Be The Evidence That Someone’s Life Made A Difference
On April 14th, 1912 something happened at 11:40pm. A huge ship holding over 3300 people hit an iceberg. Over the next few hours it would sink to […]
Death
If You Knew The Day You Were Going To Die
Would you live any differently? My dad died in November and we recently had his birthday. It made me reflective. As I said at the time (click here […]
Assisted Suicide: Is It Ethical? Or Murder? Or Both?
Maybe you know someone who has suffered terribly. I’ve known a few. But I feel that there are some serious considerations absent from the debate.
5 Golden Chunks of Wisdom I Sifted in 2014 (from parenting, to losing a parent, to pastoring a church in a changing age)
It’s a rear-view mirror kind of week. The Christmas tree is about to go, and the New Year’s fireworks are on the verge. It makes […]
My Dad Just Died. Quickly. Here’s What I Said At His Funeral.
(My dad, Eric Ruttan, died on Sunday, November 16th. He lived 2 months less two days after being diagnosed with aggressive cancers in several parts […]
Afraid? Of what?
I shared a poem at a memorial service this week which I had used many years ago, but stumbled upon again. It was written by […]
Travelling together – but how exactly?
Several weeks before she passed away this summer, Shuling Chen (former Chaplain of The Presbyterian College) gave her friends an opportunity to travel with her […]
The Day I Got Old
I know it’s a weird blog title. I almost deleted the whole thing—but realized that would be to succumb to the very thing I’m warning […]
Is It Wrong to Celebrate Halloween?
Ghouls, goblins. And candy! For some people — not all — Halloween can cause mixed feelings because of its dark undertones. Ur, overtones. Personally I […]
Picking Songs For Your Own Funeral
Maybe it’s a morbid blog. Or… A hope-filled one! I sometimes ask people if they’d like some input into the songs used at their funeral. […]
The Un-Bucket List: 4 things NOT to do before you die
“Bucket lists” are popular these days. Movies and books propose lists of things to do before you “kick the bucket” (hence “bucket list”)—a kind of grocery shopping list for the soul before you walk up to the Grande Amen check-out line.
Parenting in the Valley
This is the first in a series reflecting on life as we’ve journeyed with my wife’s mom during her battle with cancer.Hope fuels Christian living, […]
The Steel Shell of Silence
Two-thirds of all suicides are by men. In a society where men are supposed to be strong, we need to reach out with support, compassion, and love.
Supporting Survivors
Suicide is not an issue we can ignore. Churches have a supportive role to play.
You Just Never Know
Most of us who have aged beyond the immortal teenage years have figured out that we don’t get out of this life alive. What we don’t know is precisely when and how death will find us.
The Big Step
The first time I met BeBe, she was in hospice care at Agape House, Hamilton, Bermuda. It was not a good day for her. She […]
Life after death 2.2
Sometimes grandma on her knees can get more truth than the philosopher on his tiptoes.
Life after death 2.1
Spong categorically rejects Wright’s interpretation of a supernatural God who miraculously invades the world to save us from the reality of death.
Life After Death 2.0
Most readers will have guessed from my wanderings that I’m on the back nine of life. As I made the turn, I hoped to make more birdies on the way home than I did on the outward nine. It depends, of course, on who’s keeping score but on m my card.