Podcast Audio: The Same Message I’ve been reading a lot about men these days. I just finished The Screwtape Letters and The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis, Happy Happy Happy by Phil Robertson, and am half-way though Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men by Stephen Mansfield. Mansfield is a New York Times best selling…
Podcast Audio: I want to take you on a bit of a journey around scripture today. We’re still in the Gospel of Mark, but we’re going to jump around a bit to explain part of what we are going to talk about today. First, open up to Mark 4:21-25. Let’s remember our context. Jesus…
A fellow pastor (Chad Graham), a good friend of mine (Steve Bastian) and I are in the process of putting together a new podcast/vodcast where we spend some time chatting about big questions and current events. So, just for fun, I put together an intro for him. He liked it so much that we agreed to…
Podcast Audio: Last week I gave you a brief introduction to Spiritual Journaling using Scripture as your Guide. (If you haven’t read that yet, I suggest you start there.) I said that the system I’m teaching isn’t the only way to meet with God, but it is one way that has worked for me…
Podcast Audio: In the last three weeks we have been talking about the making the daily reading of God’s Word the core part of our lives – the foundation of our relationship with God. We’ve said that God’s Word, the Bible, is our umbilical cord to Jesus. We started with looking at the Parable…
Podcast Audio: Happy 2nd Blogiversary to me (and you)! It was 2 years ago yesterday that I started blogging and I want to celebrate by having a giveaway! I scoured my library looking for something new and worth giving away and finally found it in RC Sproul’s 10 message CD series on Predestination from Ligonier…
Podcast Audio: Over the past couple of weeks we have talked about the importance of making the daily reading of scripture the core part of our lives, and the foundation of our relationship with God. This all started because I wanted to share a way that God has spoken to me through my devotional…
Podcast Audio: We’re continuing our sub-series in the Gospel of Mark which I’m simply calling “God Still Speaks”. Last week we talked about seeing the condition of our hearts, and how we have a responsibility to make sure we are not crowding out God’s voice with unrepentant sin or other things we are giving…
Podcast Audio: I want to do something – as Monty Python used to say – “completely different”. A couple days ago I walked into one of my favourite coffee shops to buy some grinds and – after one thing lead to another – one of the managers asked me to review a new coffee…
Podcast Audio: We’re getting back into the Gospel of Mark today, but as we step back into it – into Chapter 4 – I want to do it by way of a mini-series, of hopefully only two or three sermons, about something that is very near and dear to my heart – meeting God…
Podcast Audio: Have you ever had a bad week? I had a tough week this week, and I’m sure that some of you did as well. Holy Week is a tough week for Christians. There’s a lot on the calendar, a lot of emotional ups and downs, and of course there always seems to…
Podcast Audio: As the sun gets warmer and the trees start to bloom, I find myself looking forward to summer vacation. I’ve heard of one place that sounds nice… but I’m not sure that I’d ever go there for a holiday. I think you’ll understand why once I tell you about it. A Not…
Last week I gave a talk to an AWANA group to help them understand that no matter how different they feel, God made them special, with a purpose, and doesn’t make mistakes. Podcast Audio: People Can Do Amazing Things Did you watch the Olympics this year? What’s your favourite sport to watch? Mine is hockey, but I…
Podcast Audio: How Do You Devo? Devos, Daily Devotionals, Quiet Time, Private Meditation, Time with God, 1-on-1 with Jesus, Daily Prayers — there are lots of names for it and likely as many ways to do it. And I want to know yours! I recently filled my very first prayer journal and got a shiny new…
Podcast Audio: I’m so proud of our Sunday school kids, and the teachers, for taking the time to memorize the Romans Road to Salvation over the past few months. Memorizing of scripture takes time, concentration, and energy – and it is a way to worship God. That time is never wasted and these kids will…
Podcast Audio: Life is a Battlefield We’ve all felt it. We all experience it. Life sometimes seems like a war. We are in a daily battle for our family’s security, our personal purity, our relationship with God, our attitudes, our church and the spread of the gospel. God has specially charged men with the…
Podcast Audio: Let’s start with a couple of short stories: I remember, a while back, going to a fancy restaurant on my parent’s 25th anniversary. We had a great meal, and my brother had bought a bottle of Dom Pérignon, which was pretty good too. After the appetizer we were served a small bowl…
Podcast Audio: This week people all over the world celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. For many it is a time to pretend they are Irish, get drunk on green beer (or Guinness for the purists), take in a parade, and dress like a leprechaun. Ironically, though they celebrate with a passion, most people have long…
Podcast Audio: This is the final week we will be spending on Psalm 15. We have been going through it for nine weeks now, and it has been a challenging, and hopefully encouraging, piece of scripture to study. I know it has been for me! And from the responses I’ve heard from some of…
Sermon Audio: We are saved by Grace. We cannot know God, be forgiven, get to heaven, or be saved from our sin, unless God is willing to give us grace. Graceless Amazing Grace The song Amazing Grace says, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” Now listen to this…
Thank You! It has been my desire to bring glory to God and praise to Jesus through this blog. I want to start this post by thanking you for following the blog. It gives me a chance to serve God in a special way, and you are a huge part of that. According to…
Here’s the Audio for this sermon: For the past while we’ve been studying the characteristics of a person and a Christian of integrity. We’re asking the question, “what does it mean to look and act like a Christian, and a Christian church?” It all starts with the first verse, the question that is asked…
Here’s the audio for the sermon: You may have noticed that I changed the title of this series. Instead of being “Being People of Integrity”, I’ve simply called it “Christian Integrity”, and that’s because I believe that it’s important to distinguish the fact that we are specifically talking about the characteristics of a person…
