First Tornado Watch! (edited :)

I just had to edit these pictures - somehow the camera just didn't capture the wildness of the sky and the intensity of the contrast between that dark and the light from the bit of sun still able to break through. Amazing. Sometimes God shows a gentleness in His creation; sometimes raw power. These speak of His power to me. And yet also of His "holding back", His care for His creation, His ablility to make "even the wind and the waves obey Him".

First tornado watch!

We were under a tornado watch this past weekend. We didn't see any funnel clouds, but what a gorgeous sky!

Tree planting

We planted a row of white spruce at the back of our place. No landscaping has been done in the backyard. So... we have plans.

MacGyver episode one

The kids put together their first MacGyver Episode... (You have to watch the whole intro before you get to the actual episode....)

Eye-Opening Stats

How are we to pray for pastors and their families? These statistics from Pastor Thabit Anyabwile in his article "Don't make your pastor a stat" are eye-opening... I'm thankful to be in the ministry and in His service here, but this is something to think about.

Winnie the Bear

Other than flooding and mosquitoes, this is what we're famous for: a bear named "Winnie". He was a real bear, you know.... That was all before he inspired A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" and was later recreated into Disney's famous "Pooh Bear". During the Great War, a lieutenant along with his MB regiment brought a bear from Canada into Britian. He named him after his hometown and left him at the London Zoo. The rest is history. This is a monument set up at the Assiniboine Zoo right in town.

Expansion work

Some of our people, including a crew of yps, gave up part of their Victoria Day weekend to help out at the church. They cut down a few more trees and spread some gravel at the bottom of the elevator shaft and did some other clean up and labour. All the electrical is in. The cement floor still needs to be poured. Insullation and vapour barrier will soon be put up followed by drywalling, taping and then painting. It's a big project involving a lot of skilled labour (I haven't even mentioned furnace work, ductwork, drains, etc. etc.), but it is coming along very nicely and lookin' good! The pic right above is a retaining wall for the driveway that will come right up to the entrance. That way members can drop off their passengers under the shelter of an overhanging roof. This is a nice added touch to the whole project. Also, in the pic Mark is shortening one of the piles with an air chisel. Pilings are important here b/c of the unstable clay conditions.

May 21 - End of the World?

"Time is progressing and news is leaking out from the staff of Family Radio that Harold Camping is aware that May 21, 2011 might not be judgment day after all. Consequently, he has already prepared a defense to explain to the radio listeners that he was not wrong, but that God has heard all the prayers and seen the repentance of people, and in His mercy has postponed the judgment." Read the rest.

Toy Town Tales Episode 1

This is another video the kids did about a year ago.

MacGyver Intro

Hey Cher... how about this one?

Guess what we picked up today?

Ladies Bible Study bbq planning.....wow.

Have you ever been on a planning committee? You know, for a church picnic or a small group bbq or the such. I have - many times. And it tends to be rather run-of-the-mill and predictable. But, most of us would admit, that that's usually the best way to get things done. Just have your master list of "things to bring", divide up the list and go your merry way. Generally it goes sort of like this:

"Okay, for this year's *insert occasion of choice*, we're going to stick with finger foods. So, following our "finger foods" master list, we'll divide up the items and go from there."

What follows is easy to determine. Each person is given an item, or a category (like sweet or savoury; punch or coffee), perhaps there is some limited discussion to make things crystal clear, but it's fairly brief since things are quite straight forward. End of meeting.

Now, I'd like to tell you about the ladies bible study wind-up bbq planning that I witnessed. Witnessed, you say? Isn't that being a bit dramatic? Well, just you wait. As this scene unfolds, you may just take my side. I felt a bit like I was in the presence of a bolt of lightning. Expect it didn't quit......bolting. It just flashed on and on and I sat as one stunned and amazed. Was it genious? Or was it.......not?

Bible study went as it always did - great discussion, thought provoking delving into God's Word, lots of application to our lives, leaving us encouraged and ready to go on. We prayed and there was a sort of satisfied quiet as the prayer ended. It was peaceful. But not for long. Suddenly, Agnes said, "wind-up bbq". And it all went wild from there.

