As we begin a new season of life, with summer holidays behind us and a new school year ahead of us, it is time to revisit the theme of, “Encountering God’s Transforming Presence.” This week we speak about Presence … In the Old Testament, the same word that is translated “presence” is translated “face”; it’s…

Lately, I have been meditating on the topic of Identity. I see the theme everywhere I look these days. I’m speaking specifically about understanding more clearly, and living more deeply, from the revelation that we have been made sons and daughters of the Most High God. What does it look like for me to truly…

I’ve yet to meet a follower of Jesus who feels like they pray enough! A survey was done asking committed Christians why they don’t pray, or pray more. The number one reason stated was that it doesn’t seem like prayer really changes things. As someone who struggles with my prayer life, I have a couple…

Unless the Holy Spirit fills, the human spirit fails. – E. Stanley Jones This coming Sunday we celebrate the glorious giving of the Holy Spirit by the Father and the Son to birth the Church. A game changing moment in history. Pentecost ushered in a New Era: the dispensation of God, the Holy Spirit. God…

(This blog carries on from last week’s blog about my first two conversions on my journey of faith in God.)  3. God, my Father If my first two conversions can be traced to specific moments or decisions, my third conversion has been more of a process. It has been an ongoing discovery, at a heart…

As I reflect on my life, there have been three significant shifts in my experience and understanding of God. I use the word, “conversion” not only to grab your attention, but also to express the radicalness of the change that these conversions represent. I want to summarize my journey for you in the hope that…

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. – (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV) When I was at university, though I was studying business,…

There is a passage in the Sermon on the Mount that I find both startling and challenging. Jesus says this in Matthew 7:21-23: Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say…

Elsie and I woke up this morning to two unexpected changes to our upcoming calendar. One was minor, requiring only small course corrections. The other was more convoluted, requiring significant rearrangements to our plans, which are going to include calls to airlines and hotels to cancel – hopefully without penalties! We were disappointed too; we…

A short while ago someone posed this question to me. I began to happily tell him all about my read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan that I was faithfully following. I also mentioned that I was doing some “extra” reading in the New Testament. I was pretty pleased with my success at sticking to my goals. Further, I was…