Today I went cross-country skiing by the shore of beautiful Lac Forget in the Laurentians.

Marion and I were on a weekend getaway at a chalet near Mont Tremblant with as many of our children as were able to join us. After taking my granddaughter Maddie for a short sled ride, I decided that I wanted to get a bit more exercise so I put on my skis and headed down to the lake.

It was an adventure. The snow was deep and there were no tracks to follow. On my way down to the lake I took  a tumble and got covered in snow. But I eventually made my way to the lake and took a tour along the lake shore on my skis.

The temperature outside was -29º Celsius and the wind was biting at times. I didn’t stay out for long, but while I was out, it was exhilarating.

When I was finished skiing, I headed back up the hill from the lake, through the deep snow, and made my way to the chalet where it was warm and dry, and I could find a hot drink and good company.

One week from today I will be heading out into the cold for a very different purpose. I’ll be walking with thousands of other Canadians in communities across the nation as part of the Coldest Night of the Year, an annual fund raiser to support agencies serving Canadians who need an alternative to living on the street.

I’ll be walking on behalf of those who don’t have a warm, dry, safe place to go when it’s bitterly cold outside. The funds I raise will go to support Jericho Road Ministries, an Ottawa ministry with a long history of providing a program of loving, structured discipleship in a home-like atmosphere for men battling addictions and mental health challenges.

My goal is to raise $1000 for this worthwhile ministry. I’m 90% of the way there. I’d be very grateful if you would help me reach and even surpass this goal.

You’ll find a link to my personal fund raising page here.

God bless you.