Yearly Archives: 2013

With Remembrance day and USA Thanksgiving day, I’m reminded!

I am thankful for the life which God has given to me through Jesus Christ.  In this last while that has meant transitions to a new marriage and to a new role at work. 

With the marriage has come new family, new responsibilities, and new ways to do things.   In my job, I’m am transitioning (by June of 2014) out of the senior pastor role to an associate role.

All of this brings me to this blog.  Eight years ago a friend of mine encouraged me to write a daily blog.  Note the adjective – “daily”.  He watched too many others who started well and tapered off.  I committed to regular blogging. 

For eight years I have been able to live through highs and lows, death and life, mice and house moving, and much more.  I’m glad to have shared that with you.

These past few weeks have been ones of restructuring.  Over the past years I have seen the value of writing and this blog has been an integral part of that.  Now I am evaluating what role this will continue to take.

I am still here and writing is still part of my psyche!  I have not forgotten!  But perhaps the future will be different.

Perhaps you have some thoughts about how you have seen this blog function.  Perhaps you have some ideas of what might be included in this blog.  Perhaps . . .

Remembrance Day saw me attending our local memorial service for those who have died in service to our country.

Death is the operative word that came to my mind.  I have had the death of a brother, father and most recently wife attend my daily path.  These I remembered yesterday.  Included in my yesterday was also a video of a widower struggling to start a new relationship.

To say that people do not follow you even in death is to say that you do not care.  I’m not saying that they are living in the sense of having a person next to me.

No, I’m reminded that a person has placed hints of themselves in my thinking, in the way I react, even in the emotions that they generate within me.  I am thankful for Jill, with whom I shared 35 years of marriage.  From her comes a sense of perseverance, rightness, justice, equality, compassion, mercy, grace, forgiveness . . . the list continues on.

In the Remembrance Day service the emphasis is on the freedom that was won by death.  As we consider those who have been examples and models to us, and who have died, we also receive freedom.  Freedom to change into that which is best and noble.

And perhaps the greatest death, that of Jesus, provides the greatest freedom won by his death.  Freedom to change into his likeness, having been forgiven of the barriers and obstructions and fights and battles that kept me from being like him.

Lest we forget, we remember!

As I started this week, I had a 24 hour retreat canceled due to weather conditions.  Having gone through summer and a fall that was warm, I wasn’t quite ready for a snow storm.  The storm was not bad around here, but the others attending the retreat were in dangerous conditions.  Canceling was not a bad thing.

Except that I had no other plans.  Which is tough on a planner.  So, I quickly started all sorts of machinations in my head.  Things that I had wanted to accomplish at the retreat and other avenues of thought arose. 

None of the great ideas materialized.  The time was spent enjoying some tasks around home, being with my wife, and finding out that I was tired.  The last few weeks have been without a break.  This break was welcome, unexpected and a bit harried as I tried to reconcile taking time apart, with the many things that still needed to be done.

Is baking a cake a retreat item?  Is doing some electrical work a retreat item?  Is resting in the afternoon a retreat item?

Each of these was part of my “revised” retreat.  Spiritual?  Recreational?  Physical?  All of the above.

That is the description that I’ve heard more than once about Muriel Plum.  Muriel passed into the presence of her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, on October 20, 2013.  The funeral service is today, Saturday, October 26 at 2:00 pm at the Kindersley Alliance Church.

Muriel was a charter member of the Kindersley Alliance Church.  In 1938 she joined a group of others, seeking to worship God and see Him work.  She believed in Jesus, not only for herself but for the whole world.  Faithfully for 75 years she provided a steady influence and a godly presence to those in the church.  When she became sick enough these past few months that she could not attend, she bemoaned the fact that she had not been to church for five weeks!

In proper fashion, with a dress and appropriate shoes, she would gracefully walk  into our church services.  She had encouraging words that were spoken to congregational members – even the pastors were know to have been complimented on their sermons!  We will miss her.

Muriel was a planner, and so her funeral had songs all picked and people considered for various tasks.  She wanted simple and meaningful.  Nothing too long or flowery.  Even as she prepared words for her eulogy (she was a planner!)she was heard to say there was just too much of her in it!

So today, I will help to lead a funeral service.  Truly a time to remember a faithful Christian lady! 

This will be our privilege as a church to celebrate a life well lived for Jesus.