LMT July 16 2018

6 Monday, July 16, 2018 • Last Mountain Times
MINISTERIAL MESSAGES
Definition of love
I recently shared at a bridal shower for my nephew’s
fiancée and chose the familiar passage from
Corinthians : ‘Love is patient, Love is kind. It does
not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does
not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not
easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres. Love never fails’
As part of my preparation I learned the definition
to some of these words based on the Greek words
used in scripture. I definitely found the following
definitions helped to explain a little more broadly
what was being asked.
1. Patient – “a person who is able to avenge himself
yet refrains from doing so”
2. Kind – “to show oneself useful”
3. Does not Envy – “to be zealous” a passionate
sense of jealousy – left to reap, envy always
ends in some form of action
4. Does not Boast – “not a braggart”
5. Not Proud – “Pride breeds quarrels” – Proverbs
:
6. Not Rude – “to behave in an ugly, indecent,
unseemly or unbecoming manner”
7. Not Self-Seeking – “seeks highest and best for
another”
8. Not Easily Angered – much of what angers us
is a result of how we perceive we are personally
affects by a situation
9. Keeps No Record of Wrongs – somehow we
humans revel in recording the failures of others.
10. Does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth
11. Always Protects – “to cover over in silence” –
love does not expose the faults of others
12. Always Trusts – having faith in someone – sin
nature leads to skepticism instead of choosing
to believe
13. Always Hopes – “to expect with desire” to trust
them and expect the best from them.
14. Always Perseveres – “to remain under” “to hang
in there”
15. Never Fails – “to be without effect, to be in
vain” Agape love is never without effect, never
in vain.
I think we have all felt very overwhelmed with
this definition of love, which we have likely heard
described as God’s agape love, which is unconditional
love. This long list of “never” and “always” are
impossible for us, which in some ways should bring
us some comfort as we realize God is the only one
who can accomplish this through us as we let Him.
I believe this will only be possible through time
with God in His Word and time with God in Prayer.
Agape love is always divine love. Its only origin is
the heart of God. It is a response more than a feeling.
It is my prayer that God will fill my heart and
life with His agape love so that it will spill over to
those all around me, starting with my own family.
I want to be this kind of person, don’t you?
-Heather Block, Layperson - Jansen
Strasbourg Town Council
Wednesday, July 11 meeting notes
Strasbourg Town Council met for the ‘early’
monthly meeting last Wednesday evening. Two
council members were absent (Kevin Flavel and
Cliff Eisler) but there were still enough members
presence to form a quorum. The meeting was
chaired by Mayor Kelvin Schapansky.
The first item of business on the fairly light agenda
was a delegation consisting of local ratepayer
Don Matheson. He presented his concerns with
having to pay a fee at the Last Mountain Regional
Landfill (LMRL) due to the fact that the Town of
Strasbourg is no longer a member-partner in the
LMRL. Council explained that this situation arose
due to the fact that the Town was being double-charged
for LMRL services - once through the
membership levy, and again when Loraas hauled
LMRL garbage into Regina, and charged the cost
back to the Town, due to the LMRL not having the
ability to accept and process garbage for the last
couple of years. As a result, the Town withdrew
from the partnership and must wait 5 years before
possibly re-applying. The Town committed to
exploring the possibility of setting up a local option
(on a fee basis) to accept ratepayers’ excess garbage
that does not get put in the roll-out bins. Under
‘correspondence’, council also dealt with LMRL issues:
one was a letter outlining non-member access
fees, and another announcing that Nola Schultz will
be the new LMRL Administrator.
Town Administrator Jennifer Josephson briefly
reviewed financial information as of June 30, 2018
noting expenses for the month at $84,424 and
revenue of $406,424. She explained the higher than
normal monthly revenue figure, noting the fully 60
per cent of the Town’s property tax levy has been
received as of June 30, representing a 10 per cent
increase over this time last year.
Council voted to continue the currently underway
process of high-pressure water-jetting of the Town’s
sewer lines until they have all been completed.
Sewer line jetting is routine maintenance process
that has not been done for quite a number of years,
and is expected to cost in excess of $20,000. Going
forward, the Town plans to do about one-third of
the lines every year.
In other business, council passed a new fire callout
False Alarm Bylaw (#387-18) that provides for
written warning for the first false alarm call-out
per year, and then an escalating fee (starting at
$500) for additional call-outs in the same year.
Administrator Josephson noted that it is always
the same less than a dozen properties that send
in false alarms, so those property owners will be
sent a letter spelling out the new bylaw provisions.
Council also discussed a proposed new bylaw to
provide guidelines to the Sports Grounds Committee
in terms of fundraising and management of the
Sports Grounds east of town. The bylaw would not
require any additional financial commitment by the
Town. Council members were also provided with
a first draft copy of a proposed new ‘Development
Levy and Servicing Fee Bylaw’ designed to help
the Town pay for initial infrastructure costs for
servicing new property developments in the town.
Council also officially accepted Office Services Clerk
Carole Chobot’s resignation effective July 13th. The
position is already being advertised. (The Chobots
are planning on moving away from the area.)
During discussions it was noted that construction
on upgrades to the Town’s Water Treatment plant
are about resume, after more than 8 months of delays
related to issues with natural gas lines running
near and under the property. Those issues have
apparently finally been resolved by SaskEnergy.
Note: Nokomis Town Council also had
their meeting scheduled for last Wednesday,
July 11th. I flipped a coin.
FCC partners to promote mental health
-editor
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) announced recently that it has entered into a partnership with the Do More
Agriculture (DMA) Foundation to create a network of mental health first-aiders who can identify and support
producers coping with difficult or unfortunate circumstances.
Under the one-year pilot project, FCC is contributing $50,000 to the not-for-profit foundation, focused
on promoting mental health awareness and well-being in Canadian agriculture. The funding will be used
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