Lake Country United Church

Reflection – Find The Love May these words that I speak and these songs I sing be grounded in my soul encouraged by the spirit presence in me; and may these words and songs you hear be captured by your soul, enlivened by the spirit presence in you. Amen. Song – The Glory of Love (Billy Hill, 1963) You’ve got to give a little, take a little And let you poor heart break a little; That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love. Billy Hill wrote this song in 1936 dur

Traci Hubbard June 28th, 2026 My thoughts on the way to church this morning. The fact that someone saw a purple onion and named it a “red onion” irritates me. And just in case someone forgets to tell you, the compass was invented before the clock because direction was more important than how long it took to get there. Have you ever watched an airplane prepare for takeoff? Before that massive plane can soar above the clouds, it must first be firmly con

Traci Hubbard June 14th, 2026 A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through the backyard, wearing his baseball cap, and carrying a ball and bat. "I’m the greatest hitter in the world," he announced. Then, he tossed the ball into the air, swung at it, and missed. "Strike One!" he yelled. Undaunted, he picked up the ball and said again, "I’m the greatest hitter in the world!" He tossed the ball into the air. When it came dow

Traci Hubbard June 21st, 2026 Happy Father’s Day! Alligators can live up to one hundred years which is why there is a high chance they will see you later. This morning, I need a father who can help me understand how “Rub a dub dub three men in a tub became a nursery rhyme. And how a Pocket Full of Posies” which is the ashes rising from the gas trains in concentration camps, became a children’s game. And after we leave the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures, whe

Traci Hubbard May 31st, 2026 One Ash Wednesday, the pastor finished his sermon with these words, “Oh Lord, without you we are but dust.” As she paused for a dramatic effect, a small child’s voice was heard to say, “Mommy, what is butt dust?” Let’s say there are 250 people in a church service. One of the first things ministers learn is what they intended to say with every word in their sermon will be heard 250 different ways, and that’s not unfair. The minis

by Traci Hubbard Where do bad rainbows go? To prism. It's a light sentence but it gives them time to reflect. Yesterday I popped into the grocery store to get peanut butter, and I noticed part of the label said, “May contain peanuts.” I thought, “Yep. This is why aliens are not visiting our planet.” Life can feel like rowing a boat upstream with a spoon. Many of us are exhausted because we are trying to be LOVE entirely in our own strength. We’re sweating, straining, frustrat

Traci Hubbard May 17, 2026 There are moments in life when the veil between now and eternity is thin. We experience moments when something greater than us enters in. A hospital room where a final breath somehow feels holy. A mountain sunrise that silences every anxious thought. A dream that lingers because it feels more true than ordinary waking life. These are rendezvous moments. These moments are appointments with the Holy. They are encounters with

By Traci Hubbard My mother kept every card and letter I gave to her. Last January, after retrieving that last of my mother’s things in Texas that were dear to me, I spent an entire day reading every card and letter she and I sent to one another. I would like to read what I wrote in the Mother’s Day card I gave to her in 1978. Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for not telling Da that me signing my initials and the current year with spray paint on the bridge under Highway

by Traci Hubbard What do you call a hockey player who questions their bad life choices? Wayne Regretsky When you were a child, did you ever play the game, “Mother May I?” One person is selected to be "Mother," while the others stand in a line on the opposite side of the yard or room. Players take turns asking, "Mother, may I take [number] [type of movement] steps?". The Mother answers "Yes, you may" or "No, you may not" (often providing an alternative, such as "No, but you ma

by Traci Hubbard Last week, I was driving through a rural area when a chicken began to cross the road. I smiled at the chicken and began to recite the classic joke in my head..."Why did the chicken cross the road??" Then I thought, "this is a boring joke...it's not funny. 'To get to the other side?' What a weak punchline and it is constantly quoted. Who wrote this joke and why do people remember it?" I began shaking my head when I realized that there IS an actual joke in ther

Welcome To each one of you, welcome to this page. No matter who you are, no matter where you’re at, no matter what you believe, no matter who you love, you belong here. Virtual Worship Service

by Traci Hubbard One Sunday a minister spoke about looking for signs of life, wander, and wonder wherever you are. After church, a little boy pulled the minister away from the crowd and quietly told him, "My dad is a road worker. I never wanted to believe that my dad was stealing from his job. But when I got home, all the signs were there and that’s the truth. I don’t even need to wonder about that.” The peculiar thing about sacred moments is they rarely look sacred at the be

Welcome To each one of you, welcome to this page. No matter who you are, no matter where you’re at, no matter what you believe, no matter who you love, you belong here. Virtual Worship Service

by Traci Hubbard Text: 1 Corinthians 15:35–58Colossians 2:15 We are people of expectations. We expect the alarm clock to go off… but hope it doesn’t. We expect the line at the grocery store to move fast… but choose the wrong one every time. And we expect that when we plant something, something good will grow. A man once said he planted a “low-maintenance garden.” He expected tomatoes. He got weeds and a family of raccoons. Expectations can disappoint us. But Easter invites

What is the best death according to you ? I think the best way to go is to die like my grandfather... he fell asleep and never woke up. Dying in your sleep is indeed said to be the best way to go. So , what do you consider the worst way to die ? Like my grandfather’s friends. Why ? How did they die ? They were in the car when Grandpa fell asleep. There’s a phrase we sometimes use when someone cuts us off in traffic or ignores our advice: “Fine. Go your way.” Usually, what w

by Traci Hubbard Driving to church this morning I caught a glimpse of my laugh lines in the rearview mirror and I thought, “I don’t remember anything being that hilarious.” There’s a quiet but stubborn belief many of us carry that somewhere else, some holier place, some better season, some more put-together version of ourselves, that is where we’ll finally meet the Divine. Not here. Not in traffic. Not in our messy kitchen. Not in the hospital waiting room. Not in the middl

by Traci Hubbard One day three men were walking along and came upon a raging, violent river. They needed to get to the other side but had no way of crossing the river. The first man prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength, courage, and ability to cross this river." Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs, and he was able to swim across the river in about two hours. Seeing this, the second man prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength, courage

by Traci Hubbard It would take a lot of self-control to work at a bubble wrap company. Folks, every morning we wake up standing at a crossroads. One sign says, “Muck It Up.” The other says “Monk It Up.” Now “muck” is mud. It’s messy. It stains. It smells. And if you’ve ever stepped in it wearing stilettos, you know it spreads faster than butter on hot bread. But “Monk it up”? That’s different. That’s a life of intention, discipline, peace, and surrender. Each morning, and man

by TracI Hubbard Anyone who says a small thing, a small intention, cannot be effective has never been in bed with a Texas scorpion or mosquito. Holy Mystery, or as Barbara Brown Taylor names God, “MORE” has always initiated life giving change with one person or a small group of people that the world would view the most unlikely people to make a difference. There is something humbling about realizing that Eternal LOVE rarely begins with a majority. She often starts with what

Traci Hubbard One morning a woman asked, “Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? The mirror replied, "Don’t come any closer. Objects in the mirror are as worn out as they appear". Most of us treat mirrors like trusted friends — unless it’s early morning, and fluorescent lighting is involved. Then suddenly, the mirror feels more like a prophet telling uncomfortable truths. This morning is the first Sunday of Lent, and we will be taking an honest look into