Tracy's Blog

While driving back from Alberta last week, our three year old son asked several times, "Are we there yet?" It's a question I've heard many times while travelling but when I heard Timmy ask it, I started to think about how it relates to our spiritual lives. Are we there yet? Well, that depends on your destination. For Timmy, the destination was technically our home in Manitoba but I think he would have been satisfied with anywhere that he could get out of his car seat and run around. This morning when I woke up to a sink full of dirty dishes and a cluttered counter, I definitely wasn't where I wanted to be -in a place where all domestic duties were done! The agitation that began to rise up in me in response to my dishes prodded me to call into question my desired destination. The land where domestic duties are always done doesn't exist BUT there is a place of peace and joy that I can live in right now - the kingdom of God. If I'm "there", then I c...

Last Tuesday we took the Jasper Tramway part-way up a mountain. What a beautiful sight... and what a challenging climb to the summit! While we were hiking up the rocky path, my son, Noah, and I realized that we didn't actually know that name of the mountain we were climbing. We later found out that it was called "Whistlers" and while that didn't make much difference to us, it got me thinking about two mountains in the Bible and how important it is to know for us as Christians to know what mountain we are on. Wondering what I'm talking about? Please read Hebrews 12:18-29 . The two mountains are Sinai and Zion. The contrast is interesting. With Sinai, the people didn't want to hear the voice of God for " they could not bear what was commanded " (vs 20) and Moses is described as terrified and fearful (vs 21). With Zion, it is a " joyful assembly " with thousands of angels, the church, God, the Judge, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant (...

We leave tomorrow morning for a two-week vacation (therefore there will be no blog next Monday) and I'm amazed at how challenging it is to maintain a good attitude when preparing for such fun. It doesn't really make sense does it? Why do we (well, I) get all stressed out as I prepare to relax, visit, and sightsee? One of the reasons for me is that I loose sight of whose kingdom I'm building, what I'm to be focused on. As I was driving to the grocery store today, I was reminded that I need to " Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness " (Matthew 6:33) in my life. Making all my plans and subsequently pressuring everyone in my family to follow them is NOT building the kingdom of God, it is building the dominion of Tracy. A land of many expectations and little mercy. It definitely isn't a place of grace. But I want my holiday to be a place of grace for me, my family, and all those we visit. I want it to be a kingdom seeking and building time. So, I ...