Recently I found myself making an unplanned trip back to Grande Prairie.  The Elders graciously allowed me to make last minute plans to go to help our oldest daughter prepare to make a move to the Okanagan.  After spending the last 8 years in northern Alberta, Lisa has accepted a new position in the library at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus in Kelowna.  While she had done a good job of packing and getting her things ready to be loaded on the truck, I think she appreciated the last minute assist from dad.

This experience reminded me again that you never stop being a parent.  Even though the last move left Janice and I saying, 'never again', when the call came, I was compelled to respond; it's what a dad does. 

At some point in our journey there will come a role reversal, when our children take on more of the caregiver role and we as parents are called to graciously allow them to help provide such care.  I wonder, does that mean I get to behave like a child again!

At Valley we have been blessed to share our journey with friends who are ahead of us on the pathway.  We have been able to interact and learn from those have walked through this life for a longer period of time, who are more seasoned as parents and grandparents -- this has been for us a tremendous encouragement.  As I thought about all the ways you have built into our lives I realized again this another blessing of being in community together.  

The Bible tells us to 'instruct one another' (Romans 15:14), to 'teach and admonish one another' (Colossians 3:16) and to 'encourage one another' (2 Corinthians 13:1).  The church is more than just a place where we gather for worship and service to our Lord; it is a place where we do life together -- where we support and build up and encourage one another.  In the church we are 'devoted to one another' (Romans 12:10); it is a place where we 'honor one another' (Romans 12;10).

We understand, we don't always do this perfectly for we are fallen, fallible human beings, but the friendship we share at Valley really is a gift to one another.  So, in this season of our lives I want to encourage you to nurture the friendships God has given us, to continue to build into each others lives and support one another.
One of the most Christ-honoring things we can do for one another is simply to walk with each other through this season of our lives -- may we be faithful in doing just that!

Let me encourage you again to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  (Hebrews 10:24)

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.
When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray,
 just as John taught his disciples.”
                                                                                                                                                              Luke 11:1

Within the heart of every Christ-follower is a longing to be more like Him; this is the very essence of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  As we follow our Rabbi, we, like the first disciples, see in Him a wonderous attraction and something within wants to imitate what we see.  So it's  no surprise when the disciples observed Jesus praying they ask of Him... 'Lord, teach us to pray'.

I wish I could say, after 40+ years of walking with the Lord that I have mastered the discipline of prayer but I am still learning, still growing.  At times prayer has been an absolutely wonderful experience; the conversation with my Lord flows easily and the sense of fellowship is indescribable.  But there have been other times when it has been much more difficult to lay hold of God in prayer; times when I have been casual and complacent about prayer, or easily distracted or simply tired.  It's in these times that I call on the disciplines and practices that have helped me recalibrate my heart.

Over the years I have introduced into my spiritual development some disciplines and practices that have proven to be helpful as I continue to learn to pray.  One such practice is 'my prayer list' which I have used for many years.  It's a very simple tool; I take a blank sheet of paper and fold it into 8 sections, one for each day of the week and one as my daily list.   By using this tool, I am able to 'manage' what has become a very long list.  

I keep Monday's page blank; it is reminder for me to spend time alone with my Lord and to allow Him to direct my prayers. It is amazing how often, when I'm quiet and listening, how many times God brings to mind those for whom I should be praying.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, I pray for ministry friends and colleagues; what used to be one day is now two days as that list has grown over the years and continues to be added to regularly.  On Thursday I pray for Hockey Ministry friends; a list that is 30+ years in the making.  On Friday, I pray for our friends we have know through the years; my list now includes children and grandchildren.  On Saturday, I pray for Valley, often using our directory and bringing every name before the Lord.  On Sunday I pray for 'the church', for our Worship Gathering -- my Sunday list is intentionally brief.  Daily I pray for my family and the Lord and I talk about whatever is on my heart and, if I'm really listening, those things that are on His heart, that He wants to share with me.

My list has evolved over the year but it is still a simple resource to help me seek to be faithful in praying for those for whom I have the privilege of interceding.  In the past I have sometimes written out  my prayers or kept a prayer journal.  I have sometimes gone on a 'prayer walk' or scheduled time just to be alone with the Lord.  I have been blessed and encouraged by reading the prayers of great men and women of the faith and by reading the thoughts and reflections of their writings.

