Progress, Not Perfection

I am a cactus. Mental health can feel like a really complicated topic. It can be hard to understand our emotions and what is are normal for us and what we need support with. I recently discovered a great tool for doing some brief self-assessment and learning some strategies to help maintain or develop wellness. It's called How's It Growing? and it is a tool for young people developed by Mind Your Mind, the Government of Canada, and Canada Service Corps. The tool takes you through a brief quiz and then tells you what kind of plant you are. It then provides some insights into what you need to grow well as a plant and what you can do to support your own growth. Check it out and let me know what kind of plant you are! https://mindyourmind.ca/apps/HowsItGrowing/en/index.html?fbclid=IwAR30AcEblc0UlTcrk5xcwNjf6FMB_rNsE-IyG7yfPj2xuN5PX4f-RxlVDNE

*Fair warning, this post is different than our normal short articles. It is a paper that I wrote for my undergraduate degree. I hope you enjoy and perhaps think about some things that you would not have thought about otherwise* Development of Morality: Childhood and Faith Development It is not often that one hears or sees something that truly changes their outlook on life or their feelings about their purpose.   I once heard someone explain that there are resume virtues and eulogy virtues.   That is to say, that there are characteristics that people think are important in the moment, or in life, and then there are things that people will actually remember about you.   Your resume virtues are things like being organized or always being on time, but eulogy virtues are things like making people smile and helping out friends.   So how does one learn what these things are? How does one become virtuous, moral or build their conscience?   It is in childhood that one develops thei

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13 NRSV H. Richard Niebuhr states that there are five ways in which we come to believe: 1. Things that are taken for granted There are things that are accepted for fact which we do not try to dispute, the example Niebuhr gives is that the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west. This is something that is known that we often don't think critically about. 2. The authority of others Other people tell us a lot of the information that we know. Our mother or father tells us not to sit too close to the TV or it will hurt our eyes and we accept their authority on the matter. 3. Through experience Through trying things and failing or succeeding, we learn truths about life. For example, when you put off doing your chores and then cannot hang out with your friends later in the w

Someone I have come to admire quite a bit is a man named Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. He is an excellent scholar and author. His website releases weekly articles called Covenant and Conversation. In one of theme, it states, " Creation is God’s relationship to the world. Revelation is God’s relationship with us. When we apply revelation to creation, the result is redemption : the world in which God’s will and ours coincide". Our theme over the past months has been "Care for Creation" and we have looked at the majesty of the created world. I enjoy the triad of this relationship by which the created world, humanity, and God come together. Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God in the gospels, and we say in all the time in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven".  Again here, we see this link between the kingdom and the will of God. How do we know what God's will is? Take a moment to pray on this. What is God&#

Some of you have mentioned before that it can be hard to share our faith with our friends who do not practice a religion. Perhaps being Christian is something they would make fun of, or something that would make us seem different. I, too, have found myself in these situations, where it feels like we have to hide who we are. But what would true courage be? Though it can seem impossible, our friends might be more accepting than we first think, and perhaps we can change their stereotypes of what being Christian is. This is a form of evangelizing too: to teach others what Jesus taught us. The quote in the photo is by Brene Brown. If you have a chance, I recommend reading some of her work. Here is a link to one of her TedTalks where she discusses vulnerability and shame:   https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability/transcript?language=en

On Friday night, we had the awesome experience of learning about seed planting, worm composting, and growing your own food. God has given us the beautiful gift of the earth which is especially evident for us in the Spring. We have the chance to see new life blooming everywhere and creation occurring all around us. In Luke chapter 8, Jesus tells us the Parable of the Sower. Seeds are dispersed onto various places, some of those places are good for seed to grow, and others are not. Jesus then explains that the seed is the word of God. Some people want to hear the word of God, but the weeds in their life choke the word. Others, are not ready to hear the word of God like the seed that is planted on rocks with no moisture. Through creation, we can see so many of the ways that God works in the world and is always creating. It was great to get to be a part of creation on Friday. We are going to continue our care for creation in June at the Ignatius Centre. Matt, a member of our communi

A Song That Calms You Down A song that has always calmed me down is "Cold As You" by Taylor Swift. This song is from her first album, titled after herself which was released in 2006. You can follow this link:  https://open.spotify.com/album/7mzrIsaAjnXihW3InKjlC3  to listen to the song. The song is the emotional story of the downfall of a loveless relationship. You may be asking yourself why that would be a song that calms me down. The piano has a lot to do with it. But the honesty of the song hits my heart in a way that makes me feel calm. It's a song that I have listened to so many times and I know all of the words. I often find myself singing it when I am sad and now I barely listen to the actual song because I prefer to sing it myself. I am curious to know: what your songs are that make you feel calm and close to God and your thoughts?

