Personal Blog Good News: Glimpses of Grace Stephen Bedard, March 18, 2024March 18, 2024 This past week has been a week of vacation. These weeks are supposed to be relaxing but they rarely are. This was no exception. There were a number of things that happened this past week that were difficult. There were times of discouragement and grief. That is not to say… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Goodbye Pekoe Stephen Bedard, March 14, 2024March 14, 2024 I have always been a cat person. Growing up, we had more cats than I can remember. For about the last twelve years, we have had cats. I love cats but there is one thing I don’t like about them. Cats (and all pets) get sick and die. Until recently,… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Week Off Stephen Bedard, March 11, 2024March 11, 2024 This weekend I began a week of vacation. I know when I say this, the first question is: “Where are you going?” We actually have no plans. It will just be some time together, some relaxing, some reading, and some writing. The good thing is that when I talk about… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Remembering My Father-in-Law Stephen Bedard, March 4, 2024March 4, 2024 This may seem like an odd subject for my weekly Good News post but I want to acknowledge that it was one year ago tomorrow that my father-in-law, Mark Peschell died. Obviously I am sad that he is no longer with us but my Good News is that I’m thankful… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: School Turnaround Stephen Bedard, February 26, 2024February 26, 2024 I am proud of all of our children and I am always hesitant to single one out. In fact, in this post I will not identify the child I am speaking about. But one of our children was struggling in school last year quite significantly. While I would not say… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Twenty-Four Years Stephen Bedard, February 19, 2024February 19, 2024 Today is the twenty-fourth anniversary of when Amanda and I got married. Hard to imagine that it has been that long. The building that we were married in and had our reception at is no longer a church and the pastor who married us is no longer with us. It… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Catching My Rhythm Stephen Bedard, February 12, 2024February 12, 2024 The things that disrupt my mental health are not just things that are clearly stressful. Often what really affects me is when I get out of routine and can’t seem to find my way. It’s not about being too busy but about not getting the important tasks completed and feeling… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: The Return of My Co-Pastor Stephen Bedard, February 5, 2024February 5, 2024 For the past number of months, my wife Amanda has been on leave from Brookfield Baptist Church due to the ongoing struggles with post-concussion syndrome and post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. This was initially an indefinite leave, with no specified return to work date. I never wanted to push Amanda as… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A New Unit Stephen Bedard, January 29, 2024January 29, 2024 I have been an army chaplain in the reserves for about twelve years. It is something that I enjoy and I am thankful that I get to continue to do this after moving to Nova Scotia. Because of a lack of chaplains and because I am not full-time at the… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Weekend Exercise Stephen Bedard, January 22, 2024January 22, 2024 When other people talk about “weekend exercise” they usually mean going for a Saturday morning jog. What I am referring to is participating in a weekend military exercise. Reserve army units usually have a monthly weekend exercise. Most often, I can only go on a Saturday because of my Sunday… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Getting Some Reading Done Stephen Bedard, January 15, 2024January 15, 2024 One of my favourite pastimes is reading books, second only to buying books. I have often felt guilty that I buy more than I read. I have bought a few more lately, both through Amazon and a couple of second hand stores. I have found some unexpected treasures, some I… Continue Reading
Personal Blog My Effin’ Life – Review Stephen Bedard, January 12, 2024January 12, 2024 I have been a Rush fan for over forty years. Coincidently, they formed the same year that I was born, although it took me a bit longer to start listening. As a young teenager, my cousin brought over a copy of Fly By Night on cassette tape and we listened… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Writing Again Stephen Bedard, January 9, 2024January 9, 2024 I never go more than a couple of days without writing. I’m either writing blog posts or sermons or something else. It’s something I do. But there is a kind of writing that I really enjoy. I have a couple of books that I have started writing that I have… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: 2023 is Over Stephen Bedard, January 1, 2024January 1, 2024 This past year has been one of the most difficult years for our family. The details of which do not need to be shared here. I don’t pretend that difficult circumstances respect the calendar and that what happens in one 365 day period must be different after a specific date…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog 2023 Year in Review Stephen Bedard, December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 I considered not writing this post this year. The reason