A few of us, five to be exact, were planning on getting together over coffee this morning to discuss how we could better be effective witnesses of the gospel to the people around us, to Mister Average Canadian. There are no Tim Horton's close by, not really any coffee shops at all, so we decided … Continue reading Rained out — in January!
Christianity
God with us
If the resurrected Christ is not a living reality for us, we are proclaiming a false gospel, for the Good News that we proclaim is not dead news, nor tired news, nor even old news. It is living news (God-with-us news), the exciting personal news that the Jesus who came as a babe to Bethlehem … Continue reading God with us
And certain women
"And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the … Continue reading And certain women
The Bible is enough
Many years ago, when Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth was the "Christian" publishing sensation, the pastor of the church we were attending chose to use that book as the basis for weekly Bible study through the winter. I won't name the city, church or pastor. Spring came, we finished the book, and … Continue reading The Bible is enough
But what do I do when I come to the real test?
In my later youth I was given a lengthy aptitude test based on questions with multiple choice answers. I looked at it, decided I would ask myself at each question, "How would I answer this if I had a real interest in mechanics?" And lo and behold, the test results said that I would be … Continue reading But what do I do when I come to the real test?
Time shall be no more
Can you imagine an existence without time? I have tried, but I can't. Does it mean that everything happens all at once, a state of super excitation with no ability to separate one event from another? Or does it mean a state of suspended animation where nothing happens at all? Neither of those states sounds … Continue reading Time shall be no more
Handicapped by our strengths
I am now two thirds of the way through two of the books that I listed in an earlier post and it just dawned on me that they are talking about the same thing: one from a Christian perspective; the other from a business perspective. Chapter Six of The Power of Weakness begins by describing … Continue reading Handicapped by our strengths
The Cost of Discipleship
This is the title of a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It’s not hard to understand that attempting to be faithful to Christ in Nazi Germany would come at a cost, but it has been more difficult for us to grasp that to be a true disciple of Christ will always entail a cost, even in … Continue reading The Cost of Discipleship
France this week
Today is the release date in France of a new novel by Michel Houllebecq entitled "Soumission" (Submission). In the book, the French presidential election of 2022 pits the candidate of a new Muslim political party against the candidate of the Front National. The Muslim candidate wins, then goes on to transform the public schools into … Continue reading France this week
God and Mammon
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (The words of Jesus, quoted in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13.) Here is a stark warning that the pursuit of … Continue reading God and Mammon