Restoration in Montreal - Marcia Lee Laycock

Photo by Michel Degray

I was raised with all the tenets of The Church, and tried to do all the right things, say all the right prayers, keep all the right ordinances. I failed, so I left it, convinced I just wasn't good enough for God.

Then one day all that I thought was safe and secure crumbled when I tried to reach for it.
My husband sought the answers first, and in seeking them found more questions, but also found the God of his childhood. I was afraid to look again. Afraid He still wouldn't let me find Him. But I took a risk one day, overlooking the Stewart River in the Yukon Territory, and asked Him to show Himself. He did and my heart melted as I moved into a culture of faith, a community of believers.

As I learned the truth in His word, I became angry at The Church of my childhood. They'd lied to me. So I thought. It was easy to lay the blame at the foot of that altar.

Flash forward twenty years or so - I was holding the portfolio of Communications Coordinator for our church's association. They paid my way to Montreal for a conference and I found myself in a nunnery. Once housing seven hundred women of God, it was reduced to hotel status with a small wing left for the aged Sisters of Charity still in residence. I passed the statues of the virgin on my way to breakfast, glanced sidelong at the portraits of Christ pointing to his heart, exposed. I smiled and said "Bon matins," to the nuns.

Then one night we were invited to go to the Notre Dame Cathedral at the heart of the old city. There was a "sound and light show" there, we were told. We sat in the old pews, heard a lecturer describe the building of the Cathedral as portions of its amazing artwork were lit around us. The sculpture, the art, the richness of history, and yes, of faith, amazed me. But it was when the screen we'd been watching suddenly folded back to reveal the altar that my heart almost stopped. It gleamed, shone, soared toward the heavens, and in the silence forced our eyes to look up. Look up and behold our God.

Our host announced we were welcome to draw near for a closer look. As we walked toward the altar, I kept my eyes raised until we were standing directly in front of it. Then I saw The Lamb.

Carved in bas relief, He sat on the throne with the multitudes around Him. Angels covering their faces with their wings, angels hovering above and around, saints throwing down their crowns, saints bowing. The multitude worshiping. And at the centre, The Lamb.

And I wept there, in that cathedral. I wept because He had chosen to reveal Himself to me in a place where I was convinced He could not be found. He restored my heritage to me, its richness, its beauty, and its essential truth. At the centre, The Lamb.

I wept there, because some day that's where we will be, all of us who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus – all of us will worship at His feet.

The Apostle John described it in the last book of the Bible, Revelation - "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" (Revelation 5:11-13).

Amen!

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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. Her second novel, A Tumbled Stone was recently short listed in the contemporary fiction category of The Word Awards. Marcia also has two devotional books in print as well as five ebooks. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan.

Visti Marcia's website

January Jitters!

I wonder if I’m the only author who feels a few butterflies in the tummy at this time of year. In one way, it’s a pleasant, exciting sensation to experience as I look ahead to what this year may hold for me in my writing and speaking. But in another way, it is also a little disquieting and uncomfortable.

You see, I’d much rather know right now whether the two books I recently submitted to different publishers will actually be accepted for publication—and if so, exactly when they will be released. I’d appreciate too knowing all the possible speaking engagements I may have in the coming year were confirmed and entered in my diary in black and white. And I’d be very relieved to have more opportunities to promote and sell my books and also to see more sales of my books through the bookstores.

Could it be that this uncertainly is felt by authors everywhere or is it more prevalent here in Australia? There are very few Christian publishers ‘Down Under’ and those that do exist are quite small, while some are also very new. And of those that have been around for a while, most of them do not publish fiction. As well, it seems to be a battle in our nation of just under twenty-three million people where only a small percentage attend church on a regular basis, for many of these publishers to make a decent profit or even to stay afloat. Then there is the added pressure of not knowing how the e-book market will affect hard copy book sales—and so the challenges roll on.

So what do I do as I face this new year of 2012? I can decide it’s all too hard and put my energies into something else. Or I can continue to persevere in my uncertain writing and speaking journey, remembering this is what I believe God has called me to do and trusting God will take care of me. This morning, I read some wonderful verses in Isaiah 26:

You will keep in perfect peace him [her] whose mind is steadfast, because he [she] trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal (v 3-4).

That is how I want to approach this year and all it may hold—grounded firmly on the Rock, with my heart perfectly at peace in God. And I know I need to wait for God’s leading and empowering in everything, determined to honour God in every aspect of my writing and speaking, as verse 8 of the same chapter reminds me to do:

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

 How amazing is God, to give me these verses just when I needed them to combat my ‘January jitters’! I know God has things in control and has my best interests at heart. And I know too that when the end of 2012 comes, just as in previous years, I will be able to look back and say, as Isaiah says in verse 12:

Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

May you all step into 2012 will full confidence in God—may those ‘January jitters’ soon be a thing of the past!

Jo-Anne Berthelsen grew up in Brisbane and holds an Arts degree from Queensland University. She has also studied Education and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher and editor, as well as in local church ministry in Sydney. Jo-Anne loves communicating through both the written and spoken word and currently has four published novels – ‘Heléna’, ‘All the Days of My Life’, ‘Laura’, ‘Jenna’ and ‘Heléna’s Legacy’.  She is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information or to contact Jo-Anne, please visit her website, www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.