April 7th

It's been a bit of a stop and go day, Lord, with times of great busyness and times of great quiet. I especially thank-you today for the quietness of a evening run, the ability to get out and think and reflect and get some exercise in the peaceful quiet of an evening.

April 6th

Lord, change seems to be such a constant in so many ways right now, and I give you thanks for those few things that haven't changed too much. I especially give you thanks for constant, faithful friends that always seem to know just what to say. Help me to be a good and faithful friend in return

April 5th

Lord, there are many good things happening at St. James, but we face struggles as well. Help us deal with the challenges ahead, as people grow and move in their lives, as the congregation ages and shifts, as people come and go, finances have their effect and as we go through the tough times and the good that every church faces. Give us enthusiasm, strength and courage. Give us the determination to work things through and the faith to trust you. Above all, make me an effective leader that will teach and inspire in a way that please you and blesses both St. James and the community it serves.
Bless me, as well, with renewed strength and joy, so that what I do is not a chore but a pleasure, both for me and for You.

April 4th

Lord, my computer woes are finally over! In fact, my broken system was totally replaced by Apple, and I thank you for letting this be the solution to my technical woes.
I thank you, as well, that unlike my computer, you don't simply replace us when we go astray. When our time is done you call us home, but until that time, you take us as we are, working on us until that final moment when our work here on earth as done.
I pray that you will keep on being patient with me and that you will adjust, tweak and generally keep working on me so that I will be able to serve you ever more faithfully and effectively

April 3rd: Truth Mongers

When told that a newspaper had printed his obituary, Mark Twain quipped: “The rumours of my death are highly exaggerated.” Strangely enough, I found myself in a similar position the other day; a parishioner told me she had heard that “today was (my) last day.” I quickly reassured her that there was absolutely no truth to the rumour, and I’m here to tell you that if you’ve heard it, it ain’t true. As far as I know, I am still gainfully employed as the Pastor here at St. James Presbyterian Church in Chatham. If you know otherwise, please let me know, as it might be a bit of valuable information
Rumours are incredibly powerful and annoying things. With shotgun like inaccuracy they damage not only the people they refer to, but the teller and the listener as well. Like an invasive weed, they work their way into a conversation to choke out the truth. Wild and hard to stop, their tentacles seem appealing enough, masking as an innocent comment or a piece of information from a reliable second or third hand source. Unseating them is often impossible, because once their poison has spread, its effects linger on long after they have been debunked or uprooted.
Like a dance, it takes two to get a rumour to work. Without a listener, without someone to buy into their deception, rumours die on the vine. In fact, that is the only way to kill a rumour: hit with deaf ears they collapse into a powerless heap. The other option, if you’re lucky enough to be there at their origin, is to overwhelm them with the truth. Simply, emphatically and undeniably relay the true and correct information to the first rumour-teller and it will hopefully be stopped in its tracks. The truth is a powerful tool.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to catch a rumour at its onset, and once it’s out, it’s out for good. The damage is done pretty much from the moment the first receptive ear takes it as a Gospel truth. The only solution at that point is not to be part of the lie. If it’s not first-hand, reliable information ignore it. In fact, don’t even let it get past the lips of the teller. Stop them dead in their tracks if you have any inkling that what’s being said is hurtful, unhelpful, or just a plain and simple distortion of reality, I realize it’s harder than it sounds, but it’s the only response to the weed known as a rumour.
Sure, I know that we’re all going to fall for one at one time or another. Rumours are so sneaky that we often don’t realize that we’ve been trapped in their tentacles until it’s too late. Still, even then, it’s worth putting a stop to it. Even if we’ve been part of the problem, we can put an end to our role as soon as we realize we’ve tripped up. It might not be a perfect solution, but it’s better than to continue spreading rumors.. A little apology to the victim wouldn’t hurt either. And of course, being once bitten should make us a little more careful the next time we hear an interesting tidbit from the same source. Better still, we can all try to be truth mongers rather than rumour spreaders. When in doubt, it’s best just to keep quiet; the rumours of that truth are not highly exaggerated.

April 3rd

Thanks, God for a great day of worship! Thanks as well for letting me lead such good people. I just pray that you help us spread your Good News to our community so that others may find the blessing we all seem to enjoy at St. James.

April 2nd

Fixed some bikes today, God. Greased the winter-dried chains, replaced and reinflated inner tubes, checked the brakes and steering. Now they're ready to go for the spring and summer. It's seasonal, happy work for me. I pray that you will keep working on me, God, adjusting me, replacing the thoughts that are not working, and inspiring those that are to new heights and effectiveness. I know I'm a work in progress, and I thank you for sticking with me from season to season.

