Symbols of power and wealth for one person can often be symbols of oppression and brokenness for another. I was reminded of this while in London because of a trip my friends from Canada took here a few years ago.
Read MoreI grew up Baptist, but I found something very life-giving in the Mennonite tradition. I felt at home because the Mennonites answered some of the hard question I had been wrestling with. And then I met a Hutterite. They live out community and faith in a very tangible way. So, who's right?
Read MoreWhy do I feel the need to write about mental illness? Simply put, because the stigma around mental illness is still present in our society and churches. The more we talk about this, the less stigmatized it will be, hopefully coming to a point where “snap out of it,” or “just pray more” are no longer legitimate pastoral responses.
Read MoreI can still remember the sighs and the groans of my classmates when I asked another question in class. But I just had to. That did our teacher mean when he said that Jesus didn't really have to die to save us? I couldn't let that go.
Read MoreI find that I'm always encouraged and challenged when I spent time with people who have taken life changing steps to spread the message of Jesus in difficult and dangerous places. It reminds me of my role as a follower of Jesus to be a messenger of God's reconciling work in the world.
Read MoreIt's April tomorrow and it's starting to feel like spring. I don't know if you have a favourite flower, but mine is the sunflower. I don't love it because of the seeds or how it looks necessarily, but I love sunflowers because of what they teach me about my walk with Jesus.
Read MoreWhat if our church represented the diversity of our community? What if we were to reach out to our neighbourhood with the message that all cultures are welcome because Jesus welcomes all. I don’t think it would be easy, but as we are intentional about diversity, we will benefit and grow in a way we could never imagine.
Read MoreGod knows when we are pretending, putting on a show, or just going through the motions. Empty worship that doesn’t line up with the rest of our life doesn't please God. What God cares most about is our honesty.
Read MoreWhy do we say we are a family as the church but then move so quickly to divorce when we disagree? Let’s not be so quick to give up without looking for ways to stay united, love each other, and live up to our commitments.
Read MoreLife is a journey filled with all sorts of experiences. As we grow physically, we also are invited to grow spiritually. We have never quite "arrived." There is more that Jesus has to offer. But if we want to grow, we may need to spend some time in the dark.
Read MoreAs we grow in faith, we will eventually have to come to terms with the fact that no one just reads the Bible. I'm sorry if this offends you. Yet at the same time, our idea of a pure reading of Scripture is offensive to the rest of the Church. I’m not saying that you are wrong in your interpretation, but we must name interpretation as interpretation.
Read MoreAbout a decade ago, I had an argument with my pastor about our music group. I thought I won, but instead he taught me an important lesson about service and leadership.
Read MoreA few years ago, on a visit to my family home, my brother told me a story that shocked me. I realized that I was kind of a jerk. I learned that Jesus calls us to a radical way of living.
Read MoreI just came back from a week in the USA. If there was one word I would use to describe the American situation now, it would be turmoil. The problem with “America first” is that the US does not know who it is. I think this had led America into an unexpected identity crisis.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I sat around a table with some friends in a cafe in Winnipeg to talk about reconciliation and our church’s connection to Cross Lake. What does reconciliation look like? How do we dismantle the systems of government and industry to bring justice to a community as small as Cross Lake? It was evident that there were no easy answers.
Read MoreI don’t think there is any doubt that God is active in His body. There is also no doubt that God will use us. We have no evidence that God is finished with the world and that He just wants us to disengaged from everything. The question is, will we let Him take control?
Read MoreBeing the church is messy work. No one ever said it wouldn’t or shouldn’t be. I can see how someone would leave our meeting yesterday and say “This is too much. Why don’t we just leave our conference and do our own thing?” I can understand that. Being the church on the local, regional, national, and global level isn’t easy.
Read MoreAfter trying and working as hard as we can, could you imagine finding out that you didn’t win gold, that all your efforts weren’t good enough because of other mistakes and choices you made in your life? Could you imagine how disappointing that would be?
Read MoreAs we approach 2017, I would encourage you to make time for soul care. Take the time to develop spiritual disciplines. Take time out of the business of life to just be with God. When the storms of life hit, you won't regret it.
Read MoreTraditions help us focus on what's important in life. We had the tradition of acting out the Christmas story in our family. The problem was that I have four brothers, and I was usually stuck playing Mary.
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