Gifts of Grace

October 31, 2025November 1, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

Late October mornings are full of brilliant calls to worship!

Stars twinkle boldly in the pitch darkness, slowly fading away as the sky brightens into fire and cotton-candy colouring, with layers of coral and turquoise chasing out the violet blue of the western sky.

In the middle of our ordinary lives, the canvas of sunrise unfolds before our very eyes as an extraordinary display of the glory and goodness of the Lord, an invitation to fix our minds on things above, not on earthly things.

And there are no shortage of earthly things that tend to darken our hearts.

Hot debates, inflammatory headlines, never-ending news cycles, sensationalized social media feeds.

An explosive text message, a concerning symptom or a season of deep grief.

Financial stress coupled with future uncertainty.

Can we hear the call of Christ amid all of these things?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

The gift of a breathtaking sunrise is just one of many glimmers of grace in the middle of the mess. Simple moments like these remind us that God is at work in ways we don’t always see. Life can be astoundingly difficult at times, but when these heavy things press in and threaten to crush us, we will hear the call of Jesus and rest in Him!

Thank you Lord for Your gifts of grace. May they not be lost on us! Give us eyes to catch glimpses of Your glory each day!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV)

A Necessary Pause

September 30, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

In a word: briliant.

September rarely disappoints in this part of the world! It has some of our best weather, our best colours, our best wildlife… what a gift! In the middle of the whirlwind of things to be done, afternoons are warm, roads are snow-free, and the golden kisses of autumn are everywhere.

It’s a much slower transition this year, though. No frost yet! Most years, we have a mid-month freeze up that sends the green on its way. Thanks to stretch of warmth, many bushes and trees are still holding on to their summer wardrobe. I suspect, though, over the next two or three weeks we’ll really see the autumn glow-up! And it will be glorious.

Just in time for Thanksgiving season at our house. Since the kids were little, we’ve been intentional about how we spend the weeks leading up to our Thanksgiving celebrations. Back then, it was easy. Life was a bit slower, kids jumped on the bandwagon and it didn’t take much to make it fun.

These days, though, with older kids and teenagers, it’s a different ball game. It’s no surprise that construction paper handprint leaves don’t cut it anymore, but our family gratitude journal has become an anticipated part of our routine. When I considered giving it a rest for a while, the loud protests revealed that it really has become a meaningful weekly tradition. It may not look the same as the handprint tree, but the intention remains: pause and take the time to remember the goodness of the Lord in our lives.

Holiday seasons rarely come at a convenient time. Life has a way of moving forward in ways we’re not ready for, and pressing pause on a full schedule with everyone’s different hopes and dreams for their intersecting lives can be a real struggle at times. Add relational tensions, unexpected illness and other dramatic life interruptions, and it can become a tough lesson in managing disappointment rather quickly. The costs can be high, and they’re not only financial.

Can we really afford to pause for Thanksgiving?

Lately I’ve been asking myself, “Can we really afford NOT to?” What an opportunity to rest in the Lord and see Him show up in places that feel impossibly difficult. As I wrestle with what it means for us this year, I keep thinking of a few thoughts from the final chapter of the book of Philippians:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:12-13)

And especially the promise:

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (v.19-20)

Yes Lord! We’re trusting that You know our needs — and You will meet us in those places we need You most.

Make a Way

August 31, 2025September 1, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

It’s so hard to say goodbye to our carefree summer days, and this late season heatwave is not making it any easier! After weeks of temperamental and wet conditions, we’ve finally had some brilliant beach weather — just in time for our fall routine to kick in.

Sigh.

I’ll admit, September to-do lists are bringing me down these days. With more tasks than hours in the day, and extras bubbling up that weren’t even ON the list in the first place, I feel like I’m white-knuckling it through the rapids and praying I pop up on the other side in calmer waters!

Bad timing, that’s for sure. We would have loved this weather several weeks ago when the school year preparations were far from our minds, but better late than never, they say. So we’re thankful for the time we’ve had in the past several days to enjoy the heat, and we’re thankful for the soft launch of our school year in the week ahead, with lots of time outside as we shift into formal learning mode.

Praise the Lord that HE is our strength!

These days, I begin with a four-word prayer: Lord, make a way.

He knows what needs to happen today. He knows what can wait. I can trust His wisdom and strength to lead me through the seasons that feel like they’re bursting at the seams with decisions, opportunities and activity. And I can trust that He will take care of the things that I choose to say, “not right now” to.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 comes to mind:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Amen! Let’s walk into the next season, a second new year of sorts, with a fresh faith that the Lord is making a way for the things HE has for us. His power is make perfect in weakness. We don’t have to have it all together – because He does.

