So, the Princess of Wales has finally popped out of the gopher hole that she's been in.  If you haven't seen the announcement on the news yet, you will (unless you're also in a hole somewhere).  That "major abdominal surgery" was a biggie, apparently, and when they were testing what they took out, they found cancerous remnants.  So, she's going to ( Read more... )

This week, I preached on 1 Peter 5:7-9, which reads, "7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing ( Read more... )

Tonight is the seventh night since we had our Out Of the Cold program open.  It hasn't been a necessarily smooth rollout, to be honest - we're encountering bumps that we have to work on.  Some of them are security issues, some of them are compassion issues, and yes, some of them are personnel issues.  Many have said that they are willing to help ( Read more... )

I closed the door of my Study when I got in to the church this morning.  I do this very rarely, but I thought that today, it made sense.  I had a big stack of things to try to accomplish, thanks to a meeting last night that was both a great success and pointed to just how much work we have yet to do for our Out of the Cold Program, and the fact ( Read more... )

I was at a gathering recently where we were talking about addiction, about addicts, as well as the difficulties in breaking out of addiction and addictive behaviours.  (And before anyone starts to get uptight, I talk about addiction a lot of places!)  We were talking about "surrendering" an addict and their actions up to God, and how hard it is to ( Read more... )

The United States quaked earlier this week when it was revealed that Justice Samuel Alito had penned a supposedly majority Opinion on an abortion case that is before the US Supreme Court that would essentially overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that enshrined the right of American women to receive a "safe" abortion for an "unwanted" ( Read more... )

My message for this coming Sunday is about how God works with us through our uncomfortable moments, because growth and increased spiritual maturity are often on the other side of it.

One phrase that I couldn't work into the message, though, was something that I've often heard in a military context - "Embrace the suck!"  There are lots of things ( Read more... )

A lot of things in the Church get predicated on the thought, "This is the way things must have been..."  Which is incorrect, of course, because that statement relies upon assumptions, and we all know what happens when we assume...!

And yet, assume we do!

The issue here is the date of Christmas (and, by extension, Advent) - I grew up treating ( Read more... )

A colleague of mine is trying to inspire greater works of combined ministry in our area.  I'm not sure how successful we will be, but that's beside the point - his desire is for the churches in our area to work together to meet the needs of those who require a more spiritual, God-centred, Christ-centred, response to their issues and situations.  ( Read more... )

Tomorrow, the Season of Lent begins for 2019.  Over the course of forty days, plus six Sabbath days, we journey with Christ to the cross, then to the tomb, so that ultimately we can emerge with Him into the light of Easter morning, with death defeated and salvation offered to all those who would take up their own cross to follow Him!  I have a ( Read more... )