I might have yelled this at the tv when a certain order came down from the Premier this week:
Pro tip for all those looking to make Zooming easier:
This lovely piece of advice:
And this one, too:
I haven’t stopped giggling about this take on what I’d look like as a dog. This is 100% me in the morning or in the winter. Cute and fuzzy and annoyed! HAHAHA!:
This is a little too true:
And finally, this blessing for your day:
Until tomorrow, dear friends, keep laughing and thinking and drawing closer to God!
Welcome to Sunday worship! We continue our look into the Scriptures for ideas of how to deal when the struggle is real. I hope that you will find meaning and blessing in the worship service today!
Until tomorrow, dear friends, believe that you are God’s beloved, and be kind to yourself.
As we continue through difficult days in Ontario, I hope these resources will bring some joy and hope to you.
Let’s begin with this thought about faith (also, being ok doesn’t mean never being sad, hurt or confused):
And on that same point, here is Kristene DiMarco singing “It is well,” a song that reminds us that when we fix our eyes on God, all is well with us (and then morphs into the hymn It is Well With My Soul!):
This lovely reminder of what God says:
This lovely version of Amazing Grace by For King and Country:
As I’m travelling through various social media feeds, I’ve learned to save anything that might be (as one of my friends puts it) – blog fodder. Early in the pandemic, I lost a couple of things that I’d really wanted to blog about. So now, anytime, even if there’s just the slightest chance that I might want to us it in the future, it gets saved. I end up with a lot of stuff on my phone. And sometimes there are themes.
Recently both of these were things I saved:
In light of the storm we’ve been in all year, and the worsening mental health that many may be experiencing, I thought both these reminders were timely.
God is still here, no matter what other (unhelpful) voices are whispering in your ear.
And this will not last forever. (I tell myself that regularly, and it really does help.)
Hold on, dear friends. And when you hold on, hold on to God – not to negative voices, anxiety, depression, fear, stress, and doubt. God is greater than all those other things combined.
Until tomorrow, dear friends, remember that our God is the Everlasting God.
So, throughout the pandemic, we’ve been hearing a lot about mental health issues, addiction issues, worsening general health (ie, with gyms closed, with spending more time at home and therefore, perhaps, turning to food for comfort, etc.), social isolation, and so many other ways that people are suffering.
And there has been lots of advice given by health professionals about what to do to combat these realities, to improve health, to find outlets to socialize safely, to improve one’s self. Far be it from me to argue against any of those things.
But I also think this is vitally important:
This is a slightly different take on self-improvement. It means that my end-goal isn’t to be a better me, but a more-Christ-like me. (Which, of course, is the best me I could be!) It means that my goal won’t be making myself more happy, but finding ways to live out the ethic of love, joy, peace, hope, generosity, kindness, gentleness, self-control – all those things for which Jesus lived and taught, died and rose again.
Finding ways to live The Way of Jesus means that not only will my life be improved – but so will the lives of those I reach out to in love, those that I share generously with, those that are recipients of kindness, those who need a little gentleness. Finding ways to be more like Jesus will alway benefit more than just ME. And that’s why it yields better results.
Until tomorrow, dear friends, may you walk in The Way, may you become more like Jesus.
First, I just want to take a second to say THIS IS MY 300th post in a row! What EVEN?! How did that happen?! I’m kind of addicted to it, now, so you might just be stuck with me for a while. 😉
Next up on the agenda: time to queue the 2021 jokes (you KNEW they were coming after the week we’ve been through!):
And a couple of super hero memes (cause those are always in order!)
This lovely little bit of advice (ok, but don’t gather, people. Send a text. Or sit silently on Zoom. Let’s say safe!):
So. Um. I’m only supposed to make that as a plan when I’m 100 years old? How come it sounds so good at 45?! I’m an overachiever, or…..????:
Ha! (Though Koski seriously had a night of nightmares recently – she kept growling in her sleep, and it totally freaked me out. My dog rarely growls, so I kept thinking there was someone in my condo. SHEESH.):
This is absolutely true, and a needed reminder right now:
And finally, this blessing for your day:
Until tomorrow, dear friends, keep on laughing and thinking and drawing closer to God!
Welcome to Worship! I hope today’s service will be a blessing to you. These are difficult times, but the One we put our faith in is not overcome. Keep the faith, friends.
Until tomorrow, dear friends, may you know that Jesus goes the road with you!
Time to gather some resources to prepare us for worship. We are starting a new series at Graceview tomorrow, entitled “The Struggle is Real.” Because, after the week that has just passed, with the numbers we are seeing in Toronto, with the unrest in the States, we’re probably feeling the struggle right now. So we are going to talk about how to hold to faith in the midst of struggle.
Let’s start with this Hillsong number, “Who You say I am,” that speaks to who God says each of us is:
I found this earlier today, and I just loved it:
This affirmation of faith, that just spoke to me in the week we’ve all been through:
This song by Andrew Peterson about waiting for hope, entitled “The Dark Before the Dawn,”
Until tomorrow, dear friends, hold to hope, hold to faith. God has promised that he will never leave us, never forsake us!
Rebekah's World 