Let it Be Summer

June 30, 2025July 1, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

The year goes by so fast, doesn’t it? June is done, and with it, a sense of finality. We’re still in the stage of measuring our lives in school years and summertimes, and summertime is taking centre stage right now.

My favourite tree across the street is larger than last year and all colours of beautiful blooms fill the beds and hedges around the yard. There’s a heaviness in the air this week – a humidity we don’t usually experience here – thanks to some heavy rain several days ago. Even the nights feel warm and sticky. It smells like wet earth and things growing and all the little bits of summer that we forget so quickly when the wind shifts at the end of the season.

For now though, we relish the heat of the sun and the green of the landscape and the hum of the creatures that fill our summer soundtrack. We’re ready for another kind of learning, the kind that teaches us how to live together and love each other well when there isn’t the same set routine or responsibilities of the school year to occupy our time.

It’s not that I don’t have things that need to get done in the next couple of months. There is no shortage of household projects and preparations and to-do lists, but I know that we need to make room for true rest in all its beautiful forms.

Perhaps that’s why I am a firm believer in the gift of a boring summer. Although we do maintain some expectations of household chores and sibling time throughout these wild and free summer days, I choose a slower pace for these summer vacation days. There is space in the schedule to lay down on the grass and look at the clouds. Play the entirety of a Phase 10 card game (that means all 10 phases!). To plan and execute a three-day campout in the backyard. Spontaneously get together with friends who happen to be in town for the day. Shop for and cook dinner over a fire we took the time to build. Say yes to an impromptu ice cream invite. To read aloud together. To grab the binoculars and check out that cool bird. To drive out of town for the day and explore a new place.

To just be.

I walked into two different stores this week and saw autumn-themed decorations – and immediately closed my eyes and put out my hand with a firm, “No”. Not ready for that, thank you very much. How about popsicles for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and watermelon all day long! Sprinklers and water fights and pop-ins at the pool. Epic thunderstorms with awe-inducing lightning bolts and bubbling clouds that make your heart beat just a little bit faster.

The reality of the passage of time is always pressing down on me. I see all the changes happening before my very eyes – in my own reflection in the mirror, in my kids, in our family dynamics. I’m thankful for all the moments we have together, even the ones that feel a lot more like storm clouds and thorns than sunshine and roses. Change has never been my forte, and the looming uncertainties of the future are casting their shadows on my current season of life, but I am setting my heart on the One who never changes!

Psalm 91:1-2

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Bearing Fruit

May 31, 2025June 1, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

A rushing wind blew through last night bringing relief to from the late spring heat. And with it, thoughts of Pentecost, and the wind of the Spirit bringing new hope for a life of transformation and change! I’ve been reading Galatians this month, and earlier this week I made it to the famous Chapter 5, such a familiar passage if you grew up memorizing Scripture.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-24 (NIV)

We’ve been looking at the Fruit of the Spirit recently at our house. Sometimes to know what something is, you need to know what it is not, and the contrast between the two lists is stark. The call in the beginning of the passage is clear — walk by the Spirit and these things will no longer be attractive to you! We are called not to do whatever we want, but to live the way Christ has called us to live!

It’s a tall order, but the good news is that it’s the fruit of the Spirit. That means the Spirit is bearing fruit in our lives. His work in our hearts that makes transformation possible! As we yield to Him, we discover new capacities and desires growing in us, leading us away from the first list and toward the second.

Do not be discouraged! We live by the Spirit, so let’s keep in step with the Spirit! Actively seek opportunities to live out the love of God, with joy and peace. Choose forbearance. Act in kindness and goodness. Be faithful and gentle. And use self-control. Cover all in prayer!

Lord, these things can seem so impossibly difficult to choose in the heat of conflict or temptation! Give us the wisdom to see the clear choices before us, the courage to trust that You will fill all our needs and bring Your justice to every situation, and that You truly are at work in our lives. We thank You for Your grace and mercy when we fail, and we pray that Your Kingdom come and Your will be done here in our lives as it is in heaven. Amen.

Spring Again

April 30, 2025May 2, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

Caught a glimpse of my first red-winged blackbird this week. Birds of prey are back in town, soaring over greening landscapes. My hollyhocks and strawberries have popped up and the irises are well on their way.

All at once, the world is alive!

Seems the spring snow has done its job, though it will likely return to nourish the earth before May is through. Spring is so changeable here! Last week snow flurries fell as the sun was shining. Good weather is never a guarantee, so even though the breeze has a hint of a chill at times, we try to drink in each drop of amazing golden sunshine while we have it.

After the soft pastel skies and brilliant white palette of winter followed by the drab grey and brown of the spring melt, I am ready for bluebird skies and every shade of green dotted with the myriad of pinks, blues and purples, reds, yellows and oranges of the annuals and perennials in the neighbourhood. Bring on the birdsong, even in the wee hours, accompanied by the babbling of the nearby creek and the rustling of leaves on the once-bare trees.

