Something Better Than “Giving Something Up” For Lent?
Ash Wednesday kicks off Lent — the 40-day period leading up to Easter (excluding Sundays). During that time, a lot of people “give something up.” […]
discipleship
24/7 Discipleship
I’ve been reading a book entitled Imagine Church, by Neil Hudson. It’s about helping God’s people plan and vision for the future by encouraging whole-life discipleship. […]
My New Daily Devotional Called “Up.” (Why bother?)
I’m increasingly convinced that we don’t need more time or less tasks—but clearer priorities. Albert Einstein had 24 hours a day. So did Michelangelo. And Jesus! […]
Three Of The Biggest Misunderstandings About Jesus
Albert Schweitzer famously said that when looking for the “real” Jesus, it can be like looking down a well: Our search can be so polluted with personal […]
Great Expectations
I get great satisfaction from observing different cultures and attempting to learn from them. As this was my first visit to South America and to rare excursions beyond tourist areas and cruise ship ports, the experience was even richer.
Jesus Without Tinsel (A 7-Year-Old Doesn’t Get a Christmas Tree)
In 1939 Eugene was 7 years old. And his mother decided they would not get a Christmas tree. She was a woman of conviction and had seen […]
Do you love Jesus, or just really like him?
I think one of the biggest challenges today is that many of us really like Jesus. And liking is good. But do we love him? That’s a […]
Four Easy Ways to Change the World (with your kids) This Month
Okay, I admit it. That title promises a lot! But think of it like this: I once heard someone talk about how people think they […]
Walking the Talk
Sometimes we wonder about Simon Peter, Andrew, and the long succession of disciples who also consented to be called away. Did Jesus not care that they may have had families to clothe and feed, mothers and fathers to honour, boats to be maintained and kept seaworthy?
What Churches Can Learn From My Sunday Morning Visit With 3 Kids
As churches we can do a lot of talking about being “welcoming.” But we often confuse being polite with being welcoming.
Celebrating the Discipleship of Leaders
This Sunday, the lectionary scripture lines up nicely with this line of questioning and helps us wonder about the Gospel’s first teachers and enablers, both male and female. We’ll be reading from Luke’s Gospel, which is often noted for its inclusive take on gender.
The 411 on Holy Week Words
(Warning: The content about crucifixion is for mature audiences.) benedictus qui venit! Huh? I was in an airport recently and overheard people talking in a […]
A New Vocabulary for Christianity
“Gay” used to mean happy. “Sick” used to mean illness. “Cool” meant put on a sweater. Right now I’m just relaxing on vacation (and yes, […]
Pray Deeper, Like the Ocean
Prayer is like the ocean. You know about it, but you don’t. Just because you can swim doesn’t mean you’re an expert on the mind-blowing […]
The 8 Most Famous Bible Passages… And Some That Should Be!
It’s the world’s most shop-lifted book! 50 copies are sold every minute. It’s the global #1 best-seller. It’s the most quoted and most influential single-volume […]
How to Make a New Year’s Resolution that Sticks
It was a high school party on December 31st. At 11:55 p.m. a friend I played hockey with said his resolution was to quit smoking. […]