Well, it's not a decision I have to make every morning, like deciding if this is short sleeve or long sleeve weather, it just grows there. I would have to physically remove it with some kind of blade every morning if I didn't want it. Now, I think that if God made me in such … Continue reading Why I wear a beard
The difference between worship and entertainment
Worship is an act of homage, reverence and devotion paid to a deity. Entertainment is something that offers us amusement, excitement and a diversion from the mundane problems of our life. Worship is something we do; it implies an active participation in the act of worship. Entertainment is an activity where we are merely spectators. … Continue reading The difference between worship and entertainment
Faith is
yalandarose posted this yesterday and it fits our situation. My wife was diagnosed with CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia) a year and a half ago. Her white count has shot upward over the summer and she is seeing her doctor today.
A more honest version of the shepherd psalm
Mammon is my shepherd; I shall always want more. He gives me no rest; he makes me to always desire greener pastures and more dangerous waters. He gives me emptiness and leads me in paths that offer shiny and exciting things to fill that emptiness. But when I come to the valley of the shadow … Continue reading A more honest version of the shepherd psalm
Things I am thankful for
I know that it is still three weeks until Thanksgiving Day, but there are many things to be thankful for every day and I want to tell you about the things that I am thankful for right now. My wife arrived home Thursday from a nine day stay in Edmonton where she was helping an … Continue reading Things I am thankful for
Eloquent words
I was a member of the Anglican Church of Canada during my youth and a faithful participant in her worship services. The services and prayers of the Book of Common Prayer presented the gospel message in simple, yet eloquent, words and I found comfort in the familiar liturgy. As I entered my twenties, I realized … Continue reading Eloquent words
Squirrel cage economy
Twenty-five years ago I took a course taught by a man who had grown up in India and who had travelled the world. He talked of seeing how coffee, tea and sugar were grown by dirt poor peasant farmers. He described the steps in getting these products to the multinational companies that then processed them … Continue reading Squirrel cage economy
Timidity in the pulpit
If spiritual pastors are to refrain from saying anything that might ever, by any possibility, be misunderstood by anybody, they will end – as in fact many of them do – by never saying anything worth hearing. Incidentally, this particular brand of timidity is the besetting sin of the good churchmen. Dorothy Sayers
Effective Words
It is not a simple thing to learn how to use words to say exactly what one wants to say in the most effective way possible. But the words themselves should be simple. Here is some of the best writing advice I have come across. The first two were written by Canadians, the third by … Continue reading Effective Words
Strange Gospel
Approximately 300 years ago there arose a line of thought in pietistic Protestantism that God’s reign would progressively manifest itself through human action cooperating with God’s action. The belief that the gospel will gradually Christianize the world, bringing a reign of peace and harmony preceding the return of Christ, is known as postmillenialism. In 19th … Continue reading Strange Gospel
Flatlander Faith 