Comments for Steve McMillan http://www.stevemcmillan.ca Helping others lead and love on purpose. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:12:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Living In Light of Eternity by katharine http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/articles/living-in-light-of-eternity/#comment-791 katharine Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:12:47 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?page_id=761#comment-791 love it. thanks for writing. love it. thanks for writing.

]]> Comment on John Stott 1921-2011 by Erik http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/07/27/john-stott-1921-2011/#comment-871 Erik Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:23:22 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=1024#comment-871 I first met John Stott at a speaking engagement he was at in NW Calgary back in 2006. To be honest, I wasn't very familiar with him at the time but was encredibly impacted by his missional drive for the gospel to reach those who have not found it. It was later I got a hold of his commentary on Romans and he revelutionized my thoughts on the definition of sin and what it means to be redeemed in Christ! I'm sure his legacy will continue to grow the Kingdom of God for many years to come. Thanks for sharing Steve. I first met John Stott at a speaking engagement he was at in NW Calgary back in 2006. To be honest, I wasn’t very familiar with him at the time but was encredibly impacted by his missional drive for the gospel to reach those who have not found it. It was later I got a hold of his commentary on Romans and he revelutionized my thoughts on the definition of sin and what it means to be redeemed in Christ!

I’m sure his legacy will continue to grow the Kingdom of God for many years to come. Thanks for sharing Steve.

]]> Comment on Life’s Remains by Patricia http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/06/06/lifes-remains-2/#comment-860 Patricia Wed, 06 Jul 2011 02:06:02 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=980#comment-860 Oh, dear Steve! You and I are members of a club that no parent ever wants to join. At first it is so painful we wonder if we will survive. Several years after Chuck's death and the publication of GRIEF, I was asked to join a local Compassionate Friends group and it was amazing, I recommend this group to all who are crawling through this awful valley. I remember getting a call one evening from a lady whose husband committed suicide two weeks earlier, and the counselor where she worked informed her that she should be beyond her grief by now. I WAS APPALLED! For several years I helped parents whose children committed suicide and there was one thing that I stressed with them: Please do not judge your parenting skills by the child who opted to die (it is a choice!), but by your living children. We were so fortunate. Our four youinger sons are in serving professions (one is a doctor, another a lawyer, another a physician's assistant). When Chuck died I asked them to sit on his bed and I shared one verse with them: "You have come to the kingdom for a time such as this." Please do something useful with your lives, and they have done that. I close with this letter to our five sons in 1975: My precious children! How can I put into words the joy that is in my heart this Mother's Day? I must confess that so many times I have knelt in the dark of yet another day's end, begging God's forgiveness for my failures with you: my abruptness, harsh words, the ears that hear but tune out your silent pleas for understanding, the eyes that don't see the hurts of your little hearts, the omissions of simple pleasures and commissions of parental sins. I beg your forgiveness! I want to give you something this Mother's Day: a will of hope and a testament of God's love and mine. I want to pass on to you a sustaining faith that will support you through your lives. My dear ones, I won't always be with you on the earth. You will go through crucibles of sorrows and trials. Don't allow them to defeat you! Some are tried in the furnace of affliction. Perhaps God will choose to refine you in this way because He wants to see His image restored in you. No matter what happens to you, praise, love, and thank your Saviour always. He has promised His strength to those who wait on Him. Man may fail, you may fail at times, but your loving Father will never fail you. I haven't always given you what you wanted--perhaps not even what you needed. I pray God will be the Sufficiency for my lacks, the Gentleness for my impatience, the Compassion for my misunderstandings, the Calm for my restlessness. Dear ones, I want for you what God wants for you. He wants you to be His heroes, armed with faith, purity, and humility in a disbelieving, pleasure-seeking, vain world that has no time nor love for its gracious Creator. How sad! You have come into the world for such a time as this because God wants you to reflect His care and love to those who will cross your path of life. Fame and riches mean nothing. I beg you not to seek them! It may be that God will put you forward, but it will only be because He has a great work for you. But if He gives much He will expect much in return. Don't disappoint your beautiful Saviour! I thank you, dear precious gifts, for giving my life an eternal dimension--for giving me something to live, work, and strive for. You have inspired me and I love you deeply. Happy Mother's Day! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Nordman Oh, dear Steve! You and I are members of a club that no parent ever wants to join. At first it is so painful we wonder if we will survive. Several years after Chuck’s death and the publication of GRIEF, I was asked to join a local Compassionate Friends group and it was amazing, I recommend this group to all who are crawling through this awful valley. I remember getting a call one evening from a lady whose husband committed suicide two weeks earlier, and the counselor where she worked informed her that she should be beyond her grief by now. I WAS APPALLED! For several years I helped parents whose children committed suicide and there was one thing that I stressed with them: Please do not judge your parenting skills by the child who opted to die (it is a choice!), but by your living children. We were so fortunate. Our four youinger sons are in serving professions (one is a doctor, another a lawyer, another a physician’s assistant). When Chuck died I asked them to sit on his bed and I shared one verse with them: “You have come to the kingdom for a time such as this.” Please do something useful with your lives, and they have done that. I close with this letter to our five sons in 1975:

My precious children!

How can I put into words the joy that is in my heart this Mother’s Day? I must confess that so many times I have knelt in the dark of yet another day’s end, begging God’s forgiveness for my failures with you: my abruptness, harsh words, the ears that hear but tune out your silent pleas for understanding, the eyes that don’t see the hurts of your little hearts, the omissions of simple pleasures and commissions of parental sins. I beg your forgiveness! I want to give you something this Mother’s Day: a will of hope and a testament of God’s love and mine.