is that this has been one of the most difficult years for the Bedard family. But I have decided to share some of what happened. January began with me still having back pain that I developed in early December of… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Top Five Posts in 2023 Stephen Bedard, December 26, 2023December 26, 2023 Thank you for the support of this blog. I post with hope that some people will read what I write. I thought I would share the top five most popular posts. These were not necessarily written in 2023 but what was most read in 2023. In fact, only no. 5… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Blessed Christmas Stephen Bedard, December 25, 2023December 25, 2023 There is no difficulty in coming up with a Good News post this week. It helps that it is Christmas but it is more than that. This past year has been a difficult one for our family. There has been a lot of loss and we were anticipating a very… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Love a Good Potluck Stephen Bedard, December 18, 2023December 18, 2023 At each of the churches that I have been a pastor of, I have gotten the reputation as the guy who always loves potluck lunches/dinners. It is a well-deserved reputation. It is not because I am a glutton and that I require large amounts of food. My appetite has gone… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Soldier Appreciation Stephen Bedard, December 11, 2023December 11, 2023 This past Saturday was rather busy, in a good way. I had back-to-back Soldier Appreciation Dinners. I have been serving as a chaplain with two military units and they usually have this annual even on the same day. Thankfully the meals were at different times. This is not just a… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Much Better Week Stephen Bedard, December 4, 2023December 4, 2023 My previous Good News post was rather cryptic and this one won’t be much better. There have been a number of chances that I have been facing and I am not going to get into them in detail here. I can say that this has been a much better week… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Holding Onto Hope Stephen Bedard, November 27, 2023November 27, 2023 This past week was challenging in a number of ways. You do not need to know the details, just trust me that it was hard. In the midst of the difficulties, I have seen numerous glimpses of hope. These are not solutions to all of the issues but reminders that… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Good Birthday Stephen Bedard, November 20, 2023November 20, 2023 Birthdays are not a big thing for me. I tend to barely notice them or be slightly annoyed that people expect me to have an amazing day. I don’t to have great expectations about birthdays. However, this has been one of the better birthdays. It is not that I have… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: One Step Closer Stephen Bedard, November 13, 2023November 13, 2023 You may have noticed that I have not blogged for a couple of weeks. The reason for that is that I have been at CFB Borden doing a course for my role as a military chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces. I have been a chaplain for over ten years… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Candlelight Experience Stephen Bedard, October 23, 2023October 23, 2023 I am always amazed at how Amanda is able to find events for us to experience as a family that are able to draw together our widely divergent tastes. The most recent was a Candlelight Concert. This was a string quartet, surrounded by hundreds of candles, playing music related to… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Contacts Stephen Bedard, October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 I have worn glasses since high school. For a long time, I have wanted to get contact lenses. I have seen others make the switch and I wanted it too. The only problem is that I am extremely sensitive with my eyes. My eyes water when I see other people… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: I Can Be Thankful Stephen Bedard, October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 When people ask me how I am doing, I never quite know how to respond. Usually people are hoping that I will share that everything is great. But if I was completely honest, not everything is great. I am not going to list all of the challenges in my life… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: The Beauty of Autumn Stephen Bedard, October 2, 2023October 2, 2023 My Good News post for this week is pretty simple. While I am usually not much of an autumn guy, mainly because it means winter is on the way, I will admit that I am impressed by the beauty of autumn. This is especially true now that we live in… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Our Cat is Back Stephen Bedard, September 25, 2023September 25, 2023 We didn’t have a cat run away, although that has happened in the past. But in a way, we have had one of our cats return to us. We have four cats, one of them being a rather large ginger tabby named Pekoe. Even recently, she has weighed approximately 25… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Did Not Get Blown Away Stephen Bedard, September 18, 2023September 18, 2023 My weekly Good News post is usually about something good that happened. But it could just as well be about something bad that did not happen. Last year we got hit by Hurricane Fiona. It hit us hard and we ended up being without power for two weeks. When we… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Back to My Units Stephen Bedard, September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 I really enjoy my career as an army chaplain in the reserves. It is one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I’m very glad I was able to carry over this ministry from Ontario to Nova Scotia. The way it works is that there is a stand… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Pastor Amanda Returns Stephen Bedard, September 4, 2023September 4, 2023 One of the best decisions Amanda and I have made was to co-pastor. This has been great on a number of levels, one being that our gifts complement one another. One aspect of co-pastoring that we did not anticipate is that one of us can take over for the other… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Quality Cottage Time Stephen Bedard, August 28, 2023August 28, 2023 This is our first summer with a cottage. Unfortunately, due to a wide range of circumstances, we have not been able to use it as much as we would have liked. However, last week I was able to go for three nights with one of my daughters and our dog…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Feeling Better Stephen Bedard, August 21, 2023August 21, 2023 I recently shared that I had made some changes that have improved my mental health. That change in my rhythm has really helped things. I had been experiencing quite a bit of fatigue. I literally could sleep for nine hours at night and still have a two hour nap. Part… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Helpful Insights Stephen Bedard, August 14, 2023August 14, 2023 Although my role as a pastor and a chaplain often is related to other people’s mental health, I also have to be aware of my own mental health. To be honest, it has not been where I want it. As I reflected on some of the emotional weight I have… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Time With Chaplains Stephen Bedard, August 7, 2023August 7, 2023 One of the areas of my life that I really enjoy is chaplaincy in the army reserves. On the chaplaincy side, I am a part of 36 Brigade. While we need to recruit more chaplains, the team we have right now is excellent. This past week, we had a chance… Continue Reading
Personal Blog A Struggle With Lyme Disease Stephen Bedard, August 3, 2023August 3, 2023 This has been a difficult year for our family. There have been a lot of things that have happened that I do not want to get into. It is enough for me to say that what we have experienced just between January and June is far more than I would… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Choosing Good News Stephen Bedard, July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 This is one of those days that I didn’t want to post a Good News post. As you might know, I generally post a weekly Good News post. I have only missed a few weeks in the past ten years. There are times that I just don’t want to do… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Churches Together Stephen Bedard, July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 One of my favourite things about being a pastor is the opportunity to minister with other pastors and churches. This past Sunday, I got to experience that again. We only have two churches in Brookfield: Brookfield Baptist Church and Knox United Church. During the summer, we have a Coming Home… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A New Opportunity Stephen Bedard, July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 No, I have not quit one of my jobs. And no, I didn’t get another job. Not exactly. But I have been offered a position on the editorial board for the Canadian Journal of Autism Equity. This journal came on my radar a number of months ago when I was… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: People in Our Life Stephen Bedard, July 10, 2023July 10, 2023 Our family has hit a lot of obstacles over the past couple of years. We faced some challenges that I never expected to encounter. As I think back to this chapter of our life, one of the things that I notice is the number of people who have supported and… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Seeing My Children Stephen Bedard, June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 We are very thankful that we have been able to move to Nova Scotia. It has mostly been a positive experience. There has been one thing that has been a downside. Our two oldest children still live in Ontario. Logan and Abby live in group homes and have done so… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Good Weekend Stephen Bedard, June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 I’m thankful for quality time, in whatever way that looks. This past weekend can be included in that as I went to the cottage with one of my daughters. Part of the quality time is the drive. It is a two hours drive each way to the cottage, which gives… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Games Night Stephen Bedard, June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 The time of the COVID-19 pandemic was a time when many churches stepped back on a number of their programs and events. While the virus is still active, many churches are getting more active with their events. This includes Brookfield Baptist Church. On Saturday, we had a games night. This… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Time With the Girls Stephen Bedard, May 30, 2023May 30, 2023 Between my work with the church