It didn't take me long to see that we were being dictated by a large salad bowl. I know, you're shaking your head in disbelief. But it's true. The "norm" is for a number of people to bring a salad, right? Perhaps one brings a potato salad, one brings a pasta salad and a coupla people bring a garden salad. Not in this case. As I questioned how this was done, I got a number of excited smiles as ladies exchanged glances, tickled to be able to enlighten me. "Oh Cher, Agnes has this big salad bowl!" I looked over at Agnes, only to see her face glowing with pride, head nodding affirmation that yes, indeed, this was true. So, our goal was to communally fill the big salad bowl. But how to best do this? I'm not sure anyone knew. I'm still not sure anyone knows. All I'm sure of is that the room erupted into shouts of "cucumber! lettuce! peppers! tomatoes!" I felt left out, not really sure how to proceed. So, I tentatively called out "croutons?" in as loud a voice as I could muster. The ladies stopped short. I broke out in a sweat. Would my meager offering be acceptable? Would the BIG SALAD BOWL (for that was how I was now thinking of the bowl - all in capitals) be pleased? Smiles broke out all around and my idea was thoroughly approved of. And then chaos resumed. I wrote tomatoes on my list 3 times, only to have it snatched away each time and given to someone else. I fiercely guarded my croutons - hoping they'd been forgotten and no one would give them away. Suddenly I was given "salad dressing" and it so took me by surprise that I drew a blank when they asked what kind I would bring. I stuttered and stammered and looked around pleadingly for help. They kindly assigned me Ranch and I wrote it on my list, wondering if it would stay there. The far corner of the room broke out in a free-for-all over the red peppers and I took that moment to collect myself. Wow.

When dessert entered the discussion I fervently hoped there was no BIG DESSERT BOWL in existence. I didnt' think I could handle it. There wasn't , but there must have been some secret plan in place for I just couldn't quite understand how one absent bible study member was assigned "dessert", as if anything would be fine, while another was assigned, "turtle cheesecake". I also couldnt' quite reconcile why one lady was given "cucumbers" while another had to bring numerous offerings of differing cost and prep. work. But I didn't dare question. I wouldn't have known what to say anyhow. It was just all so foreign.

In the end, I have a list that says, "meat, croutons, ranch". That'll have to do. I'm not brave enough to re-enter the fray. I hope I do it right. If I, in ignorance, throw my carefully cooked and chopped up meat into the BIG SALAD BOWL, only to have every eye turn upon me in gross disapproval, this may not be the end of the story. I may be back.

10 Things Submission is Not

Submission is not:

1. Simply or singularly a marriage issue.

Submission is God’s design. It is a reflection of the interaction within the Trinity. Whether single or married, submission is a core heart issue revealing one’s dependence upon God. For a wife, it demonstrates her willingness to yield to her husband’s lead in obedience and belief of God’s covenant to her.

Read the rest.

(from Mark Driscoll's page 'The Resurgence')

2011 Manitoba Flood Pics

Some really good shots of some of the "goings on" west of here.

Summer Reading

This Momentary Marriage, John Piper. This is a great read for singles or couples.











An Unexpected Journey: Discovering Reformed Christianity, W. Robert Godfrey – Dr. Godfrey recounts his personal life story of how he came to the Reformed faith beginning with his teenage years to the present. Though autobiographical, it gives an overall panorama of Calvinism in a very simple way.






Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate (with companion study guide), Jerry Bridges. This is an excellent book for a Bible study or reading. This book is intended to deal with the specific “acceptable” sins that we tend to tolerate – like jealousy, being unthankful, being judgmental, etc.











Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free, Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This is an excellent book for a Bible Study or for reading. It will change your life to work through this material.


Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World by C. J. Mahaney. This is also a great book. It starts with the very basic question, “What is worldliness?” It deals with subjects like God my heart, and music, clothing, and media.



Christians Get Depressed Too, David Murray. This 100 page easy to read book is very compassionate and helpful for believers who deal with depression and for those who minister to them. Heartily recommended.

Heroes of the Faith, 3 books on Ignatius, Irenaeus & Polycarp, by Sinclair Ferguson. These illustrated books make good story telling for young kids before bed or at the supper table.

The littles

Vetta and that same puddle in the back yard. We got a few low spots that fill up when it rains, but they're fun for the kids. And for Cher. She slipped and fell and got a big soaker.

Having fun in the kitchen and helping out with some baking.

Sandbaggers

Can't see them that well, but there are guys bagging sand behind all those trucks. We were out around Portage la Prairie earlier this week, which is between Wpg & Brandon along the Trans-Canada hwy. This is one of the areas that is having a lot of trouble right now with flooding. The story's been on national news if you're following it. (We also saw a lot of media vehicles in the area - for Global, CTV, etc.).

Jughead - the Hockey Song

Ok, one more.... There's a familiar scene in the background: College Station subway station (College & Bloor). I came off that stop on my way to seminary in downtown Toronto. Good ol' Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)...

