There are a number of critical texts in which disciples of Jesus in our time would do well to inhabit. Like Matthew 5-7 where we hear Jesus preach His now famous, but not yet fully understood, Sermon on the Mount, developing what entering into and living the Kingdom of God looks like is this world. And like John 13-17, where Jesus prepares His disciples to go on living in the absence of His physical presence, doing so through the person and ministry of His Spirit. And like Romans 5-8 where the apostle of Paul, who clearly has the mind of Christ, opens up for us, and takes us into the heart of Christian living and discipleship, calling us to die to the flesh and live to and in the Spirit. Continue reading The Most Critical Text for Today’s Disciples→
Back in the early 1990s, when I began serving as a youth and young adult minister, a young woman from the congregation told me that she was dreading the approaching Christmas season. All the glitter, all the songs of joy and peace, all the smiling faces—she just couldn’t get into it. “I hate Christmas,” she said. Continue reading When Christmas Feels Like a Barren Desert→
Praise God for the Bible, the very Word and words of God! At the core of being simply Christian is the ancient Christian experience that in the Bible we meet our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. All the Church wants to do, ever, is see Jesus. Continue reading Reading a Hard Bible for Signs of Jesus→
In Ezekiel 34 God describes how his people are like sheep that have been abandoned by their shepherds and are “easy prey for any wild animal” (v. 5). Similarly, people who are marginalized or have experienced complex trauma are vulnerable to predatory forces. Over the past five years my teammates and I have witnessed crystal meth addiction become one of the most destructive forces preying on vulnerable people whom we know and care about. Continue reading Meth and the Holy Spirit—Imagine!→
All the Church needs to do, finally, is make it to Heaven. We are migrants wandering this world—travelling to the city where we have been promised supper. How will we finally reach this heavenly feast? To know the answer is to know what it means to be simply Christian and to know what unites the Church. Continue reading An Ancient Doorway to the Mystery of God→
When we read the Bible, we come to the Scriptures with predetermined lenses. What we discern to be foundational truths are based on how we read Scripture. In other words, how we come to know Jesus Christ and how we live out the truths of his life in our own lives is a process of receiving truth and thinking about what it means. Continue reading The Place of Experience in the Theological Process→
Here we are again, two years later, and another amazing weekend was spent connecting, growing and worshiping at Abundant Springs. On May 17 the youth of Kleefeld EMC, our home church, along with 23 other EMC youth groups across Canada made their journey to Caronport, Sask. A total of 364 youth and 176 leaders and staff joined together in building memories, relationships and taking steps towards knowing and loving Jesus more. Continue reading Disciples Called to Share the Gospel ‘Everywhere’→
A publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference
