Another Christmas has come and gone. Luckily the season will last a little longer. Jim and I had a great Christmas morning which started by face timing with the grands on the east coast. and later a call from the west coast and the grands there. We ended our day being joined by friends to have a turkey supper. Lots of laughter and good food.

As the year ends and our temperature drops it is once again Sunday morning and we are gathering at the church at 10:30 today for the service of the Jesse Tree. Come and join us and rediscover the stories you learned in the bible. The Jesse Tree is a service where we read scripture from creation to the birth of Jesus and hang ornaments on a simple stick tree. It is very meaningful. The Jesse tree is a very old Christmas Tradition and first started in medieval times. They are used to help tell the story of the Bible from creation to the Christmas Story. The name comes from Jesse who was the Father of the great Jewish King David. I always thought that the Jesse Tree was only an advent service but it seems it can be used any time. I am hoping it will become a tradition in this church to celebrate this on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year. So come join us.

Christmas Blessings

It's Friday afternoon, 6 days before Christmas and I want to say thank you too all the people who make our life so wonderful here in Saskatchewan. We moved here 4 years ago and haven't looked back. We love it. Although we miss our families and friends back east and out west, we are happy to say that Eston is a wonderful town full of amazing people. The people who have helped us are too numerous to name but you know who you are. So this year, my prayers is that each one of you may be surrounded with people who care about you, family or otherwise and that you have enough. Enough food to keep away the hunger, enough heat to stay warm, enough love, dreams, hopes and courage to fill your homes and hearts. Enough pain to know you are truly blessed for without our struggles we would never know how truly lucky we are. So know you are a blessing to our family. Take care of each other and remember that the Holy dwells in you and in me, in all of creation and no matter where we go, we truly are not ever alone.

Merry Christmas
Barb

Cantata today!

You know if there was one gift I would covet it would be the gift of music. I love music, I love to hear the piano and I love to sing. I just do it badly. I am envious of anyone who can sing a song full of feeling or sit at a piano and just play the music there. Perhaps some practice would help me with the piano but not the voice. Anyway, that`s my confession of the day. We are told not to covet your neighbours anything but here I am coveting...

Today is the Christmas Cantata here at St. Andrew`s and our choir under the direction of Ed Jackson with the musical gifts of Doris Etter, will share with us some beautiful music. There will also be some readers, perhaps some younger folk as well. The Cantata is a tradition here at St. Andrew`s. There are two a year. We have stopped buying actual cantata`s and are using music Ed chooses along with readings or poems that I choose. It seems to work well at a time when our choir has so few voices any more, but we are grateful for each and everyone of them.

Our Children today, under the care of their teacher Ashley Hamilton will be thinking of Joy and what it means to them and practising for their Christmas Program next Sunday during our regular service. We will also have communion and our family Sunday lunch then.

Today is the Sunday of Joy in our Advent Season and it is with great joy that we enter into this day.

Peace

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Peace. In church we will explore how we think of peace. What do you think of when you think of the word peace. Is it world peace, peace in your heart, peace in your soul, peace and quiet. whatever it is, it is the focus of today.

It has been a busy week this week and last. I am not sure why but things just seemed to steam roll. Ever have one of those weeks. Hopefully this coming week will be a quieter one. I met with a group of women one night this week and we read from Joyce Rupp's book, called "Prayers to Sophia". The word Sophia is the Greek word for Wisdom. So when we read of Sophia in scripture, we read of the feminine side of the Holy or the Divine Feminine she is sometimes called. However you understand the divine, she is an important part. The prayer we read was entitled 'A New Beginning'. We read this because we started a new year in the church last week and any day is a good day to begin again. This prayer brought me great peace and I want to share part of it with you this morning...

Faithful Guide,
you sit at the gate of my life,
inviting me to eagerly enter
the newness stretching before me.
As I attend to the old burdens
that have weighed me down with worry,
I look ahead with hopeful expectation
to what my heart most needs.
I also recognize the absolute necessity
of living in the present moment.
I choose to direct my daily attentiveness
toward what will give my life greater balance.
I seek to let go of what keeps me unloving.
I long to contribute to peace in this world....

