Amidst the pain of life's mysteries, we can have "Whispers of hope". Be it the death of a dream, the death of a loved one or any of the challenges we face, we can have eternal hope arise within us to give strength for today as we know Who holds tomorrow.
Read MoreOver the years, I've walked to stand up against the evils of sexual abuse, human trafficking and most recently, the walk to support families who are counted among the hundreds of Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (MMIWG). It takes much effort to gather, to stand in solidarity, to be united in a cause with diverse individuals you may or may not ever see again.
Why I show up?.... I
Read MoreI've lived in Canada since crossing the border in 1990 after our whirlwind honeymoon, but it took me 20 years to take the step to be an official Canadian Citizen. After marrying my Canadian beau, I was perfectly content to be a visitor- landed immigrant, then permanent resident. Growing up in Minnesota, I was raised to pledge my allegiance to the USA, salute the flag and "Live by the Girl Scout Law". Needless to say, my American Pride was deeply embedded within. Even after I had a miraculous brush with heaven in 1996 and truly understood that my eternal citizenship is in heaven, (Philippians 3:19-21), I was in no rush to become a Canadian Citizen.
But God had other plans...
Read MoreIn all my years launching and leading Women's Journey of Faith, and now launching Hope Restored Canada, I have come across hundreds of speaker names, suggested books, studies, retreats and conferences. I am grateful for each life that has crossed my path as their stories of faith, courage and perseverance has intersected with my own story. We are created for story.
Read MoreThere's a trend that has been capturing the attention of many to attend a "Paint Nite" , where for a few hours, groups come together and are coached to bring out the inner artist in us. Sometimes in studios, libraries, or over a glass of wine in restaurants or bars. Others have started up their own business like a friend of mine who started up "Leslie's Coffee and Canvas". Fun, Fun! I ended up going to three paint nights in one year and I loved every minute of it. I found it to be a stress reliever actually...
Read MoreThey say, do what you love. Listen to what brings you joy and do that. I have a ton of passionate pursuits on my journey of faith. One of them? I love speaking at retreats.
Last month was a highlight for sure- I had the honour of speaking at a beautiful camp north of Calgary, Alberta for their annual women's retreat. Although speaking 4 messages is a ton of work as I pour my all into it, I come away from a weekend like this inspired and renewed myself.
Read MoreLife is full of ups and downs, mountaintop experiences and valley meanderings too. Do you ever find yourself living in "la la land" though wanting to stay on the mountain top with all it's thrills, pats on the back, high fives and that feeling of accomplishment? I know I do! No wonder the movie musical La La Land was so popular! If I look back on my life and look to people I admire most, we have all experienced some minor or major set backs, heartbreak, and pain. It sucked big time going through it, and many instances I wouldn't wish it on my closest friends.
Read More2017 is here whether we like it or not, we are destined to move forwards. We can't go back but only be present in the moment and look towards the future with hope. I have to laugh at all the times in my life where the turn of the year has pushed me to want me to be the best I can be, but truly- what are we measuring that ideal against?
If you are like me, we often beat ourselves up that we didn't lose those extra pounds gained during the holidays, or read the books or passages that we'd like to or reestablished relationships like we ought to and we end up feeling like a failure. We often set the bar unrealistically high when it comes to New Year's Resolutions!
Read MoreIt's good to get back to blogging again! I've taken a break from it for a few months and it was not by choice, but a forced kind of way. In the spring of 2016, I received an email from a camp director in Alberta (who was about to book me to speak at a women's retreat),. giving me a heads up on an online nightmare. She informed me that when they sought to confirm the booking, they came upon my website and was shocked that it was gone.
I was like "What do you mean,... gone?"
The annoying reality hit me 'Welcome to the world of hacking.' As I clicked on my site, up came a page I will not soon forget. As a result, I acted swiftly to assure my site host at the time quickly took off the images, erased all my content and the cyber bug added eery music and text on my page.
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