Tracy's Blog

“My Mom knows what I'm thinking?” This was the surprised response of a 6 year old boy named Alex after I exhorted him to listen to his mother because she knows what is best for him. At first his response didn't make sense to me. Why would he say that? Then it dawned on me... Alex is convinced that he knows what is best for himself so the only way his Mom could know this is that she can read his mind! I laughed when I realized what he meant and when on to explain that no, she isn't a mind reader but rather a person with experience that has given her wisdom. Then we continued on with our visit. But his comment has stuck in my mind. Why? I think it is because through the innocent unfiltered words of a child, I saw what lurks in my soul, our souls – the belief that only we know what is best for us. And what is the problem with that? It is pride. The kind of pride that hurts our relationship with God because we judge Him for not doing things according to what we “k...

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought I'd give thanks to God for our dog, Pepsi. Yes, you read me right! Since moving to the city of Selkirk in the end of July, Pepsi has been such a blessing. But it didn't start out that way.... One of the things that was stressful about our move from the country to town was wondering how our dog would cope.... or maybe how we would cope with him. Pepsi was raised in Ottawa for his first year of life and had a very urban dog life: crated at night and when we left the house, 3 walks during the day, and an occasional visit to the dog park. Over the three years that we lived on our acreage, he really turned into an outdoor dog. He only slept in the house in winter (and even then it had to be quite cold for him to come in), had free reign of the yard day and night, and rarely went for walks. Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing.... he loved to bark. He barked at people as a way to say “Come, play with me”. He barked at th...

Hi everyone, Just a note of gratitude to say that I felt your prayers this week.  They do make a difference. in Christ, Tracy

Hi everyone, I have a few ideas simmering in my brain for blogs that I may write (soon?) but today I thought I would reach out to you all to ask for prayer.  It seems that after two years of attending St. Margaret's Anglican Church, this week I'm diving into the community in a much bigger way.  I am auditing a Wycliffe course that St. Margaret's is facilitating, having coffee with one of the pastoral staff, joining a committee that helps with the discernment process for people who are seeking ordination, and preaching a children's sermon (for the whole congregation) this Sunday morning. In addition to this, there is still the September adjustment going on with our family and Timmy has been sick (respiratory virus?) for the last 4 day. He missed one day of his first week of Kindergarten. Pray as you feel led. Thank-you so much! in Christ, Tracy Ephesians 6:18-19 (NIV) 18  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all...

Our family took a 26 hour vacation this weekend. We left on Sunday afternoon to go camping. Now, getting a campsite for the Sunday afternoon of a long weekend is not an easy thing. After spending time (perhaps hours) looking at all the options at Manitoba Provincial Parks, I was discouraged to find out that I couldn't book for just one night on a long weekend. So, we prayed and we found a privately owned campground in an area we were interested in going to. Thankfully, Rick – the owner – said that although he usually only books for all three nights of the long weekend, someone asked if they could leave Sunday so we could have their spot. Rick is an interesting guy. He wasn't at the office when we arrived at 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoon and I couldn't get a hold of him on his cell phone. Thankfully, after praying we would find him, a kind lady on a bicycle told us she knew where he was and to just wait at the gate as she went to get him. Now, something we learned...

I really appreciate the encouragement of others in my Christian faith. When I'm discouraged or have lost sight of what is true, it really helps me to have someone direct me back to God. But it is not always possible to have a person to fellowship with. There are times when we are by ourselves or in the company of non-believers and we really need encouragement. What can we do? I suggest we talk to ourselves. That the part of us that knows the truth speaks to the part of us that is doubting. Although I've been practising this for awhile through journalling, the concept became clear one night when I was driving and I heard these verses on the local Christian radio station. Lamentations 3:22-24 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”   When I heard Lamentations 3:24, it struck me...

It was a practical question that any 5 year old might ask. Yes, this was the question that Timmy asked in his Children and Worship class at church last weekend. The story was about Noah's ark and all the animals on it. As various aspects of life with the animals were being discussed, Timmy asked “What do they do with the poop?” An older child said, “They probably dumped it into the ocean” and the leader agreed. That's when I had a thought about obedience..... obeying God may mean having to deal with messy stuff. God commanded Noah to build the ark ( Genesis 6:14 ).  Noah did it as an act of faith ( Hebrews 11:7 ) and obedience ( Genesis 6:22 ). But when it was finished and the animals had come on board, there was lots more work to do as he tended to the animals ( Genesis 6:21 ) and I think some of it was hard, unpleasant work. I am tempted to believe that if I'm doing God's will, it shouldn't be tough or challenging or gross.... but sometimes obedience is....