And it goes on from there but what powerful words for us to read on this Sunday of Peace. May peace surround you and yours this Advent/Christmas season.

Sunday Morning

Well, it's Sunday again and we had a bit of snow last night, right on top of some rain which makes for very slippery walking and driving so everyone be careful.

I had the privilege of taking part in the wedding of Kristin Kuntz to Tyson Swan yesterday afternoon, it was beautiful. I hope everyone made it home okay after the reception.

Yesterday Jim and I started decorating our house for Christmas. We wanted to do outside but when it started to rain, we switched to inside. Hopefully we will get outside done today or tomorrow. We are having company next weekend and would like all the decorating done before they arrive. We spent most of the day looking for Christmas decorations that we couldn't find. In amongst the boxes that were stacked after our move, in a box we thought was full of packing paper, we found a whole bunch of stuff. Yeah! We thought we were going crazy missing almost half our Christmas decorations.

Today is Reign of Christ Sunday in church and I am starting my sermon off with those famous words from Snow White, Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all? We will put both the mirror and the reign of Christ together though so come and have coffee at 10, bring the kids for Sunday School and join us for our service at 10:30. All are welcome always.

Have a great day all!

Brrrr... It's cold outside

So I just turned on the heat in the church, should be toasty soon. It's Family Sunday and we will have hotdogs and potluck after church. Miss Nancy is filling in for Ashley in Sunday School today. With the kids today I am going to talk about a time when we did something wrong and we need to find a way to make it better. I made a huge mistake yesterday. I was supposed to come to the church and makes sure the door was open for my friend Cassie to do her writing workshop. Well, I forgot. The door was unlocked when I left on Friday night late, but did it get locked again. Usually Dianne takes care of all of this stuff but she was going to Medicine Hat and asked me to do it. Well, I forgot. I got up and headed out to Presbytery for the day and didn't even think about it. So now, I need to apologize to Cassie and to whoever came and let her in I need to give thanks. A huge lesson for me, I am too busy and need to pay more attention to what I will say I will do. I am going to stop doing some of the things I said I would do. Yesterday I asked Presbytery to find another recording secretary and I have only one more meeting for Conference Executive. Leaving those two jobs behind will help a lot. In the mean time, I still owe Cassie an apology. That will be today's task. One of the most important things we can do is say we are sorry when we do something wrong. We need to stand up, say we made a mistake and own it. Then discover in ourselves why we are making mistakes, why we aren't paying attention to the responsibilities we have. So for me, a huge learning curve. Let's all take the time we need to give thanks when needed and ask for forgiveness when we need to. If we all owned up when we did something wrong the world would be a better place. Thanks for listening to my rant, have a great Sabbath today.

A BUSY LIFE!

Well these past two weeks have been very busy and the next two don't seem much slower, but then I thrive on being busy so it isn't all bad. I just hope I don't forget anything.

I want to thank my church family here who at the drop of the hat let me fly home for the funeral of my uncle and to help my sister deal with the house, etc. It was a lot of work, but I did get to see my children, grandchildren, brother and sister and my Mom. My family entrusted me to do my uncle's funeral and it was a great honour to talk about a man who was so much a part of our lives.

So, today! Fall supper, Silent Auction - come out to the church today and place a bid on one or two or all of our silent auction items. This is a fundraiser for our church so your generosity is appreciated. Come and enjoy our fall supper, you can call Olorenshaw's or leave a message on the church phone for tickets. There are two sittings, 5pm and 6:15pm. The auction will stop at 7 and all the items will be awarded to those with the highest bids. So if you come early and bid, return before 7 to up your bid. Outbid your friends. This is a great way to have a little competitive fun while supporting our church. Many thanks...

Our church service today will be focusing on our sense of importance and how that affects how we act in the world. Come and join us, coffee at 10am, church and sunday school at 10:30

Have a great day!