I want to pass on to you a sustaining faith that will support you through your lives. My dear ones, I won’t always be with you on the earth. You will go through crucibles of sorrows and trials. Don’t allow them to defeat you! Some are tried in the furnace of affliction. Perhaps God will choose to refine you in this way because He wants to see His image restored in you. No matter what happens to you, praise, love, and thank your Saviour always. He has promised His strength to those who wait on Him. Man may fail, you may fail at times, but your loving Father will never fail you. I haven’t always given you what you wanted–perhaps not even what you needed. I pray God will be the Sufficiency for my lacks, the Gentleness for my impatience, the Compassion for my misunderstandings, the Calm for my restlessness.

Dear ones, I want for you what God wants for you. He wants you to be His heroes, armed with faith, purity, and humility in a disbelieving, pleasure-seeking, vain world that has no time nor love for its gracious Creator. How sad! You have come into the world for such a time as this because God wants you to reflect His care and love to those who will cross your path of life. Fame and riches mean nothing. I beg you not to seek them! It may be that God will put you forward, but it will only be because He has a great work for you. But if He gives much He will expect much in return. Don’t disappoint your beautiful Saviour! I thank you, dear precious gifts, for giving my life an eternal dimension–for giving me something to live, work, and strive for. You have inspired me and I love you deeply.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Nordman

]]> Comment on Archbishop to a six-year old… by Steve http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/04/23/archbishop-to-a-six-year-old/#comment-852 Steve Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:26:43 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=976#comment-852 Great to hear from you Doug! You are so right, sometimes we seem inclined to reduced God to a thought in our head. Another Kushner (Lawrence) book "Invisible Lines of Connection" brings this truth to light in simple stories from life. I hope all is well with you! Great to hear from you Doug! You are so right, sometimes we seem inclined to reduced God to a thought in our head. Another Kushner (Lawrence) book “Invisible Lines of Connection” brings this truth to light in simple stories from life. I hope all is well with you!

]]> Comment on Archbishop to a six-year old… by Doug Fordham http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/04/23/archbishop-to-a-six-year-old/#comment-851 Doug Fordham Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:46:10 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=976#comment-851 How refreshing! I think that sometimes--far too often actually--our theology and our thoughts about God are far too complex. And academic. All this to our detriment, because that's when we can miss experiencing the presence of God. What was the title of that book by Kushner? "God Was in This Place & I, i Did Not know." How refreshing! I think that sometimes–far too often actually–our theology and our thoughts about God are far too complex. And academic. All this to our detriment, because that’s when we can miss experiencing the presence of God. What was the title of that book by Kushner? “God Was in This Place & I, i Did Not know.”

]]> Comment on Life’s Remains by Steve http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/06/06/lifes-remains-2/#comment-859 Steve Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:22:51 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=980#comment-859 Thanks so much for the feedback Patricia. I will look up your writing. My wife and I lost a son 13 years ago and I am always amazed at how much pain and how much healing can arrive on anniversaries. Brutally Honest and I go back several years - Rick has been encouraging to me for a long time! May God bless your journey! Thanks so much for the feedback Patricia. I will look up your writing. My wife and I lost a son 13 years ago and I am always amazed at how much pain and how much healing can arrive on anniversaries. Brutally Honest and I go back several years – Rick has been encouraging to me for a long time! May God bless your journey!

]]> Comment on Life’s Remains by Patricia http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/06/06/lifes-remains-2/#comment-858 Patricia Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:06:03 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=980#comment-858 Wow! I recently lost my husband (our anniversary was June 6, date of this beautiful tribute!). Thank you for making his death a bit easier to accept. We had five sons who chose professions that give back to the community (we lost our oldest to suicide when he was 19, I wrote GRIEF several months after his death, and it is available on Internet; I feel that this is our dear son's contribution to life, dealing with grief). Your article is so touching! Thank you so much. BTW, I'm a fan of "Brutally Honest" - one of the few websites I check every day. Wow! I recently lost my husband (our anniversary was June 6, date of this beautiful tribute!). Thank you for making his death a bit easier to accept. We had five sons who chose professions that give back to the community (we lost our oldest to suicide when he was 19, I wrote GRIEF several months after his death, and it is available on Internet; I feel that this is our dear son’s contribution to life, dealing with grief).

Your article is so touching! Thank you so much. BTW, I’m a fan of “Brutally Honest” – one of the few websites I check every day.

]]> Comment on Life’s Remains by Steve http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/06/06/lifes-remains-2/#comment-857 Steve Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:59:42 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=980#comment-857 Thanks for the feedback Rick! Great to hear from you, I check in on the "Brutally Honest" world once in awhile - looks like your blog is thriving! Thanks for the feedback Rick! Great to hear from you, I check in on the “Brutally Honest” world once in awhile – looks like your blog is thriving!

]]> Comment on Life’s Remains by Rick http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/06/06/lifes-remains-2/#comment-856 Rick Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:05:07 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=980#comment-856 Powerfully written, powerfully meaningful, powerfully inspiring. Thanks Steve. Powerfully written, powerfully meaningful, powerfully inspiring.

Thanks Steve.

]]> Comment on I will… by Rebecca http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/2011/04/21/i-will/#comment-845 Rebecca Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:19:24 +0000 http://ponderthis.ca/?p=973#comment-845 I liiike it. Now....what will I do with it?? I liiike it. Now….what will I do with it??

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