The Church that Exists Unto Itself
Does the church exist to run programs or to multiply disciples? Of course, our primary goal is to multiply disciples, as indicated by Jesus’ final words in Matthew 28. But, no matter how we spin…
Admiration is Blind
Admiration of someone is a fascinating behaviour. It is almost always blind. We turn people into idols and then try to be like them. For example, I have long admired Eugene Peterson as a pastor,…
Becoming Yourself
When you admire someone and believe that the way that they live is the way you would like to live, you begin to shape your behaviour according to how you think they might behave. For…
Desperate in His Presence
There are moments when I can so clearly sense the prompting of God to pray more deeply, longingly; to be desperate in his presence. This is the phrase I used recently with a colleague when…
What to do with Pain
I am a product of our society, one which is driven to find a way out of pain. I experience all sorts of pain. The pain of waiting, boredom, loss, or exhaustion. We have remedies…
The Promise of Joy in a Troubled World
The following is an automatically generated transcript with minor editing from the audio of a message I preached at Bergen Missionary Church. Lord, we are humbled by your invitation to participate in, in the work…
Am I A Pastor – An Essay on Vocation
The following is an essay I wrote for a course in the Master of Arts in Leadership, Theology and Society (MALTS) at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. I have edited it for an online audience.…
How to Love God, Ourselves and Each Other
In John 13, Jesus gives the disciples two different “one another” commands. He tells them to wash one another’s feet and to love one another. In both cases, he says, do these things in the…
What Does Congruent Mean?
The concept of congruency has intrigued me for years. The word congruent is actually quite an old word and comes from the Latin congruus which means “to come together” or “to agree.” This is a…
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. – Book Review
I’m a huge fan of time travel-themed science fiction. Neal Stephenson, along with his co-author Nicole Galland, nailed the time travel sub-genre perfectly in this magical and witty novel. Using an unconventional and engaging literary…
How to Focus
NOTE: I wrote these notes down a year ago after reading an HBR article. I cannot locate the original article. Some of the ideas may be direct quotes from the article. My intention is not…
Get Out of the Way
God has my attention in way lately that I’ve not ever experienced before. I’m not very old, but I’m approaching 40 which involves a new level of reflection that comes with knowing that if I’m…