January 31, 2019
Dear friends,
Where has January gone? Has it really been five weeks since Christmas? Although we haven’t yet taken our tree (artificial) down, we have removed the ornaments. Weather-wise it has been a very cold month, with lots of snow. It’s amazing how some sensations stay in our brain for a long time. When the temperature drops below zero, I often remember playing hockey outside when I was twelve years old, with my father standing nearby, braving the cold to encourage me. I didn’t think about what he must have experienced when the wind chill plummeted.
Today I had the privilege of driving my father to his eye doctor. When he got to the registration desk, he was told to go in to see the doctor, even though it was thirty minutes before his appointment. Ten minutes later, Dad emerged from the office, smiling because he had a good check-up and was ahead of schedule. He never needed glasses for distance and doesn’t have cataracts as he approaches his 95th birthday in a few months.
Several of our friends are experiencing pain and would appreciate prayer. Please pray for Dr. Joe Harvey, who serves in the Republic of Congo, along with his wife, Becky. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years ago and has not been feeling great lately. Please pray, too, for Melissa, our pastor’s wife, who has had a number of health challenges in recent years. Pastor Brad will be travelling to Nepal on Sunday, Lord willing, to visit missionaries. Please pray for him and Melissa, that the Lord would lead them and that His will would be accomplished in and through them.
Having tweaked some muscles in my back while shovelling snow and lifting heavy objects this week, I realized how blessed I am to be able to walk and work. A few days ago, I saw a man in Chateauguay who has an amputated leg. He was walking with his crutches on a street that had lots of snow on it. What courage and determination he has! May we, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, be quick to testify of His love and grace in our lives and eager to share the love of Christ with all whom we meet.
Scripture for the weekend: “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.” Psalm 128:1 (NASB)
Thought for the weekend: “Christ’s teaching was always constructive. He gave little attention to tearing down, because he knew that as light dispels darkness, so truth scatters error.” – D. L. Moody (from “Cooperative Evangelism” by Robert O. Ferm).
By His grace,
Steve