Continued from yesterday… I’ve shown you my favourite Leadership and Christian Living Blogs, but today I want to show you something different. These blogs are more inline with my personal interests, but I think you may find them interesting — I certainly do. These are not Christian bloggers, but they are intelligent, insightful and entertaining. Some…
Continued from yesterday: These are, without a doubt, the blogs that have most helped and challenged me to become a deeper person. I’m in awe of the men and women who contribute to these blogs and thankful to God for their insights and passion for growing people in the Christian faith. Remember that…
The internet is full of extremely bad blog writers, but coming across a good one can be a real blessing to spiritual growth and open life to new and challenging ideas. Therefore, I’d like to introduce you to some of my favourite blogs. On a practical note, I’ve been using Google Reader to follow blogs. It’s…
I watched this video again (more here) and it reminded me of my struggle with jealousy. I am a writer and a pastor, so this video hits me on both sides. Jon Acuff, who is a successful Christian author, is talking to Ed Stetzer talks about his struggles with envying other authors, and Stetzer…
There’s some confusion among Christians regarding male Eldership and the role of women in the church. This is a concern to me because it can easily become a divisive topic if it’s not clearly communicated and carefully (and humbly) studied. I want everyone to understand what God says about the different roles of…
I wrote a book a while back called “Letters from Jesus: A Study of the Seven Churches of Revelation“, and it’s FREE on Google Books to read and download as PDF. It’s all about how Jesus speaks to us in unique and special ways to encourage, correct, challenge and train us. The book won…
I feel some of you may need to hear the advice I recently gave a friend who is going through a tough time: “Sometimes we feel bad after praying that God would take our burdens and then picking them back up again after we say “amen”. We think that there might be…
I have some friends that are in a difficult place, trying to help some people they know reconcile hurting relationships. I offered to give them some helpful articles and tools, and believe that they may be able to help others. Some Articles: 1. Conflict Provides Opportunities 2. Peace-breakers, Peace-fakers, and Peacemakers 3. Four Promises of Forgiveness 4. How…
Meditation is a multifaceted and religiously loaded term. There are many Christians today who shy away from practicing meditation because they aren’t sure that it’s “allowed”. Let me assure you it is, and it is the key to developing a deep life and focus on God’s priorities for you. Christian meditation only has two…
I spoke on Meditation this week, beginning with a story of a man named Robin. Do you see yourself in his story? Robin wakes up once again to the beeping of the alarm clock, and hits snooze one more to see if he can squeeze out nine more minutes of sleep from his…
While writing this article I was reminded about this song by Casting Crowns called “Does Anybody Hear Her” which seems to hit the nail on the head. Do Churches Still Help? I had a conversation recently where we were discussing the place of “para-church ministries” within the realm of global and local missions and…
Oh toothpaste, how you have let me down! You promise so many things! In your TV commercials you tell me that no person can respect, love or enjoy the company of someone without shiny, white teeth. You tell me that the reason that I’m not successful in life is because my choppers are too…
I was invited for an “Ask The Pastor” night last week and brought along this handout I’d been working on. I sat in front of the white board and asked myself “If I am going to help the people in this church grow as Christians, then what does a fully functional disciple of Jesus…
Did you know… … a cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 10 to 20 bananas, which are known as fingers. … C3P0 is the first character to speak in Star Wars. … the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust is aluminum. … there are 1189 chapters in the Bible:…
I’ve seen some wonderful miracles throughout my life, and this past year has been even more amazing. Sometimes I get miracle and coincidence confused, but not this year — it’s been pretty obvious. I’ve been unemployed or underemployed for almost a whole year now, and even though it’s been financially tough, we…
Part of getting to know someone is asking them what kind of music they like. That question seems to rank close to “What do you do?” and “Where are you from?” when we are looking to understand someone better. I have a hard time with that question! I listen to so many different…
Matthew 6:19-34, John 15:5-8 are key verses to read and know if we are to understand life as a Christian. They are encouraging, reassuring and powerful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read them or referenced them in sermons. Life with Jesus is meant to be a life where our worries are minimized,…
