Tuesdays

Tuesdays.  I love Tuesdays.   Tuesday is the one day of the week that is classified as Museum Day in our household.   I volunteer at 26 Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery - XII Manitoba Dragoons Museum. The tiny Museum with the really long name.     The Museum is staffed by volunteers from a 16 year old  to an 86 year old.    They all have such great vision and enthusiasim.   It is an honour and a delight to work side by side with them.   Well,  in actuality  it is more like running after them than working side by side. :)   Who knew 86 and 80 and 70 year olds had such vim and joy??       This is what is missing in our Churches these days.... vision, enthusiasm, and joy.     While most people who volunteer in the Church often tire after volunteering for ten to twenty years, these Museum volunteers don't look at volunteering as a time event but look at working at the Museum as a life time event.   Certainly makes a difference.    In fact on one wall in the Museum is a Memorial to all those who volunteered at the Museum and have since died.   Each and every one of them volunteered right up to the day they died.  How neat is that.    

Today at the Museum is the completion of the Weapons Verification.    Each quarter CFB Shilo asks us to check to make sure the firearms we have displayed in the Museum are the one's  that CFB Shilo has on their list.    Yesterday Old Son was a tremendous help with getting the Weapons Verification started.    Old Son is a Reservist with 26 Fd Regt.  He is a Drummer in the Pipe and Drum band but knows more about weapons (old and new) than I will ever know (or remember!).    While I am still all thumbs when it comes to handling weapons,  Old Son took the time to say to me, "Mom stand this way,  hold this firearm like this,  here is how this site works,  and use those middle aged muscles!" 

So, today,  go do something that revives your soul!   Pray!   Take a walk with your family!  Go find neat friends!!

Prayer:   Jesus Christ,  Son of God, use us to bring peace into Your world.   Jesus Christ,  Son of God,  use us to bring love into Your world.  Jesus Christ,  Son of God,  help us to grow love and peace and joy in Your world.    Amen.

Read:  St. Matthew 5:  9 – 12

“Blessed are the peacemakers.”   In Psalm 34:14,  we find that bringing peace is more than just the absence of war.... bringing peace means asking God to help create a balance in this world of a  life of harmony and blessing.... and asking God to use us to help with this creation.   Unlike Colt Gun Manufactors who made a single action revolver called “The Peacemaker”...one shot and all your “problems” are dead.   That isn’t the type of “peacemaking” that Jesus is talking about here!  The word peace means wholeness.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness”.      Well this Beatitude is just not fun at all.   Jean Vanier in his book “I Met Jesus”, translates this Beatitude as “If you are kind.  If you love me and try to do what I say, you will be laughed at, pushed, and persecuted.  Do not worry.  Do not be afraid.  I am with you.  Then you are happy and blessed of my Father. I say to Jesus, ‘But it is hard to love, to give, to always forgive, to live as you say.  I try but I can’t.  I often fail.  So quickly I become discouraged.  I become lazy and just think of myself.’   Then Jesus smiles at me and says, ‘Yes, for you all alone, it is impossible but nothing is impossible for God!  I am here to help you and to forgive you.  In that way, you still remain my friend.’ ”     Life as a follower of Christ will not be a bed of roses.  Life as a follower of Christ will not always be easy.... BUT God  is with us always.   We are blessed.

Prayer:   God,   we thank You that You are with us always.   And we delight in Your love and Your life.   Amen.

Many blessings