Call 911! 
That's what came to mind in 2.1 million occurrences in our province of BC in 2022. Almost every single one was a serious emergency that first responders needed to be deployed to.
Almost every single one. 
This week the BC Emergency Dispatch Centre released the 10 worst reasons people called 911 in BC in 2022. Here they are: 

  1. They had a flat tire 
  2. The nozzle wasn't working at the gas station
  3. Looking for an update on a nationwide telcom outage 
  4. People were playing basketball on a public court at night time
  5. Someone wasn't picking up after their dog
  6. Someone was using their garbage bin
  7. Complaining about children drawing with chalk at a playground
  8. Someone cut in line at a car wash
  9. They had a broken windshield wiper 
  10. Their phone was stuck in a bench

Oh my. 
Apparently, some of us humans have difficulty discerning between a serious problem and an inconvenience. 
Maybe this is one reason why Jesus once said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Mark 2.17)
These words were Jesus' response to self-righteous (think: self-healed) religious leaders who were taking issue with Him spending time with questionable folk on the fringes of society. 
The beautiful irony was that these 'sinners' knew they were in trouble. They knew they needed help. Jesus was welcomed by them. He was able to help them. 
I sad tragedy was that the religious elite didn't know they were in trouble (they were sinners too!). They couldn't see that they needed help. They didn't welcome Jesus. He was not able to help them. 
The reality is 
every. 
human. 
being. 
is sick in the soul and needs the kind of help only Jesus can bring. 
This includes ever one of us at CPC. Even the most respected, life-long followers of Jesus among us. We are still sick and still need Jesus. 
This is one of the reasons why we are offering the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (EHS) Course, beginning this month. We all need the ongoing and ever deepening work of Jesus healing our personal inner worlds and this course gives focus to the importance of Emotional Health and Spiritual Maturity and Growth.  
Here's some information on this course:

  • It will run Thursday evenings at 6.30pm, beginning January 12 
  • It will run for 8 weeks
  • Pastor Dave & Anne Postal will be leading the course! 
  • It is designed to be practical, helpful, and transformational. Group discussion and prayer times will be an important part of the weekly experience. 
  • Additional information and registration are here: https://cpclife.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1533268


Some of us experienced EHS in a group already a year and a half ago when we did the church-wide series, so this may not be for you this time. 
But for others, this may be the very thing your soul needs to begin this year. 
And, as we talked about at our Fall Town Halls, completing an EHS small group experience is one of 4 prerequisites for Membership (1. Application, 2. Complete EHS in a small group 3. Membership Class. 4. Interview).
Your inner wellbeing and emotional health matter that much to our church family! 
And, they clearly mean a great deal to our Lord, the Great Physician.
Could you use His help? 
Pastor Mike