Received: 2025-11-17 02:16:20

Friend Carolyn Helstrom is 73 years old. She went into Loyalist Retirement residence Nov. 3, 2025. She had a fall and concussion over 2 years ago. She saw a Neurologist in August but has no diagnosis as yet. She struggles to think straight and her ability to walk without a walker is not possible now. Both parents had dementia and she may have early onset of this. I would like prayer for her. She is anxious and fearful. She is a longtime Presbyterian. Her church was in Stamford area of Niagara Falls. I prayed with her today and she was so grateful. Thankyou. Liz Field, new person at Southridge since Sept. 2025.

“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” (Annie Dillard)

From the moment our bodies awaken, our eyes begin to open, and we enter into the ordinary wonder of a brand new day.

What do you do with the first few moments of your day? Does what comes ‘first’ really matter?

We gather as the church on the first day of the week and we worship together, because we believe it forms us. And it does.

But the rituals of our ordinary days form us so much more. The day in, day out patterns of where we point our eyes, our hearts. Our lives and our loves are shaped by what we do again and again.

From the very first moments of your day, your life is being formed; you are being formed.

When you awake, do you breathe in the wonder of the life that courses through your veins? Or do you rehearse with worry and anxiety the coming events of the day?

Do you pause in the stillness and tune your heart to God? Or do you launch headfirst into the mad rush of ‘things to be done’ and ‘hills to be climbed’?

Do you reach for a Bible to encounter the presence of God? Or for your phone, and its endless stream of entertainment, stimulation, information.

How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. It is shaping who you become, whether you want it to or not. What will you put first?

Contemplations
First Things First

Ready for what's next?

Guided Prayer
Prayer Bowl

We’re going to spend a couple of minutes in prayer right now, but we’re going to do it in a bit of a unique way. To participate, you’ll need to grab a few simple items (that hopefully aren’t too far away, but feel free to pause the video if you need to go hunting). You’ll want a bowl, a pen, and a few scraps of paper... 

Contemplations
Nature Contemplation | Mindful

We often fill this space with a lot of words and a lot of thoughts, and in that, sometimes we can miss the presence and beauty of God so often found more deeply in silence, in stillness, in the quiet spaces.... 

Guided Prayer
Love Languages: Acts of Service

Awhile back, a popular authorcategorized some of the ways we express and receive love into five different ‘love languages.’ But have you ever thought about the ways that God loves us?