Hood is the tallest one.

We had a great trip together my mom and I. We always do and have a lot of great memories from our crazy outings. We are Vikings you know....... ;))

The Morning Star..

2 Peter 1:19-21

19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

We read: “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will”. It talks about something man never would have come up with, because it is against everything that is natural for man.
Man itself is in principle self righteous, he will justify himself, save himself, and it is a completely impossibility to even think about not contributing to his own salvation. Try to find one religion in this world, which does not have this as a central point! - That we have to sacrifice and contribute.
Notice therefore that they not only have this as a part of the deity, but it is the central point! And this shows that it descend from the human heart.
Therefore you will also in Christian connections find so much more talk about the necessity of the law, than the necessity of the Gospel. Because the old nature still rules, that which does not understand God’s way.
Paul says: But just as it is written, "things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."(1 Cor. 2:9).
What is completely unknown for all man to even think and imagine.
Any man made religion which springs up from the human heart, has to become a religion of laws. A religion where the deity who is worshipped depends on you! Anything else will be against our nature.
“What shall we do to get saved?” the Jews asked; - and “What kind of deed does God want us to do?” After all, laws and deeds belong together.

Let us draw a conclusion: Where there is no law, there is no demand for any deeds! For where the law still is, deeds are also required.
I would like to ask you: What do you want to accomplish by this law, - this God’s law, before God? What kind of help will you receive from it? It speaks of what God demands of you, man. In other words about deeds.
“Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.” (Gal.3:21).
This he had to remind the poor Galatians about, those who had gone astray on this dangerous path. But the conclusion is this: A law like this has not been given!
When Paul teaches this, the Jew necessarily had to think: “How am I going to get saved then?”
Yes, exactly: How? Then it has to be a completely different way!
But, among the Jews, it was - as it is among us - that many thought of the law, but had never done it! Therefore they were offended by the preaching of the apostle, because they still believed that the law was a passable way to salvation.

But then you had those who were called sinners, - different types, from those with uncontrollable and unruly desires and lusts to those who were mentally retarded. These were all those who had realized that they could never be a righteous Pharisee, because they did not have what it took.
And what was the natural consequence of this? Yes, these people considered themselves as lost. There was no way out! The only way they knew, was the way of the law, and that way they were not able to walk.
How do you think they felt? They were hurting!
Having this in mind, listen to what Jesus says: “And Jesus answered and said to them, " It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.” (Luk. 5:31), “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost” (Mat. 18:11, Luk. 19:10).
Here He speaks of whom and what kind of people He has come for, - those who did not make it in any way. So if you are here now, then…?

This could never spring up in a human heart, it had to be taught from the outside, and therefore it is called “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.” (Luk.15:1).
Listen now, you who always think that you have to dress up or put on an image before you come to Him; that is exactly what springs up in the natural human heart. But listen now to the Word of God which does not spring up from the human heart. Who came near to Him? Sinners! SINNERS! Because they heard something here that gave them hope! A completely different way!
Jesus gave them the word like the Holy Ghost had taught it. And not the way the human mind reasons with common sense had understood it.
“- but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (v21b).
All of the Old Testament aims towards the only necessity, Jesus Christ.
God does not need the Pharisees righteousness; what shall he do with that? Do well where you are, He says. It is good for the people, but what shall He do with stilted self righteousness? He has been given the righteousness He has demanded from man, and that is through the man, Jesus Christ!
So listen to what is being said: “Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.” (Hebr.10:18).

You who have this so strongly in you, to contribute, are you not listening? It is not needed! Do you think it is so bad to become that unemployed?
Yes, we cannot really grasp this; can it really be like this? “It is finished!” So, He has exactly said this, and that is what the apostle underlines here: “Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin”.

Shall I just sit here and believe that? YES! Do you not belong to those people who do not see a passable way - any other passable way - than just this one? That He forgives you of your sins, because that is what you have! That is always what you are left with. Not what brings you to heaven, but that what shuts you out.
Maybe you hear the song of the angels tonight - the song they sung Christmas eve - what do I know:”Today there is born a Savior!” Is that not enough for you? “He is Christ, the Lord! – They sing. Is that enough?

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (v19).
“For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy” (Rev. 19:10).
The whole meaning of this book, the Bible, which you shall hear and see: “I was dead!” – And the wages of sin is death, “but look, I am alive! – And the wage will not be paid twice.
You have to be where the wages of sin is already paid for: In Him! That is why he is teaching you His Gospel!

A prophet’s word, the prophetic word, the testimony of Jesus, Jesus own testimony, “to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place” because “until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” (v.19).
This is what the Bibleteacher Øivind Andresen says so nicely: “The hearts aimedness on Jesus!”
That does not happen by the bondage of the law, but by the Word about Him!

