firearms and ministry

So yesterday I finally completed and sent in my firearms license, all in order to legally “possess and/or acquire firearms or purchase ammunition”. Which is important in Canada if you want to hunt, which I do. I also fish, but you don’t need firearms for that (at least where I come from). What has this to do with thinking about the church, you might ask? Well, when I was filling in the application, it asked if I had been recently divorced, bankrupt, or depressed. My first thought was “profiling!” But on second thought, I thought, “Gee, maybe I shouldn’t own a firearm!” Lisa confirmed my suspicions when I mentioned these criteria to her. She asked if there was a check box for “nearly”. I said, no, just yes or no!

Upon which we decided to take a mini vacation to St. Martins. We spent the afternoon walking and lying on the beach. We just enjoyed the warm air and fragrant breezes from the ocean. We talked. Talked some more. Then we joined three other couples for a fantastic meal of fish and chips and wine and engaging conversation. We came back home renewed. Being in ministry for the past while has been exhausting and costly in terms of our personal health and general wellbeing. Mix that in with raising teenagers and you have someone who maybe shouldn’t own a weapon.

I hope to be okay by hunting season.