On the shore of Ontario's beautiful Lake Rosseau, under a fresh blanket of October snow, more than 250 strangers from across the Greater Toronto Area gathered for an Alpha Weekend Away - most likely the largest ever held in Canada.
Tag: christianity
Faith Amnesia
How is it possible that, earlier this year, I had the most enriching faith experience of my life walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, yet, over the course of the summer, fell into a foggy state that I can only describe as faith amnesia?
Saturday Morning Devotion
What does it mean to live a life in the knowledge that we are the beloved of God, and that our value comes from that alone?
Tunnels and Rushing Water
"We're walking through a narrow, 3000-year-old underground drain in the pitch black, in knee-deep rushing water?" I asked. “At least it’s only knee deep!” said Steve.
Saturday Morning Devotion
"I believe; help my unbelief!" The father's prayer from Mark 9:24 was my prayer this week. The further I go down the path of my own faith, I see that the way is paved with trust in the Lord. And trust is hard, especially when I'm so used to leaning on my own cleverness, skills, … Continue reading Saturday Morning Devotion
Climbing Masada
It was the first day. We didn't know each other yet. If we got hurt, we would be out of commission for the rest of the trip. Climbing Masada would set the tone for how we approached the rest of our time in Israel, both individually and as a group.
Where Christ Walked
How can I explain what I felt on our trip to Israel and Palestine? I can't do it in one blog post. This is the start of a series of stories.
Reblog: On Apples and Trees
“Work is not my purpose; it serves my purpose, which is to magnify my Lord in everything I do,” writes Ken Labbe in a recent post on the blog that he and his wife, Christina, share. I can relate to this insight and also need this reminder. Like Ken, I struggle to keep discipleship and service ahead of my career and all the other seeming priorities of my daily life. Sometimes it feels like my week is divided into two distinct universes: the Sunday universe, where I remember God, and the rest of the week, where I forget. It’s a daily challenge to make these two universes collide. I’m working on that.
Ken and Christina – my dear friends, my former camp counsellors, marriage counsellors and officiants, and the leaders of the Dutch Reformed Church I was raised in – are taking up a new call and doing ministry differently. Like really differently.
Almost more than anyone, these two have been instrumental in my faith journey, and have been on that ride with me for thirteen years now. Plus Christina is also a priestwife, so stay tuned for guest blog posts from her!
Check out their blog and follow their journey: An Ordinary Experiment
My dad was an electrician. He loved his trade because it wasn’t just grunt work, it was brain work. As a kid, I experienced first hand his curiosity, his intelligence, and his adaptability, and as many kids do, I wanted to be just like my dad. I remember going along with him to do side jobs, and him teaching me to wire receptacles and lamps at an early age. I still have nightmares about diagramming four-way switches. By God’s providence, it didn’t work out for me to apprentice with him, which was probably my first career choice, but I always kept an interest and a knack for electrical work. My mom says if I had apprenticed back then, I never would have gone to seminary, and she’s right. But maybe it’s God’s providence that has me returning to a job I always wanted.
As it turns out, my dad left…
View original post 510 more words
A Lenten Pilgrimage
February 14th is a big day for Andrew and me this year. It's the first day of the season of Lent, and the day that we head to the Holy Land. What!?
Birthdays and being alive
Prepare yourself for a sentimental blog post... Today is my birthday. I am 29 years old. Typically on my birthday - especially in the morning - I find myself reflecting on the previous year. What did I accomplish when I was 28? Well, I got married, switched churches, went on a trip, a bunch of … Continue reading Birthdays and being alive