[Another post from 10 years ago] Why do people stop going to church? Could it be because so may churches are not really churches? Matthew 18:20 does not speak about Christians gathering for worship. It is a continuation of the passage beginning at verse 15 and speaks of the testimony of two or three witnesses … Continue reading Two or three gathered together doth not a church make
faith
What’s in the bottle?
[First posted in October, 2017.] Image by Dmitriy from Pixabay Once upon a time a man was given a wonderful elixir that would cure every disease of mankind. He bottled it in plain brown bottles and offered it for sale to others. The price was very high and it didn’t taste very good, but it worked. As time … Continue reading What’s in the bottle?
How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one – Part four
My mother left the Mennonite church of her parents when it sunk in that the German language was more important than the faith. My father’s parents had been Wesleyan Methodist, but that church got swept away with the Social Gospel and ened up as part of the United Church of Canada. When I was 11 … Continue reading How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one – Part four
How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one – Part three
By 1870, there were close to two million Germans living in Russia. For the most part they lived in self-governing colonies, exempt from taxation, military service and other obligations of Russian citizenship. They had their own German language schools, regulated their own affairs and kept apart from the Ukrainian and Russian people. Is it any … Continue reading How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one – Part three
The sacrifice of Isaac
As we approach the time of year in which we commemorate the death and resurrection of our Lord, it is fitting to look back and see how clearly God portrayed this in the event recorded in Genesis 22. The birth of Isaac was foretold in an angel visit. His birth was miraculous, his mother was … Continue reading The sacrifice of Isaac
Why do I fear to speak the name of Jesus?
Am I a soldier of the cross,A follower of the Lamb?And shall I fear to own His cause,Or blush to speak His name? Isaac Watts, 1674-1748 There must have been people even 300 years ago who considered themselves followers of Jesus but were very circumspect about mentioning His name. Why are we like that? Are … Continue reading Why do I fear to speak the name of Jesus?
Quaking Dover – book review
Quaking Dover: How a Counterculture Took Root and Fluorished in Colonial New Hampshire, by Jnana Hodson. The first thing I learned from this book was that New Hampshire has frontage on the Atlantic Ocean. I have often studied the neighbouring states in the road atlas. During the 20 years that we lived in Ontario and … Continue reading Quaking Dover – book review
Hitherto hath the LORD helped us
Those words from 1 Samuel 7:12 came to me as we were listening to the young people singing from the church conference. A word of explanation is needed here, the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite holds a general conference about every seven to ten years. The 2022 conference is underway now at Tupelo, Mississippi … Continue reading Hitherto hath the LORD helped us
The Queen’s English
When Queen Elizabeth spoke, her words were not erudite (scholarly) or recondite (difficult to understand). She never used words like that, at least not in her public discourses. She did not have a university education; it has been the conviction of the British Royal Family that they do not want to learn a language that … Continue reading The Queen’s English
The lady had an anchor
Princess Elizabeth made her first public speech during World War II. She was fourteen and spoke on the Children's Hour radio broadcast on October 13, 1940. "Thousands of you in this country have had to leave your homes and be separated from your fathers and mothers. My sister Margaret Rose and I feel so much … Continue reading The lady had an anchor
Flatlander Faith 