There was a school shooting a few days ago at La Loche, a small community in northern Saskatchewan. A teenager who had been relentlessly bullied took a gun and killed two people in their home and then went to school, killed two more and wounded a number of others. It appears that the young man … Continue reading How a Biblical worldview can make life better for everybody
faith
Holdeman Mennonites
I have been a member of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite for half my life (in a few weeks it will be 37 years out of 74). The church name is a bit of a mouthful. Ideally we would like to simply call ourselves the Church of God, but at least 50 other … Continue reading Holdeman Mennonites
Don’t second guess your repentance
To repent is to rethink, or change your mind. In religious terms, repentance toward God means to reconsider the way you have been living, ask God to forgive you and resolve to live differently with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is a complete change in a person's way of thinking and is not … Continue reading Don’t second guess your repentance
The weakness of God
As I reflected on the latest atrocities, in Jakarta and Ouagadougou, perpetrated by those who claim to be followers of Allah, my mind went to a well known quotation: "A fanatic is a man who does what he believes God would do, if God really understood the facts of the situation." I don't know the … Continue reading The weakness of God
Three keys to getting the most out of reading the Bible
Read it like a story book, not a recipe book A cook will pick up a recipe book and look for the type of dish he wants to make. The recipe will list all the ingredients and provide all the instructions needed to prepare that dish. Some folks try to use the Bible in the … Continue reading Three keys to getting the most out of reading the Bible
Hitherto hath the LORD helped us
What is it that prompts us to want to make resolutions about all the things we want to do better in the coming year? Isn't it the consciousness of all the ways that we have failed to live up to what we wanted to be and do in the past year? Why do we think … Continue reading Hitherto hath the LORD helped us
In the world, but not of the world
With the launching of the New Testament vision a new idea was being launched; the world was being treated to a new and very revolutionary concept of society, namely that men can get along peacefully in the market place even though they do not worship at the same shrine. The New Testament conceives of humanity … Continue reading In the world, but not of the world
Would God that all the LORD’s people were prophets
The words of the title are taken from the eleventh chapter of Numbers. Moses had complained that he was not able to bear the load of leading and caring for all the people who were with him in the wilderness. God instructed him to bring seventy elders of the people to the tabernacle and there … Continue reading Would God that all the LORD’s people were prophets
Disconnected
We don't have a furnace in our mobile home. Where it once was, there is now a heat exchanger that takes heat from a hot water line that comes from our neighbour's coal-fired boiler. A furnace fan mounted above the heat exchanger sends warm air through the duct work to heat the house. A few … Continue reading Disconnected
Book Review: Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
At the ripe old age of 17 I believed I had outgrown any need for the Bible. It was almost ten years before I opened the book again. I was sceptical, but I thought there might be something worthwhile somewhere in this collection of writings. I guess I was looking for answers, but didn't really … Continue reading Book Review: Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
