Many of you deeply appreciated Judy McVean’s beautiful comments for Mother’s Day. Because her words are something you might like to keep, here is what she said:

This is part of the rich pageant of being mom, isn’t it? Yet we do survive and thrive in the midst of the trial and error, the joys and sorrows and just plain wonderment of it all. Many times I called out to God, and my friends, for wisdom, patience, guidance and energy – I still do.

In being a mom to 2 sons, both adults now, I look back and can see a bunch of things I wish I had done that I didn’t, other things I’m so glad I did, and most of all I see that it’s not over. Our relationships are constantly evolving and I’m glad for this as life offers us endless new starts, and continued opportunities to improve and strengthen who we are with one another.

We all need new starts, don’t we? I started over many times with my kids. I wanted so much to be a good mom but I wasn’t always sure what that looked like. I vacillated a lot …. Some days I’d give all the power to my kids thinking that the freedom was kindness. Other days I’d grab the power back and enforce rules because the freedom became unmanageable and we were miserable. The result, of course, was confusion – for all of us. One of my new starts was in developing the confidence to create consistent expectations of the kids and myself and to attempt to be faithful in applying those on a daily basis. The Good Mom as the Firm, Consistent Mom was big learning for me and more stabilizing for my sons. Maybe this resonates for you?

I’m keenly aware that Mother’s Day and all the surrounding hoopla isn’t always a ‘happy’ experience for many. The word ‘mother’ can evoke complicated responses. Sometimes it’s because of a difficult past. Sometimes it’s because as a mom you’ve been hurt deeply by a child or have failed a child in a significant way. Maybe for some, becoming a mom is the stuff of dreams, not reality. Maybe your mom is missing in your life. If these descriptions come close to describing how you feel – be kind and gracious to yourself. Talk to someone. Pray for healing guidance to navigate this ‘barricade’.

Can we make a deal? Can all of us make a promise to consciously encourage a mom this week? Regardless of how you connect to the ‘mother’ category, how about finding at least one thing you especially appreciate about your mom, or someone else’s mom, and telling her about it. Dads, this is your opportunity to make points! And yes, I know that your wife is not your mother, but if she’s the mother of your children, that counts!

My prayer for each of us is that we will know that our Mother/Father God has arms big enough to hold everything that’s filling our hearts. As his child, may we seek the nourishment we need to grow as women and moms, able to nourish ourselves and encourage others on this amazing journey. May we never lose sight of His promise that he will bring to completion the good work he has begun in all of us – you, your kids, your home. Bless you mom!

Judy McVean

Form. Formation. I was a long way into this life of following Jesus and leading others before I made this simple connection: how we live is the form in which we become. We simply cannot learn the life and truth of Jesus, without also learning the way of Jesus. To learn what he said, to discover who he was and is, is embedded in how he lived and what he did.

Jesus is not only the truth and the life (John 14:6). Jesus is the way. In fact, in that set of three — way, truth, life — it is Jesus as “way” that is set forth first as a kind of entry point. We learn truth and life through our commitment to a Jesus-way-of-being.

Christians commit themselves to a way of life. The earliest followers of Jesus actually called themselves followers of The Way (Acts 9:2), a piece of history we should not easily dismiss. They did not think to call themselves Christians (Gk. christianos: the name of Christ with a latin ending which suggested “belonging to”, as in slave ownership). It was those who watched them work out their lives who first called them by this name (Acts 11:26). Perhaps we too should be reticent to call ourselves Christians. Perhaps it would be more accurate, more honest and helpful both to us and to those who watch us, to simply say we have committed ourselves to follow Jesus in his way.

We need a recovery of sorts. We need to reestablish the idea that form is the key to formation. For so many of us, spiritual life belongs to the unstructured part of life. It tends to exist in spurts and impulses. You know what I am talking about. This is where our present series on what we call the practices can help us.

There are basic ways in which followers of Jesus learn his life and truth. There are basic ways in which we learn The Way. We call these practices because these are things we do. There is a common core here: prayer and worship, reading and study, giving and forgiving, sabbath and service, hospitality and the shared life. Actually, we might say that genuine Christian life is nearly impossible without such basics.

If you would like to dive deeper into this discussion, let me recommend Dorothy Bass, Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People (Jossey-Bass: 2nd edition, 2009). If you have been frustrated by the formless, chaotic nature of your spiritual life, you will be greatly encouraged by the thought that a Christian soul is made in the dailiness of walking the path with Jesus. May Our Lord lead you on.

