Clik here to view.
go ahead, ask a question...
Image from likesuccess.comThis morning I attended a presentation on the topic of critical realism and how it connects theology and science. Basically, the presenter sought to develop a link between...
View ArticleClik here to view.
cookies and questions: report from the CETA conference
This past weekend I participated in the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association's fall conference at Tyndale University in Toronto. I had never been to this particular conference before so did not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
snapshots of trust
Image from immigrationimpact.comSnapshot number one: Last week I was in Vancouver for a series of lectures at Regent College and St. Mark's College. After a few days of talks, meetings, and a chance to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
calling all the fearful, doubting, and confused
The Annunciation. Image from ncregister.comI have been reading Father James Martin's excellent book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage, which is a meditation on the life of Jesus based on Martin's memoirs of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The new normal
Sheep path. Image from chriscollision.wordpress.comMy feline companion of over 17 years passed away last month and I am adjusting to a new normal, one where there is no cat living in our house (you can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
making good small decisions
Suscipe Prayer of St. Ignatius. Image from catholicismpure.comDecisions, decisions...we make many of them each day. We decide whether to wear the pink socks or the black socks and whether to have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The leaning Jesus
Image from meclarkeconsulting.comLet's start off with a little Greek lesson. The Greek word which we usually translate as grace is charis, which comes from chairo which means to rejoice or be glad....
View ArticleClik here to view.
inside a thesis defence
Last week, I passed the milestone of defending my doctoral dissertation (cheer), and since pretty much everyone on the planet was not present for that momentous event, I thought I would offer you a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Love yourself
Image from onmogul.comI recently read Henri Nouwen's book, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life. In it, he talks about holistic spiritual formation in the form of three movements: in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
a lesson from biceps and triceps
Image from muscularsystem12.weebly.comI recently re-read the book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, written by surgeon Dr. Paul Brand in cooperation with Philip Yancey. In it, the authors explore the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
metaphors matter (and so do similes)
Image from www.planet-science.comFinish this sentence: Life is like...If you have ever seen the movie Forrest Gump, you might have answered "a box of chocolates." Some people say that life is like a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
podcasts, pond water, and an orange cat (kingdom sightings)
Green leaf under microscopeImage from rainforestsaver.orgThe significance of the small things is a theme I keep bumping into these days. Here are a few vignettes from the past week.Vignette one: I have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
the great and radical co-mission of Jesus
Image from powerhouserecovery.comMission. The word conjures up all types of image in my mind. I went to a Bible college which emphasized missions. We had missions prayer groups, missions conferences,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
time for catechesis
Catechesis (noun): educating and instructing people in life as followers of Jesus and members of the body of Christ. Stated another way, catechesis is spiritual formation, and it doesn't happen just...
View ArticleClik here to view.
wanted: patience
Image from playbuzz.comFinish the following phrase: I need patience when.... Your answers might include things like parenting, standing in line, performing some detailed task, losing weight, or going...
View ArticleClik here to view.
tradition
Christmas is a time of year when we see traditions being enacted all around us. Traditions, at their best, tell a story. They are meant to be reminders of identity, history, and hard-won values....
View ArticleClik here to view.
shiny and new
New AZUR metro car. Image from STM. It is a new year. Time for new beginnings and all that jazz. I didn't get the sentimentality gene, so I don't experience much sadness when things come to an end. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
fun with hermeneutics
I am a reader. The stacks of books in my bedroom, living room, and office, many of them still waiting to be cracked open, testify to this fact. I love to read, but I also know that not all reading is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
what does the cross mean?
Image from bestcoloringpagesforkids.comWords which we use a lot can sometimes become divested of their depth of meaning. In the Christian tradition, we talk about the cross a lot. We see visual...
View ArticleHealth Begets Health: The First National Vineyard Canada Webinar of the Year
What does it mean to say that “health begets health?” This was the topic for our National webinar for Vineyard Canada on February 24, 2017. In a webinar co-led by David Ruis and me (Beth Stovell) with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
when words are not working...
Image from sundayisforlovers.wordpress.comWords. Words. Words.Sometimes I tire of them.Well... that's not exactly true.I do not tire of them as much as I lose my grip on them.And then they tumble down,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Come and See
A friend of mine was recently verbally abused at a bus stop. He was told to go back to his country and take his filthy diseases with him (my paraphrase). My friend is here on a work visa, married to a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
what is justice?
Image from ec.europa.euThere seems to be an increasing emphasis on addressing injustice, at least in the circles I move in. Everywhere I turn, it seems that someone is talking about how we can become...
View ArticleClik here to view.
notes from the Society of Vineyard Scholars conference
The Canadian contingent at Society of Vineyard Scholars, Yale Divinity School, 2017Ever since I began graduate studies, I have presented at least one paper at an academic conference every year. Most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Got rhythm?
Image by Sophie GalloThink about a typical day in your life. What's the first thing you do when you wake up? What's your morning ritual? What do you do during your lunch hour? What's the last thing you...
View Article