There’s something magnetic about John the Baptist. Based on his description in the Bible and the words he says there, we have a picture of someone smelly and dirty with wild unkept hair, dressed in animal skins. He came from the wilderness where he lived on locusts and honey. He...
It’s Advent this week, the beginning of the church year: four Sundays set aside to prepare, watching and waiting for what is to come. Something’s coming and what’s to come is Christmas, isn’t it? The coming of Jesus. Yes it is, but which one may be the question. The stories...
Bringing comfort, kindness and peace to the thresholds of life and death, “threshold singing” is a selfless act of love and compassion. Ron and Leah have been part of this global movement for several years and this week they shared with me their beautiful story and their beautiful voices.
It will likely come as no surprise at all when I say that people often respond to things I say or write. Partly because I actively encourage it. I always try to remind people that I’m expressing my thoughts and ideas and hope it will inspire them to think about...
Are you tired? I’m tired. It’s mid-November and I’m already tired of winter. I know it hasn’t even really started yet. Still, I’m tired of it. But that’s not what I mean. Like most people, I probably work too much and don’t rest, let alone sleep, enough. But I don’t...
We’ve talked about “end times” before, and at this time of year it’s thematically appropriate to revisit the topic right before we dive into the season of Advent, but this week we decided to expand on the conversation and talk not only about the troubling signs of armageddon and apocalypse...
This week I was asked to share the story of our Rising Spirit Ministry project with Rev. Stephen Harper from Symons Valley United Church in Calgary, for their new podcast. You can also listen to this conversation with Stephen on their website as well as other episodes of the Symons...
You might have seen this heart-warming story last week. Joshua Dyer, a 14 year old boy from Herefordshire, England, was asked in school to write a poem for a local veterans group concert, part of the Remembrance Day observance this year. He came up with a short piece called “A...
Why is Zacchaeus short? If you’re not familiar with the story, the gospel of Luke records that Jesus was passing through Jericho and the local chief tax collector, a guy named Zacchaeus, comes out to see him with the rest of the crowds. Jesus meets him and invites himself over...
We’ve talked about “holding space” for someone, and “authentic listening” on this show before, and how powerful and important this type of human connection is for the soul. Well, Alan Richards is a man who specializes in just that. In church language we call it “pastoral care”, and Alan is...