A Once And For All Faith?

Within my tribe (Churches of Christ) and within other groups as well, there is a danger in reading Jude verse 3 with an air of finality: "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith …

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My Wife is a Minister of the Word

My wife is a minister of the Word.  What I mean by that is that she is a proclaimer of the Gospel.  She works part-time as a labour and delivery nurse at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, but it is more than a job for her, it is a vocation. A vocation is a calling. It …

This Pope is the Best!

Have I mentioned how impressed I am by Pope Francis? When he was first named pope last March he made it clear that, with him as Pope, things were going to be different. Once the conclave had decided, the Master of Ceremonies came forward with the traditional papal red cape trimmed with ermine. Pope Francis …

A Promise to Abolish Slavery

Today is the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued in the middle of the US Civil war, which abolished slavery in the ten southern states who were still in rebellion against the Northern Union. Freedom for slaves in other states came a few years later but anyone familiar with American (and Canadian) history knows …

Most Unbelievable Moment of the 2012 Olympics

I know it's early (still a couple more days to go) but I am ready to call my most amazing moment of this Olympic Games.  I have a new hero. In a qualifying heat of the men's 4x400m, American Manteo Mitchell ran the last half of his 400m section on what was later determined to …

Our Inheritance

I was reading the parable of the Prodigal Son this week (Luke 15: 11 – 32) and the greatest insult of the younger son's request  is what is implied by the request. To ask for your inheritance now is wishing your father was dead. 'I wish you were dead so I could get on with …

Resurrection

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[a] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she …

Reading Our Culture

With my older two sons at camp last week, the twins and I were filling in on the newspaper route.  I haven't assisted delivering the papers in years but while on the paper route  I saw this sign for the first time. As a believer in Jesus Christ I think it is important, if you …

Table Fellowship

At church this week we focused on the practice of communion in our worship services.  It is one of the most important things that we do together, and it is an indicator of the health of our congregation.  After all, a church that has difficulty doing communion together is likely having difficulty in lots of …

God Must Break Us To Make Us

The prophet Jonah is an interesting study in grace. He is a man who was used by God to make a most outrageous statement about God's forgiveness of mankind. At the beginning of the book we find Jonah being called by God to deliver a message to Israel's sworn enemy, the Assyrians. Jonah was to …