(I wanted to flip my wordless post to today, because tomorrow’s post will be focussed on Remembrance Day. This reminder seemed especially timely with all of the division that is witnessed in the world today.)

Ok, anyone who has ever had a dog, knows that this is absolutely what a dog would say in the confessional:

You too?:

Just in case you weren’t clear on the love languages (coffee clarifies EVERYTHING!):

This simple reminder on the secrets of life:

So, when I’m listening to tunes in my car, it’s usually just a shuffle of all the songs on my phone. I never know what’s coming up next, and I will fully admit to you that this week I stopped forwarding past the Christmas songs when they come up:

This bizarre and fun hilarity:

This made me laugh, but I was also thinking its just SO TRUE:

For my fellow Star Wars fans:

This lovely reminder:

I’m glad most people are on the mask bandwagon, but I do feel a little this way when interacting with other masked people:

And finally, a blessing for your day:

At Graceview this morning, the congregation is leading the service. It is a service focussed on Remembrance Day and God’s call to us to be a people of peace. And I am being given a Sunday off. This is a gift, in the midst of this difficult and exhausting year. I continue to give thanks for Session and the Music and Worship Cte who have stepped up to give me this gift of rest.

So on the blog today, I am sharing some of the video hymns that Graceview will be using in worship, and the sermon my Dad has recorded for the people of St. Andrew’s Stirling who are not able to attend worship in person. You will note he also greets Graceview at the beginning of his sermon. May you be blessed as you worship today.

We begin with the hymn, Song for the Nations:

A prayer to settle us for worship:

The passage that Dad is preaching on Ezekiel 11:16-25:

Here is Dad’s sermon, “New Beginnings, Part 8”:

And the hymn, “I vow to Thee my country,” from Westminster Abbey during the RAF Centenary service:

Until tomorrow, dear friends, trust that God is giving you an undivided heart!

I am taking a Sunday away this week, but I continue to blog because I know there are some of you who are not able to join in-person worship, and for whom this is a source of meaningful spiritual content. So let’s gather together some resources for preparing our hearts for worship – in whatever way you will be worshiping this week.

I just cannot stop sharing the videos of the recording of “Of Dirt and Grace,” the album HILSONG UNITED recorded in Israel. This one was recorded right on the Sea of Galilee. It is an amazing experience to be out on the same sea where Jesus walked on the water, called his disciples, taught from a boat, and calmed a storm. This video brings back a lot of memories for me:

This litany of peace found on the re:Worship Blog:

As we look toward Remembrance Day, I thought it would be good to share this gorgeous version of “Once to Every Man and Nation,” by the amazing students of Fountainview Academy (a Christian high school based in southern British Columbia):

And a couple of deep thoughts about peace:

Until tomorrow, dear friends, may you know God’s peace.

One of the questions we asked in Zoom Bible Study recently, was “how is your faith doing?” My colleague, The Janet, and I wanted to get people thinking about how all of the complicated realities of 2020 have affected our faith.

“Pandemic Fatigue” has become a popular phrase. We know what it is to be tired of physical distancing, mask-wearing, tracking the ever-evolving science or the case counts and other metrics that help us understand our current situation.

But what about our faith? Do we have faith fatigue? Is it possible that in the midst of all this heightened uncertainty, our faith may be on shaky ground?

Maybe. I know I’m weary in my soul in a way that I’ve never experienced before. And many of my colleagues often share the same feelings of exhaustion.

The thing is:

It takes faith. And our faith needs to be robust. But how do you have robust faith when the world seems to be such a mess?

I would encourage you that this is why we need the community of faith – in our church, in our friends, in our acquaintances, in those mentors-from-afar who speak into our lives through words written, or preached, or sung.

So today I challenge you with this question: How might you encourage the faith of another?

Until tomorrow, dear friends, build others up in the Lord – you might just find that your faith is strengthened, as well!

This is your reminder to listen to One voice. The Voice of creation and redemption and salvation. There are a lot of other noisy voices clamouring for your attention right now. Some of them may be important to hear, but others are just noise. Noise that can, if you let it, drown out the voice you most need to hear.

Because sometimes God’s voice comes in a surprisingly quiet whisper. And our minds (our hearts, our spirits, too) need to be trained to hear that whisper when it comes.

How do we do that? There are lots of ways! For some, it is a walk they take outdoors, intentionally walking in prayer. For some, it is a quiet time of prayer and study. For some, it may be listening to spiritual music in their car. For some, it may be conversation with a trusted and faithful friend.

Find your way, and stick to it. I trust that training to hear God’s voice will bring you joy and strength in the midst of this difficult year.

Until tomorrow, dear friends, keep listening for that still small voice!

(I’m going to be thinking about this one for a long, long, long time. Something I need to begin to work on, for sure!)

Sunday was All Saints Day, and during our service at Graceview, we read the names and honoured the memories of those who have been lost from our congregation over the past 20 years (since Grace and Hillview amalgamated to become Graceview). We wanted to share that part of the service with those who were not able to join us in-person. So that’s what this post is all about!

We began this part of the service with this excellent video, made by our newly ordained Elder, Joan Addison:

We joined in a responsive call to worship, and then a prayer:

And then some of our elders took turns reading the names of all those on the tree (there was a bit of a mishap while recording this, but most of the video is intact. I felt it was important that those who were not able to be with us on Sunday and have loved ones whose names are on the tree, be able to see the video despite the short mishap!):

We finished with this prayer:

I love the image in the New Testament of the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ that surrounds us as people of faith. This service is meant to honour some of those witnesses, and to call to mind all the other witnesses that have impacted and encouraged our walk of faith.

Until tomorrow, dear friends, keep running the race and finding strength and encouragement in that great cloud of witnesses.

Snort!:

Please, tell me I’m not the only one:

These things drive me crazy…so much anxiety completing them!:

A sign of the times:

I *hope* this helps you today (see what I did there?):

I know Halloween is over, but all the best memes were Halloween themed this year:

This cracked me up:

Shouldn’t be as funny as it is:

Love this deep thought:

And finally, this blessing for your day:

Until tomorrow, dear friends, keep on laughing and thinking and drawing closer to God!

Today we started a new series – You Are Enough. We will be taking a few weeks to look at what God’s word says about how God sees us.

Let’s begin with Eric’s Prelude, “Nocturne in g minor, Op. 37 Chopin”:

Our Scripture Reading this morning is Psalm 139:1-18:

The sermon, “You Are Enough – Affirmed: Designed by God.”:

Our hymn of response is, “How Great Thou Art,” by BYU Noteworthy:

Eric’s postlude this morning is “For All the Saints,”:

***For those of you looking for the Remembering Tree service, I will post it on the blog, along with the excellent video of Graceview Memories on Tuesday!***

Until tomorrow, dear friends, know that you are a work of art, designed by God, who dearly loves you!