Published: September 10, 2025 at 01:00 PM
Tags: gospel, fromgravelhill, conferences, audio, friendship, writing, bike, faith, updates
It feels like I start every update the same way, by admitting that I’ve let too much time slip by. Maybe I should set myself a reminder that tells me to write even when I feel I have nothing of value to share. At least then I’d be forming the habit of putting words down instead of letting things drift.
Much has happened since the last post, though I’m sure I’ve already forgotten half of it. My attention has shifted from this site to building the Gospel site at gospel.fromgravelhill.ca. Progress is slow, but it’s moving along. Digging through the old site’s tangled folders to pull out audio and articles is not quick work, but it needs to be done, and I feel called to do it.
Recently, a friend visiting from away brought me another USB stick filled with cassette tape rips, more Gospel and Ministry messages he’s been digitizing. I need to clean up the background noise and tape hiss before I can upload them, but it’s a treasure trove that will eventually help fill the archive.
As for the recordings from my own hall, I admit I let things slip. It wasn’t that I stopped because of workload, but because of pride or discouragement, maybe both. I don’t want praise, but I guess I was looking for some acknowledgement, and when that didn’t come, I quietly stopped posting. That wasn’t the right attitude. I’ve corrected it now and am back to uploading again.
Over Labour Day weekend, I was at the Clementsvale Conference. This time I wasn’t deeply involved, apart from checking the audio for the hymn sing message and cleaning up the recordings afterward. It was an excellent conference with solid ministry worth re-listening to. I stayed in the bunkhouse again, somehow I was one of two adults in a room full of teenagers. When did I become the “adult in charge”? Frightening thought.
This coming weekend I’ll be house-sitting for a friend and looking after his eldest while they’re away. He’s a good kid, so I’m not worried, but it will be an adjustment for both of us.
On the writing side, I’ve submitted a few more pieces to RED the Island Magazine. I think they’ve been accepted, though they’ll need some editing. I welcome that, it’s the only way to grow as a writer. Between two articles and a poem, I hope they’ll all find their place in print.
The bike riding continues, and what used to feel like long rides now feel manageable (16 km for a “short” run and 30 km for a long one). I’ve had to do minor repairs along the way. For a mid-range bike, it’s had more than its share of issues, but nothing I can’t manage.
This past Saturday I spoke again in the Gospel meeting for the Philippines via Zoom. It went alright, though I find it difficult to keep energy up when I need to pause every sentence or two for translation. I’m sure that will come with practice.
Closer to home, I’m still wrestling with the courage to stand up more often in the hall, to pray, to read, to speak. The desire is there, but my will falters. Maybe what I need is just a firm kick in the right direction.
For now, I’ll resolve to try for weekly updates through the rest of the year. Even if some posts feel like “a whole lot of nothing,” at least it keeps me from disappearing entirely.
Till then, one step at a time.
A Few Photos from my Bike ride last evening, I’m not a great photographer, but I do enjoy it.
