The Bible in America Study reports that 62 percent of the people in the communities surrounding our churches would like to read the Bible more.[1] Another study reports 87 percent of the people in our churches want help understanding the Bible better. Yet Bible reading is waning. Recent studies demonstrate that […] [READ MORE]

It can never be said that Adele Gaboury's neighbours were less than responsible.[1] When her front lawn grew hip-high, they had a local boy mow it down. When her pipes froze and burst, they had the water turned off. When the mail spilled out the front door, they called the […] [READ MORE]

There exists the belief that the church of Jesus Christ in North America is on decline, becoming more and more irrelevant.  Why would that be?  Could it be that we don’t walk our talk?  Is the church trying so hard to be relevant that it is losing sight of what […] [READ MORE]

In 1889, American journalist and humorist Edgar Nye introduced the phrase "A mile wide and an inch deep." He was referring to a river found in the Midwestern and western United States, called the Platte River. The Platte is a muddy, wide, shallow, meandering stream with a swampy bottom, these […] [READ MORE]

The following story by Ernie Reno appeared in a 2011 edition of the Indianapolis Star. The title read: "Small gesture on busy street alters view of police." [1]  While walking back to the office after lunch, I noticed two burly Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers outside Circle Centre mall. Between […] [READ MORE]

The December 20, 2004, issue of Time magazine had an article describing the television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[1] It told the story of Alice Harris of South Central Los Angeles. She still remembers the day the good people from ABC volunteered to demolish her house. In 2003, a flood […] [READ MORE]

A family vacationing in the United States went for a swim in Lake Michigan.[1]  It wasn’t a stormy day, yet they were barely in up to their waists when one of several “safety sentinels” patrolling by canoe yelled, “Go back! Go back! You have passed the safe swimming depth!”  They […] [READ MORE]

Donald Miller in his book Blue Like Jazz suggests that the followers of Jesus should make sure that they walk their talk.  Miller writes, “I used to say that I believed it was important to tell people about Jesus, but I never did. [My friend] Andrew very kindly explained that […] [READ MORE]

There are those who seek power for self-advancement, self-indulgence, autonomy and independence.  Some want power for the ability to do what they want to do in life without accountability.  They believe that powerful people can do whatever they want to do, act like they want to act because they are […] [READ MORE]

Jesus’ dramatic “it is finished” from the cross did not mean that it was over.  Only the His work of sacrifice for the payment of sin for the world was finished.  The best was yet to come.  On the first day of the week his followers became very aware that […] [READ MORE]

Reading through the gospels, one finds some pretty interesting stories of Jesus’ healing methods.  In Mark 5 a woman with a bleeding disorder snuck up on Jesus and touched his clothing before she was healed.  In Mark 7 Jesus stuck his fingers into the man’s ears then he spit and […] [READ MORE]

Our society is all about being strong, assertive, self-determined and independent.  Any admission of faults and flaws is a serious mistake, meaning that you will be passed over for the next promotion and advancement.  If anyone becomes aware of even the slightest flaw she or he must make every effort […] [READ MORE]

It is true.  We often make following Jesus far more complicated than it needs to be.  Particularly when it comes to ordinary prayer must learn to relax and engage our heavenly Father in simple conversation.  For Daniel, it was not a big deal.  He regularly and habitually went to his room […] [READ MORE]

Rest is diametrically opposed to the pressure of society.  Society seems to feed off activity, busyness, rushing around and noise.  It is not a small wonder that people struggle with anxiety, nervousness and worry.  On the contrary, the human spirit thrives in seasons of peace and rest, ruminating over the […] [READ MORE]

There is a Japanese word, kintsukuroi, that means "golden repair."[1] It is the art of restoring broken pottery with gold so the fractures are literally illuminated—a kind of physical expression of its spirit. As a philosophy, kintsukuroi transforms imperfection, integral parts of the story, to something beautiful. The artists believe […] [READ MORE]

In her book The Vulnerable Pastor,[1] Mandy Smith tells the story of mountaineer Joe Simpson, shared in Simpson's memoir Touching The Void: Thousands feet up the side of the Siula Grande mountain, Joe's safety line was cut, leaving Joe to slide with a broken leg into a deep crevasse. After several […] [READ MORE]

The Russian cruise ship Lyubov Orlova was launched in 1976  with the express purpose of exploiting the lucrative Antarctic and Alaskan cruise market, which it did quite successfully… for a while, anyway.[1]  When it lost its usefulness and its harbor fees went unpaid in Newfoundland a salvage contractor paid the […] [READ MORE]

Have you ever realized how a simple conversation can lessen a lot of confusion and misunderstanding?  A few years ago, many years actually, we were moving to another province and my brother and his wife were delivering our household goods with a half-ton and u-haul.  Well before the cell phone […] [READ MORE]

According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary received a highly irregular, life-changing visit from an angel.  In Luke 1:26-38addressed her with the words “Do not be afraid.”   Really?  “The Lord is with you.”  Gabriel went on to explain that she would conceive, without having known a man, and give birth […] [READ MORE]

A private airplane pilot informed me that planes are constantly bombarded with a variety of changing influences during the course of a flight, requiring on going adjustments in order to arrive at the intended destination.  These changing “circumstances” include weight fluctuations due to fuel consumption, wind direction and velocity, changes […] [READ MORE]

There are lots of times during the Christmas season that I, ashamed to say, get caught up in my own interests, time commitments and over commitments  It is easy for me to rush through malls, avoiding eye contact in order that I won’t get slowed down by people.  In reality […] [READ MORE]

In Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge had a very painful memory of his time in school.  While all the other students went home for Christmas, his Dad did not want him to come home.  Then his sister Fanny showed up to bring Ebenezer home for the holidays, saying “Father […] [READ MORE]

Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was a miserly, wet blanket kill-joy went it came to Christmas celebrations.  Like his deceased partner, Scrooge was in bondage to ledgers, cash boxes, deeds, padlocks, etc.  He saw Christmas as “bah humbug.”  It could be that we too are bound by unrealistic […] [READ MORE]

The Bible shares a pretty awesome story in Acts 10 of how God encourages his followers to cross religious and racial boundaries for the sake of the Kingdom.  Peter had always been pretty clear on keeping racial lines distinct and was somewhat taken aback when God, through a vision, told […] [READ MORE]

Sometime ago the Chicago Sun-Times carried the story of a local couple who were in the midst of a hostile divorce.  Six months into the case, their baby was born.  His mother named him a day later, only to find her husband had gone to court to bar her from […] [READ MORE]