Tracy's Blog

"Are you ready for Christmas?" How many times have you been asked that in the last week?  It seems like that question replaces "How are you?" this time of year and becomes part of the standard greeting.  With so much to do before Christmas - gifts, cards, baking, travelling, etc. - it is a valid question.  And as the days until Christmas rapidly declines, we have to face this reality: ready or not, Christmas will be here on Wednesday. Last week I was visiting with a friend and we started talking about what it means to be ready for Christmas.  Here is what we came up with.  Being ready for Christmas doesn't mean having all your gifts bought and wrapped or your Christmas menu planned.  It doesn't mean having written every card on your list or having a new outfit to wear.  It isn't dependent on having lots of money or lots of time.  Being ready for Christmas means being ready to receive God's wonderful gift of His Son, Jesus!  Because J...

“How am I ever going to do that?” I asked myself in the fall when we started our 6 am Winnipeg Free Press paper route. I was thinking about the future – the dark, cold, windy winter mornings ahead – and wondering how I would be able to handle the paper route then. Since I am a person who loves warmth, sleep, and daylight, I just couldn't imagine it. So this last Saturday morning when the thermometer read -30º C and I was joyfully trudging along on the route, I remembered that question and asked myself another one, “How am I doing this?” Three things came to mind: By God's grace : When I go to bed at night I usual think I won't be eager to get up in the morning but when I'm awaken by my alarm, I get out of bed quite easily for me. It never ceases to surprise me since I was not a morning person. How do I explain this? It is a gracious gift of God. Nothing I deserve. It is a specific, practical way that God is blessing me in this season of my life. By God'...

I didn't hear a sermon today.  Yes, I did go to church and it was wonderful!  It was our Advent Pageant so the children and youth led us in worship through Bible readings, songs, and a poem that took us from Genesis to Revelation.  I so appreciate thinking about the birth of Christ in light of the full story of redemption.  It gives me hope.  Which I need. So often, I can focus on what is wrong in the world and in my life and am tempted to feel discouraged.  I wonder how God is working in situations and I fear that we humans have messed things up too much.  But then I remember: "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." These words from John 1:5 were read by a child today.  They are words that inspire me to hope and believe in the power of God.  Hear the words of this Sunday's Epistle: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit...

She caught my attention immediately.  There they were - the whole Grade 10 Band of the Lord Selkirk Comprehensive High School - playing their piece of music and what was she doing?  She seemed to be doing nothing.  Was she really just standing there? No, of course not.  She was doing much more than that.  With cymbals in hand, she was reading her musical score, watching and waiting for the moment in which she would play her part.  Then all of a sudden her moment came and there it was.... the crash of the cymbals heard louder than any other instrument. Last Wednesday evening, as I watched this young woman wait so well... patiently and with anticipation....I thought about the Advent Season approaching and wondered "Can we be like her?"  One of the main things we do during Advent is acknowledge that we are waiting.  Yes, of course, we hear the children complain that they "can't wait until Chris...

Christmas lights are starting to come up all over town and some of my friends even have their Christmas trees up.  The kids are preparing for the Advent Pageant at church and writing their Christmas list.  And here I am just trying to make sure that I know what today's date is as time seems to be passing so quickly.  I admit it.... I am feeling a little disoriented.  It has been over a month since my watch broke so I'm not wearing one (and I normally don't go without a watch for more than the 15 minutes of my daily shower!)  We were having a pretty mild November last week and then I woke up on Sunday morning to snow that is here to stay and temperatures are dropping into the -20's overnight tonight.  Somehow it feels like it went from October to January!  Both time of day and season of the year are things that I rely on to keep me grounded. Why am I telling you all this?!?  Well, because I am excited this disorientation will soon b...

Currently I'm reading Beth Moore's book, " So Long, Insecurity ," with a group of friends.  Beth was talking about pride being one of the main roots of insecurity and how it drives perfectionism.  In her discussion on this topic, she quoted a psychiatrist and theologian, Richard Winter.  I was struck by the quote so I wanted to pass it on to you as it raises some important (and challenging) issues about how we view our insecurities. " Although perfectionists seem very insecure, doubting their decisions and actions, fearing mistakes and rejection, and having low opinions of themselves, at the same time, they have excessively high personal standards and an exaggerated emphasis on precision, order and organization, which suggests an aspiration to be better than others. Most psychological explanations see the desire to be superior and in control as compensation for feelings of weakness, inferiority and low self-esteem.  But is could also be that the opposite is ...

“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...