Daily Prayers for the First of January And I was able to record it outside!!

 

What a Weird Wonderful Winter We've had so far!!

The Daily Prayers run here:  thefieldpastor.com

Daily Prayers for Advent

 

We are bringing back Daily Prayers for Advent this year so if you are interested, come by thefieldpastor.com which is the link to my Youtube account.

Each weekday in Advent we plan to have another video available, so come and join in.

Of Birds and Bees

The bees are buzzing here today and maybe that means plums on this tree for the first time ever.

Lauralea and I have been on the road for a bit over a week. Catching up on the closer kids, and relatives.  It took me about ten days to be ready to want to come home, and its so good to be home now.

Been trying to process life and health and my brain and where is God it it and what does He ask of me. It's a bit hard to focus and to remember. To think through things and to refocus.  May be med related as well.

I think it all kinda goes hand in hand with mail that was waiting for Lauralea when we got home. There was a letter from our bank ready to give us a completely free bank account now that she's entered her sixtieth year. (59)

Then the next letter was from the government asking her to start to consider if she would like to start receiving her old age pension at the age of 60 or to wait for more when she turns 65. 

That blew us away you know.  I mean made us a little freaky. There are deadlines now, and that's if the health continues to hold up. 

But it is good to be home, even as spring is breaking in this part of the world.

The birds and the bees are happy. But why wouldn't they be.

When a woodpecker is trying to dig a hole in your office

Yes, a woodpecker.

These daily videos can be a challenge, especially when the phone rings or a txt comes in, or someone comes into the office. I have learned to stop, hold my place without moving, and then its easy to edit later on.

But this, this is a whole new level in "I never saw that coming."

This is the new pastoral work.
 

(I wonder if Paul ever had to fight woodpeckers)

What I've been doing with my time

Well, they didn't teach us this in College. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Being a pastor in this time of pandemic is a bit like being a shepherd without having a flock of sheep. Or maybe better yet, pastoring the flock from one field away. :(

Most churches have moved online as have we scatteredbutgathered.com but one of the ways I daily try to connect with the people is through short prayer videos like these. thefieldpastor.com

The levels of work required to climb the learning curve have been great and most pastors are working full out to try to provide spiritual care for their people.

So I haven't really been home here lately, but I do think of you often, dear reader.

This is me checking in and reminding myself that this is home. I do miss it. 

But if you want a daily sprinkling of my face, (I know I know, a face for radio) you can always drop in at the above link.

Keep taking care out there.

 

God Save The Queen

This has got to be one of the most moving pieces of music. This arrangement of the British National Anthem by Benjamin Britten arranged in the early 1960s.

In grade school we used to sing it whenever we sang O Canada. The two went together like peanut butter and grape jam. :)

But this arrangement is stunning and I've only heard of it because in recent years they have been singing it on the Last Night of the Proms.

It has become, in this version, much more the prayer that it was written to be.

And now, for a memory, brought to you by Carol Burnett

This show used to make me laugh.
Back when the family could watch TV together.

Webcams to watch

Just a post to hold some links I like to visit on grey days.

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/deutschland/brandenburg/kyritz/kyritz-brandenburg.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/israel/jerusalem-district/jerusalem/western-wall.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/france/ile-de-france/paris/tour-eiffel.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/campania/salerno/santuario-avvocatella.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/iceland/greater-reykjavik/reykjavik/hallgrimskirkja-church.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/united-kingdom/england/st-ives/st-ives.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/schweiz/graubunden/silvaplana/silvaplana-switzerland.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/norge/nordland/lofoten/henningsvaer.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/hrvatska/grad-zagreb/zagreb/trg-bana-jelacica.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/liguria/genova/genova-bagni-lido.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/iceland/austurland/hofn/jokulsarlon.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/calabria/vibo-valentia/tropea.html

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/liguria/genova/portofino-riviera-ligure.html

Anthony Bourdain dead at 61

I got up this morning getting ready for the day, looking at the morning news and reading that Anthony Bourdain has taken his own life.

The day stops, abruptly. I am shocked, then saddened.

