Posts by Laura Puiras

Although there were so many gems in Karyne’s sermon on Sunday, one specific part really caught my attention. John 15 and the entire passage about needing to abide in the vine in order to bear fruit has been huge for me over the last couple years and I’m sure that this partnership of Karyne’s message with that passage will continue to challenge me moving forward. “We put a lot of effort into ensuring that the atmosphere around us is good.…

Yesterday, April 23rd, was the sixth anniversary of the Yonge Street Tragedy. It has been so interesting to see how, with every year that passes, as I pause with neighbours to remember and to honour and to pray, God will do something new every time. Maybe it’s a new story from that day or another testimony of how someone’s life was miraculously spared; consistently though, there is a new layer of healing that takes place. I had the privilege of…

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,  we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have gained access  by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,  because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts…

I recently saw a video on social media of a baby and a cat. (Go with it, haha I promise this will go somewhere.) The baby must’ve only been a few months old and was being rocked by a baby swing. The family cat was curled up with the baby in the swing seat and it looked very pleased with itself. The baby was “making biscuits” on the cat’s back!! This motion that is more commonly known as kneading (in…

Have you ever noticed that God is a God of the Eleventh Hour? Often, just when it seems like things are not going to work out or like it’s too late? Boom! Breakthrough. “The Eleventh Hour” is not only the name of a Doctor Who episode, it’s a phrase that means “the latest possible time before it’s too late”. It’s no wonder that books, shows and movies have been created with this same title because the tension and suspense can…

Earlier this week I had a strange dream… well, most nights I have pretty bizarro dreams. But there was something different about this one that caught my attention. I hadn’t remembered it at all until later into the next day when I heard a random phrase that brought this particular scene rushing back to the forefront of my mind. Although I can’t remember much of what happened before or after this portion of my dream, I feel like I’ve been…

So, I realize that I’m a little biased… but Abby’s sermon was brilliant!! If you haven’t had a chance to take it in yet, I highly recommend it. (Apologies to literally all of our KidzHarbour leaders who have already heard me pass along this exact same recommendation, haha) As Abby gave an overview of the Israelites’ Exodus out of Egypt and much of their time in the wilderness, she dropped countless gems along the way. I’ve been ruminating on many…

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? Drifting through the wind…  wanting to start again? Yes, yes those are Katy Perry lyrics… and before you think you’ve opened the wrong email or that you somehow clicked the wrong link I want you to seriously consider this idea.  Do you ever feel like you’re just kind of floating around? Like you’ve lost your footing and rather than falling you somehow managed to drift away? That’s how I was feeling on…

I’d like to propose that Patient Endurance is not something we just need to think about for the year of 2024… it’s not a thing we’ll do every now and then. Although we’ve sensed the Lord highlighting it to us for this year, it’s not merely a theme or a trending phrase at Lifespring. Patient Endurance is a way of life. We talk a LOT about how Jesus endured the cross, right? Even here, the author of Hebrews is reminding…

I realize that we’ve already passed the halfway mark of this month, so maybe it feels silly to consider the new year when it’s more… new-ish now. But this specific reflection seems to keep surfacing for me and I’m wondering if it might also resonate with some of you as well!  As I had some conversations with my closest friends, we chatted a bit about our theme words for the year. I dunno about you, but in the past I’ll…

In a time where loads of people are making resolutions for themselves for the new year, I’ve been finding that it’s really life-giving to… not. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made plenty of resolutions in the past and have even managed to accomplish some of those goals over the years. I also have absolutely nothing wrong with people using the calendar new year to boost their journey of growth and self-improvement!! But this year, especially, I’m sensing a different focus…

I’ve been thinking so much about the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary, “Do not be afraid.” Because they’re really easy to say, of course. But not always so easy to cling to or tobelieve. And I worry that, at our worst, we kind of see these words in scripture in a similar way.We hear them said: ‘don’t be afraid’ as a strict command, rather than a gentlereassurance. Perhaps an even better way to hear this ‘You don’t need…