and with the army, plus all my other projects, I can get pretty busy. Add to that, the fact that Amanda is recovering from a concussion and is at the same time taking care of her mother who is recovering from a broken shoulder…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog And the Most Popular Musical Artist on My Playlist is… Stephen Bedard, May 27, 2023May 27, 2023 I recently decided to do a series of Twitter polls pitting the various musical artists on my personal playlist to see what other people think of my music. I will admit that I have very eclectic tastes, with music ranging from Ozzy Osbourne to Keith Green. It was interesting to… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Camp Aldershot Stephen Bedard, May 22, 2023May 22, 2023 One of the things that I really enjoy is working as a military chaplain in the army reserves. For some people, all employment is a chore but I’m thankful that I enjoy both my pastoral and chaplaincy work. Most of what I do is with my home units of 3… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Enjoying Our Province Stephen Bedard, May 8, 2023May 8, 2023 We have lived in Nova Scotia now for almost a year and a half. As soon as we arrived here, we were struck by the beauty of this province. While we have seen some amazing things already, we have only scratched the surface. On the weekend, Amanda and I visited… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Our Pets Stephen Bedard, May 1, 2023May 1, 2023 Growing up, we had pets for most of the time. We had two different dogs, one I don’t remember at all and the other I have vague memories of. However, I do remember our cats and we had a lot of them (I think we have 14 at one time… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Rest at the Cottage Stephen Bedard, April 24, 2023April 24, 2023 Back in September, we purchased a cottage here in Nova Scotia. This has long been a dream of ours and something we can only now afford because we live in the church parsonage. At the time, we thought of it as a financial investment, as we wanted to continue to… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Thankful For a Supportive Church Stephen Bedard, April 17, 2023April 17, 2023 Some congregations have reputations for “chewing up” pastors. I have pastored at six different congregations and I have been blessed to have had only positive experiences. This includes our current congregation: Brookfield Baptist Church. I have been going through a difficult time for the past number of months and only… Continue Reading
Disability and Faith Blog Good News: Autism is Okay Stephen Bedard, April 3, 2023April 3, 2023 Autism has been a part of our lives almost from the beginning of our married life. Amanda and I were married in 2000, our son was born in 2001, and he was diagnosed with autism in 2003. Our daughter was diagnosed with autism soon after. We have had many people… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Surprised by Faith Stephen Bedard, March 27, 2023March 27, 2023 When you hear a pastor talk about faith, you probably think I have something specific in mind. But in this case, I’m not referring to belief but our daughter Faith. Faith is our youngest child and is pretty quiet. It can be a challenge for people to get to know… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: There and Back Again Stephen Bedard, March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 My Good News is good but also contains a lot of sorrow. My wife Amanda travelled back to Ontario a couple of weeks ago. This was not just for a pleasant visit but because her father was dying. Amanda had the opportunity to spend time with her father while h… Continue Reading
Personal Blog My Father-In-Law Stephen Bedard, March 6, 2023March 6, 2023 Normally on Mondays, I write a Good News post-a reminder of something I am thankful for. While this post includes thankfulness, it is not good news. Yesterday, my father-in-law, Mark Peschell, died. When someone gets married, you don’t just get your spouse, you get their family as well. And you… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Visiting Acadia Stephen Bedard, February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 A year ago, I graduated from Acadia Divinity College with a Doctor of Ministry degree. It was a great experience and one of the most meaningful educational opportunities that I have had. It was because of my appreciation for ADC that I was thankful for the opportunity to speak at… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: 23 Years of Marriage Stephen Bedard, February 20, 2023February 20, 2023 Yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of when Amanda and I got married. Much has happened since that snowy day in St Catharines, Ontario. Even the building that we got married in is no longer a church. We have lived in many cities and a couple of provinces. Between us we… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Recovering From Covid Stephen Bedard, February 13, 2023February 13, 2023 So it finally happened. I tested positive for covid. This was a real concern early on in the pandemic as I have a compromised immune system. There was a real danger of what it could do to my lungs. Thankfully, I have received three doses of the vaccination. So now,… Continue Reading
