One hundred years ago, settlers came to the flatlands of Saskatchewan. No need for axes and saws to fell trees, just a team of oxen and a plough to turn the virgin sod and prepare it for a first crop. Of course, the lack of trees also meant a lack of building materials, so the … Continue reading A tree falls on the prairie
Faith and life
What is wrong with the world?
I have arrived at the sad conclusion the the greatest problem in the world today is Christians who have a lot to say about what is wrong with the world and very little to say about what is right with God. We have been hiding the light under a bushel for so long that the … Continue reading What is wrong with the world?
We still need the ambulance down in the valley
Image by Gianni Crestani from Pixabay Every time there is a disaster, someone will say “there oughta be a law” to prevent such mayhem from ever happening again. Governments are happy to oblige, but is there any evidence the laws are helping? A poem that was often recited in the Christian school which my daughter attended was about … Continue reading We still need the ambulance down in the valley
Strong leaders and feeble followers
A dynamic leader, solidly grounded in the Scriptures and with a vision of how the gospel should be lived and shared for this particular group of Christians in this particular place, captures the loyalty of his congregation by the clarity and strength of his conviction. He plans, organizes, tells, and the congregation does as they … Continue reading Strong leaders and feeble followers
Funerals
Death is an enemy. The Christian who has lived his life at peace with God and with his fellow man does not experience death as an enemy, but the doorway into eternal happiness. But for those who he leaves behind death is an enemy. Someone who has been part of their very existence has been … Continue reading Funerals
I Owe the Lord a Morning Song
Amos Herr (1816-1897) lived on a Lancaster county, Pennsylvania farm that had been in the Herr family since 1710 when his ancestors fist arrived from Europe. In addition to being a farmer, he was a minister of the local Mennonite congregation. One wintry Sunday morning about 150 years ago, he awoke to a raging blizzard … Continue reading I Owe the Lord a Morning Song
Followership = Discipleship
Followership in the Christian sense is another word for discipleship. Do we need another word? If it helps us take another look at just what discipleship is, then I believe followership is a useful word. Jesus told His disciples, “All authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and make … Continue reading Followership = Discipleship
Followership
I have discovered a new word - followership - and I'm looking it over to discover what it can do. Sort of like acquiring a new tool and trying it out. It's really not a new word, online dictionaries say it is almost 100 years old. Yet it is not in any of the published … Continue reading Followership
Self-centred or God-centred?
We entered this world as helpless babies and we were totally self-centred. We had to be. We needed nourishment, we needed help when we hurt, we needed help when we were afraid, but we could not provide any of those things for ourselves. So we were vocal about our needs and our parents had to … Continue reading Self-centred or God-centred?
Without God, we don’t know who we are
If the things we see, hear, touch, taste and smell are the sum total of reality, then we are orphans cast adrift in a meaningless world. Life has no meaning, no purpose. People may try to construct their own meaning, but that leads to conflict with the meanings imagined by other people. We have been … Continue reading Without God, we don’t know who we are
Flatlander Faith 