News Letters
February 18, 2026 – Weekly News
Download the PDF A Simple Bible Prayer for God’s Guidance and Wisdom Pablo Diaz Whatever challenge or decision you are facing today, pray these words.One of my favorite prayers in the Bible is the one said by Abraham’s servant as he carried out arequest to find a wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac: “Please give me success today…”The story goes that after Abraham buried his wife Sarah, he knew his time of death was near.Abraham had one thing in mind—to marry…
Weekly News – February 4th, 2026
Download the PDF The Strength of Gentleness Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. — Matthew 5:5 (ESV)Gentleness is not weakness but a sign of strength under control. Today, practice gentlenessin your interactions. Show the strength of God’s love through your meekness. Your calm andgentle spirit can be a profound witness to others.Heavenly Father, may my gentleness be a beacon of Your grace, drawing those aroundme closer to Your love. GENTLENESS IS STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL Author unknown…
January 28, 2026 – Weekly News
Download the PDF Jan. 28, 2026 As I sit here on a very snowy Sunday, wearing my sweats, as I have been under the weather since Friday, I marvel at the amount of snow that has fallen with more in the forecast. Being a born and bred Canadian, snow does not intimidate me. There are pictures of me, in my youth, standing beside a snowbank which was a good 2 feet higher than me. I have plowed through the highways…
January 21, 2026 – Weekly News
Download the PDF Matthew 4:12-23 CommentaryChelsey Harmon This is a different version, or perhaps we could say a similar story, to the discipleship calling narrative we had in the Gospel of John. Some of the same players are here though, even if in lesser roles: John the Baptist looms in the background and Andrew and his brother Simon Peter are here again—seen by Jesus. We even get an emphasis on prophecy being fulfilled and themes of light and darkness (albeit this…
January 14th – 2026 – Weekly News
Download the PDF Last week we all had to endure a day of very high winds. Now, I have to admit, I can tolerate heavy downpours of rain, blizzards, sleet, hail, etc. However, strong winds make me very uneasy. I had the “pleasure” a couple of years ago to witness a tree being blown over onto my back fence wiping out a good portion of it. Not only that, but spears of branches were impaled into the ground just as…
January / February 2026 – Graceview
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What is Shrove Tuesday, and What Does it Have To Do With Pancakes?
“Shrove” is the past tense of the verb “to shrive”, meaning “absolve from sin”, and seems to be currently used only in relation to “Shrove Tuesday”, the day before Ash Wednesday. In the Middle Ages, on Shrove Tuesday morning the church bell would ring, calling Christians to church to confess their sins and be “shriven” – in other words, receive absolution or forgiveness. This was especially important at the start of the Lenten season, a forty-day period leading up to…
Message of Hope
Email from my sister Lynne: I thought you might be interested in this. I found it in a little booklet of devotions for Advent that was given out at church today. Note from me: You know I am a big fan of C.S.Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. (Feel free to roll your eyes and think, “There she goes again.”) I thought it interesting that this appeared in a booklet of devotions given out at a Catholic Church on Marco Island, Florida,…
I Know of a Lovely Garden – Martin Luther
Centuries after his death, Martin Luther’s deep affection for home and children still lives on in his writings. In 1530 he wrote the following letter to his four-year-old son Hans. I was intrigued by it, by the gentle, loving, sensitive message to his little boy, from a man we know as the brave, determined monk who transformed the Christian church and changed the Christian world. To my little son, Hans Luther, grace and peace in Christ. My heart-dear little son:…
The Real Saint Nicholas
“The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving. by grace. through faith, and this is not of ourselves.” St. Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of children, sailors and merchants. St Nicholas is a revered Christian saint who is celebrated for his piety, generosity, and numerous miracles. Little is known about the historical Saint Nicholas. The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his death and probably contain legendary elaborations.…
Hiemingas Celebrating St. Nicholas 2025
Dear friends!! We have had so much to be thankful for this year – not only joys, but also the challenges. We are finishing off the year experiencing the joy and light of the birth of Jesus. This began as we celebrated the Dutch tradition of “St Nicholas” (Dec. 5-7) We opened our time together in prayer of thanksgiving for food and time together. Every year St Nicholas Celebrations become even more special. In past we have made a gift…