by Joe Greemore Scripture and Memory Verse “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” – Psalm 116:15, KJV Reflection This past weekend, my wife ran her first competitive race, “Run Like a Mother,” a 4-mile haul, no slacker, held in northwest Cedar Falls, IA. Our three kiddos thronged at … Continue reading
—Corey Fields It’s Ash Wednesday again. Ash Wednesday is among the worship services of the church year that I find the most powerful. The service is designed around an acknowledgement of human brokenness and mortality. Ash Wednesday embraces the idea that, although words of hope have their place during much of the rest of the … Continue reading
–by Amy Peden Haynie As my children turn into young adults, it becomes harder to remember what liturgical resources were most meaningful to us at different stages. My youngest one can now drive himself to church and attend whichever service fits his schedule best on a given weekend when I am serving and my spouse … Continue reading
~ Rev. Elizabeth Dilley “Does Aunt N have a vulva?” Our child, M, was not quite two, and our dear friend N was in town and at our house for supper. The question was not directed at N, but at me. I sighed. I have worked hard to cultivate a matter-of-factness about our bodies, including … Continue reading
–By Chris Lenshyn The sanctuary was not big, so the walk was not very long. Asher, my son, could see the casket in the distance as our family trudged down the centre aisle. It was horrific and beautiful. Dad was in the coffin with a Montreal Canadians flag and Wolverhampton Wanderers flag draped over the … Continue reading
The long walk down the hospital hallway was haunting. Dad was in the semi-private room way at the end of the wing. And he was dying. I arrived in the room ready for a nightmare and found it. As I studied the room I saw the curtain separating him from his neighbour and felt devastated … Continue reading
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:6-14 Memory Verse: “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” ~2 Timothy 1:7 Prayer: Dear God, Sometimes we feel afraid. Give us your spirit of power. Sometimes we feel upset. Give us your spirit of love. Sometimes … Continue reading
From the backseat, my five-year-old asked, slowly, “Mommy, is ‘T’ the first number for God?” It took me a minute, but I figured out he was trying to spell. “No, baby,” I told him, “the letters for God are g-o-d.” He was fidgeting with his hands, I could tell, but I was driving and didn’t … Continue reading
Scripture reading: John 5:1-9 Reflection: Biblical healing stories are tricky business in our family right now. Our 6 year old friend Nolan recently died of brain cancer and our family felt crushed. We had prayed, cried, even begged to God for his life. But his healing came in the form of death, which to my … Continue reading
This year’s Easter sermon was harder than usual to write. Besides the normal self-imposed pressure to write the best sermon ever for the biggest church holiday of the year, I really had to examine the meaning of the resurrection again. Does this happen to you, parents? There are some years when the major concepts of … Continue reading
Practicing Families 