April 1st

Well, God, despite it being April Fool's day, nothing unusually funny happened today. That's just as well: pranks and practical jokes can't make up for the joy that comes from living life for you. Thanks for a normal fun day, even if it wasn't uproariously funny. It wasn't too serious, either, just right.

March 31st

Lord, I thank you for the weekly Lenten services at Christ Church, and I especially thank you for today's worship with student John Maroney. He was brief and brilliantly to the point. I thank you as well for Andy Cornell and his inquisitive nature. You seem to have surrounded me with various students recently, so help me learn from them, and to be inspired to keep studying You and how I might better serve you.

March 30th

Lord, at worship in St. Andrew's residence, you provided us with a young lady whose faith and enthusiasm were a true blessing. She helped, she sang, she listened, she blessed us all. Bless her in turn as she makes her way through school and through life. Encourage her to keep on being a great person and a great example, and help me to be more like her in the way I serve.

March 29th

God, times change and people move on. Some are uncertain what to do, so I pray that you help me guide them along the right path. Others move along under their own steam, confident of their direction, so I pray that I might learn from them and be inspired by their mighty faith.

March 28th

Lord, as my laptop sits in the shop waiting to be repaired once again, I reflect on the amazing journey it's been over the past few months, and realize what a metaphor it is. As I depend on my system to help me, you depend on me to serve you and honour you. Yet I am broken and in constant need of repair, a fate I share with all my fellow humans. Yet unlike my computer, there is no shop to troubleshoot and repair us. We have only your Son to depend on, and unless we seek His help, He doesn't always make house calls. So, God, help me depend on Him more and to trust He will 'fix' me according to your plan.

March 27th: A Haven

A recent fire decimated our local food bank. In a matter of minutes, a great number of needy people were left without a place to get food because of this tragedy. Thankfully, no one was physically hurt in the blaze, but there are a number of folks who were already suffering who now have had their woes multiplied.
Their needs are not being ignored. The good citizens of Chatham have rallied ‘round the Outreach for Hunger Food Bank to make up for what is lost and to ensure that the needy people get what they deserve. Not to be glib or to put too smiley a face on things, but a tragedy has become a kind of blessing: the already kind folks that support Outreach for Hunger have gone out of their way to see things are put right and others have pitched in to help as well.
One surprising blessing came to St. James as a result of this outpouring of food and generosity. It’s not ground-shaking or world-altering, but I thought it was a pretty great moment. It was just a couple of folks dropping off some food for the food bank. Maybe they hadn’t heard about the official drop off spots, maybe they just had acted at the spur of the moment and didn’t want to lose the spark, but for one reason or another, they chose St. James as their drop off spot.
“Were we accepting donations for Outreach for Hunger?” they asked. “Not officially,” I replied, “but I’ll see to it that the food gets to where it needs to be.” Now, you’re probably thinking, “Well that’s not to exciting, Why all the fuss, PJ?” Well, what’s exciting to me is the fact that St. James was seen by those helpful folks as a good place to help. They knew there was a need, and they realized that a church was the right place to see that the need was properly met.
I think that’s exactly how St. James should be seen by others: as a place to go and do the right thing. Whether it’s helping the local food bank or making a stranger feel welcome, that’s what St. James, and indeed all churches, are about. We’re a safe haven in the storm. We’re a place of rest in the hustle and bustle. We are here to help. We’re Jesus presence in a world hungry for something better.
Of course, that’s a given for the folks that call this place their church home. We know that’s what we’re about. Our success, for want of a better word, is not based on what insiders know. OUr success can only come from letting others know what that helpful couple wanted to confirm. We are indeed a place that helps; not just our own folk, but whoever comes our way. See for yourself!

March 27th

God, thanks for being able to share worship with a student for the ministry today. His enthusiasm was a true blessing for us all today. Bless Andy on his journey and grant him the mental, spiritual and financial gifts he needs to make it through this challenging part of his life.
Help me to learn from him as well, and to be a worthy example to him as we run into each other in different ways.

March 26th

Lord, I thank you for my family, for my friends and for the part they play in my life. As you bless me through them, help me to be a blessing in return.

March 25th

Lord, I thank you for your healing of body and soul. I met with folks today who are on different paths to wellness, who have different diseases and conditions, yet who share a deep and unshakeable faith in you. Although my visits are supposed to help them, their courage is inspiring and humbling to me. Thank you for placing such people in my life. May their journey lead to wholeness, and may their influence in my life lead me to strength and growth in you

March 24th

Highs and lows today, Lord. Thanks for letting me lead worship at Riverview Gardens. It's a blessing to be able to help those folks who have limited abilities to act, yet an unlimited love for you.
But after that joy came the sadness of sharing with folks who are moving on from my life and heading in different directions. I pray your blessing on them, that they may find joy and fulfillment, and I pray you forgive me whatever I did that might have helped drive them away.

