Bridge of Spies
Most everyone wants to do good things in this life. We want to feed hungry children, sit with someone during their last hours of life, help someone become employable, or release hostages from torture. Some would want to do these things without public recognition, while others would want the fame and acclaim for wonderful things…
Continue readingSongbird
– by Lance Odegard She’d been flitting at the back and along the sides of the congregation for weeks— her calculated late arrivals working like camouflage. At the back, on the tables, she tends her many plastic bags (the smaller bags inside the larger bags, each tied with strong, tidy knots)—the evidence of a quiet…
Continue readingTogether for The Poor
The Jesus Creed blog has an article about Evangelicals in the United Kingdom and the various theological perspectives on Hell. I appreciate the perspective of this Evangelical Alliance because they are a true alliance. It does not seem that one theological group is trying to win out over another group. They truly recognize that there…
Continue readingLinus van Pelt or Ayn Rand
Philosophical arguments happen at Christmas time. It is one of those times when people ask questions about ultimate truth, the meaning of Christmas, and the meaning of life. Mark Gollom of CBC News recently interviewed Yaron Brook, a follower of Ayn Rand, to explore his thoughts on the true meaning of Christmas. Having read the…
Continue readingChanging the World
I had tea with two friends who, when they were each 24 years old, read the book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (about five years ago for each of them). I commented that I had also read that book when I was about 24 years old (about seven years after it was published).…
Continue readingJesus On the Train
Music and Lyrics by Mike Charko and Keith Shields (SOCAN 2012) (Click here to listen to this song) (or here) I saw Jesus on the train today. He looked right through me with a piercing stare. I didn’t expect him to look that way. He asked me to love the people on the train. I saw…
Continue readingA Parable
Once there was a wealthy business man who passed away. People knew him as an upright entrepreneur, a leader who served in a mid-level political role, and a man of character. He was well loved and it was expected that many would attend his funeral and speak of his kindness to others, his generous gifts…
Continue readingGod at Work
Our community of faith was blessed to see God’s redemptive hand at work this past week. Some of us have been serving a man who is a contemporary “leper” and an outcast from society. He is a man who spent a long time in prison for things he has done. We have walked with him…
Continue readingPower
If God is God and He is running the universe. He has first claim on my life. There is no room for wrestling power away from God or taking on power ourselves. The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous recognized that the most important hurdle for the addicted person is to admit that they are not God.*…
Continue readingBenevolence
Today I am wrestling with what it means to be benevolent. Allow me to tell you of things I have seen. I have spent time in the Down Town East Side (DTES) of Vancouver. I have talked to people on the streets. I have seen the destructive power of addiction. I have seen how sick,…
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