It was a chilly Sunday morning in February 2009. Our pastor was wrapping up his sermon. As he moved into his conclusion, he explained that we would be having a couple of scheduled baptisms to wrap up our service. Then he gave an open invitation to anyone else who would like to be baptized; they should come forward during the next song.
Should Merry Christmas always be our festive greeting? Discover how to share Jesus’ joy with kindness and love this season.
In today’s world of abundant communication, the timeless tradition of meeting up for coffee remains an important aspect of everyday life.
While I’m a big fan of technology, admitting that most information is exchanged via text, email, and social media, there’s an undeniable difference when communicating over a good old cup of joe.
Love has lost its true meaning. In modern cultural language, love is often replaced by the complexities of sexuality. During my time as a youth pastor, I witnessed too many teenagers have a revolving door of partners, whom they supposedly loved. They would return the statement of I love you, but really meant to say…
Reflecting on the US Presidential Election one month later, December 10th, 2012. As we find ourselves one month beyond the conclusion of the 2012 US Presidential Election, it’s apparent that the echoes of discontent persist on social media platforms. Despite Obama securing re-election, a substantial segment of the American population adamantly resists embracing a Democrat-led…
It’s common to hear us church-goers get into a heated debate over church politics, leadership structure, etc. Every once in a while, I’m reminded and humbled that the Church doesn’t just exist in our Western world circles. The Church is alive and active all over the world. Much of it, experiencing terrible persecution for their faith. In our Western culture, I wonder if and/or when we will experience persecution.
How should churches balance biblical authority and cultural change in defining women’s roles in leadership?
Our friend from Washington State visited Canada. We used to live in Calgary, and a friend from Washington came to visit. We tried to do a few things that were iconically Canadian to give her a bit of Canuck-culture.
My starting point for today’s post is a caveat; generally, I do believe the old adage that, “With age comes wisdom.” The older a person gets, for the most part, the stronger their ability to make the right decision in various situations. That being said, we can’t ignore the conflicting cultural motto, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
The widening gap between the old and the young. I’ve been thinking about the difference between today’s paid ministry staff compared to the voluntary workers in the early church. Specifically, I was asking the question, “Who was in their twenties and thirties during Paul’s day, and what were they doing?”
Back in the day, MySpace was some strange time-waster for teens and college students. Then Facebook came along, almost single-handedly pushing MySpace out of existence. As well, as picking up a tonne of first-time social media users. All of a sudden, we started to think very differently about this social networking thing.
Though the social media wave has been gaining speed and volume, many still oppose its use. Many believe this social phenomena is just some band-wagon craze that will eventually die off. I’m not so sure.