GIve to Caesar/Give to God

So from the title you can see the gospel reading today is give to Caesar what is Caesars and give to God what is Gods. Don't you think it is very easy to give to Caesar, I mean we pay taxes, obey the laws, etc. but what about giving to God, and whose need is fulfilled when we give to God, ours or Gods? What does God need from us or is it the other way around and we need from God? Good questions to ponder today and into this week.

On another topic, our church is having a silent auction during our fall supper. So the bidding opens at 4pm and ends at 7pm. The items will be set up in the church the Friday before the auction so you can come over and take a look. So even if you don't come to the supper, stop in, see what there is, make a few bids, stay and watch your bid or leave and come back to see if you are still in the lead. Lots of fun bidding up your friends, also a great way to support the church in our community. Thanks everyone, see you there!

I am leaving tonight to fly east. My uncle died on Friday so the family has asked me to come home to do the funeral. So, keep well, call the office if there is an emergency and I will see you when I get back on the 29th.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ESTON

What a great place Eston is to live. Yesterday the main street was crowded with folks gathering to watch the hockey games and to enjoy a hamburger. Lots of specials at all the stores. Toys at the Hardware store, leggings at the hair dresser, flowers at the flower shop and it was great to see Jackie in her general store selling her stock. The pharmacy also had specials and people could take a browse in Gina's shop. There was a beer garden for those who are a little older. There were so many kids running around. The band sounded great although I didn't see them as I had gone home to finish unpacking the last room at the manse. I could hear it though. Then last night, a street dance which also sounded great.

So on this Thanksgiving weekend, may we all be blessed by where we live and all that we have. I want to share a grace for a meal with you today. It is written by John O'Donohue in his book, "to bless the space between us" Enjoy all!

'As we begin this meal with grace, let us become aware of the memory carried inside the food before us: the quiver of the seed awakening in the earth, Unfolding in a trust of roots and slender stems of growth, the kiss of rain and surge of sun; the innocence of animal soul that never spoke a word, nourished by the earth to become today our food; the work of all the strangers whose hands prepared it, the privilege of wealth and health that enables us to feast and celebrate!'

Beautiful Day

So I am back from an amazing week at the Sandy Saulteaux Spiritual Centre in Beausejour, MB. I am taking a 2 year course on Spiritual Direction. What a wonderful group of people. It will be hard work, but hopefully very rewarding. Yesterday Jim and I spent the day in Meadowlake at Presbytery. That was a long day but productive meeting. Today, our gospel reading in church is from Matthew 20: 1-16 and is the story of the landowner who hires workers all throughout the day only to pay them all the same wage at the end of the day. What do you think about that? Well I don't think this parable is about labour practices or employer-employee relationships, or even about money, I believe this parable is about the graciousness of the love of the Holy and our relationship with one another in the kingdom of God. It is about receiving the love and grace of holiness in our everyday life, no matter who we are of where we are. We are all equal. Something for us to think about. Enjoy your Sunday!

What do you think about bullying!

I had a conversation this week about Bullying. Now that school has started back up and our Sunday school is starting we need to be on teh look out for Bullying. There are so many people in our town and so many ways that people bully other people. It might be about your size, your colour, the colour of your hair, your clothes or even your religion or lack of it. This disturbs me greatly when I think about religious differences in our town. I have heard stories of youth bullying other youth because of their religion or lack of religion. We are all children of God whether you go to church or you don't, whether you go to the United Church, the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church or the Full Gospel Church. Just because someone does not agree with your particular beliefs, it does not mean they are wrong. We live in this wonderful town where there is a bullying by law. You are not allowed to bully people, this is a no-bully zone. So please if you are being bullied talk to someone. If you are doing the bullying imagine how you would feel if it was you that was different. BUllying leads to many different reactions in people and you certainly don't want to be responsible for harming another person. So please, think before you speak. In today's gospel reading, we are hearing a story of settling differences between one another, maybe it is a good lesson to learn.... So come out and join us.

