Looking for the Sunrise

Have you ever felt like there is just so much you want to say and have no earthly idea how to make any of it make sense to other people... yeah. Welcome to my brain this week! My heart and mind are so full of stuff, good stuff, but I can't seem to figure out how to type any of it out. Which makes my personal blog challenge a wee bit difficult! And so today I ma just going to tell you to listen to the music around you, youtube some MercyMe or Big Daddy Weave or Matt Maher or Todd Agnew. Any of their music is worth a listen in my opinion :) Have a great Thursday!

I enjoy blogging, I'm just not very good at it. And really its not that I'm not good at it, I'm just not very disciplined. The last few days have been difficult, I've been bogged down with too many cares and concerns and a build up to a super moon super migraine... today is better... sort of. I'm at a point where I sort of feel like I have schizophrenic faith... what's that verse? 'Oh Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief?' There are areas of my life that I have totally surrendered to God and others where I feel like it's just too much, its a problem I've created so why should I expect God to bail me out? The things I know about God and the ways that I know Him and the problems of my day don't always end up in balance. That push and pull and arguing in myself causes a lot of distress. But something I realized this weekend was it's not just my journey... I have a partner, the one with whom I am one flesh. We are in this together a

So this week has been well different, took me a few days to wrap my head around all that was going on and I just couldn't turn on my laptop to keep up with my own personal blog challenge. I needed a time out and so I took one. I did not however take a break from my daily bible reading. I may not have given it the attention it deserved but I kept up the habit and God has been using the words of James and 2 Peter to remind me of the need for progression, to keep moving forward, to embrace the change and difficulties of life, to grow through them. There were some key differences in this week's 'slump' than in times past. At no point did I feel hopeless or rejected. I never felt like I couldn't express what I was feeling and most importantly I never felt empty. I knew that I needed to give myself space to feel sad, to be wary of the changes occurring and that the tears that fell at random times were necessary. It was remarkably different from the way it used to be a

We've known this day was coming for a long time. She has planned and made lists, packed and repacked. We have had special get togethers to say good bye and shared many hugs and special moments and yet today took me by surprise. It came so fast. We were ready but not ready at the same time. As we awoke this morning we knew that it was going to be hard but I don't think we grasped just how hard. It was a difficult good bye (and an early one!) The moment that really got me wasn't the final hug and whispered I love you and I'll see you at Christmas. It wasn't watching the van drive away. It came a few moments later when we pulled away from the camp, drove down the grid and watched at the van reached the intersection at Highway 1 and headed away from us. It was such a shock to my system to have that moment of clarity that while we were going one direction... she was going the other. Our time was up. She goes her own way now and while we will always be her parents a

One thing I have always appreciated about my little family of 5 is that we have often made family prayer time a priority. I can't say we manage to have it regularly but we embrace the time when the opportunity is there. When the girls were young, it was easy as we just incorporated it into bedtime routine and we taught them how to pray for each other, for our extended family and for the needs of the day. Those times were priceless and as the girls grew, those family prayer times became moments where they knew they were safe to share their fears and concerns. We would often have a 'family meeting' before prayer time to address plans for the week or concerns around the house. It was a time where honesty and emotion were expected and most of the time comfortable. These moments were like the lights that illuminated our family which I realize sounds a bit corny but it is true none the less. As we spent time at Jesus feet as a family, our burdens became less and our hearts becam

I don't know quite what to say besides this is really good advice whether you are a believer or not. This world can use more kindness and compassion. I am thankful that God calls us to live this way and grateful that Hid Spirit allows us the supernatural power to follow this directive. To love others and to consciously live these qualities with everyone... what a world that would be... don't you think?

FaceBook is a great thing... sort of. Right now it is so full of negative stuff... anti this, anti that, more of a who is offending who page than a place to go to see what's up in people's lives. There is so much trash to sort through to get to the good stuff. The scripture I read yesterday morning re-enforced my desire to continue to be a positive influence on FB. My posts will continue to try to those that build others up and share the joy that I see in my life. Isaiah 59:9b-10 Remove the heavy yoke of oppression STOP pointing your fingers and spreading vicious rumours Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. No I'm not feeding the hungry on FB with food but I trust I can guide them to the One who will feed their souls with the Bread of Life and be their Light in this dark world. Stay positive on FB my friends, keep in touch.  

