Milk first, then the solid food
“When you’re lonely, Jesus rescues!” our kids cried out in enthusiastic unison. Spurred on by a pair of gregarious and silly characters trapped on a deserted island, the children were pumped. It was our Vacation Bible School week. On each of the five days, there was a different life situation highlighted—when you’re lonely, when you…
The kingdom does not depend on us
Recently I spent a weekend at a discipleship retreat with a team of seven others from my church. It was great fun! As we learned and prayed, our inspiration for making disciples grew. We dreamed and planned for how we might develop leaders in our congregation. Truthfully, while it was energizing, it also felt more…
From mountain to plain and back again
Mountaintop experiences. Those moments where God is undeniably present. When he shows up in power and glory. We are left riding high on a spiritual wave, convinced that God is at work in wonderful ways. What have your mountaintop experiences been? There are a few that jump to my mind. On one occasion, the…
The message and the messengers of salvation
It is truly remarkable that through hell and high water, the good news of Jesus has arrived to me, today, in 2018, in Canada. This is a miracle of God. Through persecution, the gospel has persisted. Despite the frequent destructive misuse of the message for coercion and power, the good news has carried on. Not…
Confession of a ‘road rage pastor’
I’ve had a bit of a road rage problem. It peeves me when I need to throw on the brakes because another vehicle pulled out in front of me. Sadly, too often my reaction has been to tailgate, eventually pass and possibly toot my horn. I tell myself that I’m helping the other motorist see…
The power of being ‘with’
There was an intense, seemingly overwhelming ache in my heart. Separated by 2,500 kilometres for our third school year apart, I longed for my sweetheart. I read her letters over and over, and again once more. They offered a delightful glimpse into her mind and heart, but they just didn’t cut it. I wanted nothing…
‘Those who are in Christ will live forevermore’
I love doing funerals. As a young pastor, I now have nine under my belt. It seems I enjoy them more with each one. To be honest, I haven’t had any difficult funerals to do yet. No tragic circumstances or painful dynamics to deal with. Each one being a dear old saint, ready to be…
Salty language and coming to faith
“Ah, sorry about all the cussing! I’ll be sure to watch my language around you from now on.” I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard an embarrassing apology of this sort when someone discovers that I’m a pastor. Having spent time in hockey dressing rooms, on baseball fields and at construction sites,…
No more of that old ‘soft-sell’ gospel
“All you gotta do is . . . .” How often have we in the church uttered these words? We petition new committee prospects with this blasé plea. We invite people to faith in Christ saying, “All you gotta do is ask Jesus into your heart.” These are the words of the “soft-sell.” They are…
A country boy in the ‘new city of God’
I wasn’t too sure about this idea of moving into a city. It didn’t seem much like the utopia I dreamed of. I’m a country kid. I grew up on a farm, where we had room to roam. Baseball games and kick-the-can could be played in our yard. Gorgeous sunsets could be seen regularly from…
