Tracy's Blog

Stuck.  In really deep snow.  That is where my friend found herself after our Bible Study yesterday.  Three of us tried to push her out but it was no use as our strength was not enough.  We needed help.  So we prayed and shortly after that a man drove by in a truck and offered to help.  We said we needed a tow rope so he went home to get one.  He was gone a long time ... or so it felt.  Finally he arrived and after recruiting the help of another neighbour, two trucks and two tow ropes were enough to pull out the van.  While this whole procedure going on, I thought, "there has got to be something I can blog about from this".  As I watched the vehicle being essentially lifted out of the ditch, I thought of Psalm 40:2a (NIV) " He lifted me out of the slimy pit,      out of the mud and mire " OK, so I know that mud and mire aren't deep snow but they can both leave you being stuck and helpless.  A...

I've been spinning my wheels on this week's blog entry trying to decide where to start this focused look at God's love and I haven't come up with a plan.  So, instead I thought I would simply share with you the verse I have been calling to mind when I've asked myself the question: "What manner of love does the Father have for us?" Jeremiah 31:3 (middle section) "I have loved you with an everlasting love " I take huge comfort in that.  If God's love is everlasting, it means it is always there.  Is it constant and consistent.  It is not conditional on my goodness or worthiness.  It is sourced in God's eternal being.  This is good news as it means I can never get past it or out last it. Knowing this and believing it are not the same thing.  I think of my 20's and my deep insecurity about God's love.  I knew that God loved me because "God loved everyone" but I struggled to personalize this love, to accept it. Now the ...

Back in fall of 2003, a colleague of mine (Gilles Doucet for you Ottawans), helped me see something about myself that startled me.  In an inscription, he wrote a prayer of blessing that included "anger being replaced by love."  Now, this surprised me on two accounts.  First, I didn't know that my anger was so obvious to others! Second, I had never thought about love being the antidote for anger.  Maybe patience or self-control but not love.  So, I tucked the phrase into my heart/mind (sensing that I hadn't grasped the truth of what was revealed) and went on my way... Now we jump over 10 years forward to a cold Sunday evening walk with Pepsi (yes, that dog AGAIN!)  We had done our usual evening route (pretty short this time of year) and we turned the last corner before home.  Pepsi began getting excited.  He was jumping a little and biting on his leash.  I was frustrated with him so I stopped, shortened up on th...

While in Alberta recently, we visited a friends church in Edmonton on December 29th.  There we sang a Christmas Carol that I didn't think I knew. In The Bleak Mid-Winter  by Christina Rossetti In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long ago. Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. Angels and archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; But His mother only, in her maiden bliss, Worshipped the beloved with a kiss. What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart. I thought, "yes, very fitting on this snowy day to be singing about the bleak mid-w...

Hi everyone, Just wanted to write a note to wish you a joy-filled New Year.  I am very grateful for God's sustaining grace and faithful love through 2013.  One of the main themes in my walk with God this past year has been gratitude.  I have experienced a difference in my life as I've focused on thanksgiving instead of worry and gratitude instead of being grumpy.  (I admit that sometimes it takes awhile to make that transition but it always bears good fruit!) This morning, I was rejoicing in God's goodness and a thought struck me - 2014 can be a year of joy, no matter what comes my way.  So, I am writing to ask you to pray for me that I will find my joy in the Lord this year.  I may even have some thoughts to share with you all along the way as I go through this journey.  Feel free to let me know how I can pray for you. with joy in Christ, Tracy