THE DOVE Slave Lake, Wabasca, Peerless Lake & Red Earth

In a lighthearted but insightful conversation based on her book "The Cranky M...

I was exploring a library on the bottom floor of a new community center when an overhead crash suddenly shook the room. A few minutes later it happened again, and then again. An agitated librarian finally explained that a weight-lifting area was positioned directly above the library, and the noise occurred every time someone dropped a weight. Architects and designers had carefully planned many aspects of this state-of-the-art facility, yet someone had forgotten to locate the library away from all the action.

In life as well, our plans are often flawed. We overlook important considerations. Our plans don’t always account for accidents or surprises. Although planning helps us avoid financial shortfalls, time crunches, and health issues, even the most thorough strategies can’t eliminate all problems from our lives. We live in a post-Eden world.

With God’s help, we can find the balance between prudently considering the future (Proverbs 6:6–8) and responding to difficulties. God often has a purpose for the trouble He allows into our lives. He may use it to develop patience in us, to increase our faith, or simply to bring us closer to Him. The Bible reminds us, “Many are the plans of a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). As we submit our goals and hopes for the future to Jesus, He’ll show us what He wants to accomplish in us and through us.

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/110/29 3665 Jimmy MacPhee (PG) (Abandonment, Hopelessness, Imprisonment) Jimmy MacPhee was a straight A student and a two-sport athlete in high school. So how did he wind up on Death Row? Jimmy’s mother abandoned him before he turned two, his father was a disconnected drunk. Jimmy couldn’t fill the void he felt in his heart a void that turned into a hatred. One day, he shot a man and was sentenced to the electric chair. On death row, Jimmy discovered life. In solitary confinement, he found a true Friend, and in 2020 he was granted parole. He now spends his life ministering to those in prison just like him.