Not So Smooth

Not So Smooth

We are still watching “Heartland” reruns on UpTV.  We recently went through what seemed like an entire season in which one of the sub-plots was the pending engagement of Ty and Amy.  Early in the season Ty bought the ring and had an evening set up for the proposal.  Then Amy said something that made Ty think that she was not interested in being engaged at that time.  While he stepped out to reconsider, she accidently found the ring in a pocket of his jacket next to his ringing cell phone.  Thinking Amy wanted her independence, Ty put proposing in the back of his mind.  Meanwhile Amy, knowing of the ring, wondered why Ty was having second thoughts.

March 10, 2024 Bulletin

March 10, 2024 Bulletin

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

March 3, 2024 Bulletin

March 3, 2024 Bulletin

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them
again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through
Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Lion and/or Lamb?

Lion and/or Lamb?

Tomorrow is March 1st, and the age-old question is, “Will it come in like a lion or a lamb?”  The forecasts I have seen call for the weather to be dry and cool.  We may even see the sun poke its head out of the clouds in the middle of the day.  That sounds like a lamb to me, so we better be aware come Holy Week.  Easter this year is March 31 …

Struggles

Struggles

This week I visited a lady at a nursing home whom I had never met before.  She is about 20 years older than I, and it sounded like she had been a resident of the home for a good many years.  She was confined to a wheelchair and spoke with a voice so soft I struggled to hear many of her words.  It sounded like she said that she had no family around who visited her.  She had called a church asking for a pastor to visit, so I stopped by.  As I exited the home, I praised God for her cheerful disposition that did not seem to have been dampened in the least by her struggles.

Timing, Part 2

Timing, Part 2

February 15, 2024 I will guess the conversation started around Labor Day, but to be honest, it was so long ago I really have no clue.  The issue was an unstable looking tree on our neighbor’s empty lot at Houghton Lake.  He was working on a plan to cut it down, but the path of its fall would produce a direct hit on our bunkhouse (this is the name we have given to the travel trailer we purchased last year to accommodate overnight sleeping space for our growing family).  I immediately agreed to move the bunkhouse to a different and temporary location on our lot … and that I would do so as soon as possible.  And then we drove home to celebrate Joel’s 40th birthday, though I may have actually tried to do this on my own – which, if you know me, is a thought that comes directly from fantasy land!