What a gift!

Every year I am amazed that what once looked lifeless is now bursting with growth. The days lengthen, with light touching places that even a few short weeks ago seemed beyond reach — our annual reminder that God is always at work fulfilling the promise of new life, streams in dry places and beauty from ashes.

The God who created these beautiful natural rhythms of life is the very same God who carries us through the most difficult moments we are currently facing. He is faithful to bring the sunrise each morning and we can trust Him to continue His work in our lives.

Recently I’ve been thinking about this passage from 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 (NIV) —

“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”

Nature reveals the glory of God, but at times our circumstances threaten to rob us of our joy. For you who feel battered by life today, hold on to the One who made His light shine in our hearts, who places treasures in jars of clay, who fills us with His power to face the day. When you wake up in the morning and that same thing is still, well, very much the same, hold fast to the truth that we are not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed. He is revealing His life in and through us.

Then, step into the day with confidence knowing you are never alone. Intentionally notice the gifts of spring and let them refresh your heart as the Lord does His work. It’s all for His glory!

Thanks be to God.

A Thousand Little Moments

February 28, 2025March 1, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

“You want to work on this with me, Mom?”

The invite came from my eldest, last Saturday after breakfast.

A partially finished puzzle of Jane Austen quotes was laid out on the folding table in the living room. The older two girls had begun it earlier in the week and day after day it stared up at us, patiently waiting to be completed. I’d been intending to sit down and work on it with them at some point in the week, but of course life kept popping in with its more pressing demands.

My mind scanned the list of things on the to-do list. “Puzzle” was not on it. And yet…

“Sure, let’s see how far we can get,” I agreed as I took my post and slowly began to piece the quotes together, paying close attention to fonts and colours and patterns. I felt a little lost as I tried to make sense of parts of letters and segments of words that could have come from any one of the several quotes on the reference image. It was painfully slow but we made a little bit of headway before other tasks drew us from the table, leaving some sections complete, others partially finished, none connected to the rest. I was a little disappointed, to be honest. I thought we’d get farther in the time we spent on it.

Maybe that’s why I was so surprised when I returned from an errand later that day to discover the puzzle was nearly complete.

“Wow! This looks amazing!” I exclaimed. “How did you finish it so fast?”

“Well actually most of it was done. We just needed to connect the parts together,” my daughter answered as she placed the final few pieces into the puzzle with satisfaction.

Just needed to connect the parts together. The words echoed in my mind. How often have I felt like I just needed to see the whole picture so I could make those seamless connections between the parts of my life that feel like they’re never going to come together and the ones that are looking pretty good from my vantage point. Most of the time, I simply don’t see how it’s all going to work out until long after it’s over and I gain some distance and perspective.

I am learning to trust that the Lord is always at work. And as I get older, I am spending less time trying to predict where things fit and more time marvelling at the finished product, most often absolutely stunned and surprised by the goodness and faithfulness of a God who is always mysteriously at work, bringing beauty from ashes in one way or another.

What an amazing thing! A puzzle goes from one thousand individual little pieces to one exquisite, unified image: an ever-present but very ordinary reminder that the Lord is working a thousand little moments together to bring about something beautiful in my own life. Even when I can’t possibly imagine how the pieces fit, they always do.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 3:16-21

Not Finished

January 31, 2025 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

The sun is setting much later these days. We find ourselves enjoying dinner in the glow of the sunset instead of the silvery moonlight. They say we’ve made it through the darkest weeks of the year, and it’s noticeable.

Darkness comes after dinner now, and these winter evenings, although they are gradually growing shorter, bring such delight as we try to spot the parade of planets, recognizable constellations and the familiar phases of the moon.

It never gets old to me.

January has been mostly warm with days of temperatures far above normal, and sunrises and sunsets painting the skies with the most incredible rose-gold and lavender hues. The hollyhocks got confused and mistook the mild conditions for the month of March, their leaves poking up out of the ground in the warm winds and sunshine. But of course, it’s January. We know winter is not finished with us yet. The whiplash weather patterns used to bother me, but after so many years I’ve begun to look forward to the relief of a spring-like day in the dead of winter.

Last night, the snow and cold returned, as we knew it would. A heavy sigh escaped my lips. I really despise winter driving conditions, and the cold makes everything just that much more difficult. I ran through all our weekend plans in my mind, making a checklist of all the ways the ice and snow would complicate things.

This morning, shrieks of delight took me by surprise as they filled the house. “SNOW! GUYS! IT SNOWED! FINALLY!”

I didn’t realize just how much the kids were missing the classic winter weather that bring us out into white, open spaces to sled and skate, and make hot chocolate taste simply divine.

