Forgiveness: Why bother?
Scripture: John 13:1-5
Have you ever had someone do something for you that took you completely by surprise? I remember a few years ago now, we stopped to eat at a restaurant, I think we were on our way back from going around the Cabot Trail, and there was someone there I knew. Not very well mind you. He was also a pastor and was eating dinner with his wife. I think we had only met very briefly once before. We acknowledged each other, talked briefly, and enjoyed our meals with our families.
As he got up to leave, he came over one more time, shook my hand, said good bye to my family, then paid our bill.
I was shocked, and thankful of course, that this man, essentially a stranger, paid for our dinner. He saw it as his way to support our family and my ministry. I suppose he remembered what it was like when he was just starting out with a young family. And now that he was approaching retirement, he was trying to give back. read more…
Remember
Scripture: Isaiah 2:2-5
November 11, 1918 marked the end of the Great War. 100 years has passed since the end of the “War to end all wars” was agreed upon.
Imagine, this was seen to be the last war we would ever need to fight. How’s that going for us today?
100 years later, and really, how many periods of peace have we truly seen? World War 2. The Korean War. The Vietnam War. The war in Iraq. The war in Afghanistan. Think about the Cold War, which wasn’t a battle, but a time of great tension. This is just to name a few. Seems like since World War 1, we’ve been practically in some state of war ever since!
This time of year, I think of my grandfather who passed away just a few years ago. I think of our own Sir Duncan McKeigan. The stories these men carry all through their lives, and the painful memories that come along with them. read more…
Forgiveness: Where to begin?
Scripture Reading: Luke 17:1-10
Did anything in that video stick out for you? Did it invoke anything in you? It’s pretty amazing that people who have been hurt by someone else is able to forgive. Have you ever been hurt by someone? Have you been able to forgive?
It’s a tough question. We’ve all been hurt in some way or another. It seems like it’s just part of life. Some hurts are more severe than others. But regardless of the severity, it still hurts.
Many of you know I’ve started a course so I might be supervisor for student ministers some day. So I was in Halifax for a week taking this rather intensive course. Over the week we had the opportunity to practice on each other. Which meant we had to be prepared for almost anything.
We were coached to try and focus on key things, like changes in energy, or key words, or even just trying to trust our instincts. We were being challenged to not be afraid to “go deep”, that is to investigate emotion and feelings of the person we are supervising; to not be afraid to ask the tough questions in the moment.
Cheerful Receiver
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
It’s kind of hard to believe that we’re already into October. The trees are starting to change colours. The air is definitely cooler now, we’ve been able to have that “taste” of fall in the air for a few weeks now.
One sure way to know it’s October is that there is pumpkin spice everything now. What seemingly started with coffee has moved onto cereals, cookies, ice cream, including Dairy Queen Blizzards! Is nothing sacred?
Personally, I’m a big fan of summer. But fall is not that far behind in terms of favourite seasons. It’s such a great time to go for drives right now. To head off around the Cabot Trail and take in a hike or two. It’s a beautiful time of year, that’s for sure.
Add onto that, some special times with family, maybe around the dinner table this weekend, with a nice big, juicy turkey to dig into with all the trimmings. We love a good turkey dinner in our house, but I’ll confess a bit that we do it mostly for the side dishes. Who doesn’t love a good stuffing? A few days of leftover hot turkey sandwiches are nice too. Personally, I can do without cranberry sauce though. read more…
Losing Control
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:13-34
Like many people around the world, I was glued to the news on Thursday and Friday of this past week. Glued because of a monumental moment in US politics around the appointment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States, one of the most power courts in the entire world, and a with it a lifetime appointment to one of the most powerful positions in the entire world.
Normally this process is big news, but this year was even bigger. Judge Kavanaugh has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, in 1982. Both Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford spoke to the Judiciary Committee which is tasked to determine Kavanaugh’s suitability for the Supreme Court position.
What I found interesting… or maybe frustrating would be a better word, is the partisan politics which played out on the international stage. We saw, on both sides, the Republicans and the Democrats use party politics to split, not only the room, but the entire nation.