The Butterfly Effect

Today in church we are going to be talking about the butterfly effect. I got this from a book by the same title written by Andy Andrews. It is a great little book. The butterfly effect says: It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wings can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world! This means our actions, good and bad can have consequences that can not be measured only by what you see. It reminds me of the movie, Pay It Forward. So, what will your actions do today, will they heal or harm. Pay attention! On a more personal note, we hope to be in our new home, at the manse, before next Sunday! Enjoy your Day!

Beautiful Sunday Morning!

Well it is a beautiful Sunday morning. I woke up to lots of birds singing in the trees outside the house. I wonder if that will still happen when we get moved to town. Today's sermon is entitled "Mental Illness" This seems so appropriate after the death of Robin Williams this past week and with today's scripture of the Canaanite woman from Matthew 15: 21-28. When I was surfing facebook last night I came up on a wonderful tribute to Robin Williams that said in his voice: Please don’t worry so much, because in the end none of us have very long on this earth. Life is fleeting. And if you are ever distressed cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night and when a shooting star streaks through the blackness turning night into day, make a wish, think of me, make your life spectacular, I know I did. What great words from a great man! I am sure they are from one of his movies or maybe a few put together. Where ever they are from they are certainly great words. How many of us take the time to look up at the sky, noticing the blackness and seeing the lights flicker on one at a time as the stars pop out. I will always remember this saying as I watch them from now on. If there can be one thing that comes from Robin William's death, it could be the amount of attention that is coming on Mental illness and the awareness it is bringing to people so hopefully people won't have to live in fear of being found out. But can life in life seeking help and caring from their neighbours. So my prayer for today is that we will all take an extra moment to help others in our lives. You never know who might be the next person seeking help from the blackness. Love and peace to all this day!

Back Home Again

Well Vacations are great, but coming home is always sweet. I had the pleasure of coming back to the wedding of Casey Stevenson and Derek Christiaens at Riverside Park. It was a beautiful day with a beautiful bride. Congratulations to the Christiaens family! I had a wonderful vacation with my family and friends. The trip to Nova Scotia is always the highlight of my summer. My grandchildren are growing so big and it was wonderful to see all of them. We all stay with my sister for a week, it is crowded, full of laughter and fun times. So it's back to church today with the gospel story of Jesus walking on storm waters. Where are the storms in your life? I know I have had a few in mine. Some were very difficult to overcome and others were just a quick blow-up and they were over. Whatever the storms we face, we know that we can overcome them with the help of all those who surround us with love and strength. That love and strength are gifts from God. May today be filled with blessings for you and your families.

Pentecost is Here!

You know, when I was thinking about Pentecost this week, I was wondering if we were really ready for it to happen to us. After all, the first Christians were totally changed. Their lives were turned around and sent spinning on a new course of living. Do we really want that to happen to us? We say we do, but do we? I'm not sure we're ready. I have been doing a lot of reading and discerning about this for a course I signed up for this coming year and the next. Am I really prepared to let the spirit move in my life in such a way that I will be able to discern where that spirit is working? Would any of us? Perhaps, but I see it will be a lot of work. So let's make a commitment to open ourselves, even just a little at first, to allow the spirit to move freely in our living and watch where we are led. So many wonderful things may await us, let's travel together and see!

God is everywhere!

Have you taken the time this morning to look around where you are and see where the Spirit is working in your life. And the Spirit is there, even when we don't pay attention. In our service this morning we will be talking about where we find the spirit in our lives and how easy it is to miss seeing this when we don't pay attention or we get to busy. So come and join us for this intentional time of exploring where we see the Spirit of God in our world. This is a huge question for me to answer because when I get busy, I don't necessarily take the time to pay attention to what is happening within me and around me. Where is the Spirit working in my life? I am going to try and be intentional about doing this and see what happens, it can only be good, Right? So my challenge to you and to myself is to watch, look, listen to what is happening right around us, see where the spirit is active. Hopefully we will see the spirit working as we are begin our coffee time before church today. We are going to try this for a month and see how it goes. So bring your mug, (we will have styrofoam here) and join us for coffee and conversation. Also, I am sure I will see the spirit this afternoon as I lunch with a good friend and attend a dance recital at the school at 2pm. Great fun! The children are so beautiful and excited to be dancing. So, on this day, watch, listen, spend time with friends and family and dance!

Do we have rocks in our lives...

Good Morning All, it is a damp day in Eston, but I heard on the radio we need the rain. Hard to believe when I drive our muddy roads and look at our dugouts full. But maybe we do. I hope all that had seeding to do are finished or mostly finished. I did look ahead to the week and it is supposed to warm up and dry up. So, lots to look forward to. Today is family Sunday, come to church and stay for lunch. Unfortunately Sunday School is finished for the season, but all are welcome. We do have a small room upstairs in the balcony for those who have little children who just can't sit still to play during the service. This morning in church we are going to be talking about rocks. What rocks are in your life that stop you from truly knowing that God is always with us. Sometimes we build walls that we need to take down, other times the rocks are like stumbling stones to our getting where we need to be. Whatever the reason we find rocks in our lives, we need to take care of them, not just step over them and let them pile up and become that wall that is just higher and higher for us to climb over. Sometimes this is very hard to do, but if we work together as neighbours with one another and with our God, we will truly be able to find a way to make a gate in our wall or clear away the rocks all together. We are truly children of our God, loved and cherished, so let's work together for the realization of the Kin-dom of God here in this place. Thanks be to God. Next Sunday we are going to start out coffee time before church so come at 10am, bring a mug of your own or use a styrofoam one from here, join us for coffee time. Namasté All

Looking for the silver lining...

Did you ever have a couple of those days? You know the ones I mean. I have had two, first yesterday I go out to my truck to come to town to help celebrate the life Annie Shuttleworth, and I reach down for a kleenex and what do I see but mouse chews. Oh My, well I backed up all the way up our road to home, ran in the house, yelling there is a mouse in my truck... So Jim, being the great husband and gentleman he is hands me his keys and off I go to work, he goes on a mouse hunt. Can't find it... So, last night we put some of those sticky mouse traps in the truck (thanks Bob Mickleborough) and what does the mouse do but eat the peanut butter and chew apart the paper to get away. Smarter than we thought. So Jim puts a regular old mouse trap in the truck, and nothing yet, so again I take his truck this morning. So I come along the Richlea grid road to the #30 and when I am just at the cemetery road, the light comes on that says the left year tire is going flat. So I get out and check, sure enough I can hear it hissing. So, I call Jim again, what a great husband I have, and get the truck to main street by the church and he says he will come in and take care of it after work while I go for a manicure and pedicure (Thanks Veronica Ryland)and relax. What a life! But amazing things happen, I realize how wonderful Jim is and how thankful I am to have him in my life. Yesterday I had a great beginner course in Zentangle which is so much fun and so relaxing (thanks Lisa) and then we had that wonderful celebration with Annie's family. So although both days started off stressful, things are always looking up. Today is our close of Sunday school which will be fun for the kids, (painting fun) we will be sad to have them gone for the summer but things get busy and teachers are away, etc. Even with all that has happened, I feel like this will be a resurrection kind of day. Our scripture in church this morning is a favorite with the story of the Road to Emmaus. Many people have different feelings about this story but I think we will find that the truth of the story will be that we are made stronger and our purpose becomes more clear when we are gathered in community. As it has been said, where two or three are gathered.... Who are you gathered with today, where do you see the work of Jesus in our world today?