Twenty Years

Last month I received a letter from the Moderator congratulating me on 20 years of ordained ministry. I was a bit surprised to discover how touched I was. Even though I know it was a form letter AND I received it it both official languages, the words still stirred my heart, especially the ones of…

Jesus Came

This morning morning at ‘Breakfast With Jesus,’ our casual worship service around tables with food, I read Papa Panov’s Special Christmas, where an old man waits to see Jesus all day, and in the meantime, welcomes a variety of people into his home: feeds, clothes and shelters them. He was disappointed at the end of…

Unsettled

If things had gone according to six months of planning, I, along with 23 other United Church folks from across the country, would have landed in Tel Aviv this morning for a ‘Come and See’ Pilgrimage’ through Israel/Palestine. Along with feelings of relief and disappointment, and I recognize the privilege of those feelings, I have…

What Memes Are You Sharing?

One of my ministry practices is to post a meme on the church’s Facebook page every day. I follow the pattern of Mindful Monday, Trusting Tuesday, Wisdom Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, and Friday Funday. Saturdays have been used to highlight community events and fundraisers and then it’s Sermon Sunday. I take advantage of the scheduling function…

Morning Motivation

Do you struggle with motivation? I don’t  usually, the joys and challenges of ministry and particularly Intentional Interim Ministry are usually enough to get me out of bed ready to meet the day with energy and enthusiasm. But not lately. Nova Scotia experienced a number of tragedies during the Covid-19 pandemic: the largest mass murder in…

Woeful Wednesday

It’s Wednesday, again! Mondays and Tuesdays I am usually fine, but come Wednesday afternoon, I am often in a funk. This confused me for quite a few weeks. After all, Wednesdays are the days that I see people face to face! I spend some time at the community Food Bank that is housed in my congregation,…

Weaving a Community

One of my colleagues commented last week that she has a completely different position now and she stayed with the same congregation! There is some truth to that, some of the skills ministers need are different, and we need to be conscious of those in our faith communities and beyond who do not have access…

When You Suck at Something New!

I was a good student, I loved school and I flourished in the classrooms of the sixties and seventies. I was also athletic, loving sports and activities and they came easily to me. I still like to learn and regularly try something new, something that takes me out of my comfort zone. Last summer I…