Take up your Cross

If any want to be my followers, let them take up their cross and follow me... Hard words to hear this morning in church but hopefully we can make sense of them. Come and join us for our service this morning... Tomorrow is moving day for Jim and I. We will finally be townies... I can't wait. But what a lot of work to pack up and move a house even if we have only lived there for 3 1/2 years. We sure gathered a lot of stuff since moving to Eston. I have a feeling by tomorrow night we will be exhausted. Thanks to all those who are coming to help. Many hands and all that stuff... Hopefully we will be in by early afternoon, I say 1, Jim says 2.... We'll see. So if you are not busy, drop by and we will pass you a box to carry or just stop to say Hello. Take care all and have a great day today and Go Riders!

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?

to doubt or not to doubt

One of the things I am most grateful for in my life is my ability to have doubts. I grew up in a house where my father would answer after we asked why, Because I said so! As I grew up he said believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see. Both of these seem to contradict themselves. "Because I said so" is never a good answer to give to anyone. We all need to be able to have the answers we need when we need them. I think we get those answers when we question and struggle with our thoughts and our actions. We all have times in our lives when we seem so sure of what we need to do and other times when we are filled with doubts. You know, it is okay to have doubts, we need them in order to give us the encouragement to keep seeking what it is we are meant to do in this lifetime and to be the best people we can be doing it. Our gospel story today in church, written by the writer we call John, is the story we often call Doubting Thomas. We often use that title as if it were a bad thing to have doubts, but I think it is a great thing! I wish we could all be a little more like Thomas and then we might work twice as hard to discover the mysteries of life. I think Jesus encouraged people to have a strong faith life, but not one of blind faith, perhaps open eyed faith. A faith where we question, struggle, and work together for a better world. May we all be open eyed as we go through this day and the rest of our days. Go with the love of all that is holy in your hearts.

It's Easter, Christ is Risen Indeed!

Greetings on this Easter morning. The sun rose beautifully at the Museum this morning and those of us brave enough to go to the sunrise service at 5:45 were blessed to see it. So Easter 2014 - what does it mean to us to say that Christ is Risen since it was almost 2000 years ago that first Easter morning when the women went to the tomb and discovered it empty. Well for me, it means that each year on this day I get to reaffirm my decision to live my life as a follower of the teaching of that great Jewish Mystic, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus taught folks that there is more to life than rules and regulations, he taught them that these rules and regulations need to be administered with compassion, justice and love. He taught people that they could have an intimate relationship with their God. We still think about and talk about these things today. This morning, we will hear a story, a beautiful story that begins in a garden. We will sing and pray using words like Christ is Risen and we will share in a meal, a communion together as we remember that the spirit is with us and within us always, and that we are loved for who we are and who we will continue to become. Christ is Risen, Indeed!

A Beautiful Sunday in Eston!

Good Morning All, what a beautiful sunny day in Eston today. I love days that begin with a beautiful sunrise. Yesterday the church had a booth at the Volunteer/Newcomer event in town at the complex. There were so many of you who stopped at our booth. Thanks for all the support and welcome to all the newcomers in town. Today at church we will be having our annual meeting. So many people to thank for all the work they do for our church and so many of them behind the scenes. A special thank you to Diane Anderson who is the person who keeps our church moving forward day after day. Take care all, and have a great day and a great week. Until next week! A Quote for the day: Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you… - Lao Tzu

