Constructive Anxiety
Anxiety is a funny thing. Too much and you find yourself in an unfocused whirl. Too little and you become complacent and lethargic. Either way, you become unproductive. It’s the same for groups or institutions.
Magazine
Assembly Council Budgets for 2014
The Assembly Council spent the bulk of its November meeting dealing with finances. It endorsed a number of changes to the church’s pension plan and approved a set of 10 “budget principles” to guide the creation of the national church’s 2014 budget.
‘We Made a Little History this Year’
Rev. Dr. Dave Sutherland will stand as sole nominee for moderator at this year’s General Assembly. This is the first time there has been only only one candidate for moderator of the church’s highest court.
Meeting Jesus in the Bible
I have been trying to talk about what it means to bear witness to Jesus Christ in a secular age. But this begs an important question. Which Jesus and whose Christ?
Perpetual Immanence
Is there any other time of year that brings lingering family grievances into sharper focus? The pressure that builds around what should be a joyous time goes far beyond the stress of buying presents, attending too many parties and trying to get the house in order.
Renewal Has a Name
A part of Advent for me is trying to gain the perspective of the Hebrews as they waited in hope for their coming Messiah. I think we can learn a lot about “waiting in hope” from them.
World News – December 2012
High Obesity Rate Among Scottish Presbyterians According to an official health survey, the rate of obesity among Presbyterians in Scotland is higher than any other […]
A Theory of Everything
The main problem with this book is its excessive speculation—though tantalizing at times—and its simplistic ‘theory of everything.’
The Gospel
A young person said to me recently: “Do you ever feel that religion is too complicated?”
Comfort and Joy
After the Council of Nicaea, Christians were so happy about saying “Jesus is God” that they forgot the other fact the old confession emphasizes—Jesus is also truly human.
Not a Reindeer Story
I became a believer in Christ with what Craig Larson calls the “Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer syndrome.”
But What if Christmas Really is True?
While the days and weeks and months of a normal, busy year pass like snowflakes blowing by a window, the mystery and significance of God’s love-invasion of Earth starts to fade in my mind.
The Foreigners
Many months we swayed over sand and scrub. The camels got ticks; our bodies got blisters. Twice, bandits robbed us of coin and food, but the treasure under our saddles was well hidden, destined for the One we sought.
Church Leaders Oppose Cuts to Prison Chaplaincy
In a move criticized by many religious groups, the government has cut roughly half of all part-time chaplains’ contracts. Of the remaining 80 full-time and 51 part-time chaplains, only three are non-Christian.
Living and Learning
Here is a reader-friendly, truth-seeking, insightful story, which locates its genesis in not yet disheartened times.
Listening
St. Andrew’s, King Street, in Toronto, has reissued a1972 recording in which 10 choristers and organist/director Douglas Bodle present 17 hymns from the 1972 Book of Praise.
Who Let That Guy into the Nativity Scene?
Caganer Nativity Set The Caganer is a popular nativity set figurine found in the Catalan cultures of southern France, the Balearic Islands, southern Italy, Spain […]
The God He Loves
Lawrence Brice presents an explanation (an apologetic) in a popular, thoughtful way that reveals why the faith of the Christian is satisfying in both rational and experiential ways.
One Child at a Time – Mission
What began with a presentation at a church in Mississauga, Ont., turned into a passion for a pair of Presbyterians.
Faith & Life
Not many who knew Art Van Seters would have known that he wrote poetry, but few, I imagine, would be surprised.