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
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
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
Why Couldn’t I Be The Healthy One?
It was the morning after my father's funeral and my cousin Dennis and I were sitting at a table with my mother looking at old photographs. Here was a school phot from when I was in Grade 2 in a one-room school. There were two little boys in the front row, one bright-eyed, smiling and … Continue reading Why Couldn’t I Be The Healthy One?
The community of believers
The New Testament depicts the church as a building which has Christ as its foundation, and as a body of which Christ is the head. In both of these illustrations it is evident that the church is much more than the sum of its members. The reputation of the church should be based upon the … Continue reading The community of believers
He hath torn and he will heal
I took our little Pookie to the vet a few days ago; Pookie being our three year old Flame Point Siamese. This was a follow up visit after his latest ear infection had cleared up; the vet is trying to figure out why he so often gets these infections. Her theory now is that it … Continue reading He hath torn and he will heal
What is marriage?
The first marriage took place between Adam and Eve. There was no certificate issued, no record in the government bureau of vital statistics and no ceremony, there having been a notable lack of preachers and witnesses at the time. Nevertheless, a precedent and a principle were established: " Therefore shall a man leave his father … Continue reading What is marriage?
Okay, God has a plan for me. Now what?
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11) This verse comes in the middle of the words that God gave Jeremiah for the Jews who had been captured and led away to Babylon. He told … Continue reading Okay, God has a plan for me. Now what?
Flatlander Faith 