A Song That Reminds You of Your Parents The song that reminds me of my parents is "Mine Would Be You" by Blake Shelton. My parents have been a true model for me my entire life of what true love looks like. It isn't always pretty and it's not like a Disney movie. There are ups and downs of course, but unconditional love always pulls through if you work for it. The song displays this perfectly, in my opinion. As for the good, Blake sings: What's your double dare, your go all in? The craziest thing you ever did? Plain as your name in this tattoo Look on my arm, mine would be you Mine would be you Sun keeps shining, back road flying Singing like crazy fools Making up our own words Laughing 'til it hurts Baby, if I had to choose My best day ever My finest hour, my wildest dream come true Mine would be you But as in all relationships, being vulnerable enough to love someone else means that there will be pain there. The song continues and Blake sh

It is during this point in our liturgical year that we truly see the "Apocalyptic Jesus" who speaks of the end of times and the afterlife. In Matthew 16:18-20, it reads: And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. The word "loose" here means to set free. Jesus is giving Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. And then, mysteriously, Jesus tells them all not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. The Gospel of Matthew places and emphasis on Jewish traditions and was likely written for a community that still considered themselves to be Jewish. This passage shows us that "Jewish-ness" but also demonstrates the departure from Hebrew traditions w

While I am not musically talented, I am an avid music consumer and the kind of person who will listen to the same song over and over until I know every part of it by heart. So, I thought I might share a new way of reflection with you through music by doing a writing spree. Each day, there will be a new reflection about a different song that has some sort of significance to me. I hope you enjoy! Day One: A Song From Your Childhood Vincent - Don McLean When I was a small child, my Dad would sing me songs before I went to sleep at night and Vincent was one of the songs that I requested the most. I didn't really understand what all of it meant, but I knew it was a sad song, and to me that really shows the power of music. I liked that the song made me feel something and that I felt like I could relate to the song. Don McLean is an incredible songwriter, in my opinion, because he is able to create such amazing images in one's mind as they listen to the song. One of the verses

Sometimes we have to do things that we don't like to do. In a day, you may spend most of your time doing things that are "have to" instead of "want to". When we get caught up in this daily grind, it can be easy to feel bitter about all the "have to" things. Bitterness can sneak up on us in relationships as well, perhaps when we feel like a friend is not putting as much into the relationship as we are or if our family doesn't respect our needs. Here are some tips and bible passages to help settle those feelings of bitterness and allow us to live a happier life. 1. Focus on this that bring you joy. "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8) 2. Put your trust in God. "We know that all things work together for good for

What do you do as a family to unwind and recharge? How does your family ensure that you have quality time together each week? Teens live busy lives and sometimes it seems like there is no time for family any more, and friends take priority. But, it is important to seek that time with family to unwind together, laugh together. I follow a page on Facebook called Mindful Christianity Today. They post quite often and share some great inspiration to remind us what being a Christian is all about. The above photo is one that they have shared recently. I would recommend giving them a follow if you have Facebook. It's a great way to keep God in mind even when mindlessly scrolling through social media. Click here to check them out. Comment your family traditions of self-care and relaxation. Maybe you watch a movie together every Tuesday or make breakfast together each Saturday.

Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.    He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;  he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.    “Be still,and know that I am God!  I am exalted among the nations,  I am exalted in the earth.”    The  Lord  of hosts is with us;  the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Psalm 46:8-11) Box breathing is a calming technique that you can use anywhere to settle your mind, relieve stress, and take a time out. I find it helpful to use a visual to help me to do this, but you can simply count if you prefer. It is simple: inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds (repeat as needed). Click here to use the video to help you try it. You can add box breathing to your prayerful time of the day as a way to remove distractions before you begin your prayer practice. It can also be helpful to use this technique before writing a test in order to settle your m