E.K.

A dogs world..

My sweet dog Tinka is usually with me to work every day. She just hates being left in the car so I take her with me in to my office. She has become a real office dog lately. Today she was lying under my desk and her ear was just positioned over the bin.. so I thought "Hey, my dog is listening to trash" !! Me on the other hand was listening to "Oneplace.com" a christian radiostation wich I love to listen to. Maybe some of it will rub off on my dog? I think she felt safe under there as last week she got into a fight with our second office dog!!


This is Trask and he is a real guard dog.... NOT !! But he was not nice to my sweet puppy... He bit her on her paw and behind her ear.. Awwww well atleast we woke up our boss with their fighting! Thankfully there were no serious injuries and we just keep them seperated. I guess Trask is getting old and grumpy! And by the looks of it on this picture... LAZY !! :)

Our journey...

At the start of our journey together my love and I have decided to start writing a journal. Here we will write down our thoughts and dreams - and anything we want to share with each other. As long as we still are appart we do have a lot of things running through our minds, and it is a great thing to just be able to write them down. Then when we finally can start our lives toghether we will be able to share these things and just grow in our love for each other! We are both so thankfull towards God who has brought us toghether. No country or ocean could keep us appart! So he being in Canada was no match for God, he found a way for us to connect and we both found our soulmates!!

Love Coffee..!

I am a coffee drinker as many other people in this world. And why do we love this dark brown drink so much? The first thing we notice about this lush drink is its aroma! Waking up in the morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee is surly something which puts a smile on my face. And on cold winter mornings a warm cup of coffee is a wonderful way to start your day. If you are one of the lucky ones, you also get it served in bed!!
There are so many things to be said about our "national drink" as some people might call it her in Norway. Also heard some negative sides to it. But these might be overshadowed by the following statements!

• Coffee
  
  is legal and socially acceptable.
• Coffee drinkers usually get better service in restaurants.
• Coffee gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
• Coffee has only a few calories (unless you add sugar and some sort of dairy product or facsimile thereof)
• Coffee warms you up when you come in from the cold
  
• Coffee is a vegetable (it comes from a bean).
• Coffee opens up the blood vessels in your brain, to help you to wake up and get to work. It also gives you warm fuzzies when you are stuck in bed days you are sick.

Of the three most indulged legal vices, coffee is the least harmful to others. It doesn't cause health problems for non-coffee drinkers who smell the aroma, and it won't make a driver dangerous to self or others, unless you spill it on your lap. So don't hold a paper cup of coffee between your knees, get a cup holder. Some drivers shouldn't be allowed to drive without the influence of coffee.

And another thing which is so great about coffee...... chocolate tastes even better with it!!!!

Mmmmm..... need I say more :))

The Love of Winter...

The beauty of winter is absolutely breathtaking. The way the snow glistens or the sparkle of frost first thing in the morning. Every thing just feels and looks crisp and fresh. Winter is filled with beautiful gifts in the form of icicles and delicate snowflakes - and seeing the snow that has collected on the tree limbs is peaceful. Heading out doors to play in the snow - build snowmen or make snow lanterns. Go sleighing, iceskating or cross country skiing. Some people migh even think that it is God's way of hiding the shame of the world and show us something magical - showing us that this world still holds its beauty.

Winter is also a time for romance where you can take days off work and spend it with someone you love. To snuggle up infront of the fireplace and enjoy a nice hot cup of chocolate! But it is also a time to spend with your friends and family. As the cold sets in, you gather all your loved ones and share with each other all your hopes and dreams for the new season which is just around the corner.
The reason for me writing this today was to turn my mind around after having a struggle with shoveling my roof! It sure is hard work, and not something i particulary like... But something that follows with winter. We dread all the extra work we have with the snow every year, so why not turn our minds to all the beautiful and magical splenders of this season?


http://bloggurat.net/minblogg/registrere/fa11065a75dee938f4e00457e0cdb4a162f8c8af

7 Steps toward Filling Up Your Spiritual Tank..

You have the best of intentions when it comes to connecting with God, yet somehow, you never seem to do what you hope to do. Maybe you’ve gotten up extra early in the morning planning to have an extended prayer time, only to get distracted by the day’s to-do list. Perhaps you’ve scheduled regular times to read and study Scripture, only to find that you don’t open your Bible nearly as often as you’d thought you would.

When your spiritual expectations fall short of reality, it’s easy to feel guilty. You know that you need to refill your spiritual tank regularly to have the energy you need to live well. But despite your best intentions, you keep missing your connection with the One who wants to fuel your life – God.

No matter how you’ve struggled with devotions in the past, it is possible to fill your spiritual tank every day. Here’s how:

• Get rid of unreasonable expectations. Stop trying to fit plans into your life that don't naturally fit. There's no magic formula for connecting with God; just because a certain devotional program worked for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. If a certain plan you’ve tried proved unsustainable in your life, accept that reality and move on.

