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On Monday snow blew through our yard.  And the yards of most of Saskatchewan.

I was scheduled to officiate a funeral.  From 6:30 in the morning the discussion was ongoing.

The funeral home braved whiteout conditions to check on the gravesite.  RCMP were closing roads.  I made it to the church but the wind was biting and the snow was pelting.

As good farm families will do, we wait for blizzards to actually become full blown.  Up  until then its merely a snow squall.

This was no snow squall – so by 10:00 all had been informed of the postponement of the funeral.

The funeral ran on Tuesday.  We were all in agreement this was a much better arrangement.

At least power failures weren’t present and I wasn’t blown into the grave by the wind.

I’m happy and so was the family.

I can see more of the dirt than I can of snow.

A sure sign spring is on the way.

Gotta love dirt!!

In May 2012 my first wife died.  The experience was traumatic, and to be followed by much more.

The freedom felt like restrictions – I was now single and yet without a normal I had come to depend upon.

Within a year and a half I was able to remarry again – to return to some type of normal.

But there was no normal as in the past.  I had to relearn and reconfigure and reprogram and re . . .

A lot of “re” (looking back to what was, considering what is and moving ahead).

Jeremiah 6:16 – “Stop right now.  Take a look.  Ask questions.  Are you on a sustainable journey?  Is this the best supported path – past, present and future?  If so, walk in it!  And you will find rest for your soul.”

Springtide research group (2020) indicates that Young People in America indicate trust based on five dimensions of relational authority.

Listening, Transparency, Integrity, Care and Expertise.  While 13-17 year olds are more inclined towards these five categories, 18-25 year olds are only slightly behind them.  Both are very, very high in their trust needs based on these categories.

I feel like I am back in the 1970’s being a “youth” and “college & career” pastor (that’s what we were called back then).

We talked about not wearing masks, not lying, not having an agenda . . . characteristics that are all about being a person that youth could trust.

I’m not so sure the “church problem” is about whether “youth workers” desire to create that trust.  They do.

Perhaps the question is more about whether we are creating groups that exude relational authority. 

Not religious authority.  Or scientific authority.  Or even familial authority.

Rather, an “institution” that loves each other.

Still sounding 1970’s-ish!