Shh...what can you hear? People talking? Mechanical humming? The air conditioner going? The wind blowing? God speaking?

Listening can be hard for us. We want to connect with people and we want to use our words to exclaim our joy. But we need to take the time to just listen. Just let everything else happen around us and be in that moment.

You learn by listening. And after you hear it, take time to understand. It's not always something you need to remember but that it up to you. Then you can ask questions.

I did this a lot as

We all need a healping hand now and then. Sometimes it's for something big, like the picture or it's for something small like allowing ducks to cross the road without running them over.

It is not always easy to offer help and it is not always easy to ask for it. I don't know about you, but I like to be self sufficient. I want to be able to do things on my own, but it is never a bad thing to ask for some help and accept that help when offered.

I remember back in 2006 when I had

Water. It something we have every day, in some form. We need water to survive. It is so important and yet we sometimes forget how much we need it. When someone comes to visit us, the least we can offer is water. It's just always there.

But that is not the case for everyone. Some have to travel long distances, some have to boil every bit of water to ensure that it won't make them sick.

At church, water takes on another meaning. It is used in baptism. The water is blessed and full of God's love and it used

Goodbyes can be hard. It can be the last time we will see someone for a while. It can be the last itme we will ever see someone.

Today, we said good bye to Tricia after 4 years. I don't know about you but I just wanted to hold on tight and not let her leave, but I know that leaving is also something good. There will be new things and excting things for us and for Tricia and her family.

We have to be free to make choices and changes. We do not want to be stuck in one

I had this one all ready and goofed when I published it. I will do my best to re-write what I had. So sorry.

The Lord's Prayer is something that comes up every week in church. There are some versions that are more popular and there are other version which use different language to reflect the different realities. I want to invite you to think about the prayer using colours.

In church, we had 8 different coloured pieces of ribbon: blue, white/silver, purple, green, yellow, red, orange, gold. Tie the ribbons together after each piece is said or read.

Blue

Pride is a protest. Pride is a celebration. Pride is important.

It wasn't always easy to be who your authentic self. It wasn't always easy to love who you wanted to love. And it some ways and some places, it still isn't.

It wasn't that long ago that being gay was illegal. Being who you wanted to be was dangerous. It has been hard and it has not been an easy road.

I am so thankful that we are able to have a massive Pride Parade and I, and anyone who wants to, can walk in it as themselves with

Pentecost is a celebration.

It is also time of wonder and mystery. With tongues of fire, the disciples of Jesus were able to speak in other languages. I wish it were that easy to learn another language. I am luckily bilingual but it was hard work and I have to practice or I will lose it; it will go out like a flame.

Even today, people are more able to communicate when they can speak other languages. You can make connections around the globe by speaking in someone's language. Even if it is just a few words, people appreciate it.

Music has played an important part of my life.

When I am happy, I listen to music. When I am sad, I listen to music. When I am angry, I listen to music. When I just want to relax, I listen to music.

It can make you feel so many things. There is a reason why movies and TV shows use music to portray emotions.

So this is what I want you to do. Pick a song. It can be anything. Maybe something you have sung in a performance. Maybe one that you heard being sung. Maybe something from church.

May is Asian Heritage Month. In Canada, we need to take time to recognize the rich and long history of people of Asian-descent in Canada, as well as their contributions to Canada and to the world.

This can also bring up feelings of pain and hurt as these people were not always welcomed with open arms. If anyone has had the opportunity to go to Moose Jaw and visit the Tunnels there, particularly the Passage to Fortune, you will know more about this history. If you can, I invite you to do so and experience it.

One Canadian who

Love others as I have loved you. Or treat others as you want to be treated. It's the "golden rule." We have all heard it in some way. And now we need to try to live into it.

Today we heard from Lulu's Lodge and I think that this is an example of living into this "golden rule." We want to feel loved, we want to feel safe and we want to be respected for who we are. This place in Regina gives people a space to be who they are and to feel safe.

They are treated as people

Family is not the same to everyone. Family can be the one in which you were born. Family can be the one you choose or who chose you! Family can be big, family can be small.

We talk about the church family. We might not know everyone's names or birthdays or even faces. We might never meet each and every member. But we are a family. We care for another and we change to let people in or let people go.

Our church family is going to change. We are going to shift again. It can be scary when things

Catch any fish?

Fish sustain us. Fishing is an important source of food for the world now and in the time when Jesus asked this question. But as he often does, he was using it as a metaphor. Fish to feed yourself but also "fish" for people. Teach them how to love and how to create a better world.

I don't always like the idea of ensnaring something and making them do things. So I view it as more of a catch and release. Tell others that love is important. Live through that and let them see how it makes

It can be hard to imagine a life without a home. A life without enough food. Most of us are lucky to have apermanent home and to always have food when we need it.

This is not the case for everyone and not the case for everyone in Regina.

It can be easy to ignore things or to not believe things unless we see them with our own eyes. Thomas didn't believe when Jesus was right in front of him. This oculd have been anyone. It was only after he touched his hands and feet that he believed.

We all

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

We have hope today. Hope for the us, for everyone. We can live in the way that Jesus asked us to. We are here to show that love is more important.

Today, we had an Easter Egg hunt for the first time in 2 years. It was wonderul to see all the kids working together to find the hidden eggs around the church.

For something different, I made up little baggies with jelly beans and included this prayer:

As you say the prayer, line up the jelly beans and look at them.

When

Today is Palm Sunday. We had a palm parade in church and I hope you were able to wave along with us or will take a moment to watch the branches of the trees waving in the wind.

I don't know about you but I often have a hard time imagining what palms look like. And there are many different types of palms as well. When I like to picture a multitude waving, I see a field. It could be wheat, canola or just plain old grass. You can watch the ripples as they travel along the field.

I like

We talked about Mary who washed Jesus' feet in perfume this Sunday. She wanted to show how much she cared for him. How can we show that we care about others?

I like to knit and I might not be the best. But I like to knit things for other people. I make a throw for a couple and a baby blanket. I felt good creating something and showing how much I care for someone else.

I share love and beauty.....I am love and beauty. Acts of love and beauty can be seen on a large scale and on a

It can be hard to remember that God's love knows no boundaries and their grace is infinite. But it's true. God loves us no matter what. We can be lost, we can be angry, we can be happy and they love us.

Why is it hard to accept this? Maybe because we learn that their should be a system of checks and balances. You do one thing to earn something else and something is taken away when you do something else. But God doesn't work that way.

We do our best and try to live to our fullest and God

We do not always feel like we are enough. We do not feel worthy. We do not feel like we are useful.

I talked about Temple Grandin in church today. She is someone who didn't fit in the usual way. She has a hard time connecting with people and learning in the same ways as others. She was born in a time when people with mental illnesses were institutionalized. Her mother didn't want to send her daughter away. She gave her all the support she needed. Even with that, Temple Grandin had a hard time and lived with the idea

God's love is called Agape love. It is not similar to the different types of love. It is the unconditional love of God. It reaches out to everyone in the world because it is universal love. Greeks thought God's love is the only kind of love that doesn't fail or falter. The word Agape arise from the Ancient greeks and refers to the love of God for all mankind. Agape is widely considered and examined by all religions. Everyone has Agape unconditional love.

We in the United Church celebrate PIE day. Not pie as in food, not pi as in

We are all tempted to do things that we shouldn't. It is not easy to make those good choices because they can be hard and it can be a lot of work.

I am reminded of a poem by Robert Frost: The road not taken.