Posts by Laura Puiras (Page 3)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13 With Thanksgiving weekend just behind us Canadians, and Orange Shirt Day honoured just one weekend before that, giving thanks for and appreciating the people in our lives, children especially, is strong on my mind.  We are hearing and seeing horrific reports coming in from Israel and from Gaza. …

Tomorrow, September 30th, is Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – which is also known as Orange Shirt Day! The significance of this day is not only to recognize the ongoing, negative impact of the Residential School Systems on Indigenous Peoples, but also to honour the victims and survivors, as well as their families. And one of the very simple and practical ways we can do so, is by wearing orange. At Lifespring we often speak about generational blessings…

I dunno about you, but I have been finding SO much comfort this past week knowing that lots of people are right dab-smack in the middle of transitional seasons as well! During our service on Sunday, the theme of transitions kept coming up. It was very encouraging just to hear other people acknowledging/addressing similar times in their own lives!! As a church we’ve had loads of changes take place in our Board of Directors, in our Deacons, in our LifeGroups…

In Luke 15:11-32 Jesus tells this story to the people he was with about a man with two sons. That story, or parable, has come to be known as The Prodigal Son, or The Parable of the Lost Son, or The Parable of the Prodigal Son and His Brother… Sometimes I think the readers and listeners of this well-known Jesus Story, focus so much on that younger, selfish and reckless child or the grumpy and/or relatable attitude problem of the…

A while back I mentioned that I’ve been studying and reading/listening to all of the books and sermons and information I can find about The True Vine and The Branches. Beth Moore’s Chasing Vines was a serious game-changer for me. I’d like to share one of the biggest ah-ha moments with you! As many of you might remember, Jesus tells his disciples in John 15 that he is the True Vine, his Father is the Vinedresser and that they (along…

I am the vine; you are the branches.If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish,and it will be done for you.This is to my Father’s glory, that you…

Once upon a time, WildFire went on a youth retreat! They worked their tails off to raise money and minimize costs. They plotted and planned and plotted some more. Meal Plans were made and Grocery Lists written; Costco was raided and Yummy Snacks hidden. “Iiiiii think I’ve made a mistake,” said Laura to herself.“Not about the youth retreat but about this weird format!!” I don’t think I can keep this story time going…But it’s so hard to stop when the…

Fun Fact: Every time I hear the phrase, “Be prepared”, I sing it back to myself in Scar’s voice. I attribute this to being a 90s kid who had a very love/hate relationship with The Lion King (okay fine, mostly only love… I just cannot – to this day –  watch that movie without bawling). Ironically, and likely not very surprisingly, I’m taking a quick break from packing my bags to write this devo… hours before I head over to…

There’s something to be said about the postures we take in prayer… As much as the posture of my heart matters, I’ve been discovering that the posture of my physical body can greatly influence my prayer life as well! Whether I need to be moving around (dancing it out or pacing back and forth) or staying very still in soaking mode or laying prostrate on the ground, these postures often help me express my needs and prayers in ways that…

As much as I love to advocate for and remind all of us to be remembering God’s faithfulness in the past… I’ve been especially challenged lately, to also rely on fresh manna. When the Israelites were living and traveling through the wilderness (I don’t think they truly understood just how much of a ‘wandering’ it was) God provided for their needs. In Exodus 16, you can read the account of God providing Manna and Quail for the Israelites. Quail would…

One of the hardest things I needed to adjust to in my years of missions/times of worship in various African churches, was the repetition. Whether I was singing with sisters and brothers in Swaziland, Mozambique, Uganda or South Sudan, the choruses would repeat for what seemed like an eternity. And I was impatient, and hot and tired and hungry and uninterested in singing the same things over and over again. One day, one of the choruses struck a chord in…

It’s one thing to sing along to a catchy worship song about agreeing to “Make Room” for God and it’s another thing, entirely, to truly surrender ourselves to whatever it is that God is directing us towards… In Jeremiah 29, we read about a letter that is sent from Jeremiah (aka, from God) to the people of Israel who had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. When you imagine the relief of hearing directly from God in a place of…