Consider this

                The church in Estevan celebrated its 100th anniversary this past weekend and it was great!                   Over the years, the congregation has grown from a small group meeting in Thomas Orr’s living room to being large enough to own property on Second Street.   In the 1930s, many moved away, and the property was sold, leaving Ann Johnson as the only member.   Then it began to grow again.    A small building was constructed on highway 47 north and the congregation began to grow again.   That original building now serves as the kitchen of our current facility.   If you put the life of this congregation on a graph, it would look like the Rocky Mountains as people came and went over and over.                 It would be nice if everything in life was straight-forward, certain and easy.   No deviations.    No distractions.   Just a straight line t

                “I do believe!   Help my unbelief!”   (Mark 9:24)                 Those words, spoken to Jesus by a man who wanted his son to be healed, are some of the most universally understood words in the entire Bible.   We want to believe but doubts and fears creep in and derail us.                   What if you were Jesus?   How would you help this man deepen his faith?   If you were like most churches, you would have given this man a book to read, a mentor to visit with or a seminar to attend.   Churches love programs!                   But what if we change the picture from spiritual things to Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park?   What if you doubt that the geyser erupts approximately every 65 minutes?                 You could read a book about Old Faithful.   You could have a scientist explain the geology and

                  Antonio de la Rosa made the news this week as he reportedly spent 76 days paddling a combination paddleboard canoe 2500 miles from California to Hawaii.                   Now, I completely understand the first ten miles.   Starting a new adventure is exciting.   I also understand the last three miles.   Completing a goal is fun!   The part I do not get is mile 1323 when he was out in the middle of the Pacific where one wave looked just like the next and progress was hard to measure.   The middle is where most people quit.                 I have seen that in church too.   Starting is fun.   Everyone cheers at baptisms.    Endings are honoured as we gather to say goodbye to Christian brothers and sisters.   It is the middle that sinks us.   In Ephesians 4:1, Paul urged the Ephesian church to live a life worthy of the