For the kingdom of God is . . . righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 As we settle into the newness of 2023, ending one year and moving into a year that is yet to be experienced, we can play an important part in expanding God’s realm of...
One of the more under-the-radar features of the story of Jesus’ birth is the reality that Mary and Joseph had to flee their home country to protect Jesus from the violence of Herod’s regime. Mary and Joseph’s experiences as refugees was not new to the people of God:...
“Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters.” Psalm 107:23 Once while driving a group of seafarers back to their ship, the officer in the seat beside me gasped as we approached the gangway with the ship towering overhead. “Wow, she looks so...
Many churches are facing a crisis of survival. The Covid pandemic has exposed and accelerated the need for shifts in our models of church developed during Christendom. Major transitions are now required for churches not only to survive, but to bear witness more fully...
As we seek to be the Church for Vancouver, we urgently need to rekindle a deep appreciation for the personal, civic and ecclesial importance of friendship. Although friendship currently tends to be viewed as a private and recreational relationship, it has civic and...
When people ask me, as they often do, about some of the challenges facing those arriving in Canada as refugees, I can reel off a list from memory – housing, language barriers, navigating the healthcare system, isolation, finding employment, cultural and religious...
I cannot make this up. On Sunday when we arrived at church, some 45 minutes before the service was about to start, I saw a camp made up with tarps and umbrellas and items of clothing before the white doors at the side of our church. Not an uncommon sight in this neck...
The church has an opportunity to help support people experiencing ecological distress. Ecological distress refers to “any forms of emotional, psychological or existential distress related to present or anticipated ecological/climatic change.” It is a rapidly growing...
At the Academy Awards in 1985, Sally Field won the best-actress Oscar for her role in Places in the Heart. Her speech became somewhat famous and is ‘memed’ even to this day. What people thought she said was, “You like me! You really like me.” What she actually said...
The Christian Meaning of Work Growing up in the church, it was very obvious that God valued the work of pastors and missionaries. Pastors and missionaries prayed for others, studied God’s word, discipled others and shared the gospel, all things that God valued. But...