Perspective is everything, isn’t it?

I saw bothersome inconvenience I’d been dreading; they saw fantastic opportunity they’d been awaiting.

No matter what weighs on our hearts today, we have a choice: we can be ruled by the fear of the unknown, embittered by the loss of things that once were, filled with anger at the things we cannot change.

Or we can choose the life-giving perspective of worship and praise of the One who holds the future, the One from whom all blessings flow, the One who can be trusted to bring beauty from ashes.

Lord Jesus, please change my perspective!

Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

The Last of the Year

December 31, 2024 / stephanienicole / Leave a comment

The waiting and longing of Advent has given way to Christmas. With the lighting of every new candle, the anticipation grew. Excitement filled our hearts for the night when we would finally celebrate the coming of a Saviour who changed everything, and will one day change everything again! We have not rushed through this season as if it’s a series of events to be endured, rather we’ve embraced it as a loud, lingering celebration of the only One who can truly heal our hearts!

We would be fools to pretend that things are not complicated, even and especially during the holidays. Sorrow and grief. Conflict and frustration. Strained and broken relationships, realities that we almost cannot comprehend, the sinister coldness of apathy gripping our hearts. There are those who are not with us this year, and we feel the gap acutely.

Jesus, be near!

In our home, the tree lights still glow as carols softly fill the living room. The halls are still decked as we gather around the table filled with once-a-year treats. Snow is finally falling and the north wind is rushing down from its Arctic home, bringing the conditions we’ve been waiting for to enjoy sledding, skating and warming fires.

Tonight, in these last moments of the year, we’ll reflect on God’s goodness and grace in these past twelve months, marking those moments as evidence that He is faithful and holding them as beacons to remind us that He is able to carry us through the year to come. May this be a time of growth into a deeper understanding of the Lord, and the transformation power that comes from yielding to His work in our lives.

A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition

Father in heaven,

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

-John Wesley

Happy New Year, friends. May the Lord’s presence surround you.

Not Quite Ready

November 30, 2024 / stephanienicole / 1 Comment

Scrolling through the November camera roll, I see that this is the month where we switched from fall to winter. Early photos feature long shadows on the golden grass, dark silhouettes of leafless trees against the gradient colors of dusk, foggy moonlit nights, and neighbourhood bunnies turning white.

And then, “snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow…”

Photos of mostly white, with every bough, branch and twig outfitted in Narnia-like fashion. It’s own kind of magical beauty, taken in during long sessions of shovelling and scraping, or through the window from the warmth of the indoors.

We enjoyed a long, warm autumn and the refreshing blanket of winter has brought the Christmas season into focus. It’s much easier to get in the mood when we’re surrounded by a white wonderland! Glimmers of lights and ribbons are slowly beginning to appear in our home, but we have yet to officially deck the halls. Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent, and tonight we’ll spend time preparing and bringing the season alive in our space. Favourite ornaments will be carefully selected and placed on the tree, the little village will fill the top of the piano, and stockings will go up in their usual place.

In my heart, I don’t quite feel ready. But as I noted on Easter this year, you don’t have to be ready for Jesus for Jesus to be ready for you.

This whole Advent season is a time of preparation for the joyous celebration of His first arrival to bring salvation, while looking forward to His Second Coming to make the world right again. Tomorrow we’ll focus on Hope, next week it’s Joy, followed by Peace and finally, Love. And then, Christmas Eve. The rhythms of the Advent season have offered me space and time to fully prepare, to enter into worship again and again with a sharp focus on the reason we celebrate. It’s not a mad rush to cram in all the fun in less than a month (although I do love the fun!), but a thoughtful and intentional opportunity to turn my eyes upon the only One who can bring true hope, joy, peace and love to a world in desperate need, and to discover His active presence in unlikely places that are wildly despairing, brimming with sorrow, steeped in conflict and coldly apathetic.

Lord, this is my Advent prayer:

Bring me back from the edge of the pit. Turn my mourning into dancing. Heal the wounds that cause me to lift my fist. Warm my heart again. And in this season where I long for your Second Coming, may I bring this very same hope, joy, peace and love to those I meet, including those who I assume do not need me to do so. Open my eyes to Your work in the world, and show me how to participate in it in ways that bring You glory.

Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

You come to the help of those who gladly do right,

who remember your ways.

But when we continued to sin against them,

you were angry.

How then can we be saved?

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

No one calls on your name

or strives to lay hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us

and have given us over to[b] our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.

We are the clay, you are the potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;

do not remember our sins forever.

Oh, look on us, we pray,

for we are all your people.

Isaiah 64:5-9 (NIV)

With Stephanie Nicole

life, faith, family… one day at a time

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