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 "When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel." ― Eloise Ristad

On the inside front cover of our Parish Eucharist bulletin each week you will find these words

You are very welcome here. We don’t always get it right; please let us know when we do, and when we don’t. Please stay and be a part of our community, for however long you would like.

For those of us who have been at St John's for any length of time these words might go completely unnoticed week by week, blending into the background because they have been there since I arrived in 2013. For myself, however, they remain a reminder that it's OK to get things wrong - to try things out and see if they work, to make mistakes, to fall and fail. That is a part of the culture that I believe all Christian communities should nurture - free from the shackles of 'perfectionism' and 'getting it right' and recognizing that each failure is an opportunity to learn, grow, move on together, and recognize our imperfections both as individuals and community. 

But (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

                           2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

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Artwork - Ritchard Rodriguez, Fear of Failure (can be found here)

Worship And Prayer
Observing Lent