I have discovered a new word - followership - and I'm looking it over to discover what it can do. Sort of like acquiring a new tool and trying it out. It's really not a new word, online dictionaries say it is almost 100 years old. Yet it is not in any of the published … Continue reading Followership
self denial
Wimpy evangelism
Forty-five years ago there was a city-wide outreach in our city based on the theme “I found it!” The slogan was purposefully vague so as to engage all churches who called themselves Christian. The purpose of the slogan was to prompt people to ask “What did you find?” To which the answer was “New life … Continue reading Wimpy evangelism
She never gives up
Saturday afternoon Bianca Andreescu won the U.S. Open women’s tennis tournament. She is 19 and the first Canadian ever to win a grand slam tennis tournament. A comment made by one of her opponents has stuck in my mind: “She never gives up.” In several matches she seemed to be faltering, on the verge of … Continue reading She never gives up
This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting
Jesus came down from the mountain where He had been transfigured and found a great crowd gathered around his disciples and a demon-possessed boy. At the end of the account, after casting the demon out of the child, He told His disciples "Howbeit, this kind cometh not out but by prayer and fasting." The disciples … Continue reading This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting
Slaying the beast within
A year and a half ago, a young man who had served a sentence for armed robbery appeared in court to explain that he had learned his lesson. He said that he had learned that he needed to stop and think before doing something and consider the consequences. "I have learned to tell the difference … Continue reading Slaying the beast within
Is Jesus’ “ground crew” the real problem?
Some folks have been heard to say that they love the Lord, but the don't have much use for His ground crew. I confess that my first impulse is to be sympathetic to their point of view, having encountered a number of questionable representatives of that group. That impulse is tempered by the realization that … Continue reading Is Jesus’ “ground crew” the real problem?
Are we passive Christians or active Christians?
If you asked twenty good men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you had asked almost any of the great Christians of old, he would have replied, Love. You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this … Continue reading Are we passive Christians or active Christians?
How to catch a monkey
If you want to capture a monkey you first need to get a wooden box and fill it about half full with stones. Then cut a hole in the lid just large enough for a monkey to get his hand through, throw some peanuts on top of the stones and securely fasten the lid to … Continue reading How to catch a monkey
I’ve got to Start Somewhere
A few years ago I picked up a book entitled Start Somewhere: Losing What's Weighing You Down Fom The Inside Out*. Written by Calvin Nowell, a Christian songwriter and recording artist, it is the story of how he got to be a young guy weighing 450 pounds, with a 60 inch waist, and how he … Continue reading I’ve got to Start Somewhere
Twelve Foot Falls
We were driving through Wisconsin, on our way from Ontario to Saskatchewan and planning to stop at friends for supper and night. There was a little sign beside the road saying “Twelve Foot Falls” with an arrow indicating the direction. On a spur of the moment impulse I pulled off onto the side road. For … Continue reading Twelve Foot Falls
Flatlander Faith 