They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2: 42-45) “You bit off more than you can chew” (idiom from the 1870s) “When God closes a door, He opens a window” (Rogers and Hammerstein, from ‘the Sound of Music’) “God helps those who help themselves” (Ben Franklin and Algernon Sidney) “Comme on … Read more

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”( Matthew 6:19-21) “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”( Ephesians 5:15-16) So. Last week in church we did a little “wishing” about things that we wanted for Bethel … Read more

For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast.  (Ephesians 2: 8-9) Then God said “Let us make humanity in our image, in our likeness,”  (Genesis 1: 26a) This week I had a conversation with my Dad about the just finished Paris Olympics.  The Long-Term Care facility where my Dad lives right now has done a whole lot of work to keep Dad and his housemates well aware of the Olympics, even down to hosting a … Read more

  The five stages of grief are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. (Elizabeth Kubler-Ross via Wikipedia) That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said … Read more

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) Yesterday, I heard from the Saskatoon Theological Union that the next time I need to be physically present in class was in January 2025. I just want that to sink in for you for a moment.  I will be in Saskatoon.  In January.  This all sent me into a panic.  I can barely navigate from home to my car and then from my … Read more

“To you, I lift up my eyes, are you who are in throne in the heavens.” – Psalm 123:1   “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” (Helen Howarth Lemmel) Narcissus, in mythology, a beautiful youth, son of Cephissus (the Boeotian river) and Liriope, a nymph. He loved no one till he saw his own reflection in water and fell in love with that; finally he pined away, died, and was turned into the flower of like name. (Oxford … Read more

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal …” (Matthew 6:19-20). “You can’t take it with you”  (Bumper sticker saying) This week I’ve been cleaning up a pile of stuff that landed in my living room from my Dad and step mom’s apartment.  My Dad is now in long-term care; a move that all of us are delighted with because his care has been … Read more

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. One person considers one day more sacred … Read more

What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song And I’ll try not to sing out of key  Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends (From ‘A Little Help from my Friends’ recorded by the Beatles, Lyrics by Billy Shears)   As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (Proverbs 27:17)   For … Read more

“You can’t handle the truth.” (Col. Jessup in ‘A Few Good Men) “Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”’ (John 8: 31,32) “because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4: 18). I have an acquaintance who has built a ‘house of cards’ out of … Read more