Hockey interview

If you watch hockey, then enjoy this parody on a typical hockey interview. E.g., Interviewer: "What do you have to do out there in the 3rd period?" Player: "Uh, yeah, uh we gotta shoot the puck more and... uh ... skate hard and... uh... just go out there and ... uh... play hockey...".

Grandma enjoying her Mother's Day gifts....

....sent via canada post

Our new friends.

If you were at all shocked, concerned about our living conditions here in Winnipeg (as seen on a post in the Fall when we first came....) you might not be ready for this. But, the truth, as always, will have its way and spill out whether we want it to or not, so I'm gonna take the "bull by the horns" and let it out as gently as I know how. Right here. Right now. Take a deep breath, and meet, our new church family:

Here is Laura, trying her best to just, well, fit it. She now wears a house dress of sorts, floor length, b/c styles are......different here. But, let me emphasize now, these people are nice. Try to remember that as you marvel at the clothing.

Michele, Head Counsellor extrodinaire. She heads up the Kingdom Seekers group and does a terrific job!

Here I am with my dear friend Alison. We wear matching outfits as often as we can. I know, it seems a little odd, but remember, this is Manitoba.........And, why are our feet tied together? Just don't ask too many questions, okay?

Some of my other church friends. Lovely ladies. It's what's inside that counts........

Some of the counsellors - the middle one is Laura's counsellor. They are great role models for the girls - full of fun, but also teaching them about God's world and how to live as Christians within it.

Another group of moms......

Laura and some friends.......I tell you one thing - shopping is easy. You just go to the local thrift shop, close your eyes and grab. 5 minutes and you've got your new spring church outfit. As you can tell, I'm trying desperatly to look on the bright side......

More lovely girls.....

And more. One thing you can say in favour of local fashion is that they sure make generous use of colour. And that's......cheerful, right?

Robin, Erica, Lisa......each a unique individual. Somehow I can't think of anything else to say here........

Okay, time to be honest :) It was a "What not to wear" night, organized and put on by our hard-working Kingdom Seeker's counsellors as a wind-up evening for the year. They invited the moms to attend (and they forced us to also participate.......aaaargh......I'm not just not runway material......;) and we all had to dress as bizarre as we could. Then Michelle, serving spoon microphone in hand, mc'd as the girls walked the runway, reading off outfit descriptions written by the girls and their moms. Moms were then also made to walk the gang plank....er, I mean the runway, while Michelle kept everyone laughing with her "off the cuff" commentary.

There was also a time for singing, bible reading and prayer, time for the counsellors to talk about the year, and lots of time for fellowship. All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening and I'm so thankful for these ladies who are willing to put time, energy, love and prayer into the lives of our growing girls. A beautiful example of the older women teaching the younger women within the community of the saints.

Thank-you ladies.

Cher's 38th B-Day!

This is a special weekend and a double celebration: Cher’s b-day (tomorrow) & Mother’s Day (Sunday) to boot. What can I say about my dear Cher? She is fun and enjoyable to be with. She makes my day when we start it off together with a cup of coffee and end it with a bowl of popcorn. She also loves to laugh and we have a lot of fun together. She is caring of me and others, especially her family. She is ‘dear’ and a ‘sweetheart’ (for that’s what the name ‘Cher’ in French means, you know). But above all, she is wise and helpful. I don’t think I could do what I do without her wisdom and help. She lends a hand when I need it. She sets me straight when I’ve erred or when I’m not seeing things right. Moreover she encourages me when I’ve been discouraged. She’s at my side being my helper in all that I’ve been called to do – even being willing to come all the way to Manitoba. :) I thank the Lord for her and for these words of Scripture that describe her:
“Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all” (Proverbs 31:10-12, 26-29).

I think that says it…. Love you Cher.

Love, Rich

Spring

YPs!

We had an enjoyable evening last night having the church youth group come over for YPs on Sunday evenings! They've been doing a series from RYS called "Lovers of God Rather than Pleasure." We had a good discussion with them. Rev. Paul Murphy is booked for Wed Aug 31 to Fri Sept 2 to come up to Pioneer Camp in Lake of the Woods to give three speaking sessions on the same theme. It is been a priviledge to get to know them a little bit better. A few of them lingered around afterwards just to chat with us. What a blessing our covenant youth are to our congregation!

Afterwards we played our favourite game - the drawing game :) We all put our names in a "hat", each pick a name from the hat, and then we have to draw the person we've picked. Then we pass around all the drawings and everyone has to guess who the various drawings are of. It's a riot - mostly really funny drawings, but some exceptionally good ones as well, like the above one of Brendan - done by Heather :)

Can you guess who some of these people are?