Late last night we received a call that my mother experienced a severe heart attack and was being rushed to a larger hospital an hour from home. Within hours my brother flew in from Toronto and the three of us (Troy, Kim & I) drove to be with the family.

We are very grateful to the quick intervention of our friend and pastor, Mark Mast, for getting her to the hospital. We are also grateful for the doctors and nurses who helped save her. Above all, we thank God. She seems to be recovering well with minimum heart damage (as far as they can tell now).

Kim & I are scheduled to fly to Australia first thing Sunday morning, so this made us put all plans on hold. However, after a family meeting, everyone agreed that we should go. She is very stable, recovering and resting well. As hard as it is, we also feel it is important to go. Please pray for us, as we struggle to have peace, even knowing it is the best bet.

Thank you all who have already been praying. Keep praying. God bless!

Well, the weekend is upon us, but for me it comes with some big plans. On Sunday, Kim & I leave our house & dog in the care of friends and head for the airport. First, we spend the day with friends in Vancouver, but then hop on another plane that will take us Down Under. For just over a month we will be spending the holidays with Kim’s family in Australia. Ah summer sun…

As a result, I won’t be blog much over the holidays, but will be back to a more regular schedule in mid-January. Here are some of the things to expect in the New Year:

-The launch of The Dusty Cover (Lord willing, given yet more delays)
-Updates on my two book projects (one fiction, one non-fiction)
-New “Friday’s With Francis” features
-Facing the future beyond burn out
-And much more!

As this will be the last time for close to a week that I will be posting, I thought I would leave you with a priceless video of my good friend Phil’s daughter. Ah, to be a young theologian…