Alaska part one

I went on a cruise to Alaska last week with a friend. I will have lots of things to say about the actual cruise, which was amazing, but today I want to write about the Ligonier portion of the cruise.

My friend and I had talked about some day combining a cruise with something spiritually meaningful, so when Ligonier announced a cruise leaving from Vancouver to Alaska, we were excited and signed up. I've blogged about Ligonier before so I don't think I need to get into explaining all that again. But, I will say that it is a fantastic Christian organization that is dedicated to deepening and strengthening the faith and Biblical knowledge of Christians. If you're looking for resources including books or podcasts or teaching series or Sunday school materials, they have an abundance of solid resources. I have personally benefitted a great deal from them and have come to understand who God is so much more deeply, especially in the area of His sovereignty.

Anyway, to my delight, not only was the cruise offered by Ligonier, but Bob (W. Robert Godfrey) , one of my favourites, was one of the teachers on the book of Philippians. The teaching was solid, like always. But, we also got to sit and have coffee and then later breakfast with Bob. He is hilarious and insightful and just a delight to be around. He is in his 80s and inspires me to keep going, to persevere.

Not only did I get to hang out with Bob, I also got to meet Mrs Vesta Sproul. She is the widow of Ligonier's founder, RC Sproul. Since RC has gone to glory, I was able to thank Mrs Sproul for the transformative impact that Ligonier has had on my life. What a blessing!

In addition to these two, I met so many lovely people who were also on the cruise with Ligonier. The cruiseship had over 3000 people on it, but those who were part of Ligonier were only about 240. So, when we went on excursions, we had enough people to have (almost) everyone on board the train and the smaller boat exclusively from our group. It made things so much more personable. We had reserved tables for our group every night for dinner even though attendance was optional. Meeting different people over dinner was such a great way to connect and share a meal. Singing together and listening to God's word expounded was meaningful and moving. Walking around the boat seeing someone with a Ligonier name tag felt homey. If I ever do another cruise, I would love for it to be with Ligonier!

Emmi

Emmi got baptised on Easter Sunday, praise God!! Below is her testimony:

I grew up in a Christian home, where we prayed at every meal, and went to church every Sunday. There was never really a time that I didn’t know about Jesus, I had just always known about him. As well, I’ve been going to a Christian school all my life where we had Bible classes, along with a chapel every week where we learned more about God, and heard our teachers testimonies. Because of how I’d grown up surrounded by Christians, and hearing about their faith made it hard for me to make my belief and faith my own, and not just a replica of someone else’s. I found it difficult to have a personal relationship and connection with God, and not just see Him as something people I knew talked about. When my friends started showing their own faith, and their relationship with God, I felt a little offput, that they could put aside their doubt, and that their belief came so easily to them. So, at my summer camp one year, when my friends stood up to give their life to Jesus, I did too. It made me truly realize that I had to make my faith my own, my relationship with God my own, and not just follow my friends and family. The pastor at the summer camp then prayed over us and blessed us, which is the moment that I think of when I think back to when I first started truly believing in God. After that, Jesus slowly started to change me, and has made me more aware of my sin, and helped me to be more repentant. By being able to see my sin more clearly, I’ve been able to see my own need for Jesus, and how He saved me on the cross so that I could be forgiven. As well, it’s allowed me to turn away from my mistakes, and instead focus on being more like God as He helps me grow in my faith. I’ve slowly been forming a relationship with Him, and spending more of my time with Him. Now, I’ve come to make my faith my own, and come to realize that God cares for me, and is always there, as well as ready to help. It says in Mark 16:16, ‘Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’ I believe, so I’ve realized I want to be baptized, so I could publicly show my faith to others, and be able to take the next step in my faith. I’m especially glad to be baptized at Easter, because that is when Jesus died on the cross to take on my punishment of death for my sin.

