This is a testimony of a couple who for many years, were homeless and travelling around Canada, destitute and struggling with addictions and hopelessness, surviving by living in parks, alleyways under tarps, tents, and receiving handouts in community centres and shelters. They lived “welfare cheque to welfare cheque” and often taking advantage of the compassion … Read more
A review of “Canoeing the Mountains – Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory” by Tod Bolsinger. Canoeing the Mountains Truth be told, I dismissed this book without reading a single page. It was a freebie, handed out at the PCC Pastor’s Conference back in 2019, which screamed “remainder bin.” And the title — way too cute. … Read more
There is a disturbing disconnect between the church and generation X and Y. Young people have drastically different values, mindsets, worldviews, and attitudes than those of previous generations. They have grown up with the messages of free choice, relativism, tolerance, multiculturalism, and political correctness. … Read More
In Matthew’s gospel the Eleven have returned to Galilee as Jesus had told them previously. On meeting up with Jesus there is a dual response – worship and doubt. In spite of the uncertainty of some, Jesus gives them, and us, His “Great Commission.” He prefaces the command itself with the statement of His authority … Read more
Turning others loose to lead. My wife Ruth and I recently spent three weeks in Ecuador as guests of my sister who had been there several times before and was there ahead of us for this visit. We spent most of our time in Cuenca, a colonial city and UNESCO Heritage Site. It is also … Read more
Last month I attempted to make the case for how important it is for our ministers to be part of intimate spiritual communities with their peers. I also shared the priority and focus we at the Renewal Fellowship are prepared to put on encouraging and aiding as many ministers as we can to find or … Read more
More than 100 people joined us for our first online Renewal Day and AGM on Saturday, April 25th, 2020, using Zoom Webinar. The theme was “20/20 Vision: Vigilant and Vital.” Speaker Rev. Jonathan Hong, of Toronto Korean Presbyterian Church, spoke about the current theological division in the denomination … Read more
We live in a broken world. Until we join Christ in the kingdom of heaven, how does a true believer deal with matters which plague the human condition? Here are some issues to start – with more to come.
Orthodoxy
The Enemy wants us to disregard our faith or at least water it down. Our culture openly doubts Jesus’ claim that He is the only way to God. In a misguided attempt to be loving, many churches have bought into this lie and have turned from orthodoxy – the acceptance of the fundamentals of the faith (as described in the Primers section).
Same-Sex Attraction
Some people are naturally attracted to the same gender in a physical/sexual way. Yet Scripture states clearly that we are not to act on those feelings. At the same time, God loves us unconditionally and wants us to enjoy life to the full. Here are some useful resources to understand more about this complex and emotional issue.
I’ve had more than a month to process this year’s General Assembly (GA). While each annual gathering of commissioners representing every presbytery from coast to coast to coast is unique in that never do we get exactly the same people each time, it’s still a fairly accurate cross-section of our denomination. I think of it … Read more
As a deprecating remark aimed at those who puff themselves up, we make light of the term “God’s gift to the world”. Heaven help those who use it on themselves. In truth, God’s gift refers to His Son. And it’s the historic reason for Christmas gift giving, modeled on the Magi who presented gold, frankincense, … Read more