Frog Legs and Photographs: Messages of Encouragement

By Mike S. Shindruk

This book will not contain any dirt or tales of an abused or neglected childhood. Theres no gossip; no angelic tales of being saved from drugs, alcohol, or family violence. In other words, there is no modern day drama. I love my life. It is about discovering and trying new things outside of our comfort zones every day. It is the story of how God has awakened me to view the world and acknowledge His presence like photographic snap shots.

Each offering is from my first hand experiences each weekall truewith no fictitious elements. They were submitted weekly over a three year period to our local newspaper and placed in the church page corner. All were inspired by encounters, conversations, challenges, sermons, and that soft, quiet voice that I recognize as Gods. I have included ninety-nine messages of encouragement that represent the shepherd who would leave his flock in the safety of their pen in order to go and find that one lost sheep.

My hope is that you begin to see Jesus in everything around you. Look closely, you will see Him. Im so thankful that I opened the door when Jesus knocked, and so will you. He is knocking. Open your door and your heart, invite Him in, and ask Him, Jesus, have you got a minute? His answer will be, My child, I have an eternity. Would you like to share it with me?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490881393

Mike S. Shindruk

He was born in 1956 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the oldest of four children, having a brother and two sisters. He met his wife, Ardith while vacationing in Thorburn NS, when he was fifteen and she was fourteen. His family had decided to move to New Glasgow ,Nova Scotia in the fall of 1971. Ardith & he were married in 1976, and are proud parents of three adult children and three grandchildren. His father taught him his first three chords on the guitar when he was twelve, and after fronting and playing in a band for many years, the experience has prepared him for the role of Worship Leader for Master's Hand Ministry for the last 5 years. In 2003, he met Jesus for the second time, the first being when he was born when Jesus looked at him through his mother’s eyes and said, "Welcome Michael, I’ve been waiting for you." That day he saw how his wife had never given up on him and neither did Jesus. He recognized that God had a plan for him, just as He has a plan for you. Jeremiah 29:11. Three years ago, his friend and now Pastor, Caroline Barclay, spoke into his life that God wanted him to submit the weekly church article for their Ministry in the local paper's Faith section. Hesitant at first, he Lord gave him inspiration from people and experiences and how He works through it all to give us hope. Those who have read and have given encouragement have requested these writings in a book form and so now he would like to present his first book entitled, "Frog legs and Photographs" He thanks you for letting him visit your quiet space with writings of encouragement. Be blessed and be lifted.

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Copyright © 2015 Mike S. Shindruk.

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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8140-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8141-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8139-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015908320

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/21/2015

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Frog Legs and Photographs

Bring Down the Walls

Breaking Bread, Not Tradition

Perfect Birthday Present, Your Presence

May I Introduce You To …

God-incidence

He Looks Beyond My Faults

I Am Worthy

Canopy of Thorns

Follow the Taillights

My Father’s Shadow

Abby

I’m Not Invisible

Discarded Things

Is There More? Yes!

Created by Our Creator

No Limits

The Power of Prayer

No Nails Required

I Just Can’t Wait

Let’s Talk

French Doors

Have You Seen Me Today?

Unconditional Love

Hurry Up and Wait

Stop, Wait … and Listen

I Have Defeated the World

Sacrifice Has No Limits

Let My Bad Words Be Few

Just Ask

Prayer: One Size Fits All

More Blessings than Fingers

Soap and Water

The Face of God

Blink of an Eye

Folded Linen

I’ll Be Right Back

He Took Ownership

Wonderful Life

Everyone Deserves a Gift

Mom, I Love You

Daddy, Watch Over Me

God Is in Your Neighborhood

The Three Are with the One

Bend and Stretch; Reach for the Sky

FAITH Forsaking All, I Trust Him

God’s Grace Is Satan’s Grief

I Have, I Saw, I Heard

Listening So Hard, You Can Feel It

God Erases Grief

Taking a Break

All We Have to Lose Is Everything

Voices and Hearts

Love Conquers Everything

If I Knew You Were Coming …

God Will Never …

Here’s My Card

Home, Been There … Going Back

20/20 Blindness

Jesus at the Cottage

Nursery to Sanctuary

My God Is Not Made of Gold

Reunions

It’s How You Look at It

Reaping and Sowing

Letting Go and Holding On

No Pink Slip Here

Pick Me! Pick Me!

