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Personal Missions
The largest portion of my annual givings goes to my congregational church; as does a large portion of my volunteer time. But competing for my […]
The largest portion of my annual givings goes to my congregational church; as does a large portion of my volunteer time. But competing for my […]
The challenge, the delight, of “doing radio” alone in a darkened studio is to make listeners of those who only hear. Dictionaries are a little ambiguous about my hair splitting, but when the reader proclaims: “Hear the word of God,” I think “listen to God’s word” might be more fruitful instruction.
The dawning new year seems a moment that needs prayer as we face the unkown ahead. I suppose there is a course about prayer I could sign up for somewhere and maybe it would be helpful, like consulting a golf pro about my backswing.
“Blast! It’s cold,” I said, my teeth chattering and chewing the words. “You can say that again,” Linda said. “I have been getting increasingly chilled […]
The big question is, to what do we refer when we use the word “church?” Is 50 Wynford the church? Or Assembly Council, or the […]
The wind, howling from the heights of the Rockies, lashed tiny snow tornados across the moon-silvered Depression-era prairie. Half a lifetime later, the young man staring into the night would be short and plump, with a fringe of snow-white hair crowning twinkling eyes and a merry smile seeking the next excuse to laugh; but in that frozen hell, laughter seemed ashes of some spiteful dream.
With a stack of Kung, Armstrong, Frye and others by my side, I embark on a voyage of biblical exploration. I imagine hearing pitiful screams of tiny angels losing their grip on the crowded heads of pins. Often a phrase will cause me to lift my eyes and gaze out the window. Why didn’t Jesus tell his disciples about the universe his Father created?
Here’s one of my favourite stories. It appeared in the March 2005 Record in an article on Crieff Hills Community, a retreat centre north of […]
“The stellar’s jay was at the birdfeeder today,” Linda said. “I haven’t seen him for more than a month. And the pileated woodpecker was in […]
Recent studies conclude that almost six in three Canadian women are relieved when the relatives leave after Christmas. The season can leave us exhausted and […]
To the God-inspired men who wrote the Bible, Earth was the centre of the universe God created for us. Prophets and kings would have found it easy to imagine a sovereign atop the clouds ruling his dominions, sending emissary angels to encourage or rebuke wandering desert nomads. How dramatically this clashes with our “modern” perspective in which our dear green and blue planet is so infinitely tiny as to almost surpass imagination. And there, perhaps, is the key.
The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, Montreal, proposed a daring theme for Lenten chapel services: questions often asked but seldom answered in church. One rearranged this wanderer’s worldview, like a kaleidoscope’s shifting pattern. “Why don’t miracles happen anymore?”
“Turn up the lights, I don’t want to go home in the dark” – the last words of O. Henry Today on my way home […]
In September the current Moderator of the General Assembly, Rev. Harvey Self, paid a visit to the Kenora Fellowship Centre. I met him there and […]
The name of the column is Pop Christianity — about the relationship between Christianity and the popular culture. It has always been my contention that […]
November is well into winter in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region of B.C. One of the nice things about our long winters is the night sky. Clear […]
At lunch with lifelong friends, talk turned to the church which accepted my hesitant application for membership 10 years ago. They’re mildly puzzled. What about all the terrible things that God allows to happen? Look at all that has been done or not done by those who claim to follow Jesus Christ.
I approach church hungry for nourishment of the spirit, more filled with disturbing questions than easy answers.
A few Septembers ago I found myself hanging out with members of the Toronto Blue Jays. The catcher and I were on a TV show […]
My 10-week contract at the Record has now reached its 60th month. Over the years I have been privileged (as I’ve said before) to sit […]