Instagram This Week

promise

watching God arrange 

the details

 car ride

still rocking the baby

to sleep

dry goldenrod

the remains of growth

through the snow

printed pages

folded into a 

picture book

racoon prints

on the trod path

deep snow

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge: 

 trust 

 step forward with a question of

 unity 

 Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge: 

winter wind 

a push from behind 

walking home 

Susan Bonk Plumridge

Instagram This Week

 trust

step forward with a question

of unity

storm

unbroken snow levelling

all paths

theme song

singing the same tune

for months

pink sky

sunset in the western

clouds

drawing hearts

and I remember 

you Lord

A Question For First Baptist London (Canada)

We at First Baptist London stand on the edge of what can be an incredible new beginning. Two of our three services have been combined into a single group. Rev. Alan Roberts has led the way so that the traditional worship service and the contemporary worship service have been combined into one blended whole. We brought the services together with the hope of building a worship service that honours both styles and creatively listens to both voices while together we focus on worshiping our God.

We could have a long discussion about how well we handled this blending of worship styles, but the goal was to create something new that allowed honest input from both traditions. Unity and creativity have led the way toward keeping diversity.

What else do we need? 

God’s word says: “But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Malachi 1:11 NLT)

God’s church includes people from around the world. In fact God brought a Sgaw Karen Baptist community to this church. A people from half way around the world have come here and joined with us. But a drift has occurred because we assumed that joining meant they would become like us as they absorbed Canadian culture. But God is creative and His people are creative and we need to work together to build a unity that allows our diversity, our differences to be used to our advantage as we together seek to honour and worship God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Are we willing to discuss the possibility of having the English worship service and the Sgaw Karen worship service truly become united? There are many questions that would need to be answered. How would the two ministers work together? How would we incorporate the Karen language into the service? How would we structure meetings so that everyone can speak and be heard? How do we learn to communicate with each other? How would we provide choir and band rehearsal so that we learn each others music? How do we structure worship services so that people of all ages are regularly involved? How do we become a safe space so that all our children can learn to participate?

But God calls His people to unity. How do we reach for unity while also allowing for the God given diversity and creativity that make us unique?

Are we ready to actually consider becoming First London International Baptist Church?

Instagram This Week

winter wind

a push from behind

walking home

simplicity

home made whole wheat

pizza dough

blue jeans

clothes for a

journey

stack of books

haiku and mysteries home

from the library

butter chicken

a visit to the buffet

. . . someday

 

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge: 

violets 

winter sunshine through the  

south window    

Susan Bonk Plumridge

Instagram This Week

drifting snow

large flakes deepening

the layers

waterlily

blue floating on the spine

of my book

heart attack

another year close to home

pandemic

snow silence

the wild geese still avoid

hikers

waiting

the book file needs to be

emailed

 

Failed Haiku #62

eyeglasses

suddenly the nightmare

clears

air hug

the unexpected meeting

of friends in the woods

failed haiku.com