Tracy's Blog

I thought Tuesday started out as a normal day.  Really, I guess it did.  Things went off track as I was leaving to walk our dog and I went to look for my keys to lock the house.  They weren't in their usual spot.  Where were my keys?  I briefly looked for them but thought I would find them when I got back.  It wasn't imperative that I locked the door.  20 minutes later I was back.  I spent some time looking in the likely places, then the probable ones, and finally the "I have no idea how my keys would have ended up here" spots.  No keys.  I prayed.  I didn't freak out. I started to think about all the things I couldn't do without them - drive the car to drop the kids at school and get myself to work was the big one.  (We had a house key hidden that I could use to lock up.)  Even walking to school/work wasn't that big of a deal on that day.  It was beautiful out and the distances are not long.  But I was still a...

A friend called this afternoon and asked if I had time to talk.  "Unless you are enjoying the sunshine and want to be outside" she said.  "Uh, no" I said, "It is +5 degrees and raining here."  Then I texted my brother to wish him "Happy Birthday" and he said he was BBQing with his family in the +23 degree weather.  It seemed like everyone had sunshine except me.  Our weather was windy, cloudy, and gloomy.  It was not inviting.  It was not enjoyable.  I realized if I let myself go down the comparison road, I was about to end up in the ditch called "grouchy".  So in order to avoid that ditch as I walked our dog this afternoon, I tried to find something I was thankful for.  I looked at the river and saw them - pelicans!  One of the joys of living in Selkirk is that we have pelicans arrive in April and I find them fascinating to watch.  So I thanked God for them. Often in life we can end up in circumstances that could be viewed a...

  It doesn't happen often, but sometimes I laugh out loud when i read the Bible.  Tonight was one of those times.  I was reading the story of Peter's miraculous escape from prison in Acts 12 .  Now there are some terrible things that happen in this passage - specifically the deaths of the Apostle James as well as the guards who had been guarding Peter - and I don't want to make light of those so you may wonder what caused me to chuckle?  Rhoda. But first some context.  Peter had been arrested because Herod found that putting James to death gained him approval from the Jews.  It was the night before Peter's trial and an angel rescues him - his chains fall off, the door opens, the guards don't see him, and he is a free man.  He thinks it is all a dream at first but then realizes it is true. 12  When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,  where many people had gathered and were pray...

A couple of days ago I sat down and tried to think of what I could write a blog about as it has been so long since I've written.  Nothing came to mind.  I asked myself why?  I thought of several ideas but none resonated as deeply as this - I was tired.  Weary.  I just didn't have it in me to write.  So I didn't. But now I am here.  Two days later with a spring in my step and a desire to write about what? Weariness.  Why?  Because we all experience it.  Because the Bible talks about it.  Because it was my felt need. Immediately when I think of weariness in the Bible, I hear the words of Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." O.K. so I need to watch that I don't grow weary of doing good.... that I don't give up and stop serving the Lord.... but how do I do that? The words of Jesus speak to me,  "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I w...