JOHN MURRAY’S NEW BOOK, ‘DISCOVER YOUR INNER SELF'

John Murray is a personal friend and also an author. His new book 'Discover Your Inner Self,' may be exactly what you need right now. The subtitle is ‘Opening the door to who you really are.’ Here are 125 pages that can lift your spirit and increase your contentment by giving you a fresh perspective about yourself as it helps you identify your own significance and uniqueness. The paperback version is available from John’s website now and will soon be available (August 24, 2020) from Amazon in both Kindle and paperback versions. My own endorsement is contained within and I recommend this book to you. John will personalize and sign your copy from his website.

MAKING CHOICES (a poem)

Life is about making choices.
I choose you still.
I chose you when I was young,
couldn’t see past tomorrow.
You too had a choice to make
Looking forward you chose me.
We talked about investing trust,
confidently chose to trust each other,
we pledged it for a lifetime,
such an audacious prospect.
Since life’s about choices, there were times
you might have changed your mind.
Planet life offers many options,
I could have tripped on some,
but we both embraced our ageless choices,
so trust and promise won.

I now see many yesterdays,
today is where I live, and you are here.
If there will be no tomorrow,
today and yesterdays were enough
because you chose me.

© Ron Unruh, March 2020

MY LONG GRIEF (A POEM)

The loss of one, the loss of a son,
The loss of a wife, the loss of a life,
The loss of a lover,  
Slow to recover,
Becomes a long grief.

The hurt of absence,
The pain of empty,
The sound of silence,
There is no relief. 

Don’t cliché me to death,
Don’t tell me ‘don’t cry,’
Don’t say get a grip,
When I cry out ‘Why?’
Mine is a long grief.

One day will pass and then another,
In some deficit way,
I will recover,
But I won’t be the same.
My long grief laid its claim.

I’ll smile again and help others grin,
Hiding the anguish I carry within.
I’ll live longer and I’ll live without,
But I’ll always miss the one life was about.
‘twill be a long grief.

© Ron Unruh, March 2020

WE ARE DUST

It’s just my opinion. You can take it or leave it. Just don’t argue with me. You’re entitled to keep your own opinions to yourself. Humans are such momentary and delicate beings, superfluous really to the functions of the universe. Our existence is perilous. We are dust. We will return to dust. There are no guarantees to us about our continued health, future success, or the promise of tomorrow. However, mercifully, we have a God who loves us and, for some divine mystery, he values our presence. He is a God who walks among us. He did it once literally, and since he came and went, he is with us non-stop by His Spirit inside us if we allow him. How much do we undervalue who the Spirit is, what it means to us to have the Spirit of Christ alive within us. 

WE DO NOT LOSE HEART

On Sunday February 9, 2020 I preached at Northwest Langley Baptist Church. It’s a small congregation now. This church had glory years of vibrant helpful ministries to many people. Over many decades the bush that once surrounded this church building turned into a commercial, industrial area with numerous dining establishments nearby. It’s on the 200^th Street high traffic corridor at a strategically located intersection where the Colossus Theatre sits. Residential areas are not immediate to the church property. Some might view its future as tenuous. Some in the church might be discouraged. The apostle Paul wrote letters to the church in Corinth, and 2 Corinthians chapter 4 Paul expressed ideas that I believe were appropriate for NWLBC, and predictably for almost every other Christian who experiences a whack of trouble and heartache at different times. 

The link below brings you to an archive of audio recordings of recent sermons. Look for Feb 9, 2020 – 2 Corinthians 4. You can listen to all of it, or perhaps touch the thin grey progress line at the 35-minute mark, and listen to the last few minutes.

How Can Northwest Langley Baptist Church Fit Into God's Strategy