Tim and Olive's Blog

No, I’m not Jesus. But I am practicing resurrection. Before I explain, let me give you a bit of backstory. About a month ago, I had the fortune of attending a one-day retreat facilitated by a former professor of mine. It was the first time I was away from Kayla (who was almost 8 months old) and I was nervous about how she would do. I knew, however, that I needed to go to this retreat because my soul was in desperate need of care. Kayla did great. And I was refreshed and inspired. Read More

Choosing a home birth was not an easy decision, but I’m glad we gave it a try.

“Redemption” is probably not the first word that comes to mind when you think about childbirth. But for me, it was. The moment I realized I was pregnant with our second child, I wanted redemption. My experience of birthing my first baby was pretty tame as far as birth stories go, but there were elements that made it a traumatic experience for me.

I gave birth to my first baby in a hospital and I came out of that experience feeling unheard, disempowered and simply run through the system. I wanted to do it differently the second time. I wanted to actually experience birthing my child the way I was built for it.
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On January 18, 2015, I had the privilege of speaking to our local congregation at Heritage Mountain Community Church in Port Moody, BC. We are currently going through a series on meeting God in the various seasons of our souls. I shared my story as part of meeting God in the Winter. Although it was not video or audio recorded, I wanted to share the written version here.
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I’m going to write about work today, and the meaning of work from a Christian perspective. But more importantly than a Christian perspective, I’m going to write about God’s perspective of work, and how it is radically different than our culture’s view of work.

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[This is a guest post by our friend, the lovely Danica Grunert]

Last Saturday I was delighted to attend the opening day of the 5th annual Vancouver Christmas Market with my husband Matthew and our daughters Adora (12) and Grace (10). This is our first year living in the Vancouver area, so it was an extra special treat to take in this festive and traditional event.

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When your toddler gets sick
It feels like the world will end
Absolute misery
It’s stupid and relentless

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“My toddler is getting a sibling! Now how do I prepare her for it?” Storytelling, I’d learned from the brilliant book The Whole-Brain Child was a fantastic way to engage then 21-month-old Allie, so I turned to my favourite resource – our local library.

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“You are so loved.” I paused when I read that these were some of the last words spoken to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as he lay dying at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last week. So fitting, I thought. And so true. Everyone should hear that they are loved in their last moments. After all, there is probably nothing that is more true of us.

But as our country mourned the soldier’s death and celebrated his heroism, I found myself mourning the death of the gunman just as much.
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[This is a guest post by Preston Davis]

As parents, we don’t particularly enjoy entertaining the idea that one day we may not be around to take care of our child. Unfortunately, accidents and illnesses do occur so it is important to have a plan in place. There are many decisions a couple will make while raising their child, some occurring as soon as you and your partner find out you are expecting. One of the most important decisions should be choosing who is to raise your child in the event of a tragedy, for your child could face even more trauma if you haven’t taken the time to select the best potential Godparent.

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Olive and I have had the privilege of working with award winning author Mike Mason recently on growing his social media presence. He is the author of the best-selling book, The Mystery of Marriage, which has over 200,000 copies in print. Mike lives in Langley, a 30-minute drive from our home, and is a thoughtful, kind, soft-spoken man in his 60’s.

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