The other side of a challenge…

Greetings Tablers!

First of all, my deepest thanks for all of your expressions of concern
and care regarding the home fire our family experienced this past
Sunday. We feel surrounded (in the best sense of that word) and
carried along by people that really do care, and that has been a
lovely aspect of this otherwise un-lovely experience.

I was warned by more than one mentor of the potential dangers of being
too autobriograpical when preaching. I won’t take up space documenting
those potential pitfalls, not least of all because this Sunday I
intend to completely ignore that advice. I have been deeply
pre-occuppied this week with things arising from and pretaining too
the fire I mentioned. Experiences like this one are attention getters,
occasions to re-consider, re-calibrate. They can also alter our
perspective and compel us to see common things (in this case, certain
limited aspects of disaster or suffering) from a different vantage
point.

So, at the risk of being self-indulgent, this week in the teaching
time I want to reflect a bit on what things have looked like from “the
other side” of a challenging set of circumstances, in the hope that
there may be some insights gleaned that can be of use for all of us.

I look forward to being with you all on Sunday morning, with my tea
(in my own mug) in hand, my bicycle ensconsed in my garage (although
year-round bike parking is available at The Table – and I’ll
personally pour a hot cup of coffee for anyone that rides in this week
), and my mind and heart all ready to go at 10:30 a.m. at The Frame
Arts Warehouse, 318 Ross, where the the heat will be on, the chairs
set up, the band ready to go, the debit machine phone line working,
the coffee perking (can you tell I believe the details are important,
but that I got tired of listing them the same way every time….?)

By the way, if coming on Sunday morning is a “sometimes” occasion for
you, you may wish to mark your calender particularly for January 20th,
when Andrew Doerksen will be speaking to us, and for January 27th,
when we will be doing something completely novel and creative for
which you may want to wear something other than your Sunday best – and
that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Peace,

Tim Plett