In case you didn't catch it on face book, AnnaRose got her driver's licence today! She overcame years of negative thoughts and passed like a pro. Super proud of her even if I do have to share my car for the next few days ;) This afternoon Anna and I were chatting about her upcoming test and I could see it in her eyes that she was feeling like it just wasn't going to happen and I said something that surprised me but when I thought about it , I realized it was pretty solid advice! I said "Don't expect yourself to fail, give yourself permission to succeed." I think we all need to take that advice to heart.  So often we decide before we even try something that we aren't going to be good at it or we aren't going to like it but really we need to give ourselves permission to succeed... to grow... to change... to become more. I don't know if Anna will remember those words of advice but I will. :)

Yesterday was a day to be present in not to take time out to blog so here's a week-end wrap up... Friday night, we had a couple of the honorary big brothers in for a supper and brownies so Anna could spend some time with them and say good bye. Always thankful for my three 'adopted' boys. It was nice to have Trav and Moose over but we sure missed big brother Stew. It was a night of laughter, hugs and silly jokes. Sat has already been blogged about so go back and read it ;) Except for this one thing that's super important. As of this weekend, Anna's Encounter program is fully funded. All that she needs now is spending money to get her through the year. God's provision has been beyond amazing. The gifts and support given mean that many of you are a part of her journey and we thank you. Sunday was a full day and there were so many special moments that my writing will not do justice too but they are moments that will be kept in my heart for years to com

I've spent most of  today on the go, taking care of things with and for the family. It's been fun to help Anna get ready to go and we were blessed to have some unexpected encounters with old friends along the way. Out little farmer's market can be a great place to reconnect with folks you haven't seen in awhile especially on a beautiful day like today was! Our purpose in going was to deliver a thank you card to Marianne, she made Anna's grad necklace. Because Marianne is my best friend's mom, she holds a bit of a grandma role in my girls' lives. So after that good bye was said, we wondered the market and had visits with the mother/daughter Pippus duo, had a great visit with Anna's old teacher Laurie Ross and a quick hello with our friend Lisa. All these visits just reinforce that Anna's time at home is quickly drawing to a close. In one week we head to Manitoba to drop her off with the Encounter team. I'm pretty sure both Bobby and I are still

9-11. Amazing how those two numbers can create such strong reaction to almost the entire over 14 years old population of North America... I don't discount the reality that became that fateful day as we  were all glued to our television sets and on the phone with loved ones expressing our shock, horror, dismay and hundreds of other emotions. For some, it took a bit for the realization to sink in, it took a bit to realize that this day would change our world forever. It all seems melodramatic any yet it happened and it's true. For me the memory that stand out the most was when I flipped to the much music station to get a break from the horror playing out on my TV screen only to be told by 'Canada's boyfreind', George Stroumboulopoulos, to quit watching crap that didn't matter and turn my TV back to the news. :) George has had a special place in my heart ever since. 9-11 reawakened my mother's US patriotism and all of a sudden US politics became a thing aroun

I'm going to be honest and say I rarely end these challenges as well as I begin them... I'm not much of a finisher I suppose. Lots of things in our house are almost finished but still need that last coat of paint or need one more picture hung... I seem to have a real aversion to completing anything. But I'm not going to explore that today ;) or maybe I am... So I have a lot of favourites. It's just who I am. I love a lot of different things and my Top 5 lists usually have about 15 things on it. I enjoy loving all kinds of stuff. So I have a different favourite colour everyday though truth be told I really do gravitate to the darker shades of pinks and reds... I have 1000 favourite songs depending on my mood an I have more favourite stories than I can count. My reading today though took me to two of my very favourite passages of Scripture and allowed me to look at them in a way that I usually don't and so today I will share both cause I can :) The first comes fro

So a good friend of mine and fellow blogger, Tim Pippus, will once in awhile give himself a 30 blogs in 30 days challenge. I always enjoy those months and I've been inspired to take on the challenge for myself as I really do want to get back in the habit of writing in a journal and recording important moments. I want to add a component to my challenge though... I want to make a point of sharing something that spoke to me in my quiet time, just keeping a regular habit of quite time will be the real challenge honestly! I find myself quite thirsty for the words of my Saviour and rather than keep it to myself I want to add it to my blog. I suspect that verses will lead into stories about the days happenings or memories that want to be shared. As September is always a difficult month of readjusting to schedules and usually times of change and stress, it is often an anxiety inducing month for me. I am doing well but have noticed my sleep patterns are way off. There is much insomnia and

So as many of you know I was given the opportunity to share at my home church this past weekend. It was a growing experience to say the least. Unfortunately there was a glitch and only the last 11 minutes were recorded so the best I can do for those of you who wanted to be there or just to listen in is to post my sermon notes and share the link to the last 11 minutes. My notes probably go more in depth in some ways and miss some of what I said in others as the way I write and the way I speak don't exactly match! Regardless I think you will get a pretty good feel for what happened this Sunday past. I have added a few asides in grey :) I could fuss and bother and try to edit but really I can't... it would just get messier :) I hope you are blessed as you read/listen. Sermon 2015 Psalm 139 It is an honour to stand before you and behind this pulpit this morning. While I have been on this platform countless times in the last few decades, this is my first time in th