A Prayer of Remembrance
We do well to remember, even as pacifists, when we frame our remembrance not in a way that glorifies war, but as a prayer for peace. As we confess and lament, we look to God to transform us into people of peace.
Read MoreRedeeming Halloween
From someone who’s never grown up participating in Halloween, I can understand why some people don’t. But this past week I handed out candy, and here’s why I did.
Read MoreIs Sexuality a Foundational Christian Issue?
Is what we think about sexuality in our day really foundational to the Christian faith? Can two Christians disagree, or does one have to stop calling themselves a follower of Jesus? Here’s why I believe we can be united in our diversity.
Read MoreAsking a Higher Question
This past Wednesday, cannabis because legal all across Canada. It’s never a good idea to simply follow whatever the government says, so how might we respond to this new reality in our country?
Read MoreLost and Found
We love boundaries. But whenever we think we have figured out who’s in and who’s out, we must quickly realize that Jesus doesn’t pick sides. He is hanging out with those people we may consider lost.
Read MorePostmodernism (4 of 4): Where Do We Go From Here?
Once we more fully understand postmodernism and the changes we are living through, we must ask ourselves how we can move forward, especially as people of faith.
Read MorePostmodernism (3 of 4): Power and Narratives
We dig deeper into our study of postmodernism by looking at how Jean-François Lyotard and Michel Foucault have described it. They help us make sense of power, authority and narrative and how they relate to our cultural shift.
Read MorePostmodernism (2 of 4): Can We Really Know Truth?
Can we ever fully know truth? How do we know what we know? Jacques Derrida’s analysis of postmodernism helps us in figuring out how our world is changing when it comes to knowledge and truth.
Read MorePostmodernism (1 of 4): Our World is Changing
Our culture’s shift to postmodernism is at the centre of many changes we experience today. It’s not that we are simply changing what we think, we are changing the way we think. We aren’t just changing our beliefs, we are changing our concept of belief.
Read More60 Years a Church
2018 marks 60 years for Sterling as an incorporated church. As we gathered this summer to celebrate God’s faithfulness to us over these years, I heard a moving story from someone who was there even before the beginning
Read MorePraying with the Psalms
Do you ever wonder how prayer works or why we should pray? Do you ever ask yourself if God actually hears us or if He even cares what we’re praying about? In the last few years, no book of the Bible has become more important in my prayer life than the Psalms.
Read MoreIn Jail for Justice
This past week, my friend and former colleague, Steve Heinrichs, was sentenced to 7 days in jail by the British Colombia Supreme Court for criminal and civil contempt of court. Why? Because he stood up for justice.
Read MorePeace: It Starts by Showing Up
On June 16th, I had the privilege of participating in the 37th Annual Peace Walk. As much as we all like the idea of peace, it’s often hard to know where to begin. But the simplest and most powerful thing we can do is to show up.
Read MoreOn Being a Patriot, Not a Nationalist
This Sunday is Canada Day, and that’s always a mixed bag for me. How much should we celebrate while knowing that our past is dark, and realizing our call to give our allegiance to Jesus? I think we need to become a little more comfortable with patriotism and a little less comfortable with nationalism.
Read MoreWhen Prophets Speak Out!
Over the past month, we have heard countless stories of government action to take children away from the parents of illegal immigrants in the US. Although the US may have the legal right, today’s prophetic voices are making sure their leaders understand that such actions are morally wrong, oppressive and evil. Wherever there is power, we also need our prophets.
Read MoreThe Gospel in Seven Words
The gospel of Jesus Christ has been described in so many ways. But what if you were limited to seven words? Our church deacons did this exercise, and this is what we came up with. How would you describe the gospel in seven words?
Read MoreReturning to the Womb
Last week we celebrated the baptism of two young people in our community. As Christians have done for thousands of years, we marked these commitments of faith with the waters of baptism, symbolizing new birth in Christ. But what does it mean to be born again?
Read MoreWhen the Bible Leaves You Scratching Your Head
What do we do with some of the most difficult passages in scripture? What do we do when we don’t have the answers? What happens when it seems like the Bible contradicts itself?
Read MoreDid I Marry the Right One?
One of the questions that Jessica and I get asked most often is how we knew, at age 21, that we were marrying the “right” person. Here are our answers about whether or not we believe we married the “one.”
Read MoreDo Mennonites Live by the Spirit?
This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost and the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise that the helper (Holy Spirit) will come for the church. But what does it actually mean to live by the Spirit? I asked some Mennonite pastors and leaders to help me try to answer that.
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