Monday ReCap

by | Dec 14, 2015 | Life Between Sundays, Uncategorized

CLC Echoes-From-the-Woods-by-Malo-and-the-Whale

On Further Reflection

I normally work at home on Monday morning and it is a beautiful one to do just that.  The ladies are gathering at the church about now for their Life Group Christmas party.  This Monday morning group is a lively one.  It encourages me so much to see them gather and enjoy themselves as they do.

I took my son to the wharf this morning at 5:15am and he is on the high seas today, doing what so many Grand Manan-ers are at this time of year.  I am grateful that he is having this experience and that he has someone who allows him the work.  Elaine is filling in at the school today.  She loves her work there.

It is natural on Monday mornings for me to review the service in my mind and heart.  My heart still feels the weight of Jon’s concern yesterday and I am praying for him even now.  Melissa Badger was unable to be out yesterday for physical battles that she faces.  I am praying for Melissa.  Eric & Berneta are on the move as per usual and my prayers are with them as they walk together through sickness … in sickness and in health … I remember those words almost 40 years ago now.  Praying for Vick & Sheila, Carl, Rob, Claude, Bonnie, and the list just keeps on going.  These are physical cares and concerns represented in my prayers.

I am also praying for the spiritual needs of loved ones today in my family and the others.  It is no less a concern and perhaps even more.  In recent years especially as I pray, I can quite literally feel the weight.  Often it movers me to tears.

If we could just fix things …

God can fix things but rarely in the way that we might … and I am grateful for that.

If Christmas is to bring us Hope, Love, Peace and Joy, it will be in the Person of Christ.  So that’s where I am looking.  The holiday changed for me once I made that change.  Like so many others, it was more depressing than joyous as I looked in all the wrong places.  Not wrong in terms of evil but wrong as in “not right“.  The biggest challenge for me was to extract myself from the centre of the universe.  I would never have said that the world revolved around me but I acted and thought as though this were the case.  And when the world didn’t cooperate, I was down in the dumps.  God wasn’t quite so real.  People didn’t care as much as they should have.  You know how it goes.

The more I think of me, the less I think of God and the more I think of God, the less I think of me. – KI

It is such an unhealthy place to be self-absorbed.  Again I speak of the tragedy of this perspective not right or wrong.  It is so natural for all of us to see the world as it relates to us.  But there are other people in our world and many of them are having an experience that is different from our own.

So I am not giving up on a Merry Christmas.  I’m on a roll actually.  For the past few years, it has happened for me.  It has to do with thinking more of others and thinking more of God. (both quantitatively and qualitatively)

This week, I get to go to the Nursing Home with Jean, to distribute some gifts to the residents.  I can just about guarantee that I won’t be thinking of Karl during that time.  I get to practice with Vera who is playing in church next Sunday.  That is a privilege and I’ll be so busy trying to follow her that I’ll forget about me.  I’ll give Alice a guitar lesson.  That will be fun because I know that I can teach her and I remember how good it felt when I was learning to play the guitar.  That makes me happy to think about sharing a skill.  I get to serve a wonderful local church this week.  Really … one that I love because it is so unusual and I needed that more than you can ever appreciate.  You wondered if you were too different.  My heart sang as I discovered each nuance of the working of God in the lives of our fellowship.  I know it was difficult but I am glad that you stepped away from the status quo.  That took courage.

I do feel bad about the message yesterday.  I always enjoy hearing you talk more about your own experience with God.  And I wanted to finish the message … but God knows and I am trusting Him with the results.

Lord jesus … be with our folks this week in whatever experience of life they know.  I ask that you would make yourself more real than their circumstance.  Be bigger than their problems and strong in their weakness and failing.  Pick them up when they stumble.  Love them in their most critical moments as an ever-loving Father only could.  Let the scriptures bring light to their path.  Make them hope for those who have lost hope.  Build your Kingdom here and now, I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Sunday Re-cap

by | Nov 16, 2015 | Life Between Sundays, Uncategorized

CLC RecapIt’s Monday evening the 16th of November.  My world has returned to normal.  Elaine is back on the island.  Many of you know the pull of grand-mothering as a powerful thing.  We have two beautiful granddaughters in Fredericton and occasionally Elaine is called to spend a few days doing what seems to come so natural to her.

Earlier today I edited Harley’s video from yesterday’s service.  It was a pleasure going through the presentation again.  I was reminded of how ready young people seem to be to respond to a call of their own, one that is equally as powerful as grand-mothering.  You can call it whatever you might but that responsiveness is inspirational to me.  I was reminded of it again during the Remembrance Day service at the high school.  So many who went off to war were very young people with full lives to live and yet they laid it all on the line for a cause that was bigger than they were.  Wow … just, WOW!

