Church attendance across Canada has been declining for years. Yes, there are new churches being built, some quite large. Many more are being torn down, or re-purposed. I suspect the majority of the people in our country have never set foot in a church. Nowadays, most weddings and funerals do not take place in a … Continue reading What makes a church attractive?
spiritual life
Nature: red of tooth and claw
Welcome guests: Unwelcome guests: The welcome mat is out in our yard for goldfinches, swallows and all of our beautiful native songbirds. We wish that there was some way to convince the murderous English sparrows that they are not welcome here. For several years we have had swallows nesting in … Continue reading Nature: red of tooth and claw
And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment
Shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus came to Bethany and was invited to a meal in the home of Simon, a man whom He had healed of leprosy. To get the full story of the event, we need to put together the accounts found in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and John 12. Lazarus, whom Jesus had … Continue reading And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment
The love of God
[The following words were written 19 centuries ago, not long after the time of the apostles. It is part of what is known as The Letter to Diognetus. Neither the author of the letter, nor Diognetus, have ever been satisfactorily identified, but the letter breathes an authentic and dynamic faith. Shouldn't those two qualities still … Continue reading The love of God
Elections
All is quiet on the election front where I live – Canada had a federal election last fall and Saskatchewan had a provincial election just a moth ago. But the media that I read are full of angst and bewilderment about the upcoming presidential elections in the USA and France (this fall in the USA, … Continue reading Elections
Strange ideas about strangers
"If a white person marries a black person," my father said to me one day, "their children will be born with one black leg and one white leg, one black arm and one white arm." I was still in my early teens but I didn't think such a thing was possible and I told my … Continue reading Strange ideas about strangers
FIRE!
Over the past few days the people of Fort McMurray, Alberta have had an all too close encounter with a fire like the one above. News reports indicate that all the 80,000+ people who live and work there have been able to make their way to safety, leaving their homes, businesses and most of their … Continue reading FIRE!
We Bleed, All The Way Up
"We live in a disordered, chaotic, fractured, fallen world where the current of sin devours everything." I love that phrase and it pretty much sums up the thoughts that were going through my mind today. I was sitting with my wife as the chemotherapy drugs were dripping into her bloodstream and meditating on the twisted … Continue reading We Bleed, All The Way Up
The loneliness of the pathfinder
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. Isaiah 6:16 We have joined a grand throng of pilgrims and strangers, wending our way through a wilderness where we have never … Continue reading The loneliness of the pathfinder
Gossip
Gossip. talk or news about the personal lives of other people that is often not kind or true. The above definition comes from the Harcourt Brace Canadian Dictionary for Students, © 1997. I think this was the best school dictionary ever, but it is unfortunately out of print due to Thompson Corp buying up a … Continue reading Gossip
Flatlander Faith 