• Stop feeling guilty. You’re not a bad Christian just because you don’t have a traditional time for devotions. Remember that Jesus came to set you free, and He wants you to approach God in freedom rather than through obligation and guilt. God is far less interested in religious demands than He is in the state of your heart and your desire to connect with Him.

• Don’t compartmentalize your life. Seek to live out your faith in every part of your life – not just in church, but also at work, at home, with friends, etc. Invite God to speak to you about each aspect of your life. Listen to what He tells you, and cooperate with His work transforming every part of your life. Don’t hold anything back from your relationship with God. Aim to live consistently as a Christian at all times and in all situations. When you fill your spiritual tank every day, the pressures of daily life won’t stall your spiritual engine.

• Stop. Create pauses in your day where you stop to refuel your soul. Realize that, even though it may sometimes seem like you don’t have enough time to stop for spiritual refueling, you actually do if you rearrange your priorities. Make your relationship with God your top priority, and fit everything else in your life around that. Go ahead and say “no” to activities that don’t fit in well with what you value most. Don’t wear busyness as a badge of honor. Although our culture may give you the message that being busy equals being important, that’s a lie. From God’s perspective, you’re just as important when you’re not doing anything at all than when you’re extremely busy. So stop justifying busyness, saying yes to everything, occupying your life with trivial things, and filling your life with too many good things and living with no margin. Instead, decide to stop at various times each day during your normal schedule to check in with God. Practice stopping during different activities throughout each day – from taking a break at your office to waiting in the line of cars to pick your kids up from school. After you practice enough, stopping throughout each day will become a habit for you.
  

• Be quiet. When you turn down the volume on all the noise in your life that distracts you from thinking well, you’re likely to hear God’s voice speaking to you. Find pockets of silence throughout each day that you can use to connect to God. Turn off your cell phone and Blackberry so you’re not always accessible. Refrain from checking your e-mail when doing so isn’t necessary. Turn off your TV at home, and shut off your radio in the car. Get rid of attitudes that create the noise of unhealthy distractions in your life: worry, constantly wanting more than you have, and procrastinating. When you deliberately focus your thoughts away from the distractions of each day, move them toward God and listen to what He may say to you.

• Make a connection. Even if the connections you manage to make with God are brief and messy, that’s fine with Him. God simply wants you to connect with Him however you can. God cares more about your desire to connect with Him than any sort of competence in connecting. God’s grace will cover your weaknesses. Thank God that you can approach Him with the confidence that He cares and will listen to whatever you have to say at any time. Express your gratitude to God for His work in your life. You can always count on Him to meet you wherever you are – even if it’s in the middle of a huge mess – and help you. Trust God in spite of your fears, doubts, questions, failures, inadequacies, pain, loneliness, anger, frustration, and loss. God has begun a good work in you to accomplish good purposes, and you can count on Him to finish what He’s started. Expect God to take your messiness and transform it into holiness if you cooperate with His work in your life. When you make connections with God during each day, those connections can take different forms: thinking about Him (such as pondering what you know about Him and what you’d like to discover about Him), reading about Him in the Bible (especially meditating on one particular verse or passage), and praying to Him (sharing any of your thoughts and feelings and listening for whatever He may want to say to you). Connecting regularly with God will give you the spiritual fuel you need by accessing His love and promises.

• Ask key questions to keep growing. Ask yourself these questions from time to time as you connect with God more and more frequently: “What do you need to put down in order to follow Jesus?”, “What are you doing to learn more about Jesus and His ways?”, “How are you experiencing excitement in your life because you follow Jesus?”, “What difficulties in your life might God be using to change you?”, “Where are you personally sacrificing convenience for obedience?”, and “Where do you see God rewarding your obedience?”. Let the answers to these questions motivate you to be more intentional about connecting with God so you can experience the joy of a spiritually full life.

,

To my love!

You came into my
life so unexpectedly..

Little did I know
what was to lie ahead

For the longest time
you were a click
of a mouse,
words on my screen

Hugs that warmed
my days..
and secured my nights

Within the many hours
of our time together,
You showed me strength,
when I showed you
my weaknesses.

You taught me
the importance
of believing in myself,
When I thought
there was nothing
to believe in

You taught me so much,
in ways I never knew

You stood behind me
when I began to fall.

Along side of me when
I needed a friend

In front of me when I
needed a guide

You showed me
my ability to fly...

How to reach
places I had
only dreamed of

You saw me
with your heart
and not your eyes

But more importantly
you gave me
a piece of you

A gift worth far more
than money could buy

You gave me your heart..

Beauty in its purest form.....