The Cat Came Back!

Here is a photo of two of our cats, Oliver (the orange one) and Jetta (the black one). This photo was taken this morning after Oliver survived a very traumatic experience. We realized we had not seen Oliver for a few days and were surprised when he didn't come at feeding time. We were concerned - but it IS spring, and he is male.... To make a long story shorter, we discovered that poor Oliver was trapped on top of a power pole exactly like this one:
This is the pole directly in front of our house - Oliver was on one just a little farther down the field. We are not sure how long he was up there - but it could have been up to five days. Our whole family spent a good hour last night at the bottom of that pole doing everything we could to coax him down. We even nailed an open tin of tuna to the pole. We called Fortis and they advised us not to try to get him down because he was too close to the power lines and it is extremely dangerous. Apparently people have died trying to get cats off power poles. So, after our long and unsuccessful attempt to get him down last night we gave up with broken hearts. Poor Sierra sobbed and sobbed. All we could do was hope that he would get desperate enough to get himself down.

Then..... this morning when I let the other cats in to be fed - there he was! We don't know how he got down, but we are grateful he did! The kids sure prayed that he would. He is perfectly fine, although he has lost a lot of weight. He ate a lot this morning, and we spoiled him by letting him stay in the house today. Poor thing was exhausted and hungry.

He is our Super Cat - able to leap from tall power poles in a single bound....
Who knows what other super powers lurk underneath the surface of this ordinary-looking animal? Time will tell.....

Here is a photo of the visiting after the service yesterday...

I've been reminded how much I enjoy the music of Rich Mullins recently. Arlene played an "oldie" during communion yesterday - "Peace to You" by Rich Mullins and then Alisha posted one of my favorite Rich Mullins songs on her blog, "If I stand". So, then I was listening to internet radio, and they played "Sometimes by Step". I've posted the lyrics below. If you are not familiar with this artist, I encourage you to google him. He died tragically in a car accident in 1997. I think I've always found his music so authentic and sometimes raw in terms of his own journey and struggles. His music has always moved me.


Sometimes By Step by Rich Mullins

Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close
You could touch it but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so much work left to do
But so much You'd already done

CHORUS:
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the climb can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

CHORUS

And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
(Sometimes the night was beautiful)
And I will follow You all of my days

I felt this was a good reminder in light of Darrin's message yesterday. I find it so true that praise is the perfect antidote to the heaviness of life.

Peace to you,

Lisa

A Star is Born!

Brett was in a school play yesterday. Above is a shot of him delivering his monologue as "Prince Perky of Pomegranite". He did an excellent job - remembering all of his lines and adding his own dramatic effect! We are proud of our new star. :-)

The Colour Purple

Sometimes we are asked why we use different colours during different seasons to decorate the altar. Here is a quick explanation of why we use purple during the season of Lent:

In ancient times, purple dye was very expensive, so purple came to signify wealth, power, and royalty. Therefore purple is the colour for the seasons of Advent and Lent, which celebrate the coming of the King. Since as Christians we prepare for our King through reflection and repentance, purple has also become a penitential color. As a result, most liturgical churches (churches that use a standard liturgy or order of service, such as Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, etc.) will use the same colours and celebrate these liturgical seasons in similar ways. These traditions reach far back in terms of church history.

In regard to the tradition of repentance during Lent, Darrin shared an interesting "twist" on this during his sermon today. He encouraged us to think of repenting, not so much in terms of what we have done wrong or failed to do (although that is important too). Instead, he talked about repenting of not being open to the many ways God tries to bless us - all the times we miss His blessings because we are too wrapped up in our own stuff or not open minded enough to even see what God might be doing in our lives. Food for thought...

A Quote to Reflect on for the Season of Lent

You are Christ’s Hands

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ’s compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

–St. Teresa of Avila