Personal Blog An Unspoken Good News Stephen Bedard, February 6, 2023February 6, 2023 Each week, I share a Good New Post which is some acknowledgment of something good that happened as a way to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness. It is an important part of maintaining my mental health. Normally I share the specifics of what happened. But not this time. There is… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: One Year at Brookfield Baptist Church Stephen Bedard, January 30, 2023January 30, 2023 In two days, Amanda and I will have been co-pastors at Brookfield Baptist Church for one year. We have been living in Brookfield, Nova Scotia for just over a year. It was a big step for us to move here for a number of reasons. One is that we had… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Feeling Better Stephen Bedard, January 23, 2023January 23, 2023 I have had a rough time for the past six weeks because of some lower back issues. This is not just a dull ache but sharp pain that is intense enough to make me pass out. It has been pretty rough. This has led to two emergency room visits to… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Thankful for Flexibility Stephen Bedard, January 16, 2023January 16, 2023 I have been struggling lately with extreme lower back pain. When I say extreme, I mean that it was bad enough for me to pass out last week. It is really affecting me. This could be a real problem with work. And to complicate things, I have two jobs: pastor… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Once Again to the Rescue Stephen Bedard, January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 My Good News this week is something that has happened a little too often lately. Sunday morning, I woke up sick. While five years ago I might have pushed through, in a COVID-19 world (even without a positive test result) I am more careful with my public activity while sick…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A New Year and New Habits Stephen Bedard, January 2, 2023January 2, 2023 I would not say that this past year was the best year ever. Nor would I say that the switch from December 31 to January 1 is anything magical. But New Year is a time for new beginnings. What I am talking about is not exactly New Year’s resolutions but… Continue Reading
Personal Blog The Year in Review Stephen Bedard, December 29, 2022December 29, 2022 As we approach the end of 2022, I naturally am reflecting on this past year, a year that has included as much change as any in our family life. The biggest change took place almost at the beginning of the year as we moved in January from Ontario to Nova… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News Can Be Hard to Find Stephen Bedard, December 26, 2022December 26, 2022 As you are likely aware, if you have read anything on this blog, my rhythm is to post a Good News post every Monday. This is something that I have done for almost ten years and it actually began as a daily discipline that I eventually moved to weekly. It… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Top Five Read Blog Posts for 2022 Stephen Bedard, December 24, 2022December 24, 2022 These are the top five most read blog posts for this past year. None of them were actually posts that I wrote in 2022, but they were ones that people have come back to over and over. As I blog, I rarely have a sense that a particular post will… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Top Five Videos Watched in 2022 Stephen Bedard, December 21, 2022December 21, 2022 I have been enjoying recording videos for my YouTube channel. I hope you have already subscribed but if not, go ahead and do that right now. Here are the top five videos that were watched in 2022. They were not necessarily recorded in 2022 but they were the post popular… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Getting Some Writing Done Stephen Bedard, December 19, 2022December 19, 2022 What do you do for self-care? For many people, it is about putting aside anything that takes too much thinking and relaxing with something distracting. For myself, nothing recharges me like writing. And when I say writing, I don’t mean light fluffy stuff. Not that there is anything wrong with… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Getting Some Answers Stephen Bedard, December 12, 2022December 12, 2022 I had a rough weekend. While doing some errands at the church with Amanda, I had a sudden attack of severe lower back pain. Now, I am in my mid-fifties and it is not unusual for me to have aches and pains, especially in the back. However, this was not… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Considering Self-Care Stephen Bedard, December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 My goal in this post is not to complain or even to share some overly personal information. There have been a number of people who have reached out to me recently, people I know in person and others. I have no intention of sharing here what is going on. There… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Back in the Nursing Home Stephen Bedard, November 28, 2022November 28, 2022 No I have not moved and no I am not that old. But I did get to visit our local nursing home yesterday. Brookfield Baptist Church put on a worship service Sunday afternoon for the residents. At one point in my ministry, doing worship services at nursing homes was a… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: When News Does Not Seem Good Stephen Bedard, November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 I share a weekly Good News post. This is meant to be a reminder to me that there is always something to be thankful for. It is sometimes easier to find the Good News than