Midweek ponderings

It seems to me that it is getting warmer outside, don't do you think? It was only -2 this morning, instead of -12 or -22. Much more seasonal. I can't wait for the nice weather. Although I am a winter lover, the cold weather got to even me this year. As I sit in my office, getting ready for the Lodge service today, I am reminded that Easter is almost here and that with the coming of spring, resurrection is more apparent. So often in our living we run from day to day, not stopping to feel and to see what is right around us. Do we see signs of resurrection? What brings thoughts of resurrection to mind for you? Is it the sight of a new bloom on a plant, the return of the birds who had gone for the winter, is it a feeling, that feeling of peace that we all long for? What exactly does resurrection mean to you? For me, Resurrection is a feeling, a new sense of the Holy, a time when I feel calm, hopeful and loved. A time of Peace. I am taking part in an Inner Peace E-Retreat this year. So each day I get an email with a message, a practice, and an affirmation. On Monday I got a message that contained a story, It didn't say who wrote it but I want to share it with you. The thought behind the message is that we struggle hard for inner peace, when maybe we don't need to struggle so hard after all. So here it is, hopefully the author won't mind: There is a powerful story about the danger of chasing peace through effort. An investment banker was on vacation in Mexico. He met a Mexican fisherman who was cleaning up a couple of fish he had just caught. The businessman asked him how long it took him to catch the fish. He said, "Not long." So the businessman asked him, "Why don't you stay out longer. You could catch more fish. "The Mexican replied, "This is enough to support my family. Now I have time to live a peaceful life--play with my children, take siestas with my wife, and drink wine and play guitar with my amigos in the evening. "The businessman said, "You should consider spending more time fishing. You could buy a whole fleet of boats, and open your own cannery. Eventually you could move to America and list your company on the Stock Exchange. "The Mexican said, "How long will this all take? "The businessman replied, "15 -- 20 years." "What then?" asked the Mexican. The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part. You will become so wealthy you can stop working. You can move to a coastal fishing village and live a peaceful life--sleep late, play with the grandkids, take siestas with your wife, and drink wine and play guitar with your amigos in the evening. " So, the moral of the story: Maybe we don't have to struggle so hard. Maybe if we stop looking so hard for peace, we will find it is already here. Resurrection is all around us, it is in the physical but it is also in the spiritual. It is part of who we are as people and we just need to slow down and take a look inside and out. My prayer for you today is that you will be able to take time, slow down, reach deep inside you to that place where the spirit dwells and surround yourself with peace.

What's in your Bucket?

Good Morning, it is a beautiful day in Eston. A little chilly (-17) but great sunshine. The sunrise this morning was absolutely wonderful. A giant ball of Red in the sky. Now if I were still back east, red sky in the morning means sailors take warning. I think here it means another sunny day. This morning in our church service I am going to ask the question, What's in your bucket? Our scripture this morning is the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well. SHe has a conversation with Jesus about water, Living water? What is this living water she wants to know? In ancient times, living water was water that was free flowing, not in a cistern like we have at the farm and many of you would have had growing up in Saskatchewan. So is our bucket filled with living water, those things that help us to be more loving, compassionate, caring. More self assured that we are on the right path. Or is it filled with cistern water, sometimes stale or perhaps those things that bring us down, worries, sadness, grief. What can we do to help make our buckets more balanced? A good question for all of us. Hope to see you in Church! We have a special treat this morning, Abbie Hoffart(Lois McIntyre's Granddaughter)is going to sing for us!

Home Again

Well I was gone for two weeks and it felt like a lifetime. It is always nice to go away to do something other than our normal routine, however, it is always good to get home. I was on course at Calling Lakes Centre with theologian and forensic Anthropologist Richard Rohrbaugh. He is brilliant and knows so much about the culture of 1st century Palestine. We learned about Paul's letter to the Corinthians and the book of Revelation. Very heavy stuff that I will share over time. For today, we are talking about being born again, being transformed and how we can see Salvation as a process by which we are transformed this side of death. So join us if you can for our service and don't forget it's family Sunday.

Well it's a beautiful balmy Sunday morning in Eston, only -2. Amazing. Just a week ago we were freezing. Spring is on the way, only one more month... This morning in church we are going to be talking a bit about change and judgement. Sounds like strong words but hopefully will be painless but maybe encourage us to think in a different way... I spent yesterday in Battleford at our presbytery meeting and the president of Saskatchewan Conference, Gayle Wensley, was with us. Gayle spoke about the work she has done so far as president and what she hopes to continue to do. She referred to the comprehensive Review that the United Church is in the process of completing. The church board here in Eston took part in this review by video conference. Gayle then told us a story about herself and her husband becoming empty nesters and about their struggle to discover who they were together now that their children have left home. Then she compared the United Church to empty nesters. We all have to discover who we are in the midst of the change that is happening in our world and in our church. Change is all around us and we all need to take the time to discover how we can live into the new world that is opening up around us and how we can take the best from the past with us. New challenges await. New exciting challenges and together as a community of faith here in Eston, we can go forward, discovering together how we will live in this new way. There is no Sunday School this week as it is winter break for our schools. Many folks are gone away on vacation. For those of us who will gather today, we will enjoy family Sunday lunch after our service. Everyone is welcome to join us. Have a great Sunday everyone and a great winter break!

