Family

Our family has roots in Denmark from where our mother and father migrated to Canada. They eventually met and married and established a home and family on a homestead near Fort St John, BC. Later they moved on to farm in Saskatchewan, and eventually departed to their permanent rest from there. The first generation of that family have scattered from the farm in Saskatchewan to establish residences in Medicine Hat, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Baltimore, Dallas and the Lake Country of BC. We have a big brother who has certainly fought for us, and continues to lead, guide, nourish and bless us. John & Marion have established a lovely home in the sunny Okanagan, and they invite us to share in its blessings. Thank you, John & Marion!

Despite the fact that I turn sixty this month, due to the accident of timing, I have both the role of little brother and big brother in my family. I must admit that I do not manage to meet the privileges of either role very well. As you may know, Danish is practically synonymous with the virtue of stubborn! But even within a Danish family, there seems to be a hierarchy of achievement in this amazing virtue, and I seem to achieved a very elevated level indeed! (That's my wife saying, "Amen!") It is also unfortunately true that this virtue sometimes leads to difficulties in relationships. (A virtual chorus of sisters-in-law and my single brother-in-law say, "Amen!") However, no matter how imperfectly I meet my privileged responsibility to honour, encourage and bless my family, I still remain in the family, and my big brother still invites me to share in the blessings of his home.

Let me direct your attention to a larger family in which all are invited to be members, who have the privilege to love, nourish and bless each other. We can fill the various roles of older or younger siblings, and we have a big brother who has fought, bled, died and lives for us—thank you, Jesus! He also has established a beautiful home, and regardless of the level of achievement in our performance, he invites us to join him there.