Aches and Praise Two Hundred & Fifty

Dear friends,
 
If you live somewhere other than Québec, you may not realize that today is a holiday in “la belle province” (“the beautiful province”). Named after John the Baptist, the patron saint of French-Canadians, this holiday is a celebration of the Québécois identity. With its own income tax, education system, and a government that meets in the National Assembly, Québec has many distinctions from the other provinces and territories in Canada.
 

On Monday night, our family went to a restaurant in downtown Montreal to celebrate Karen’s birthday. We were served by a very friendly waiter, who remarked that he doesn’t see many happy families like ours. As we talked more, we learned that he watches a “religious” program on French TV. I gave him a card with the ministry website on it and invited him to listen to our weekly broadcast “La Voix de l’Évangile.”

This week we were surprised to see a “For sale” sign on the lawn of neighbours across the street. We have known this family for a long time and never thought that they would move. On a day that may arrive sooner than we think, the believers who are on the earth will “disappear” and the people left behind will wonder where they went.

In the past few weeks, a number of legends in the world of sports have died, including Muhammad Ali and Gordie Howe. In his book “Be Ready,” Warren W. Wiersbe writes: “I once saw a quaint inscription on a gravestone in an old British cemetery not far from Windsor Castle. It read:

Pause, my friend, as you walk by;
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so you will be.
Prepare, my friend, to follow me!

I heard about a visitor who read that epitaph and added these lines:

To follow you is not my intent,
Until I know which way you went!”

May we be bold witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ!
 

Scripture for the weekend: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NASB)

 
Thought for the weekend: “A pastor placed this sign on his door: ‘If you have problems, come in and tell me all about them. If you don’t have any problems, come in and tell me how you avoid them.’” – from the book “A Story Is Told” compiled by Dave Branon
 

By His grace,

Steve


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