It was a windy, dry, and sunny day. I was tired, thirsty and the lineup was long at the local watering hole. Before me were several men waiting their turn to bring water home for their families. One of the oddities of rural Dawson Creek life, is water hauling. Most pickups running around town have water tanks, some small about the size of a large dog house (I call it a "why bother") to very large (completely filling up the truck bed). Now that my husband works out of town, I now have the priveledge of hauling water as I pass the water station on my way home. We'll see how convenient this new responsibility is in winter and -40C!
Today, I resigned myself to enjoy the quiet time before embarking the journey home and all that awaited me there. It was good to reflect on the day's productivity and God's grace to get me through a task that I didn't have the skills to complete. He provided the help that I needed to get the job done.
When it was my turn to get my tank filled, I succesfully remembered all the steps to fill up without giving myself or other unsuspecting people a cold shower. When I went to get in the truck, I realized I had locked myself out. Fortunately, I had enough of an opening in my driver's window to stick my arm through and unlock the door. Hallelujah was I ever happy! Yes, little things such as an unlocked door, and a full tank of water showed me God still meets people's needs at the water well.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Priceless!
Today was a special day as we were celebrating the 10th anniversary of our Pastors service in our church. That is pretty cool considering that the average tenure for a North American Senior Pastor is 7.7 years according to Ellison Research in Phoenix. Maybe because we are Canadian the statistics are better, but I like to think that we have some pretty special people in our ministry. we dearly appreciate all the hard work and dedication our Pastors have put in to our church (and we've only known them for the last year and a half, nearly since we moved to Dawson Creek). Our Pastors definately have a shepherds heart: hurting when we hurt, joyful in our victories and the roller coaster in between. But the one thing that is constant is their unwavering support and love of their congregation. That kind of love is invaluable and priceless.
I was also reminded today during our communion service, the great love and sacrifice that Christ gave up for us. It almost made me laugh during scripture reading as my mind compared my previous nights blog about my crazy obsession and "huge" sacrifice I made to have the object of my affection repaired and restored for further acts of service (see blog "My Crazy Little Addiction"). My "love affair" with the green Miele is a rather nudnik comparison. What was I thinking at 12am this morning!!
This morning, I have a renewed and contrite heart for all the sacrificial contributions our Pastoral staff have made, both for me personally, the congregation and the long term vision they have for our community. To have friends like these are truly without value and "Priceless".
I was also reminded today during our communion service, the great love and sacrifice that Christ gave up for us. It almost made me laugh during scripture reading as my mind compared my previous nights blog about my crazy obsession and "huge" sacrifice I made to have the object of my affection repaired and restored for further acts of service (see blog "My Crazy Little Addiction"). My "love affair" with the green Miele is a rather nudnik comparison. What was I thinking at 12am this morning!!
This morning, I have a renewed and contrite heart for all the sacrificial contributions our Pastoral staff have made, both for me personally, the congregation and the long term vision they have for our community. To have friends like these are truly without value and "Priceless".
My crazy little addiction...
It's Saturday and my alarm went off at 5:30am. I was up like a shotgun and heading down the highway at 6am. Wait...rewind. This is Saturday and I should be enjoying a nice leisurely morning, up at 8am, kids sleeping in and me enjoying a cup of coffee with devotions in my favourite kitchen window. But not this Saturday; I am off on a mission. To what great appointment? Wait, hold on, are your ready for it? To get my vacuum cleaner repaired. Yes, that's right. I am driving 2 hours and losing an hour too as I cross another time zone to go to Grande Prairie to get my little vacuum cleaner repaired. Yes, I know. It sounds absurd. Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy another? And the answer is no.
I have a very sweet, quiet, lightweight, Miele vacuum that I absolutely love! It cleans like no other. My 9 year old neighbour says I am a real city slicker, cleaning my house all the time (and cleaning my horse paddock too---another blog story), however, that doesn not deter her from spending time at our house. In fact, many weekends do not go by without overnight company.
The truth of the matter is, I have a bit of a Martha's heart. I like to be prepared for unexpected company and go all out for those expected. Cleaning and vacuuming is part of the stewardship plan: taking care of what God has entrusted me with, and so I can share it with others.
Yes, it may seem crazy to drive 2 hours to get my vacuum fixed, but it also gave me some quiet time to reflect on the past week and to give thanks for His many blessings---especially to have my vacuum safely returned to me (and at a fraction of the cost to replace it)!
We all have some crazy little addictions, mine just happens to be green!
I have a very sweet, quiet, lightweight, Miele vacuum that I absolutely love! It cleans like no other. My 9 year old neighbour says I am a real city slicker, cleaning my house all the time (and cleaning my horse paddock too---another blog story), however, that doesn not deter her from spending time at our house. In fact, many weekends do not go by without overnight company.
The truth of the matter is, I have a bit of a Martha's heart. I like to be prepared for unexpected company and go all out for those expected. Cleaning and vacuuming is part of the stewardship plan: taking care of what God has entrusted me with, and so I can share it with others.
Yes, it may seem crazy to drive 2 hours to get my vacuum fixed, but it also gave me some quiet time to reflect on the past week and to give thanks for His many blessings---especially to have my vacuum safely returned to me (and at a fraction of the cost to replace it)!
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