Living Untethered: Relinquishing Control to God

                                                                                                                                                                            In the picture on the left my grandson, Carson, is looking out the window of the Sky Train in Vancouver. He had never been here before and did not want to miss a single detail. He was watching with 'alert expectation'. In the picture on the right my son, Josh, is poised and ready to catch his nephew (also Carson) and wanted to make sure he did not miss the catch. He was waiting with 'alert expect...

  “ As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer. ” ( Luke 5:16 , The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language) I don’t need to read far along the pages of the New Testament before I notice that Jesus is always on the go. He teaches, heals the sick, delivers people from the clutches of the enemy, mentors his followers, debates with the religion leaders. He is always doing something. Except when he isn’t. The scriptures record many times when the disciples were looking for him. They had no idea where he had gone. Then they see him: coming down from the mountain, out of the wilderness, out of the thicket. What was Jesus doing anyway? Does he ever sleep? Didn’t he realize he was being sought after by the throngs of people? Jesus made time alone with his Father a priority. If he, being the Son of God, needed to get away from the busyness of life in order to hear his Dad’s voice, how much more essential is it for me, one made of clay? My husband was...

                                                                                Be comfortable at the table God has prepared for you without looking to the table he has prepared for others.  There are days I sit in jealousy. I see my peers sitting in their family church pew surrounded by parents, kids, grandkids…4 generations. They have grown up with the same friends and lived in the same community all their lives. We, on the other hand have been transient. Our kids are splashed across the province of AB. Our siblings span the country from MB to BC. I have no concept of living in the same community for my entire life, raising my kids, and them raising theirs, in the same community and attending the same church. The cost of following Jesus in vocational ministry has felt higher in t...

  Sometimes the breaker gets tripped; the flow of electricity is blocked or interrupted. When that happens, the switch must be reset to restore the proper flow of power. But first the reason for the circuit break must be discovered and sometimes removed or repaired.   I need a reset button on my soul. When life throws me a curve ball, I often need to re-set my attitude. To call this covid era ‘a curve ball’ is a bit of an understatement. Everywhere I turn I see something that reminds me that life is not normal. Every conversation seems to turn to things covid &/or politics sooner or later. I’m not advocating sticking one’s head in the sand, although I could get used to being on a sandy beach beside a warm ocean these days. I am saying that if I allow myself to obsess about these issues I soon find myself despairing, I get cynical and critical. That is not fun for anyone. Back in October 2021 decided to try a remedy for my disillusionment. I began a Trust Challenge. For...

  I don’t know if this title resonates with anyone else, but I have often operated in a perpetual state of ‘bracing for impact’. It’s exhausting. I sleep with one eye open and one ear to the ground, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. The toughest challenge is when my kids are facing unknown difficulties. I watch helplessly from the sidelines waiting for resolution. How will this end? When will this end? Will it turn out well, or will we have to walk through the valley of trauma again? As a Jesus Follower, why am I not exempt from this sort of journey? Many years ago, when our late son-in-law was still alive, I was in a constant state of ‘bracing for impact’. He was battling mental illness and addictions. Our daughter and their boys were dealing with the fall-out of his choices and behaviour. Addiction is not a choice. One does not wake up one morning and decide, “Today I’m going to become an addict”. It begins with a choice but eventually gains the upper-hand and ...

  If you’ve grown up in the church, I’m sure you have heard the story of Esther and her cousin Mordecai. Things weren’t going so well for them; they were exiled Hebrews living in the land of Persia. The Queen displeased her husband by refusing to obey a ridiculous request he made of her. He banishes her from his kingdom. But not long after, he regrets his rash decision but knows he cannot go back on his word. The king holds a beauty pageant to select a new queen. Mordecai enters Esther into the contest. She wins and gains the favour of all in the palace. However, there is one man who is not especially fond of the Hebrews, so he connives to get King Xerxes to make a law allowing the people of Persia to knock off the Jews. What he doesn’t know is that the new Queen is a Jew. The King is not aware of this either. When the edict is pronounced, Mordecai calls on Esther to go to the King and let him know what is going on. She doesn’t think it’s a great idea because the King hasn’t sent...

  My Journey with the Grief Ninja To grieve is to be human. If you ever feel the joy of loving deeply you will also eventually experience the pain of grief and loss. It’s a price we pay to know and to be known, to love and be loved. “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ―  C.S. Lewis,  The Four Loves Wounds of grief can serve to soften or harden our hearts. A hardened heart may feel like it is bringing reprieve from pain, but it does not allow healing to come to the deep wounds of our souls. Not o...