I feel like we usually think of rest in terms of needing a break from business. Resting in God is equated to sitting in the bottom of a boat, calm as a cucumber, in the middle of a wild storm; or a baby cradled in their mother’s arms in front of a warm fire as a blizzard rages around the house. We don’t think about resting and needing rest until we’re surrounded by seas of
I was baptized when I was 19. Between then and now a lot has happened. I actually think I sinned more since I have been baptized then before I was baptized. Thank goodness we have a forgiving God. I went from a life of lies and secrets, to this place of openness and healing. With Gods help I am slowly being stitched back together in the way God has intended for me. God has been
I am terrible with transitions. Some people love change, others are neutral, and I absolutely despise it. Change can be good, like adopting a puppy; change can be bad, like saying goodbye to a good friend or family member. For me, good change feels just as scary as bad change. Because good change is still change. In May 2016, my husband Jefferson and I made the decision to uproot ourselves from my hometown of Brampton
If you’ve been at ForestView lately, you’ve likely been hearing a new song we’ve been introducing on worship team called You Make Me Brave. As I was reflecting on my own life and the journey I’m on, I thought it a fitting title for my musings. You see, the end of this summer marks two years since I’ve moved to Hamilton and started coming to ForestView. Two years since I left my comfort zone, the
Of all the people in the Bible, Moses is the person I most relate to. Now before you judge me, let me explain why. Although he is probably best known for leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, and receiving the Ten Commandments, the thing that stood out to me most about Moses’ story was his doubt. He doubted that God had chosen the right person for the task; he doubted that he would be able
It has been a good year for raspberries. The patch in my backyard is bursting with deep pink, and every day I find more scrumptious mouthfuls to be harvested. Over the past two weeks I have spent hours in my patch, trying to keep up with the abundance. And as I pick, I have been trying to pray. I am searching for God in my raspberry patch. My search has been fervent, because recently I’ve
Anxiety was never something I thought I had. It wasn’t a word I was familiar with and I didn’t really know what it entailed. But recently I’ve become more aware of the impact it has on so many people. As I have continued to gain knowledge about this emotion I now see that these symptoms have followed me for a while. When I was younger I would get anxious talking in front of my class,
I went to church today. Saturday. It was a multi-site service. I arrived for the "9 am service" at the FV warehouse where there were about 10 of us loading a U-Haul to help move furniture to the new Next Door storefront. Another one of us was attending to a malfunctioning air conditioning unit and a couple others were helping with the move while also sticking around to do bike repair for Rolling Horse. A
Today was a good day . . . at least, I’m on my way to believing it was. A year ago I would have labelled this same day a disaster because I didn’t cross a single thing off my list. Maybe that doesn’t sound disastrous to you, but I struggle with an addiction to getting things done. I am the queen of lists, the princess of projects, and I revel in the never-ending quest to
Make it rain Lord, make it rain. There’s pain in the tears, sadness throughout the heart, anger wrapped around fists. In the midst of the darkness, oh where is the Light? Can you feel my struggle? Can you feel my pain? My soul cries deep down a silent scream that only I can hear; that only God knows. Can you hear my struggle? Can you feel this pain? I stare down at myself, intestines hanging