I gave a talk to a group of AWANA kids this week. It was “Heart Night” (celebrating Valentine’s Day) and I spoke on Love. I used some animated gifs in the powerpoint, which is where all the giggling at the beginning comes from. I linked to a few if you want a giggle too.…
Last week I presented a problem: What do we do with hypocritical people who call themselves Christians, but continue to love their sin? This week I want to look at a biblical solution. This is all part of a series on Psalm 15 which talks about what it looks like to be a person…
This is just for fun. Every year my brother and I get each other “interesting” gifts for our birthdays. This year I got him Death Wish Coffee and he gave me “Chocolate Covered Insects“. It took me a month to work up the courage to eat them (my b-day is on January 4), but I…
What we are talking about in this series is how to be a person of Christian Integrity. To do that we are examining what Psalm 15 says about what it means to look like a Christian. I don’t mean how to be superficial in our faith, nor is this a list of ways to…
Last night, hundreds of thousands of people watched a young-earth, biblical literalist and a committed evolutionary naturalist debate the question “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?” – for over 2 hours. And it was very, very interesting. The first debater was Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and…
For the past couple weeks, and the next few, we are looking at what it means to look like a Christian. Saying that it is controversial because a lot of people don’t understand, or want to talk about, the fact that there are standards of practice for all Christians. “God Loves Me The Way…
It is a good day when you give us a glimpse into ourselves Sin is our greatest evil, but you are our greatest good Each of us has cause to loathe ourselves, to not seek self-honour, because when we look at ourselves, by ourselves, we realize that we are glorying in rubbish. Our country,…
“A Call to Resurgence Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future?” Mark Driscoll Tyndale House Publishers theresurgence.com Summary Mark Driscoll writes as a contemporary prophet who feels the pressing need to address a huge amount of issues that the North American Evangelical Church is facing (or choosing not to face) today. He’s also…
As we set out into 2014, a word that I want us each to ponder, to reflect on, and to think about is the word “Integrity.” It’s a big, important word, and has been significant in my devotional life for a long while. It comes up all the time. I’m reading through the Bible…
(I used this prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith this week.) I don’t know where you are at today, and I don’t pretend to know what is going on in your heart – only God knows that. I can say with absolute certainty that there is something you desire very much, that you have worked…
For the past couple years my family and I have had a tradition of taking our collection of Christmas movies off of the shelf, wrapping them up, and then, when we have time in the evening, opening one of the movies as a surprise and then watching it. We all have our favourites (my…
Last week we talked about the first purpose of Christmas, which was to Celebrate the Love that God has for us and how he proved it by giving up so much for us. Big cost, big love. I said there that one of the challenges for us this Christmas season was to live be purposeful…
Before you start, I encourage you to read the Christmas Story from Luke 2:1-20. A Special Time of Year Last week I invited you last week to take one of these books, called “The Purpose of Christmas” by Rick Warren. The reason that I did this was so that we could spend time together,…
The drama surrounding Rob Ford continues to make headlines as investigators dig up facts and new allegations come to light. Americans and Canadians are fascinated by what Maclean’s Magazine called “the greatest political train wreck of our time.” I don’t want to add fuel to the already blazing inferno of craziness surrounding Ford’s words…
The Advent Wreath Over the next month we will be been celebrating the season by using Advent candles to mark the weeks preceding Christmas. I’ve appreciated doing this over the past years because I believe they are a wonderful tool to remind us about what Christmas is all about. The Advent wreath is rich…
You are the life-giving God. Inspire us and give us the energy to call upon Your name, for our minds are not enough to understand, our thoughts are wayward and we are easily distracted. We love the world too much and within our heart is still the struggle with unbelief and doubt. It is…
O Lord of Grace, this is the beginning of a new week and the whole world is before us this day. As we look into it we realize that we are weak, and fearful and ill-equipped to handle all that we will face – but we look to you for strength.
The Freudian Trio This probably won’t come as a shock to many of you, but I’m a Star Trek fan. One of my favourite parts of the show is the interplay between Captain Kirk, the Vulcan First Spock and Doctor McCoy. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, made a genius decision when he…
“The Lord Reigns, He is robed in Majesty; the Lord is robed in Majesty and is armed with strength.” There is no one as strong as you Lord, and to you we run to take refuge
Meeting the God of the universe, being saved from Hell by Jesus exchanging his life for yours, and having the Holy Spirit indwell you and recreate every part of your being, obviously has a pretty dramatic effect on every part of your life. Meeting Jesus and having His Spirit guide your life changes how…
“Lord, you have been out dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” (Psalm 90:1-2) Life and death are in your hands, Lord. Thank you for your long-suffering patience, because we know that when you become…
“Messiah: Origin” Matt Dorff, Mark Arey Zondervan (Read a sample here) Summary “Messiah: Origin” is the first “Graphic Novel” (not “Comic Book”) series that uses visuals and biblical language to tell the story of the life of Jesus Christ from John 1 (“In the beginning was the Word…”) and His birth to the inauguration…
We’re continuing a sub-series within our study of the Gospel of Mark where we are going to look a little more closely at the lives of the Apostles. A couple of weeks ago we talked about the Apostle Peter, and I reminded you that as we go through these mini-biographies that I want you…
How lovely is the place where you dwell, O Lord Almighty. Wherever you are, we want to be. Our souls, from the very depths of our beings, yearn for you. We have no strength without you. We want to be in your presence and among your people. Our hearts cry out. Our flesh cries…