“I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where will my help come?” (Psalm 121:1)  That’s how the writer of Psalm 121 begins a psalm that is a statement of belief in the power and presence of God.  The First Nations people look to the mountains, the rivers, the sky, the wind and the creatures of earth, sea & sky to know God’s presence and power.  Rather than having a book of scripture, all of creation reveals and speaks of God within First Nations’ tradition.  The foundation of their teachings lies in the four directions: east, south, west and north. ...

How much time do we spend resisting time itself?  We try to escape the aging that comes naturally with the passage of time, buying products and clothes that we hope will make us look younger.  We cram more and more into less time, and grasp at any time-saving device that might add some of that precious time back into the pot to be used for another purpose.  We build faster modes of transportation to take us faster to the places we want to go, so we'll have more time to do what we want when we get there. We grab pre-packaged...

I remember my playhouse as a child.  It was my place of freedom, of exploration and of adventure.  It was nestled in the trees of the shelter belt on our farm, built by a cousin who worked for us for the summer.  I’d climb up the tree beside it to get to the rounded roof, where I could sit for hours reading or pondering life, or drawing with chalk on the roof, designs and pictures that would wash away in the next rain, creating a new canvas for more designs and drawings.  I would rearrange the furniture inside so that sometimes...

Play! When is the last time that you, as an adult, have played?  That is, when have you last let loose in an activity with no specific goal in mind, lived in the moment, engaged imagination and creativity and maybe even laughed a little?   Lately I’ve happened to read some stories from the 1800’s and what jumped out for me was that adults were playing games that we now think of as only for early elementary and pre-school aged children.  In the stories, the adults were having great fun engaging in pick-up sticks, jacks, blind man’s bluff, guessing games, eye...

“It’s Your Kid, not a Gerbil”  I couldn’t resist picking up this book by Dr. Kevin Leman.  I love the title and I love the concept he goes after.  The sub-title is “Creating a Happier & Less-Stressed Home.”   When our children arrive in our lives, we fall in love with them.  We want the best for them. We imagine all the possibilities for their lives.  We want them to have every opportunity.   As we hold that precious child, we dream big dreams for their lives. As have parents through the centuries….but we are the first generation or two in...

Not quite three years after the flood disaster here in High River, we find ourselves journeying with another town facing disaster in Alberta – Fort McMurray.  While wild fires create different issues and circumstances, there is so much the same.  I find myself watching the news and hearing comments of people who are being evacuated, and remember making those comments myself or hearing others in High River make those comments.  I look at the people’s faces and I know the feelings: the fear, the disbelief, the pain, the deep sadness, the confusion, the frustration and the utter exhaustion.   As a...

Humility!  A spirit of humility has long been a valued quality of faithful people. The apostle Paul often urges those who follow the Way of Jesus to make humility central in their lives.  “I beg you,” he writes to the church at Ephesus, “to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness and patience.”   Yet, humility has a bad name in our day and age.  We prefer, in parenting and teaching children, to talk about the need for self-esteem and for children to think well of themselves.  Humility, as it...

I’m having a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”  Well, actually it’s not totally terrible, but my brain feels like it is swimming through jello and I’d like to be curled up with a cup of tea and a good book at home rather than trying to put two coherent thoughts together. Know what I mean?   “A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” just happens sometimes. Things just don’t seem to go quite right, you’re tired and you’d just like to go back to bed and try again tomorrow.  That’s exactly how it is for Alexander in Judith...

What exactly is Easter?  In the stores, we see bunnies and eggs and every cartoon character molded of chocolate or fashioned into a basket. Yet, at church, we wave palms and speak of betrayal and denial, the tragedy of Jesus’ death and the wonder of his resurrection.  How did all of these images get lumped together into what we call Easter?  And why don’t we celebrate Easter on the same day each year as we do for Christmas?   Like Christmas, Easter is a celebration that Christians partly borrowed from pre-Christian cultural practices.  In a very astute move, when deciding on...

What is Lent? Lent is the 40 day time period leading up to the celebration of Easter.  It always begins on a Wednesday.  Now if you sat down with a calendar and counted up the days, you’d discover that it is actually 46 days long.  That’s because the 6 Sundays aren’t counted.  Every Sunday of the year, even during Lent, is a “mini-Easter,” a little celebration of resurrection.   Why is Lent 40 days long? The 40 days comes from the story of Jesus going out into the wilderness for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry, such as told...