I respected how he seemed to care deeply for the worlds people, especially the marginalized, the broken, the lost.  Maybe he saw something of his own heart in them. I don't know.  I respected that he communicated fairly honestly about how he saw the world and its troubles. I think that was what I liked about his shows and writing the most. His love for people, for community, and his blunt honesty.

I don't know how honest he was with this internal struggle of the heart. Honest with his friends, with himself. I don't know these things.  But I am sad this morning because of this loss. The world will be less than because of it.


And As I sit down at my computer to get some work done, Adagio In G Minor begins to play on my iTunes.  Perfect for this day, for this loss.

Maybe its a good time to remember, if you are struggling with internal fears and challenges that threaten to take you down this same road, before you take such a permanent step, reach out to someone. Share your struggle. The future can be so much better.

Peace to his memory.

Non Violent Social Resistance

People tell me about feeling overwhelmed by the violence facing their world in the news and on social media and how are they to live not being overcome by the evil and the guilt associated with it.

My response has been to love locally. Engage with people nearby, make a difference in your street your town your city, with people who are near you.

And in responding locally you create a small place of life and the kingdom of God for the needy world. You make a difference. Overcoming evil in this world starts with loving your neighbour.


Pastor Jeremy Duncan in Calgary Commons says it this way...

It Is Not Death To Die

And now, some Canadian Donut humour

Lauren Daigle - Trust In You

I've loved this song for over a year now, but I've loved it in principle.
Now I am loving it in real life.


 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

When I was in Bethlehem a couple of years ago what impressed me most, was the people.  They were passionate about nearly everything, and many had a great sense of humor;

Missionary: So you've heard about Jesus then?
They: Oh yes we've heard about him.
Missionary: So when did you hear?
They: Well he was born here in the neighbourhood 2000 years ago. We met him then.


Here's a reminder from the people of Bethlehem, about the birth of Jesus.



O Little Town of Bethlehem from Tim Parsons on Vimeo.

Christmas Wonder and Der Friedensfürst

When Lauralea and I were living in Aylmer Ontario and we were serving in the lay pastoral ministry there at the Aylmer EMM Church, Christmas season was full of wonder.

At that time the worship there was a mix of High and Low German and English and Lauralea and I loved being in the church choir because these people knew how to sing. Each year in December the choir director would have us turn to the Advent and Christmas songs in the Gesangbuch and we would practice and prepare for the season.

However, there was one song that was reserved for Christmas morning, Der Friedensfürst (Prince of Peace). At the end of the Christmas morning worship service the hundreds who had gathered knew what was coming. Anyone who knew the song was invited up to the choir loft to sing along that great seasonal mennonite anthem. Some years it seemed as though most of the congregation came up and joined us to worship in song. The first notes would be played by the pianist and off we would go.

Singing that song was an experience of the Spirit and of worship, and I knew that because I didn't even mentally understand all of the german words I was singing. There was deep wonder there that this Prince of Peace came for us all, even for me and we were freed to worship with all of our hearts and voices. And worship we did.

Yes, wonder was there.


This was a bit of what it was like.

Turning 53

Well, turning 53 hasn't been too bad so far!
I get to celebrate it with the granddaughters this year and thats gift enough. :)

Our son, the engineer

Micah and Thomas riding the Carousel years ago

Micah just sent me this link to the place he's working in Saskatoon for the summer. It's at the Kinsmen park, Saskatoon's oldest park.

When I was a kid I'd ride the train (A smaller one in those days) and the carousel and get some ice cream with my grandma and grandpa.

So then when we had kids we'd go there occasionally to ride the rides and have fun on a warm summers day.

Now Micah is working there for the summer and seems to be enjoying it. A part of me envies him.


Here's a video snapshot of the park. Nicely done too.




Potashcorp Playland at Kinsmen Park from space2place on Vimeo.

A cry for YHWH

On this night when the darkness crushes in, he is there. 

He is here.

Speak Life

You Were Gone

The harmonies tight, and the humour, profound.
Enjoy this blast from the past.
I sure did.