Have you ever experienced a grace moment?
*Had a moment of inspiration.
*Felt a moment of inner peace.
*Helped someone in need.
*Were given help when in need.
Guest speaker, Rev. Bill Nelson, spoke on the theme of “grace” to students and staff at a Lunch with Benedict. He looks on grace as a time of experiencing the goodness of God, or sharing that goodness with someone.
The Men in Black of St. Peter’s College are inviting you to submit a few lines or more of a grace moment. It can be an act of grace that you witness, receive or do for someone else. Every entry will be entered for a weekly draw of a $20 gift certificate at C2. A draw will be made at Easter for a grand prize (to be announced).
Rules: -Submissions should be sent to spc@stpeters.sk.ca -Submissions will be posted on our website -Submissions can be sent anonymously (remember you won’t qualify for a prize then) or can be posted anonymously if you wish -Winners will be selected by the MIB -Contest begins Friday February 12, 2010 and closes Thursday April 1, 2010. -This contest is open to everyone and we welcome all submissions.Submission A1
Arriving home late one night after a long day I was feeling tired and down. I got out of the car and started to walk to the house, suddenly I was struck by the beauty of the evening. It was a crystal clear night, the stars and planets were bright and clear. I stopped to look and I could see Orion, other constellations and the Milky Way. Now I had energy and felt good about the world - a moment of Grace. - Anonymous
Submission A2
Alanna Hoesgen showed an act of grace towards me by looking and finding Led Zeppelin books at the UofS library for my research project without me even asking.
Mark S
Submission A3
I witnessed an act of grace while in the city, my friend and I ran into a homeless man outside a theatre. My friend, seeing that this man was a decent guy, ended up buying him supper and giving him just over one hundred dollars to help him get back on his feet.
R.K. Heise
Submission B4
I witnessed my son being nice to his little sister - he stopped what he was doing to read her a story when she was feeling sad.
Anonymous
Submission B5
I just started this term at St. Peters and I didn't really know anyone and there was a girl named Jenna who was really nice to me and would invite me out to things like the movie night on wednesdays and such, and that helped to make me feel welcome at the school!
Amber Symchyck
Submission B6
A friend of mine, Sheryl, once entrusted me with a story that happened many years ago, but that was always remembered in her heart.
Sheryl received a phone call from the hospital, informing her that her ill father had suffered from another stroke. This was the second stroke her father had within a short period of time and needless to say, Sheryl was upset beyond words. Immediately she booked off time from her busy life and went to visit her father where he was hospitalized.
Upon arrival, Sheryl was advised to take a seat in the waiting room until further notice. There, a janitor noticed her distress and asked her what was wrong.
"My father is very unwell," Sheryl began, clearly worried about her dying father. The man, without a question put down his working equipment and sat down in the chair beside Sheryl. He said nothing. Sheryl continued her story about her father, how he had previously been admitted to the hospital not long ago due to a stroke, and the strong bond that her father and Sheryl have developed throughout their lives. Sheryl told the stranger that she feared for her father's life and that she didn't know what to do if the worst happened. All this while, which must have been an hour or more, the janitor didn't say a word. When the time finally arrived and Sheryl was called by a nurse, the janitor departed from her by assuring Sheryl to be strong, that times will get better, and that she must never lose her faith.
That is the end of Sheryl's story. What's so special about this story? The stranger that listened to every word of Sheryl's worries was not somebody whose job it was to commit his time to grieving visitors. In fact, he - being the janitor of the facility - had a job that needed to be done. He was a regular person, like you and me, who has his own problems and worries. But instead of caring only for himself, he did something remarkable. He decided to care for a complete stranger. The only reward he could have possibly hoped for, in return of his kindness, was a sincere "Thank You". What the janitor did was an act of Grace, a little thing that makes life a whole lot more bearable. He might not have cured Sheryl's father, but he did something that is very rare and can never be taken for granted. He listened.
Elly Knorr
Submission B7
When I was feeling really stressed out and upset over school, a friend of mine listened to everything I had to rant about. Once I was finished, he told me he had a secret to tell me. That he was a doctor! I couldn't help but laugh because as far as I knew he was definitely not a doctor. His prescription for me though was to sit back, relax and smile. He said it would cure me in no time at all. He was right. It helped a lot and it still does.
Taylor Moisan
Submission C8
My friend Ryan showed me an act of grace when I didn't have keys for my vehicle and I needed a ride home. It was a Wednesday night after movie cluv and it was late, cold and snowing and Ryan drove me home so I could pick up my keys. He was a real blessing that night!
Jenna Mollenbeck
Submission C9
I witnessed an act of Grace when Father D. helped me shovel my car out after the big snow storm in January.
Erica Hoiland
Submission C10
One memorable act of grace I experienced was in my pre-university days. Out of the blue, on an Easter Sunday , I received a call from a woman offering me a job working for her at a local greenhouse. I felt so good and excited that she thought of me and asked me to work for her. I wondered how she thought of me as I did not apply for a job nor was I looking for one, and I was not a friend of hers. I told her I needed to talk to my family and get back to her as I was a stay at home mom at the time. My family was happy for me and I began work that Monday. I worked for nine springtimes transplanting and selling plants. I loved working there and learned alot.
Cynthia Stumborg
Submission C11
Erika Knorr had a brilliant idea this past week. A construciton worker, who was suffering from cancer, had mentioned to her about a sweater he really liked that was kind of falling apart. So she got a few people together and got him a card once hearing he was getting healthier and bought him a hoodie from C2. The fact that she organized all this and was so excited to give him the gifts, was the nicest thing I've seen in a while. It was definitely a moment of grace.
Taylor Moisan
Submission D12
I knew an old friend who didn't like who he was or what he's done in the past. He felt so terrible and defeated from time to time that he wanted to push everyone out of his life. It was his faith, hope, and love in Christ that often brought him a moment of grace, especially when everything else seemed hopeless. It is this amazing grace that pushes him to better himself and to find ways of bringing that same grace in other people's lives.
R.K. Heise
Submission D13
There was one important moment in my life, a moment of inspiration, that helped me figure out how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. Three years ago, I went on this trip called "California Breakaway", which is sort of like a youth group type of thing. We pick out all these different activities we want to do when we get to California, and each night there was a speaker and a prayer circle. One of the activities that you could do was called "Project Serve". I can't remember where it was, either in San Diego or L.A somewhere, but we got an opportunity to work in a kitchen and serve food to the homeless. This shelter was built for people who had done all kinds of wrongs in their life and wanted to start over. There was one person in particular who stood out for me. He, along with a few other volunteers, worked in the kitchen everyday and lived in the shelter. Everyone there called him "Bernie Mac". After we had finished serving food, he took us aside and told us about how he got to this point in his life. He had gotten into all kinds of hard drugs, he was torn apart from his family and he had ended up living on the streets because he had no where else to go. He said that in those hard times, he had found God, and thats what led him to the shelter, which gave him the rehabilitation he needed to turn his life around. After hearing his story, I felt such a deep connection and inspiration from his words that I knew I that I wanted to help people like him. I want to be able to make a difference in someones life, like the people at the shelter were making a difference in his.
Stephanie Wilcox
Submission D14
I felt grace when I went for a walk one evening. The sun was just setting, and the wind was strong and refreshing. There was a flock of birds playing in the wind, swooping and diving. It was such as peacful night, and as I watched them I realized how beautiful the world is, and that everything would be alright.
Andrea Gress