Teaching

For the month of February I wrote messages onto hearts for why I love being their teacher. I hid one heart every morning and the students had to come in and find it. They loved looking for the hearts and reading reasons why I love being their teacher. I swear that one of the secrets to classroom management is enjoying the students and having them know it. I really do love teaching them, watching them learn, and laughing at their stories. Don't misunderstand...there are still fights to resolve, special needs, tattling, meanness, forgotten supplies and snacks....the list goes on. But they're also 7, and love school and are excited over books, science experiments, scavenger hunts and nature walks, so teaching them is still fun overall.

family weekend

We just spent an extra long weekend at my brother's house. The weather was beautiful and not too cold, even though it snowed on one day. I love mornings at my brother's house. I wake up in the guest cottage which is a lovely little rustic cabin. I check the time and decide whether I feel like getting up. There are no schedules at my brother's house and I am pretty sure Pentti is the only morning person. When I'm ready, I head over to the main house for coffee in my pajamas. It's usually pretty quiet at that hour since all the kids are late sleepers. I greet Hazel the dog. I enjoy my coffee and slowly wake up. After coffee, I go turn on the sauna. While its heating up, I change and go for a walk with Pentti (and sometimes some others join). We walk along the river joined by a dog or two. The air is fresh and invigorating. Knowing a relaxing sauna awaits spurs me on. After the walk, I enjoy the quiet of the sauna. As the light filters through the cedar-scented air, I breathe deep and admire the wonder of nature outside. The river rushing past, the big trees. It's such a peaceful and soothing start to the day and sets the tone for the rest of the day. 

This time around, the rest of my days were made up of conversation, card games, the Olympics, food and reading. It was truly a family weekend.

Communion

 

Our church does communion every Sunday and it is beautiful. The lining up. The singing. The reminder of Jesus' death on our behalf. The words uttered by the servers. The dipping of the bread and the very physical reminder that I have been saved and made righteous. 

P and I serve on the communion team. On the Sundays that we are scheduled, we stand at the front and serve the bread and the wine. Lately, as I look into the eyes of each person and say the words "the blood of Christ shed for you", it makes me cry. Jesus died for him. And for her. I must be getting soft in my old age. But, I also think that of all the meals that you can share with someone, communion is the most meaningful. It has eternal value. And it is an act of corporate worship. Jesus died for us. We are remembering together.

Inspirational

Do you know these two sisters? They go to my church and we had lunch after women's Bible study on Tuesday. Being with them makes me happy. We laugh a lot when I am with them. Seeing them on Sunday mornings brings me joy. They are in their 70s and 80s and still so vibrant and energetic and servant-minded and funny! They inspire me.

2025-the Ordinary

Lots of big things happened in 2025 and I will write about those later, although I think all of them already have their own blog entries. Top spot has to go to the birth of my granddaughter, obviously. The lowest, most heartbreaking has to go to the two unexpected deaths. But, I am not here to write about those. Today I want to write about the ordinary, the expected, the common.

I was looking back on pictures from the year and reflecting on the everyday moments. The things that make up the bulk of my life: family, work, and church. And I am grateful for all the joy that came from the regular rhythms of my life. 

I have a family who loves me. They see me at my best and at my worst and are there for me in both. Sitting down for dinner, going to church, praying, chauffeuring. These are all uneventful but bring me joy in the mundane. In the broader family, lunch with my sister. Chats with my brothers. Texting in our sibling chat. Memes. So many memes. Reminiscing. I am lucky that I am close with my siblings and that those bonds grow deeper as we age. One of the pictures from my collage of ordinary below is from my brother's house. Just a regular day and yet so extraordinary. 

Church is a biweekly rhythm for me since I go on Sundays and on Tuesday mornings and throw in community group on Wednesdays as a third. All of these are part of my typical week. There is no special programming. The structure is always the same. But the familiarity is comforting. I love the people. The church retreat, which I blogged about in October, was wonderful. But, that was an event. It was unusual. As I walk up the steps of my church on a regular day, I feel incredibly blessed that this is my church and I am grateful for the ordinary, common rhythms of it all. 

Going to work is a standard part of my life three days a week. It isn't glamorous. There isn't generally a lot of thanks or fanfare. But, I am lucky enough to love my job, to love teaching my students. And, I have friends at work who spend time with me and make work fun. We chat in the hallways. Have coffee. Laugh and cry. Raid the emergency chocolate stash. Vent our frustrations. Curse the broken photocopier. On a regular Thursday at work. This too I am grateful for. 

For all of it, I am grateful. Because as I posted on social media, "if you must look back, look back in celebration for the ordinary in your life and know, with all your knowing, that it isn't ordinary at all. It is magic. All of it. See it. Really see it." So, perhaps the ordinary moments are actually extraordinary after all...because of the people. My family, my church family, my coworkers, and my friends, they are the ones that make my ordinary magical.