I had some great intentions for this week. My kids, I had planned, would have lots of things to enjoy despite all the shut downs. They would stay engaged in learning. They would not sit in front of screens too often. We would do online museum tours! We would have family games nights! We would…
A lot sure has changed since last week. This time last week our staff was meeting in my office, talking about things like our upcoming Easter service and our next round of small groups, breathing near each other all willy-nilly with not a care in the world… One week later we are all working from…
I am going to be completely honest: Covid-19 scares me. No, I am not especially scared for myself, though I am not naive enough to think that I will remain unscathed. But I am worried about lots of things… I am worried about caring for my family if we have to go in isolation for…
There is a little saying that pastors use when we find ourselves facing a situation that is unexpected or requires a skill we don’t have. It is: “They never taught me THAT in seminary!” Seminary is the school a lot of us attend to train for vocational ministry. We learn a lot of important things…
I have always hated doing things in front of others that I’m not good at. I don’t like looking stupid. I don’t like seeming inadequate. I don’t like failing at things. To avoid any of these possibilities, my strategy for most of my life has been to simply NOT do things where I wouldn’t excel.…
One summer when I worked at camp, there was something that happened that became one of our favourite laugh-out-loud stories. It involved a sweet little boy whose name was Kenneth. One particular night, his leader noticed that he had gotten sick during his sleep. His sleeping bag, his pillow, and even his face was covered…
When someone is grieving, there are a lot of times that we anticipate being difficult: first birthdays, special occasions, anniversaries of the loss, and, of course, Christmas. Christmases after the loss of a loved one are forever different. It is hard not to dwell on the empty seat at the table and the gift NOT…
It happens sometimes, as a woman pastor. You get a little weary of it all. Weary of having to defend yourself. Weary of feeling you’re not taken quite as seriously. Weary of putting a positive spin on it. Weary of pretending it doesn’t bother you to be working with people who smile at you warmly…
This is part two of my blog series about spiritual gifts, and today we are talking about the gift of teaching. I’ve always been surrounded by teachers. All my family are school teachers – both parents, all three of my siblings, and all of their spouses. My own father taught me seventh and eighth grade,…
This fall, our church is learning together about the different ways that God has made all us and the important role each of us play in the world. We are using teaching from a part of the Bible called the book of Ephesians as we talk about this. It reads: “It was (Jesus) who gave…
Leanne Friesen 