March 23rd

Lord, it's been frustrating to have my computer down, but it's slowly coming to an end and a solution is at hand. Help me to be patient and to not depend on technology so much.

March 22nd

Thanks for the first signs of spring, God! Despite the cold and the gray skies, there is hope for a season of renewal and growth. May what you bring about on the ground happen in my soul as well, God. Help me to produce new fruit in myself, for my family, and for my church. Help me to start over things I've botched, to try new things, and to strengthen and mature those parts of my life that already please or honour you.

March 21st

Your blessings, Lord, are manifold. I thank you for an evening walk to exercise my body and relax my mind.

March 20th: Love, God’s way

A local business has, as part of its philosophy, this pithy phrase: “Love as if you’ve never been hurt. That’s a pretty deep thought, especially when you realize that the business is a fitness club. Jocks can be smart too, you know. And that truly is a smart, wise statement. Love is more than just caring for another person. It’s more than just staring at them with googly eyes or chocolates at Valentines. There is a risk involved in love that goes against the grain of the common understanding of the term.
To love truly and deeply means giving oneself truly and deeply. There is no half-hearted love, no wishy-washy love, no convenient love. Love is an all-or-nothing, no compromise thing. It is, as some marriage vows say, “for better or for worse.”
We can all deal with the “better” part of love. That’s the happy love when mother and child play happily in the park. It’s two best friends realizing that their commitment to each other is going to be a lifetime thing. It’s a stranger reaching out to help a nameless someone in need. The “worse” part of love is a mother comforting her dying child, two best friends about to be separated by factors beyond their control, one stranger trying to help another only to be mocked and scorned by them. Sometimes tough love isn’t loving folks despite themselves. Sometimes tough love is loving even though it breaks your heart.
But love at its best and its highest is indeed tough, in the sense of being strong and resilient. Tough love is love that reaches out despite the broken hearts of the past and the risk of being hurt once again.
Just ask Jesus. Just ask God. Just ask the Holy Spirit. The sacred trinity by which we understand our creator knows all about “loving as if you’ve never been hurt.” Time and time again we drive the Holy Spirit crazy by insisting on our own wisdom rather than God’s inspiration. Time and time again we push Jesus to the edge by ignoring our neighbour. Time and time again we cause God endless grief by pretending He isn’t there, even though we know better.
God’s love goes beyond those repeated hurts. God has always loved us. God will always love us. God’s love is indeed for better or for worse, extending out to us when we are most deserving and wrapping us when we deserve anything but love. From the birth of Jesus that said to us: Here I am; I love you as you are, to Jesus’ death and resurrection that said: I love you this much, and more,”  God has entered into our lives with a love that not only forgets the pain we cause, but offers a way out of it.
“Love as if you’ve never been hurt:” it’s God’s way. It’s the only way.

March 20th

Lord, I thank you for the exciting opportunity that has come to St. James. We are preparing to search for someone to take on an after-school program, and it's a true blessing for my church. I pray that you will guide the team I'm working with so that we can make the right choice of person. Help us to be open to your teaching and guidance so that we can move in the right way and with the right timing. Prepare a person for us that will bless this work and in turn be a blessing to you, a way to glorify you by serving the children in our neighbourhood.

March 19th

It is a still day, a day of relative rest and calm. I am thankful for the quiet, thankful for the time to reflect, thankful for the blessings that come from being still and knowing that you are Lord.

March 18th

God, some folks struggle with age and health, issues that I am thankful to say have not unduly affected me so far. Help me to walk alongside them with care and compassion, so that whatever strength you have given me can help them walk a little further along the road. Help me to encourage them, so that they might walk a little more happily and lightly. Help me learn from them, so that I might walk a straighter, better path

March 17th

God, I thank you for my father and all that he brought to the world. Today, on his birthday, I struggle to remember him in some ways, yet there is never a day I don't think of him. Help me to be more like him and to honour his memory and his life in a way that he deserves. Help me move on from his limitations as well, learning from his mistakes so that I might be the kind of person he, and you, would like me to be.

March 16th

Lord, thanks for a chance to exercise and work-out once again. It's a struggle to watch what I eat, though. Help me to be careful with my choices and to look to the long term gain of better health rather than the short term gain of a tasty snack. Help me take better care of my body so that I can focus more on my mind and my Spirituality.