I’m taking a break

Plans are that by the time this appears on line I will be sitting in a little church in Québec working on editing a book recently translated into French. Then I will stay to worship with the brethren there on Sunday and do a little visiting around before returning home. I will return – to … Continue reading I’m taking a break

Approaches to the Bible

All those who call themselves Christians say that their faith is built solely on Jesus Christ the solid rock and that they depend on the Bible for spiritual truth and for instruction in living a life that is pleasing to their Saviour. But how is it really? Some folks base their faith on a set … Continue reading Approaches to the Bible

Introduction to the New Testament -2

Acts of the Apostles - This is the second half of Luke’s history, the first part being the Gospel which bears his name. Again we see a meticulous historian at work, telling the history of the beginning of the church in chronological order and anchoring it all to places and people in the secular world. … Continue reading Introduction to the New Testament -2

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I was growing up in the 1950’s, the older generation had scraped and scrabbled to survive the depression and they wanted their children to have a better life. The key to that was to get a good education so you could be someone who could make a living without working hard. Maybe that wasn’t … Continue reading What do you want to be when you grow up?

Canada Day Rain

As my dear wife says, times have changed. For several months the forecast promised rain that never materialized. Today the forecast promised 1 mm and we have received 15 so far.

Introduction to the New Testament – 1

The Gospels Matthew - The writer calls himself Levi; the other gospels call him Matthew, perhaps a name given to him when he became a disciple of Jesus. He was a publican before his call, a man who collected taxes on all merchandise transported along the road where he was stationed near Capernaum. This was … Continue reading Introduction to the New Testament – 1

Robotic Christians?

Am I nothing more than a robot? Is every detail of my life preplanned and manipulated by an unseen hand, right down to the moment and circumstances of the end of my life? That made sense to Zeno the Stoic, to Augustine, to Mohammed, to Buddha and to John Calvin. Some people find it comforting … Continue reading Robotic Christians?

Hope

Ah hope! What would love be, stripped of the encouraging smiles, that teach us to look behind the dark clouds of today, for the golden beams that are to gild the morrow. —Susanna Moodie 

Blood lines

I received my DNA test results yesterday, then signed up for a 14 day free trial  with ancestry.ca. I spent the rest of the day filling in the gaps in my family tree with the information they already have on file from kinfolk near and far. It's a fascinating exercise. I am a mix of … Continue reading Blood lines

African Americans and the Bible

The January - February issue of Christianity Today carried an article entitled Black Bible Reading Endures. I would like to share some of the statistics and a couple of quotes from that article. Twice as many African Americans as other Americans to say that Bible reading is crucial to their daily routine. They are twice … Continue reading African Americans and the Bible