at other times. This past week was not great. In fact there have been a… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Thankful For My Co-Pastor Stephen Bedard, November 14, 2022November 14, 2022 I have now entered the second week of my chaplain course at CFB Borden. It has been a great time so far. I am aware that it is difficult for some reserve chaplains to take these courses because of their church obligations. That is why I’m thankful for my co-pastor…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Back at Borden Stephen Bedard, November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 I very much enjoy my role as a chaplain in the army reserves. There are many things that I appreciate about it but one thing is the opportunity for ongoing learning. This has brought me back to CFB Borden. Most of my chaplain training has been at Borden. It is… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog Good News: Interim Ministry Stephen Bedard, October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 I have been blessed with many different ministry opportunities one the course of my pastoral career. Most recently I had the chance to some interim ministry. If you are not familiar with interim ministry, it is when a pastor helps a congregation during the transition time between one pastor and… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Enjoying the Cottage Stephen Bedard, October 24, 2022October 24, 2022 While we generally think of summer as the season to spend at the cottage, we actually only bought our cottage at the end of summer. It is still very new to us and it is hard to believe that we have such a place to go. Between work and school,… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Getting Back to “Normal” Ministry Stephen Bedard, October 17, 2022October 17, 2022 We are in a time of transition when it comes to church ministry in two ways. On one hand, Amanda and I are still getting to know our new community and congregation here in Brookfield. On the other hand, we are also coming out (sort of) from the pandemic and… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: the Bright Side of a Hurricane Stephen Bedard, October 10, 2022October 10, 2022 I will readily admit that I did not enjoy Hurricane Fiona. We were out of power for fourteen days. We have another month before a technician can come and reconnect our internet at home. Overall, it was just not a fun experience. However, there were some bright spots. One of… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Making the Best of It Stephen Bedard, October 3, 2022October 3, 2022 Last week, I shared about how we survived our first hurricane. While the storm is over, the challenges are not. We have been without power for about nine days at this point. Many people across Atlantic Canada lost power due to the storm. Many of those communities have since regained… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Survived Our First Hurricane Stephen Bedard, September 26, 2022September 26, 2022 One of the things that I never thought I would go through was an actual hurricane. In Ontario, we had remnants of hurricanes come through as bad rainstorms but that was it. We have also had bad windstorms, but they usually just knocked over some smaller trees and rotten branches…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Reflecting on My Career as a Pastor Stephen Bedard, September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 When I say that I am reflecting on the past, do not interpret that as thinking about retirement. I am still a ways off from that. But for some reason I have been thinking about my experience as a pastor. I was hired by my first church, Queensway Baptist Church,… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: The Training Year Has Started Stephen Bedard, September 12, 2022September 12, 2022 September is the start of many things, whether going back to school or going back to work. In the military reserves, it is also the start of the training year. I have shared in other recent posts that I have been transferring from my unit in Ontario to two new… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Magic Mountain Stephen Bedard, September 5, 2022September 5, 2022 Although we still have a few more weeks before summer is officially over, Labour Day weekend often feels like the end of summer. It feels like the last blast of fun before school starts. We were not sure what we were going to do on this weekend as there were… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: On Vacation Stephen Bedard, August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 As of today, we are now on vacation. This is Good News. Now, this is not because I have a job I dislike because I really like my job. I’m so thankful that I am in a career that I enjoy and that is life giving. However, after seven months… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: We Are Almost There Stephen Bedard, August 22, 2022August 22, 2022 After a long process of looking at properties, we are extremely close to taking possession of our cottage. We have no waived conditions and we are trying to work out with our lawyer an earlier closing than the original August 30. We did our final walk through today. Why in… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Visiting an Oasis Stephen Bedard, August 15, 2022August 15, 2022 I was not wandering in the desert but I did get the chance to visit an Oasis. Oasis is the name of the annual meeting