Faith

A Saviour with Dirty Feet

laurencedewolfe

Jaroslaw Baczewski/istockphoto

January 11: Mark 1:4-11

One day, soon after we got our Samoyed, Dexter, from the shelter, I took him to a park where dogs are allowed off leash. Mistake number one. He's uninhibited, curious and affectionate. He doesn't stay on the path. He doesn't cling to my side.

Mistake number two was letting him go down a path beside a pond. He looked good, standing there in the water, barking his head off. His own beam of sunlight made him look oh-so-white and, well, canine.

Then he realized he was wet. Out he came. Snow white on top. Pitch black on the bottom.” Here I am! Aren't I great? I'll just rub myself all over your pants, and sit down here on your foot! Woof!”

New Year, New Beginning!

Rev. Cheol Soon Park

Every year, we begin a new chapter of our lives. It is like a blank paper given to us, a new opportunity, full of possibilities, waiting to be filled up by us. Everyone has a resolution as the new year begins. Spending more time with the family, getting back into shape, quitting smoking, going back to daily prayer life, being more organized, etc. They may sound very easy and perfectly normal to follow, yet we know that they are the annual contests on our list. We start the year with great hope and determination but we tend to lose energy as soon as the decorations are put away. Making changes in our lives is not as easy as it seems.

Speaking of God

Joseph McLelland

Mark Strozier/istockphoto

In a Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch, a wrestling match between a bishop and an atheist is held to determine the question of whether God exists. After a stirring match, the result is declared: God exists, by two falls to a submission. That's what logicians call a “solid, knock-down argument.” It's very funny because that's quite the wrong way to wrestle with religious questions.

Does God exist? Yes and No. Yes, there are compelling reasons to believe, but No, “God” does not “exist” in the same way we do. The greatest Western theologian, Augustine, asked: “What is God?” and answered, “More than we can say or think.” That “more” is the key: this Reality is so far above our life and thought that our knowledge comes through sign, symbol, parable, metaphor.

Studying The Way

communications

Think of it as a Christmas present from the Presbyterian Record to you – an opportunity to spend 2009 with two eminent Presbyterians, one a philosopher, the other a theologian, discussing some interesting questions like Who is God?

Happy Shovelling

davidharris

To all those readers who were surprised and offended in any way to receive a recent mailing from an insurance company in a Presbyterian Record envelope, my profound apology for not having adequately explained the circumstances.

Real Gifts for Real People!

Rev. Cheol Soon Park

Every December, I am very busy for a special reason. The first day of month we sing Happy Birthday to my wife Karen. While the familiar song still lingers in my ears, our wedding anniversary comes up three days later. So it becomes “a very Happy Anniversary.” Then after three weeks, Merry Christmas arrives. I guess I didn't know better about the implication of these special days before I got married. I feel sorry for my children as I see them preparing cards and gifts one after another, and their wallets getting thinner. (Fortunately, none of them were born in December.)

Jesus is Here!

Calvin Brown

Advent is a strange season in some ways because its focus is both looking backwards and looking forwards as we stand in the present. It is a time when we look back to remember that God's people looked with anticipation to the coming of the Messiah (the actual birth of the saviour which we celebrate at Christmas time). But Advent is also the time of year we are to begin life anew with the deep awareness that Jesus Christ will come again in a surprising future to judge the living and the dead as the Apostle's Creed reminds us.

Breadbasket to basket case

davidharris

I look at a piece of Zimbabwe almost every day. The slightly abstract mother and child carved in black springstone radiate extraordinary love and tenderness and is probably my most cherished piece of art gathered from foreign reporting.

Don't Wait to Apologize

Rev. Cheol Soon Park

"Dad, why does this year feel like it's going faster than last year?" This was the question that my youngest son, Ted asked me one day. He was nine years old.
Does anyone have the answer to this question? Time really flies. Every morning, we are kindly reminded that the mighty Canadian winter is expanding its territory and we are moving closer to the end of year once again. Recently we have been flooded with news about the election, the crumbling economy and the fluctuating market. They make us worry or at least concerned. But I believe it is a good time for us to look back and reflect on the journey we have made throughout the year.

Married for a Wonderful Time

Calvin Brown

July 8th was my 30th wedding anniversary. On reflection, there are a lot of joys and laughter shared, sorrows endured and lessons learned. Three important lessons I've learned about a successful relationship in our marriage were all found in the Bible; but the experience of life makes the text come alive in a new way when life experience says, "That is so true!"

The Humanitarian Heart

Elizabeth McWeeny

The idea of the shrinking "humanitarian space" for refugees is a common theme in international discussions about refugee issues. I prefer to call the condition our shrinking humanitarian heart. Like other heart diseases it sneaks up on us without notice until one day it hits us hard. Our humanitarian heart has been in a sad condition for a while, but after Sept. 11, 2001, we got a real picture of its shrinkage.

Getting Back to Shape

Rev. Cheol Soon Park

Many churches were at leisure over the summer months as members went away to cottages and other vacation destinations. Yet at the same time, many churches were busy organizing summer special mission projects such as youth camp, VBS, community projects and short term mission trips. Many groups from various regions went out as mission teams to share, serve, and build relationships with others. I believe they all came back with experiences they will cherish for the rest of their lives. I still have a vivid memory from my first mission trip. There I was shocked by the living condition of the people and learned a precious lesson – we have to share. The impact was so great I ended up going back on many other trips in following years.

Married for a Wonderful Time

Calvin Brown

July 8th was my 30th wedding anniversary. On reflection, there are a lot of joys and laughter shared, sorrows endured and lessons learned. Three important lessons I've learned about a successful relationship in our marriage were all found in the Bible; but the experience of life makes the text come alive in a new way when life experience says, "That is so true!"

Youth 2008 : Nursing in India

Michelle Verwey

INDIA. Those who have been there understand – they know the arduous task of conveying the tangible experiences of India. The overwhelming number of people, the colours, the sounds (the constant car horn honking, animal noises and religious services broadcast on loud-speakers in the larger cities), the smells, and especially the warmth of the people, stretched my senses to places non-existent in North America.