Posted on by Angela Jelf · 1 Comment

Our Daily Walk – Like Newborn Babies!

Four weeks ago today, our lives were turned upside down again, when Amber, our four year old Fox Red Lab, gave birth to her second litter of Pups.

This time, there were eight! Five sweet girls and three bouncy boys.

It’s been a wonderfully exhausting four weeks, supervising night feeds, making sure Amber is well-fed and getting sufficient rest, answering the steady flow of enquiries from prospective owners- plus entertaining Honey (Amber’s 14 month old pup from her previous litter.)

The real hero of course has been Amber, who once again has proven herself an incredibly devoted and diligent mummy-dog.

Hungry!

Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation – 1 Peter 2:2

It’s incredible to witness the intensity with which these eight hungry pups desire milk!

Even at a few hours old, they quickly learn how to become proficient feeders. And after a matter of days they begin to develop some pretty stealthy ways of sneaking underneath their littermates to get to the teats on the underside of Amber’s belly. We’ve even seen puppies almost dangling upside down to feed!

And at four weeks, if Amber comes within an inch of them, they go crazy- squawking like a flock of seagulls and ambushing her from all sides!

In order to thrive and grow in our walk with Jesus, we need to be a bit like these pups!

Just like newborn babies, we need to long for (or crave) pure spiritual milk- the word of God!

God’s word (the bible) is something we can so easily neglect or take for granted.

But actually – we should hunger for it! Why? Because it’s the only true source of nourishment for our world-weary souls.

The world churns out an awful lot of ungodly counsel day after day- through TV, advertising, social media- feeding us a steady diet of junk food!

Gods word, on the other hand, is pure! It’s truth and light, and it’s our life source!

If those puppies didn’t get milk, they would perish!

We need God’s word just as vitally! It’s able to sustain us, even through difficult circumstances. It’s able to fortify our faith and supply us with strength. It’s able to enrich us and make us grow mature in respect to salvation.

I’m so grateful for the reminder these pups have given me, to keep on desiring God’s perfect spiritual food!

I hope you enjoyed this post! I’m sure there will be more updates and spiritual life lessons from Amber and the pups in the coming weeks!

Posted on by Angela Jelf

Our Daily Walk – Faith Through The Seasons

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.

Emily BRONTE

Autumn, when it hits just right, can be the most glorious of seasons – and this year, due to a warm, dry summer, we’ve been treated to some pretty spectacular displays here in our little South-Eastern corner of England.

There is nothing quite like the pop of an ochre tree against a bright blue sky to lift the spirits of the beholder.

Amber and Honey being Fox Red Labs, look like they were made for autumn. Add myself into the mix, and we’ve been quite the merry band of red-heads, tromping through the coppery foliage!

And just to add to the fun, we’ve also had an extra dog in tow for a few days this month – Holly, another one of Amber’s pups. What a joy to witness these three ginger-nuts waltzing around the park amid the whirling, swirling leaves.

There have been times over the last few weeks where they have reminded me of Chameleons, blending brilliantly into their surroundings. Talk about a game of Spot the Dog!

THE CYCLE OF LIFE

Autumn is a great reminder of the continuous cycle of nature. Autumn always seems to signal: change is in the air. As Summer goes out in a blaze of glory, the air gets cooler, crisper. Darker mornings set in. The gradual shortening of days. The comings and goings of the geese, some honking hello, others honking goodbye. The big old saucer of a moon. The arrival of the Redwings and Fieldfares and other migratory birds which frequent our soils from late autumn, flying in from Scandinavia in the hope of finding berries. The earth yielding bountiful crops, which are harvested in a celebration of thanksgiving.

I love the first few lines of this beautiful autumn poem by Rachel Field:

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered, "Snow!"

I too, often marvel at the way these things just seem to happen. Endlessly. Without fail. Year upon year.

Yet, the bible shows us clearly that these things are not merely coincidence, but part of God’s wise and intricate design.

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease.

Genesis 8:22

Right at the start, God established the seasons!

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.