of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada (CBAC). For the last twenty or so years, I was ordained with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Back in Uniform Stephen Bedard, August 8, 2022August 8, 2022 One of my roles is that of a chaplain in the army reserves. In fact leaving my regiment in Ontario was one of the difficult things about coming to Nova Scotia. The plan was always to start serving with a regiment (or more) here. My transfer is a long process… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Coming Home to Brookfield Stephen Bedard, August 1, 2022August 1, 2022 We have been living in Brookfield, Nova Scotia now for approximately six months. There is still lots more about the community to explore but we recently had a great opportunity. Every year, there is an even called “Coming Home to Brookfield.” This is a week long event to celebrate community… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Combined Worship Stephen Bedard, July 25, 2022July 25, 2022 As a pastor, one of the things that I enjoy the most is partnering with other congregations. Churches are not in competition, we are all on the same team. Brookfield, the village where we live, as an annual event called Coming Home to Brookfield. It is over a week of… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Peggy’s Cove Stephen Bedard, July 18, 2022July 18, 2022 Last week, I took our daughter Emma to a doctor’s appointment inHalifax to check on the progress of her broken collar bone. Unfortunately, it is not healing as quickly was we would like, even though she is not in pain and has full range of motion. Since we were in… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Fun on the Lake Stephen Bedard, July 11, 2022July 11, 2022 I have talked a lot about how much we are enjoying Nova Scotia. We were reminded of that again yesterday as we spent time at a local lake. This small lake is only a five minute drive from our house and it has public access. We spent much of yesterday… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Nova Scotia is Beautiful Stephen Bedard, July 4, 2022July 4, 2022 We have lived in Nova Scotia for just over five months and we are loving it. This is a beautiful place to live. We have had the chance to go on a few road trips and have been overwhelmed by the beauty of this province. There are so many amazing… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Proud of Logan Stephen Bedard, June 27, 2022June 27, 2022 Parents are naturally proud of their children, especially as they reach the typical milestones that we expect: driver’s licence, graduation, etc. I am no different. Our oldest child, Logan, just finished high school. That is one of those normal accomplishments that we all love to celebrate. However, Logan’s graduation is… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Next Steps as a Chaplain Stephen Bedard, June 20, 2022June 20, 2022 I have been a military chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces reserves for the past ten years and with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment for the last three years. technically, I am still with the LWR and continue to support that unit as I am able. However, this past week… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Getting Things Done Stephen Bedard, June 13, 2022June 13, 2022 I recently have felt a bit of an emotional weight. I wasn’t sure what it was as there are many good things in my life and not much that is bad. Then I was listening to a podcast that was about executive functioning, something that I am not strong with…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Recovering Well Stephen Bedard, June 6, 2022June 6, 2022 It has been about a month since I was in my ATV accident and I fractured a couple of ribs. I will say that the first two weeks (and especially the first few days) were pretty rough. I never realized how painful broken ribs could be. But the past couple… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Inducted at Brookfield Baptist Church Stephen Bedard, May 30, 2022May 30, 2022 Last night we had the induction service for Amanda and I at Brookfield Baptist Church. For this not familiar with that term, it is a special service where the pastor(s) is officially welcomed to the congregation and they commit certain promises to each other. It is really a celebration of… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Amanda Bedard, MTS Stephen Bedard, May 23, 2022May 23, 2022 I have been privileged to witness the way God has been working in Amanda’s life and ministry. It was just a couple of years ago that she enrolled at McMaster Divinity College and then not long after, came on staff at Queen Street Baptist Church. When I did my seminary… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Recovery in Process Stephen Bedard, May 16, 2022May 16, 2022 In my previous Good News post, I explain about our recent accident and my thankfulness to just be alive. In this post, I will share some thoughts about what my recovery has been like so far. It has been difficult. It has been difficult in two ways. The first way… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Commissioning Service at Acadia Divinity College Stephen Bedard, May 11, 2022May 11, 2022 While I was not able to attend my Convocation Ceremony, I did get a chance to attend the Commissioning Service on the Friday. My Doctor of Ministry degree is my fifth degree and my fourth seminary degree but I had never been a part of something like this before. I’m… Continue Reading