Father’s Day

Meeting Jesus the First Time

Do You Hear Who I Hear?

Listening with Your Heart

Don’t Give Up; Don’t Be a Stranger

A Perfect Gift

Details, Details

Fishing Outside the Box

He’s There Before We Are

Folded Dinner Napkin

Paid in Full

Somebody’s Knocking

Let the Children Come

The Math of God

Power of the One

Blood Bull’s-Eye

First Things First

In His Service

Old Dogs, New Tricks

Colors of the Harvest

My License Plate and My Copilot

Singing Birds

Life Shelter

Relationship

The Tone of My Father’s Voice

Only the Father Needs to Know

Nothing Beats Being Prepared

Better Late than Never

To All Mankind

A Cradle and a Cross

Dedication

For my wife, Ardith.

She loves me through everything, stands beside me, and has supported me without hesitation. Without her, there is no me.

Acknowledgments

I’d like to acknowledge a very special group of people. Without their moral, spiritual, and financial encouragement, love, support, and confidence in me, this book would not have happened. They include my wife, Ardith; Dr. Spencer and Pastor Caroline Barclay; my mom, Doris; and many in my family.

To my late father, Stan, who still inspires me when I ask, What would Dad do?

To all of my church family at Master’s Hand Ministry. To Pastor Todd and Natalie MacDonald, from Shoreline Gathering Point Ministries,

and my friends in many circles both inside and outside of ministry.

To the New Glasgow News for their generous space each week, and to the many readers who let me know how these messages touch, lift, and encourage them.

To my children, Mike, Shawna, and Chris, for each of their unique ways of telling me they love me.

Most importantly, to Jesus, my Savior, who kept knocking on my door, who lifts me each day, who gives me my breath and my words, and who will never let go.

Introduction

I ’ve never thought of writing a book and never intended to write this one. Like many things over the last twelve years of my life, it came by way of a mere prompting. That prompting was in the form of encouragement from a dear friend of mine, Caroline Barclay, who is my pastor.

Caroline is a faith-filled lady who knew at nine years old, when she gave herself to the Lord, that Jesus would guide every step in her life. She has listened for God’s still voice, has been obedient to His prompting, and is never too busy to stop and encourage anyone she meets. Every breath God gives her is used to encourage a personal relationship with Jesus. She is someone I trust, and you just can’t say no to my sister Caroline. In her book, a no is just a delayed yes.

Caroline is not a person who wishes for any public adoration, but I would be remiss if I failed to introduce you to the fabric of people who care enough about me to support me, in this book and in my life. I am not a pastor, nor am I trained in theology. I am a husband, a dad, a son, a brother, and a musician, and I listen for God’s voice every day. Please come with me as I roll back the calendar, just a bit.

I’ve always believed in God but never really relied on Him. Over the last number of years, He has shown me how to have the most beautiful One-on-one relationship with Him. That is where the difference is. Please forgive me for presenting this in a me and I manner, but I want to share with you how Jesus got a hold of me, how He holds me now, how He won’t let go, and how He wants the very same for you.

This book will not contain any dirt or tales of an abusive or neglected childhood. There’s no gossip, no angelic tales of being saved from drugs, alcohol, or family violence—in other words, no modern-day drama. I love my life. My parents worked hard to provide a stable and loving home to grow up in. They taught by showing my three siblings and me that they loved us, always. We were given the life tools, the scruples of truth, the work ethic, the knowledge of God, the belief in Jesus, and a name to wear with pride. We have now engrained these qualities in our children.

When we were kids, Mom and Dad took us to church like most families did in the sixties. Like typical teenagers, we all eventually outgrew Sunday morning church. We went occasionally—you know, to get married, have babies baptized, and participate in first Communions, funerals, and other special occasions. Although we didn’t warm the pews every week, we still believed in God. Life took over, and working and raising children put church in the background.

Then my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and for everyone in our family, everything went a different shade of