Genesis 1:14

The moon is specifically mentioned for the marking of the seasons, and the sun is noted for its regular setting time.

He made the moon to mark the seasons, the sun knows when to set.

Psalm 104:19

What an incredible God, who makes everything so beautifully and perfectly! In His infinite wisdom, He made all things so well, bringing rhythm and harmony and variety to His Creation.

shifting seasons

The natural order of things can serve as a mirror for our own lives too. The seasons can serve as a metaphor, reminding us of the ever changing landscape of our lives. For myself as a Mother, I’m constantly amazed at how quickly I’m passing through the seasons- from parenting sticky-faced toddlers, to wide-eyed adventurers, to turbulent teens, and suddenly to adult children all with their own experiences and seasons! My heart can barely keep up at times, and hold the weight of all my hopes and dreams for my precious four.

Our lives are subject to highs and lows and shifts and changes. Just like in nature, our lives have a rhythm. Periods of growth. Periods of rest. Just like the crops, sometimes abundant other times, fallow. Even our spiritual walk can be subject to mountain-top views and valleys-like depths, to uphill climbs and tummy-turning downhill rushes, to lush plains of plenty, and dry desert paths.

JESUS – THE CONSTANT ONE

Psalm 23 reminds us so well that Jesus is our Good Shepherd! He is our Immanuel! He’s constantly with us- whether we’re in green pastures or walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

What comfort there is in knowing His rod and staff to guide and protect us in all the seasons of our lives.

What peace there is in knowing that He is the God who watches over our coming in and going out- now and forevermore – Psalm 121:8

What joy in walking through all the seasons of life beside an ever-faithful God, whose love is as constant as the sun.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end,
They are new every morning.
Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Praise the Lord!

Posted on by Angela Jelf · 3 Comments

Our Daily Walk – Pray Without Ceasing

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

Our eight month old Labrador pup has recently discovered something.

She’s a Retriever!

All of a sudden, it’s like a lightbulb has gone on and she’s worked out her life purpose.

The trouble is…she’s obsessed!

Every single morning now, without fail, she goes to her toy basket, grabs her ball in her mouth and drops it at the nearest person’s feet. Normally mine.

Whenever I have a few spare minutes, I indulge her. I throw. She fetches. That’s the game. That’s the pattern.

The speed with which she dashes after that ball is second to none. She’s in her element! She’s living her best life. Sometimes she leaps for a mid air catch! Other times the ball bounces and rebounds and she scuttles off to find it! But one thing’s for sure – she doesn’t come back without it.

And then, thud! That ball is immediately and unceremoniously dropped at my feet. Because she wants to do the whole thing again.

And again. And again.

In fact, I think she’d play this game literally all day long. I’m not even joking.

Typically, I tire of this game after around 10-15 minutes. I retreat inside and carry on with whatever it is I need to do.

Thud!

There she is again. I could be at the kitchen sink, washing up. Or upstairs making the bed. Or downstairs typing away at a story. Doesn’t matter to Honey.

She’s not finished yet. Not even close!

I try and ignore her. So she tilts her head from side to side, glancing between my face and the ball as if to say: “Pick it up and throw it! Come on! Why aren’t you playing anymore?“

“Oh Honey! Not now. I’m busy.”

Busy? Who cares. What could be more important than a game of fetch?

She’s not easily put off. She always looks hopeful. Why?

Well, I suppose because she knows I care for her and I’ve answered her requests before.

You can probably guess where I’m going with this.

If only I had the same persistence with my prayers! After all – I’m coming to a God who is never too busy to listen! A God who loves me with an everlasting love and tells me: “Cast your cares upon me, because I care for you! Yes, you can lay those heavy burdens down at my feet – with a thud!”

I’m coming to Jesus, the One who told a parable about a widow and an unrighteous judge in order to teach His disciples that they ought always to pray and never to lose heart!

Has he answered my prayers in the past? You bet ya!

Can He do it again? Absolutely!

Thanks to Honey, I’ve been reminded afresh this week that sometimes I don’t get because I just don’t ask!

Lord, help me to pray more earnestly!