Jesus stirred that passion in people as well.  Young fishermen walked away from their livelihood.  They left their traps (nets) and followed him.  His call, … “If any man would come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”  Jesus would have been a breath of fresh air in the stagnant, closed religious system of the day.  He was a legitimate miracle worker.  You never knew what might happen when you followed Jesus, as a groupie or an apprentice.

All that was exciting but the other part was terrifying … self-denial and even self-sacrifice.  That’s what crosses conjured in jesus’ day … images of brutal dehumanizing death.  Still they followed.

So going to India is no big deal to someone who has a reason to go.  It would have to be people and their desperate circumstance, the belief that one person can be a difference and in turn make one.  Thanks Harley, for the reminder.

There were 22 kids there yesterday and several workers who went home very tired.  They wanted to be where they were yesterday as well.  People like Gayla, Carolyn, Kirby, Margaret and other invisible servants who do this week after week.  Thank you for your faithfulness and your love for children … most of all for your love for God demonstrated in your investment in these young lives.  (Rosalie … thanks for filling in yesterday as well.  If I missed anyone I am so sorry.)

Glenn … thanks for shooting the video and running sound … really.

Jon … thanks for leading us in worship … your own style … your own way … your own heart.  The Christmas carols were appreciated by all those waiting for the season to break into high gear.  You chose those songs because you knew that someone could be helped to worship by hearing them and singing along.  You likely wouldn’t have chosen them except to try to minister.  I appreciate that desire to serve.

I was at the Shoebox Service last night, accidentally on time.  A confession … I posted the wrong time for the service.  My mother and I entered a couple minutes past six o’clock and things had just started.  Heather B came 20 minutes early and was 10 minutes late.  I prayed, “Lord please don’t let any other Lifers come and find themselves late.”  I really did pray that.  And then 5 minutes early and 25 minutes late, along came Glenn and Margaret.  I tried my best to apologize later.

I finished the day with a soul glow.  I am not totally sure why.  Just the belief that in some way, God was pleased yesterday.  I want it to be like that every day in the magnificent or the mundane.

 

A Past Post for Present Pastors et al

by | Oct 23, 2015 | Life Between Sundays, Special Events, Uncategorized

Just a note to say thanks for all who are able to come to the Big Church/Small Church Seminar. Thanks as well to those who registered online. As I get the www.grandmanan.church site more active, any of you are welcome to use this to create an online registration for anything that you have going at your church. I can create the registration form for you and have the data sent to the designated person in your church. PLEASE let me know if there is anyway that you would like to utilize this. Re; Big Church/Small Church, the schedule is as follows:

  • 10:30a-12:00p – Session 1
  • 12:00-1:00p – Lunch
  • 1:00-2:30p – Session 2

You are welcome to stay around and chat as long as you may like following the afternoon session. Lunch is provided free of charge as well as the entire session. If you’d like to donate toward expenses, that is fine but not expected. If you’d like to bring anyone from your church, feel free but we need to know ahead of time in order to have enough food for lunch. To register click here: Big Church/Small Church ​Remember that I would like to activate people from your churches to post information on the Grand Manan Church site​. I’ll train them to do this … I just need a name.

Let’s Make a Great Send-off for our Lobster Fishermen

Let’s Make a Great Send-off for our Lobster Fishermen

by | Oct 21, 2015 | Life Between Sundays, Special Events

One of the the ministry opportunities that i have heard talked about the most was an effort to send the lobster fishermen off on opening day with a hot cup of coffee and a pastry or three.  Gina Urqhart has volunteered to spearhead this effort once again and the time draws very near.  For those who participated before, you have a picture of what this looked like.  If you want more information about being involved, you can reach out to Gina through Facebook, phone or in person.  

Here is a note from Gina outlining her needs: 

I need commitment from others before I can go ahead with this. Carolyn Cook said she would get together with a couple of ladies to to some calling. I will need at least 10 dozen muffin(wrapped) and 10 dozen cookies (wrapped in 2s) I am wondering if you can put it on the Web site or Facebook page that we are looking for people to commit to baking these. Also I would need people to volunteer to be on the wharves to serve coffee and muffins/cookies (I would be looking for volunteers for this as well.  People could reach me at 662-5505/3865 or on facebook or they could get ahold of Carolyn C. Thanks!

Let’s jump in with Gina here.  She needs the info as quickly as possible … hoping by Monday to determine whether or not we can pull this off …