Bob Osborne

Breathe

Just one night every couple months to come and worship, be encouraged, be engaged and take a breath.

Next Breathe is Wednesday, May 23rd
7:00 – 8:30 pm in the Westhall
All are welcome

Childcare provided

Below are the songs we will be singing on May 23:

Holy Spirit – Hillsong Chapel
Glorious – Bryan & Katie Torwalt
Rain Down – Delirious
He is Faithful – Bryan & Katie Torwalt
You Won’t Relent – Jesus Culture
Lost are Found – Hillsong Live
One Thing Remains – Jesus Culture
Holding Nothing Back – Jesus Culture
Awaken Me – Jesus Culture
Mighty Breath of God – Jesus Culture
How Great is Our God – Darlene Zschech

Spring Clean Up at the Longbow in support of the Calgary Homeless Foundation.

We will be meeting on site at the Longbow Building, 6228 Bowness Road NW. Considering joining us, as we continue to show our commitment and support of this Local Partner.

For more information or to sign up:
- email Launa Hermann at lhermann@wkc.org
- visit the Connections Counter (at the back of the West Hall) on Sunday mornings

Spring is here, summer is just around the corner and our facility needs some TLC. We are looking for volunteers to join us in some much needed cleaning, gardening, and painting projects.

If you could lend some time and elbow grease it would be greatly appreciated as we get our lawn and grounds ready for summer activities.

For more information or to sign up:
- email Launa Hermann at lhermann@wkc.org
- visit the Connections Counter (at the back of the West Hall) on Sunday mornings

Practice is a word that can be used in different, but complementary ways. If we say that a doctor has a practice, then we are referring to what a doctor does: the practice of medicine. If we say that an athlete must regularly practice, then we are referring to the skills they seek to perfect. Two uses of the word practice, two complementary understandings.

Apply this to your life as a follower of Jesus. There are things a follower of Jesus does: we pray, we read Scripture, we connect with the community of faith, we find a way to serve others, we share our resources, we worship. But then there is that other side of practice, where we commit to disciplines and ways of being in order to become what we are not. In other words, we practice forgiveness because we might not be naturally good at forgiving; or we practice gratitude because we might not be naturally grateful. We could apply this line of thought to so many other things: hospitality, generosity, thoughtfulness, service, and on it goes.

In this series we want to get practical. We want to talk about the things followers of Jesus do. We want to talk about the ways we become more like Jesus. We call these things the practices.

While their anger at God is ironic perhaps, it does remind us of some- thing: that anger is the unavoidable side of believing in something, loving something, or standing for something true and good. Perhaps there is a right and wrong way to be angry, and right and wrong things to be angry about.

Of course, it would be easy for us to say that God only appears angry, and that God’s “angry face” is merely a reflection of our own faces. While that may be a partial answer, the deeper questions remain: Does God get angry? What makes him angry? Does his anger negate his love, or express it? Just how should we see God?

These are not just questions for objectors to faith but for believers as well. The series promises to be an interesting mix of questions, feelings, and deeper meanings.

Bob Osborne

The story from Luke 23:32 to 24:12 (The Message Bible)

Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution. When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.

Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!” The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”

Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews. One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!” But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.” He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”

By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last.

When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!” There was a man by the name of Joseph… He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used. It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin.

The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.

At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn’t find the body of the Master Jesus.

They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ words.

They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles, but the apostles didn’t believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up.

But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that’s all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head.

Don and Hope Fleming, Calgary Chapter Directors, will be here to share information on this transformational life changing service opportunity.

Under the direction of PFC, volunteer teams or pairs lead Bible studies in correctional institutions located north of the Calgary city limits.

Bible studies can be devotional or delivered through a program such as Alpha. Alpha in prison is a Bible study that emulates Alpha as you would see it operating in churches. This well-developed and delivered Bible study allows interested inmates to go beyond theological basics and develop a knowledge, love and acceptance of Jesus Christ.

WHEN:
Thursday April 12 at 7pm

WHERE:
In the Bistro at WKC

CONTACT:
For more information, email lhermann@wkc.org

WHEN:
Friday, May 11 from 6:30 – 9:30 pm
& Saturday May 12 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

WHERE:
The House (located behind Westside King’s Church)

COST:
$50 per couple
please contact Barb McConnell at bmcconnell@wkc.org to arrange payment.

PRESENTED BY:
Phil and Karin Christie
Bill and Megan Darling

TO REGISTER:
To register for this event, please submit the following information.