At the end of the day, each of us is responsible our own spiritual development; to find and embrace the disciplines and practices that work for us.  What works for you, may not work for me and conversely, what you have found helpful just might prove to me beneficial to me.  So, I'm curious, what are those practises and disciplines that have encouraged you in your journey of faith?  Use the reply form below to share your thoughts with us!

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  (Hebrews 10:24)

​Has it really been 12 years?  It seems not that long ago that Scott and Andrea and I set out from Orangeville, Ontario, travelling 4000 km to begin a new chapter of our lives in the South Okanagan.  Janice would join us a few days later, staying behind until the last of our belongs were on the moving truck.  Lisa, our oldest was getting settled into her new place in Waterloo as she continued her studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.  For the first time we would not call the same place ‘home’.
 
Looking back, two thoughts immediately come to mind; how quickly the time has passed and how much things have changed.  Lisa is now in Grand Prairie, Alberta where she has been working for the past 8 years.  Scott, who returned to Ontario in the fall of 2008, is now one semester away from completing a third post-secondary degree; he will be pursing a career in health care.  He and Tiffany were married 5 years ago; they continue to make their home in Hamilton Ontario.  Andrea stayed in the South Okanagan and is now working as a nurse and Kelowna General Hospital.  She and Jason were married last June; they live an hour north of us in West Kelowna.  Janice has now been with Interior Health for almost 10 years and this September marks the beginning of my 13th year as the pastor here at Valley.
 
Our church has seen a lot of changes over these past 12 years; so many of our friends have moved out of the area or have gone to their home in heaven.  The names and faces readily come to mind and there is both a sense of joy in having shared part of the journey together and a realization that such change is inevitable within any church. Through the years, others have joined us and we have together experienced the incredible faithfulness of God.  We’ve had some ups and down along the way, but for the most part we have experienced a wonderful spirit as we have served together in the church.
 
For the past 12 years I have stood before you, faithfully teaching / proclaiming the truth of God’s Word; His Word given to us to show us how to live; His Word which we believe is our rule of life and faith, in which we find a faithful record of all that He has revealed to be true and right and good. We have looked at what the Bible says about being the church, about worship and prayer and Christian service, about what it means to live by faith and to know His amazing grace in our lives.
 
You have often heard me talk about living as a child of God, reminding us of the truth of 1 John 3:1:  See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  I am, you are, the beloved of the Father!  Henri Nouwen writes, ‘Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.’ 
 
I continue to remind myself each day that there is a God, that He loves me and we are in a covenant relationship; that He desires to break into and lead my life in ways that are consistent with His best plans for my life.  I know that He is still at work, still writing my story and your story. And because of that, I can find, we can find rest and strength and joy in our journey with Him.
 
Over the years, I have sought to cheer you on in your walk of faith, to spur you on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24) and to build you up in the faith; to bring to you the Word of God and call you to respond to God and His Word and to be a voice calling out to you, this is the way; walk in it (Isaiah 30:21).  Because friends, I believe to the core of my being that a life of faith in Jesus Christ is the best possible way for us to journey through our days on earth and it is the only way we’ll ever get to heaven.
 
I want to continue to encourage you stay faithful, to continue to participate fully in the life of the church, to serve and give and care for one another; to continue to live out the truth of my life verse, 1 Corinthians 15:58:   Stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
 
I have been recently reading and reflecting again on the words of Henri Nouwen, who writes: I still believe deeply that our few years on this earth are part of a much larger event that stretches out far beyond the boundaries of our birth and death.  I think of it as a mission into time, a mission that is very exhilarating and even exciting, mostly because the One who sent me on the mission is waiting for me to come home and tell the story of what I have learned.
 
One day, I want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” from the One who has called me on this journey, so for me I need to quietly resolve to continue to walk with Him, to stay faithful to His calling in my life, seeking to be a blessing to those in my sphere of influence. 
 
As we begin a new ministry year together, I want to invite you to join we as we continue to do life together at Valley.