I never used to really like the story of feeding the 5000..or maybe I just didn't get it. It took me a long time to figure out how to explain it in a way that I could understand and believe.
But one day, I was watching a movie "The Prince of Egypt." Now this is a great movie with a lot of awesome songs. It was during one of those songs that a couple lines stood out to me: when all you have is nothing, there's a lot to go around.
This stuck with me. I don't really know why.
Who doesn't like a surprise? What about a promise? I made a promise today to make a piece of paper jump with just one finger. I might not be the best at origami but I think I did okay with having people watch me as I made a little jumping frog.
Surprises can be fun; promises can be hard. We have to follow through to build that trust with people and to ensure that which was promised is fulfilled to the best of our ability.
A good surprise is something we don't expect but that makes us feel better inside.
Take a heap of child-like wonder,
That opens up our eyes
To the unexpected gifts in life
Each day a sweet surprise.
Mix in fond appreciation
For the people whom we know;
Like festive Christmas candles,
Each one has a special glow.
Add some giggles and some laughter,
A dash of Christmas food,
(Amazing how a piece of pie
Improves our attitude!)
Stir it all with human kindness;
Wrap it up in love and peace,
Decorate with optimism, and
Our joy will never cease.
If we use this healthy recipe,
We know we will remember
To be in the Christmas
Decisions. Each day is full of decisions. What am I going to wear? What am I going to eat?
How can we make all those decisions? We can flip a coin. We can make a pros and cons list. We can close our eyes and pick something.
But what about those big decisions?
I remember when I came to Regina for university. I chose everything I wanted to bring. I made all the right choices. But it was not easy.
I enjoyed my classes. I was starting to make friends but I wasn't feeling right. Something was missing. Did I
This Sunday, we celebrated the last service of Carolyn and Lee. Both are moving on to new adventures but it marks a change in our community.
It is tough to deal with change and I am still coming to terms with what will happen. If we look at the dating metaphor, Wesley and Sunset have decided that we are okay and have now moved in together to explore if this can be a long term relationship or amalgation.
I was thinking about one of the songs we used on Sunday: Be Not Afraid. Well, I'm sorry but I am. I
We have often talked about being a welcoming community. We are an affirming ministry, so, in theory, all are welcome. We smile when a child is laughing, or crying. We give a sign of peace to those in our space on Sunday mornings. But how can be bring that welcome into the world, into our country, into our city.
There are things happening right now in Regina that make me feel like we have failed to be a welcoming community. People are suffering and people are trying to ask for help but receiving very little.
In the First Nations tradition,
You might be looking at the photo and thinking what does this have to do with being a disrupter? Or being someone who is ready to shake things up?
Well, I have been watching some Disney movies of mine (I'm not a heat person so prefer to stay inside). And one series that I recently re-watched was High School Musical.
If you ever went to high school or any school really, there were always expectations of certain people. And you had to fit into one of those boxes or you just weren't cool. Well I didn't fit in and was
This photo was taken last summer at Wanuskewin, just outside of Saskatoon. I have visited many times but I still learn something new each time. This year they were talking about evidence found that showed this site was used for even longer than previously thought.
We are constantly changing and learning. Our eyes are opened by new experiences and new information. It is when we stop thinking and stop evolving that we become stuck.
I hope that you keep exploring this summer. Maybe you will visit the same places and people again. Take time to look around an dlearn something
This is always one of my favourite weeks. It does not go back that far but its power is felt by so many people.
It was not so long ago when people had to hide who they were, who they loved, and how they lived.
It was not so long ago that the church was complicit in these sentiments.
It was not so long ago that people were excluded because of who they loved or who they were.
It was not so long ago that people were forced into a role they never wanted.
I am so happy to celebrate
98 years ago, the United Church of Canada formally came into being. It brought together parts of Presbyterian, Methodists, and Congregational Churches in Canada.
This union continues to evolve today. One thing that keeps me here is the fact that change is possible, compromise is possible, evolution is possible. We cannot stay the same as a church, as a people.
We do not have the same focus as before. We cannot have the same. We must be able to shift and be daring.
Deep inside each of us is God. We must hold onto that spirituality in order to show
It has been an odd few weeks for me but I am finally getting back into the swing of things. Which is good because we just had a birthday! Well, the church did. Not just Sunset but the whole Christian church: Pentecost!
And I do not know what you did to celebrate, but we were lucky to have cake at church. It was also Gary's, one of our charter members, 85th birthday! Another cause for celebration.
What I wanted to illustrate is a fire. We have all seen some kind of fire, even if it is just a candle flame.
Sometimes we need to be able to see things in a different way. I recently went to Ikea and saw a rattan/wisker ottoman. But I saw something different: as you can see from the photo, it's clearly a cat bed.
We are often told to look at things through different eyes. What about trying to see through God's eyes? What would that look like? What different things would we see?
It is not always easy and it might not be as clear as the cat bed/ottoman. It is up to us to look with love and care and see how
This year, on May 7th, I am supporting Kids Help Phone during their Walk so Kids Can Talk. This is an important resource because it gives kids the opportunity to talk to someone at any time about any problems they are facing.
Sometimes just having someone to listen is enough and they are also equipped to give kids the support they need to make sure that they are safe and able to keep going.
Mental health is very important and mental illness can show up at any time.
Please consider either walking with me after church on May 7th or
We always talk about rainbows, they represent so many different things. It's beautiful, colourful, and amazing. But what about what happens before that rainbow?
It might not be dramatic, but there is some kind of storm. It might have rain, it might have wind, it might have thunder and lightning, or it might have all of them together.
Right now, we are in that storm. We have a lot to get through. But it is something that we decided to do because we remember what will come out in the end. We are thinking about that rainbow.
Keep thinking about
This weekend marks the 47th Telemiracle Telethon. Each year, their impact hits me differently and this time I was thinking about its longevity. This has been going on longer than my life and each year the words "higher" and "ring those phones" stirs emotions.
Today, we had a shared service in another building; which can bring its own challenges. But I felt welcomed. It was like coming home.
And that's the thing with Telemiracle, it's coming home. It makes you feel welcome. And it makes you proud that people care about others.
If only governments and countries could understand that:
As an affirming church, we practice an open door faith where all are welcome. This is mimiced in the sacrament of communion where all are welcome to share in the meal.
Today we also had members of Wesley join us in the service. It was a way to continue to build relationship with another community of faith.
I was thinking about the New Creed today and how it starts and ends: we are not alone. Sometimes, we can forget the world outside of the doors of the church. We are not alone. The United Church is across Canada and around