Wreath presented by StoneRidge

This past weekend Pastor Donald reminded us of the importance of remembering those who have served, and continue to serve, in order to preserve our freedom.

A powerful two minutes of silence was observed, after a reading of the first reported two minute silence, and how it came to pass, as described here:

The First Two Minute Silence in London (11th November 1919) as reported in the Manchester Guardian, 12th November 1919.

The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect.

The tram cars glided into stillness, motors ceased to cough and fume, and stopped dead, and the mighty-limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped also, seeming to do it of their own volition.

Someone took off his hat, and with a nervous hesitancy the rest of the men bowed their heads also. Here and there an old soldier could be detected slipping unconsciously into the posture of ‘attention’. An elderly woman, not far away, wiped her eyes, and the man beside her looked white and stern. Everyone stood very still … The hush deepened. It had spread over the whole city and become so pronounced as to impress one with a sense of audibility. It was a silence which was almost pain … And the spirit of memory brooded over it all.

Tomorrow, November 11, please take time to remember.

Last week I was rushing around getting ready to leave the house and head to Cape Breton to perform a wedding, and the one thing I really wanted to do was clean my car. I didn’t want my car to stand out in the parking lot looking like I just went four-wheeling, so I made sure my car looked shiny and clean.

When I arrived in Cape Breton I drove directly to this beautiful historical home where I would be spending the night. I dropped off my bags, hopped back into the car and headed to the rehearsal.

Everything seemed to be going so well… until I went to hop back into the car. I had only been parked there a couple of minutes, but it was long enough for a flock of geese to do its damage. My shiny black car was now the color of my salt and pepper hair.  There must be a designated bird’s dumping zone in Cape Breton and I was parked in that spot. All I could do was laugh. So much for making a good impression with the cleanliness of my car. (Ha.)

Sometimes life just doesn’t go according to plan. But that doesn’t mean it needs to wreck our day. Sometimes the best solution is to have a hearty laugh.

What have you had a good laugh over lately?

Pastor Donald Calder

I’m not much of a mechanic, but I have tried to fix a few things in my day. And what’s discouraging is when you invest a good amount of time into fixing something, and at the end of the day… it’s still broken. UGH!

The same is true about preaching. When you invest a good amount of time into preparing a message that you have studied, and prayed about, and soaked your shirt while delivering its content… and the application fails to stick. UGH!

This past Sunday I started speaking on a new series entitled True Colors, and for the next three weeks it is all about the power of words. We can breathe life into people, and we can breathe death into people by the words we use (Proverbs 18:21). So, after sharing my heart on what the Bible clearly says about complaining, I was surprised to have someone come up to me immediately after the service and… complain. I thought there would be at least a one week delay. (Ha.)

The complaint wasn’t even about me, but it felt like death being breathed into me. There are people who simply have a natural tendency to always see the negative first before they see that God is working in our midst (positive). I am not trying to minimize people’s concerns (complaints), but sometimes we just need to sit back and know God is in control, and that He uses even the things we don’t like, to accomplish his will.

I guess it’s back to the drawing board to figure out how to make application stick. UGH!

Pastor Donald Calder