May 30, 2023 | Church Matters, Leadership, Pastor's Life, Personal Development
I love the mountains and spend any time that I can hiking and climbing in them. I therefore own gargantuan quantities of hiking equipment, and one of my favourite pieces of kit is my ice axe. There is just one little problem. I’ve never used the thing. I certainly...
May 27, 2023 | Church Matters, Leadership, Pastor's Life, Personal Development
We live in a very fear-based culture. Our news media is full of endless stories about things we should be afraid of: climate change, pandemics, financial crashes, asteroid strikes, tortoises, shark attacks, coconuts falling on you, and so on. Whether irrational or...
May 23, 2023 | Inspiration
Monasteries during the Dark Ages, the first Franciscans facing a church weakened by wealth and power, the Protestant Reformation alarmed by legalism and religious profiteering, the early Anabaptists disturbed by a cozy relationship between church and state, Methodism...
May 19, 2023 | Refreshment
What is the most courageous thing you’ve done? I have read many stories of courage, but one comes immediately to mind. On March 7, 2022, the massive Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, Florida, was closed as part of a 10K race for the armed forces. Nearly seven...
May 18, 2023 | Inspiration
Each Thursday night for almost an entire year, about twenty-five young adults would arrive at my house at 7:00 p.m. We would gather each week to study something interesting about the Bible as it related to the world we were living in. The group was so fun, and I...
May 15, 2023 | Perspectives
My friend Annabelle grew up in Uganda in a Muslim home. One night, her stepbrother abused her, and to her horror, Annabelle realized her father would do nothing to protect her. Things only got worse as Annabelle (only thirteen at the time) discovered there was a plan...
May 12, 2023 | Inspiration
As any runner can tell you, no one starts off running by signing up for a marathon. First I learned to run a mile, and then I worked up to a 5K, and then I tackled numerous half-marathons and a lot of intense training before building up the endurance to run 26.2...
May 5, 2023 | Refreshment
A popular maxim goes like this: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” First impressions are often etched into the mind and hard to overcome with later interactions. The whole field of marketing seeks to create positive first impressions of their...
May 2, 2023 | Inspiration
Begin with What You’ve Been Given A faithful person honors, cherishes, maintains, and guards the faith of those who put their trust in him by keeping his promises to them. God’s always like this. You and I, on the other hand . . . well, let’s just say this proverb was...
