Keep It Simple

Being home more these days is teaching me a lot about how I encounter God, and how I can care for and serve others when we are all being encouraged to stay distanced physically. Over time I have found it is the simple moments, tasks and interactions that I am presented with each day that seem to have the most lasting impact on my relationships and community and with how I encounter God.

Focusing on the "simple" is helping me shift focus away from the troubles, worries, and anxieties swirling around me, and more toward to looking for and seeing God's goodness shining through in the midst - glimmers of who He is and this world he created. As I do this, He continually reminds me of the hurt and brokenness in the world, but also shares with me abundant hope and joy that exists in Him to fill those dark voids and spaces. Colour is added to my world as I learn more about what it means to live and serve in the "simple" moments of life.

On May 22, 2021, your invited to be a part of the "simple" with me. Every year, Strathcona County encourages the local community to get involved with the Pitch-In initiative. As a church community, come together and get involved with Pitch-In this spring. This is a "simple" task we can engage with - walking around local parks and cleaning them up, but the impact goes far beyond that. This is a great opportunity to support our broader community, to be missional and to practice the posture of serving. It is also a great way to get out and enjoy some fresh air and time with your families, friends and/or life groups!

You can register now to be a part of this; think about inviting a couple friends to go with you, or perhaps consider participating as a family or Life Group. We will provide the garbage bags, all you need to do is show up! We will have more details closer to the event.

I can't wait to serve together with you all.

Rebecca Trask

We all crave connection. You likely feel the dissonance that you can be in a grocery story with 200 other people, but can't invite your friends and family over for dinner. We feel that too.

That's why you're invited all summer long to use our parking lot to gather with your family and friends around a bonfire.

Bonfire Nights are approved by Alberta Health Services; rest assured we will be following all the COVID-19 protocols. Registration required. Learn more...

In every relationship, misalignment is already built-in; one person's likes, habits and hobbies may be in contrast to those of the other person, but as a couple, we learn to navigate through this, managing it rather than looking at it as a problem to solve.

Marriage is already challenging; adding spiritual mismatch into the marriage elevates the complexity of the relationship to another level. In the third installment of My Imperfect Family, Pastor Greg addresses spiritual misalignment in relationships whether you are married, engaged, or thinking about marriage. At the core is the belief that you should be in harmony-connected not only physically and emotionally, but also spiritually. But what if you are already married and are spiritually misaligned? In God's eyes, the marriage relationship is uniquely set apart and almost always worth saving. Pastor Greg shared an acronym to that may "HELP" navigate a spiritual mismatch:

H - Harness support from others. Find supportive friends who will be truthful and authentic.

E - Exercise restraint - give space; respect your spouse's feelings (even if you don't agree) and trust God's timing.

L - Live your faith; behave as a Christian. As you become more loving, your significant other will notice.

P - Pray like crazy for the man or woman you love.

If you missed last weekend's message, it is available on-demand in addition to the previous messages in the My Imperfect Family series.

This weekend, the message will be around the story Jacob and his mother conspiring to steal the blessing the patriarch of the family, Isaac intends to give to his first-born son Esau. However, Jacob pulls "a fast one" on both brother and son. The discussion will be based on the importance of children receiving a sense of blessing from their parents, but in particular and when possible, their fathers.

Join online Saturday 7 pm and Sunday 10 am | Online, Facebook, YouTube, Roku and Apple TV.

A Life Group is an invitation to conversation and practicing relationship. Following Jesus has so much to do with 'living in relationship' and so we enter into circles where we can practice living as Jesus intended.

To help you connect, we've put together a simple and ready to use resource for circling-up with 2-3 other people. Designed for everyone, these will help you bring intentionality to time already spent with friends during a walk, a video call, a yard project, or backyard fire.

In each kit you'll have access to:

• Inspiration for how to get started with 2-3 friends
• Short, engaging content and questions for reflection while you meet

Register to receive your Spring Life Group Kit.

We are called to make disciples of Jesus... to love God and to love others and membership is a commitment to help create, lead and resource our ministry environments.

If you believe in what God is doing at Sherwood Park Alliance Church, take your next step - be a part of the team.

Sign-up for a one hour class/information session and become a member of Sherwood Park Alliance Church. An in-person session will be held outdoors at the church on Tuesday, May 18 at 6:30 pm around a firepit. If you choose to register for this session, please bring a lawn chair and dress for the weather. Registration is required for this option. Register...

Alternately, an online information session, via Zoom, will be held on Thursday May, 20 at 6:30 pm. Registration is required for this option. Register...