A Fresh Start, New Life in Christ Jesus

It is a winter wonderland at Woodland Beach as we move into 2026, fresh snow, fresh air, and the excitement of moving into a New Year

New Years is a customary time to reflect, individually or with others, on how we are doing physically, socially, emotionally, and professionally, to give ourselves a critical appraisal and a tune-up, and therefore many of us engage in the common practice of making New Year’s resolutions.  Some will resolve to live healthier through dietary changes or more frequent exercise, others to be better people through behavioural changes, others to be more environmentally responsible through lifestyle changes, others to be more successful through self-improvement programs.

From experience we know how challenging it is to persist with our resolutions, how often it is that we lose momentum and drift back into our comfortable ways. Nevertheless the annual rite of self-appraisal at the start of a new year is good for all of us. The reality is that much of what we resolve is relatively superficial. What we really need is to dig a bit deeper, to explore the foundations of our health, our behaviour, our motivations, and our goals. That will draw us into the realm of spirituality, the essence of who we are, what we truly value, and what we believe about life, love, and the end of life. If we allow ourselves to dig deep enough we will recognize through God’s grace that centering on the elements at our spiritual core is the best way to successfully tune-up all the other dimensions of our lives. Our New Year’s resolutions must be grounded at that spiritual level.

If anyone is in Christ the new creation has come; the old is gone, the new is here. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Put off the old . . . and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; put on the new which was created by God in true righteousness and holiness.            (Ephesians 4: 22-24)

Create in me O God a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Let’s spring into the new year with resolutions that will engage our Christian Faith in ways that refine and strengthen our spiritual core, specifically through regular prayer, contemplation, scripture reading, meditation, worship, and letting the Light of Jesus shine every day through our love for one another.

 

. . . UNTIL WE GATHER AGAIN MAY 17, 2026.

 

The Board of Trustees

Ron MacKinnon  –  Malcolm Ross  –  Owen Steel

Brent Langman  –  Steve Langman  –  Kevin Doran

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PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WEBSITE IS REFRESHED

PERIODICALLY DURING THE WINTER MONTHS

WITH MUSIC AND REFLECTIONS.

(The website software will be updated so there may be some glitches

through the next few weeks.)