Reach

Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength. As Eugene Peterson paraphrases it in The Message, "God is a safe place to hide." Chasah, or refuge, is a word that's needed when a nation finds itself shaking on the rock. The news of tragic events in our country and our world is enough to grab you by the neck and make you tremble. Several years ago, I found myself not sleeping very well due to some of these events—that is, until I remembered Psalm 46 and called to mind my chasah, "a very present help in trouble." 

This year’s Staff Christmas Party at Full Force Ventures may have been cancelled due to bad weather and treacherous roads, but what could have been a disappointment turned into a chance to spread some holiday cheer in a much more meaningful way. 

The Christmas party for 200 people was planned to be held at Nitehawk Year-Round Adventure Park, with a full Turkey dinner prepared by the Nitehawk staff.  

The Municipal District of Greenview is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with O’Leary Ventures to build an off-grid natural gas and geothermal power infrastructure to support the largest AI data centre industrial park in the world.

On Dec. 7, 2024, at 3:21 p.m., Whitecourt RCMP received a report of a shooting near the Whitecourt Airport. As the report came in, RCMP were given the location of the suspect who was driving on Highway 43. Officers located and stopped the vehicle detaining a suspect and locating a firearm. Upon arrival at the airport, EMS and police located the victim deceased. The victim has been identified as 44-year-old Whitecourt resident David Beauchesne. Whitecourt RCMP contacted the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit who took carriage of the investigation.

On December 6, 2024, at 7:20am, the Fort St John RCMP received a report from a home owner for damage caused to the home by a stray bullet in the overnight hours.

Fort St John RCMP frontline police officers and serious crimes plain-clothed units attended a residence on the 9000 block of 117 Avenue and learned a bullet had entered the home through the exterior wall, causing damage inside the home to a door and kitchen cabinet.

No one was injured during the incident.

Further investigation revealed the bullet came from a nearby residence.

Prayers have been pouring in for Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty following news that he is facing multiple health problems. 

The 78-year-old's son, Jase, shared on Unashamed with the Robertson Family last week that his father's health is declining. "Phil's not doing well. We were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, they are sure that he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems.” 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's latest attempt to topple the minority Liberal government in a non-confidence vote has failed, with the New Democrats and Liberals voting against the motion. 

The Conservative motion quoted NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's own criticism of the Liberals, and called on the House to agree with Singh and vote non-confidence in the government.

The New Democrat leader said he would not be supporting the motion last week. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new chapter for Syria can begin that's free of terrorism and suffering for its people.

In a social media post on X on Sunday, Trudeau said the fall of the Assad dictatorship "ends decades of brutal oppression."

Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country on Sunday and is now reported to be in Moscow, bringing to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto control as his country fragmented in a brutal civil war.

The Canada Post strike involving more than 55,000 workers has hit 25 days.

In a statement Sunday, Canada Post says it is awaiting a formal response from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to the proposal it submitted to the union Friday.

In a Friday statement, the union said it was reviewing what Canada Post put forward and questioned when the mediation process will officially resume.

The union said it is committed to returning to the bargaining table.

Three pastors in Eritrea are rounding out 2024 in prison, marking 20 years since their arrest and incarceration. They are among hundreds of other Christians imprisoned in that country, where the government can make arrests without warrant and deny trials to those imprisoned.