I recently began a sermon series called Plug In: The Spiritual Disciplines, where I plan on going through 10 weeks of study on different ways we can meet God, know more about Him, understand our faith, and grow closer to Jesus. This was given as the first sermon in the series. I realized after…
Did you know you can use salt to put out a fire? In fact, if you have a kitchen grease fire (and don’t have a fire-extinguisher) you shouldn’t use water, but instead cover it with salt. Why bring this up? Because there are some people out there reading this who need to use their…
Discernment When my daughter Eowyn was very little, she took it upon herself to simplift the alphabet. She’s replaced all the C’s, G’s, and K’s with the letter D. It was cute, (and if it caught on, would have made spelling a lot easier) but it made her difficult to understand at times. “Daddy, dan…
I read recently about the importance of eating slowly. Here’s a quote: “Most Americans eat too fast, and, as a result, they take in too many calories before they realize they’ve eaten enough. It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness.” (source) …
I wrote this article a while back for ChristianWeek and it feels like it’s time to resurrect it. Pastor: “How you doin’ Bob?” Bob: “I’m so busy I can’t catch my breath!” Pastor: “How are the kids, Bob?” Bob: “They’re busy! I can’t find them most days.” Pastor: “How’s your wife, Bob?” Bob: “Really…
I recently spoke at the 165th anniversary celebration for Beckwith Baptist, a church in the Ottawa area. I got a lot of comments and requests for the text, so I thought I’d post it here this week. It’s based on Acts 2:42-47. — A Good Church If you ask the question, “What is a…
Ok, I’ll admit that this may come across a little rant-ish, but I want to give a message to those who are Consistently Late for Church. You may want to print this one and pass it around. (First obvious question: “Are you talking about a certain person/family?”, the answer is “No. This problem is quite…
This one couldn’t wait until “Link Friday”! I just stumbled across a great post by 4given2serve who put together a list of what he calls “The 25 Most Influential Preachers of the Pastor 25 Years“. I’m not going to criticize his list, nor do I want you to. I’m also not going to try…
I’m breaking pattern this week so I can share something I wrote for Father’s Day, a sermon based on Psalm 1:1-2. It’s challenging and practical, and I hope will help you next time you have the “I’m worried about the path you’re going down” talk with someone. —— “Blessed is the man who walks…
So far so good this week, so let’s continue our experiment and see if we can connect Coffee and Outreach. Basic Outreach Outreach, in its most basic form, is simply sharing the love we have experienced through Jesus Christ with others through our words and deeds. We are grace, therefore we are gracious. We…
Let’s continue our brainstorm by linking Coffee to Fellowship, which is admittedly, the easiest of the bunch. Coffee and Fellowship… Fellowship and Coffee… they go together like coffee and cream. Cream and sugar. Coffee and cookies. Chocolate and coffee. Coffee and cake. Cake and ice cream. Ice cream and chocolate sauce. Mmmm… coffee flavoured…
Let’s keep the brainstorm going and see if we can connect Coffee and Discipleship. Coffee/Discipleship is Personal Coffee, like discipleship, is a very personal thing. People like their coffee a certain way, and if it’s not done right… well, as my dad used to say, “It’s like drinking dirty dishwater.” Walk into a Starbucks…
This is the first of some week-long experiments where we take something ordinary and see if we can use it to Worship God, grow as Disciples, encourage Fellowship, and practice Outreach. And the first thing that springs to mind is the writer’s best friend — coffee. Did you know: Coffee was discovered by an…
Today is Outreach Thursday, and this question comes up a lot, so let’s tackle it first. Should a Christian give money to panhandlers? This is a complex issue. On the one hand we have the divine compulsion and inward desire to help those who need our assistance (Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 6:27-36), while on the other we…
I am compelled to write my first “Fellowship Wednesday” post about what I believe is the most poisonous thing to a fellowship of believers — gossip. As pastor of a former church I spent time in the office meeting with people. One day a man came in for a chat. On the way out…
I’ve always loved watching and playing sports. And anyone who does knows that there is one word phrase that pervades all sportsdom — “We’ve got to get back to the fundamentals.” If our team is on a losing streak, the answer is always getting “back to the fundamentals.” If you are practicing, you spend…
Connecting with God in a meaningful way is so much more than sitting in a quiet room with your hands folded, head bowed, eyes closed. Relating to God is unlike any other relationship in your life, and the ways you can meet Him in your daily life are nearly unlimited. This blog intends to…