Would you say that you grew up in a Christian Home? In my experience, that title can cover a wide variety of homes in the Western world. But I wonder, would those families also be able to say that they grew up in a Discipled Home? Maybe you’re thinking, “What’s the difference?” To answer that, we need…
Did you mail out Christmas cards this year? According to Canada Post, they offer reliable and “…cost-effective…” service, which means it cost us $0.85 to send our neighbour down the street a Christmas card. At that price, we might as well get some exercise, walk it down, and put it in the mailbox ourselves! Could we send…
It All Begins In Exodus. In Christian circles we’re well versed in the following communion account found in Matthew 26: “26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ 27 Then he took a cup, and when…
4 Points To Consider “23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers…
Why They Must Point To Jesus. When a widow or widower finds a new partner, there’s a temptation to ignore the standards that are often set for first time marriages. Even in Christian circles, this is often the case. A pastor who emphasises the importance of the new partner’s faith may hear comments from friends or…
Remarriage After the Death of a Spouse. 1 Corinthians 7:39 states, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” (NIV) In the English Standard Version (ESV), “A wife is bound to her husband as…
When To Embrace A Second Chance Marriage. Over the past couple of months, we’ve been working through a theme: “Every Season Of Life“ We spent some significant time, unpacking each stage of life that someone may walk through, and what the Bible has to say about it. As we near the end of these seasons, recent…
Opportunity For Families, Opportunity For The Church. In 1 Timothy 5, God leads Paul to write the following to his pastoral apprentice Timothy: “7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith…
Paul’s Instruction To Timothy. In the Book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes to his young apprentice, Timothy who has recently become the pastoral overseer of the Ephesian Church. In chapter 5, Paul gives Timothy some instruction on how to serve and care for the Elderly, including widows. Let’s break this down, beginning in verse 3…
Working Through a Situation of Bible Vs. Culture. This week, we’ve been wrestling with the question, “Is Retirement Biblical?“ The short answer is we don’t really know. With the concept of retirement, the Bible and culture don’t really match up. Biblically, in Old Testament law and tradition, the Elderly should be cared for. Moreover, children (specifically sons) should…
Does Freedom 55 Really Exist? In the 90’s, these “Freedom 55 Financial” put out a string of commercials that made big promises for early retirement. (See video below.) That was 25 years ago! I was graduating from the fifth grade, so the last thing on my mind was retirement. But maybe some of you were thinking about…
Dealing With Our Control Issues. Once a child hit’s puberty, a parent’s control begins to slip away. At puberty there are obviously chemical and hormonal changes happening. But the development of a teenager is so much more than that! In those early teen years, big life questions start to show up: Relationships, spirituality, finances and a…