Remembrance, regret, resolution
I miss my Opa. A few years ago, my daughter Ellie had a school assignment for Remembrance Day to to write about someone she remembered that served in the armed forces. She wrote about her great-grandfather (Opa). Helping her write a few short sentences about his life made me realize just how little I knew…
An enemy of hope
Three years after graduating from Bible college on the prairies, I returned for a one-week complimentary alumni seminary course. I was excited to be back in the classroom again, but if I’m completely honest, I was just as, if not more, excited to return to a place that held so many good memories. We spent…
Making it personal
Occasionally, if my wife Rebecca doesn’t get home when I was expecting her, my mind will become morbidly creative. I mustn’t be the only one who has “daymares” of their spouse dying in a car accident. Selfishly, I must admit I spend less time focusing on the details of the accident and more time on…
Discovering my dross
I remember singing in various youth-group settings the once popular, and now dated-sounding, worship song, “Refiner’s Fire.” Admittedly, I never really took the time to ponder the metaphor of being refined in the fire. The words “Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver” sounded nice, accompanied with lyrics desiring holiness. It…
False false prophets
Are you ever afraid to say something because it might not be the popular opinion? Do you struggle to muster the courage to speak out within your congregation because you’re worried you’ll offend someone’s well-intentioned but misinformed idea? Do you need encouragement to speak the truth in love, accepting the risk of having the things…
Whoever has a nose, let them smell
It was the first Sunday of Advent and we had lit a single candle in our living room as part of our online worship service. Our Advent wreath was neatly set up on the coffee table, safely away from anything flammable, and our children are old enough to know to be careful with fire. Afterwards,…
Matters of life and death
I waffle a lot when it comes to death. Sometimes I welcome the idea, especially when faith in being united with Christ is high, when the weight of the world and its heartache is great. But other times I fear death, when I realize how quickly life passes by, or when my faith flitters and…
Like an adult on a spinning teacup
I love watching my kids twirl endlessly around at the park on those self-propelling spinners. It reminds me of my childhood spinning on tire swings until we were nearly sick, and then quickly jumping off and attempting to walk, looking like underaged drunken sailors. When I was a kid, I couldn’t understand why my dad…
Living in the middle
Life is full of spectrums, and I often struggle to find my place on them. Some spectrums, like the light spectrum from infrared through the visible colours to ultraviolet, although fascinating, aren’t highly controversial. Other spectrums, like our political or theological views, can harbour very passionate and divisive lines. Spectrum has been employed to allow…
Launched into oblivion
My youngest daughter Ruth can be a little firecracker. We say that she’s sweet and spicy. Sometimes she can get into a real funk, though, and I can feel lost as to how to help her. I am thankful for my wife, who often sweeps in to save the day when my strategies are failing…