Good Sunday Morning! It is a beautiful, cold morning on the Prairies. -32 when I left home, that's cold. However, it is peaceful and warm here at the church. As I sit and ready myself for this morning's service the temperature is on my mind. Maybe because I am asking people today, are you a thermometer or a thermostat? Sound Strange, Maybe Not! A thermostat makes the temperature change, a thermometer only measures what is. So, Which are you, one who inspires change as salt changes food and let's your light shine or are you content to just let life pass you by doing nothing, not rocking the boat, in other words living a bland life, hiding your light under a bushel. Lots to ponder on this day! So, as you think and ponder, like I do, curl up this afternoon, with a not cup of tea, a good book and curling on the tube. My idea of a great afternoon!

It's another Sunday morning and I had a very relaxing three days off. I traveled to Regina to see 'West Side Story' with my friend Kim, it was amazing. Yesterday afternoon I started a baby quilt for my new grandson who is due in April. This week's sermon is about the Beatitudes. What do they mean to you? I have been doing some reading from a book called 'Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew' by Jerome H. Neyrey. This is a fascinating book about the Honor and Shame Society which Jesus would have grown up in and certainly puts a new perspective on how we look at things. Neyrey is talking about using the word Honor instead of Blessed or Happy when talking about the beatitudes and about how Jesus ascribed Honor to those who had no honor. Honor was a very important part of their lives in the Middle East and still is today in a lot of countries. We in the west don't really understand this society. The entire honor and shame idea is not familiar to us. Well hopefully, after today we will know a bit more. We also hear from the prophet Micah the familiar words: What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God. What amazing words! So, as I said a couple of weeks ago in a sermon when I quoted, John Wesley, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can”. Have a wonderful Sunday! Barb

L'ISLE VERTE

As I sit in my office this afternoon with the sun streaming in on me I pause to think about the people in L'Isle Verte. My heart breaks for the pain they are feeling. I can't image the devastation. I just want to take a moment and offer to them, my love, light and thoughts. I offer this prayer: In the quiet of this moment as I pause to remember, I open my heart to all that is holy in my life. I hold the people of L'Isle Verte in my thoughts and my tears fall. Sadness fills my heart for the tragedy this community faces, so many lives lost. In the stillness that surrounds me, I offer my love and light. May the richness of comfort and love be with all those who have lost loved ones or whose loved ones have survived and are suffering, and all those whose loved ones have not yet been found. It is in such times as these that community gathers to be the presence needed. So may strength be found in L'Isle Verte, in the workers who are tireless in their efforts, in the community that surrounds all those who are suffering, in the love and prayer, the money and help that pours into the community in the coming days and weeks. May Strength be present and may a grain of hope be found that comfort may be felt. As one who dwells in the light, I pray. Amen.

A New Day

It is January 21st and I am sitting in my office preparing for bible study and thinking about our new website and how easy it is to be in touch with people in this new age of technology. The website for the church is almost ready to launch. The domain name will be estonunitedchurch.ca The church uses Facebook and Twitter and now a website. Such different ways of communicating these days. Unlike the communication during 1st century Palestine when Jesus was calling his disciples to come with him and fish for people. We can do that so quickly these days. It makes me wonder if we really always read and agree with all that we follow, all those tweets, Facebook pages and blogs. The disciples and Jesus had to do so much of their work manually, walking for long distances in the hot dry weather, relying on the generosity of those who they met along the way. We sit at our desks, or on our phones, or tablets and we just make contact. Are we losing the ability to have a conversation with one another. I was with a friend the other day and we were both on our tablets, yet both in the same room and hardly a word passed between us. Sometimes I wonder if all this technology is really the best thing.... It is definitely faster, but does that make us actually pack more into our already busy schedules. When was the last time we left all our electronics alone and just had a great visit with someone and talked, really talked. Just my musings for the morning.....