Those who know me well will understand what an accomplishment it is for me to use a chainsaw… I’m not exactly the “chain-saw type”, more on that below…

Sunday

Once monthly, we have our Sunday School kids sing or present a little something before leaving service for their classes. Last Sunday was the day (Sophie’s was playing keyboard)! As you can see, they’re not numerous but they make up for it by asking questions beyond their age. In fact, Sunday School ran long because there was engaged discussion about salvation and growing in God.

After service and over lunch we celebrated Bro. Andy’s birthday which had been earlier in the week. He is our Bible school student and he also presents a short devotional message in service each Sunday morning. Thank the Lord for quality young people.

Pray: Tomorrow, Andy is hosting a Bible study in Tours (1hr away) for fellow university students. It will be held in the same hotel conference room where the Lord made his call clear to me in 2012 (incidently, Andy’s sister was the student present that day in 2012). Pray for this endeavour.

Chainsaws…

Surrounding about half of the church property is a tree line of evergreens that at one point were merely a hedge. Typically these types of trees are maintained at a height of roughly 8-10′ (2.5 – 3.5m) but as near as we can tell, this hedge was last trimmed 12-15 years ago.

Beginning in July, a couple of friends helped us bring down the bulk of the overgrowth (everything above 12′ tall) on the portion of the “hedge” that borders the road. Once on the ground however, there was still a LOT of cleanup required.  While I wasn’t about to bring down tree-tops, I figured that I could surely de-limb the trunks and section the remaining logs & branches… slowly but surely. I spent about three afternoons doing that this week. Check back in the coming weeks for a “before & after” pic… once final shaping is completely finished. My dad would be proud… scared, but proud!  🙂

Bible Study & Bonfire

Since we now had an abundance of 4′ logs, branches & brush, we thought it’d be fun to have our midweek service by the fire and make it a time of extended fellowship as well.

Our worship was “unplugged” as Dominic, on his guitar, was the band. Liz led worship and I spoke on the effect of trials in our life; like fire, it can either consume or purify us. I figured the object lesson would be unmistakable.

Evenings here are getting down to 11-15 degrees so it was still relatively comfortable fireside. It’ll undoubtedly be our last though. Fall is in the air!

Counsel & Practice

Thursday night we spent the evening counseling a young couple who were in need of  a nudge in the right direction. It was a positive time and opens the door a little bit wider for the Lord to work in their life. Following our time with them, we stopped by a local restaurant to put into practice some of what we’d advised them to do… take time together.

Liz had the “café gourmand” (2 types of mousse and two cookies with coffee) while I opted for my dessert of choice, crême brulée, accompanied by a Lavazza.

I’m thankful for a godly wife and time alone together!

Website Updates

If you’re familiar with the front page of AIMLong.ca you’ll note the absence of the mini-gallery in the sidebar and the addition of the Photos image. Clicking on that photo (whether here or on the home page) will take you to an updated photo gallery of our time here.

Thanks for your visit again today… God bless your day!