One hopes it was God’s Spirit, but some might demur it was the second large helping of dessert; nonetheless, I awakened before I wanted to with a saying looping repeatedly through my mind. I know it is tempting for a few close friends to substitute ‘loopy’ at this point! The looping phrase is one often spoken, but I suspect the words seldom reflect one’s actual opinion. You may have used it yourself. It begins, ‘I could be wrong, but...” … Read more

The PCC is getting a ‘poke in the ribs’. Let’s not be afraid to turn and look. Actually, it was spring in Jerusalem, and nine of us Canadian Presbyterian clergy were standing about 50 feet from the Western Wall listening attentively to our guide, Sheera. She awed us with the news that this last vestige of Herod’s wall, which once surrounded the temple mount, was composed of not just the towering rows of huge, cut-stone ashlars visible to us, but of 18 more rows descending below grade. On scribbling down her fascinating commentary, I was interrupted by an abrupt poke in the ribs.

Are you ready for an adventure? Then as the bumper sticker says, “Let go and let God.” The truth is, is that we are all seeking, or at least we should be seeking, an adventure when it comes to our Christian lives and to the life of our congregations. However, many times we seem to be stuck in the rut of trying to balance the budget and trying to keep the doors to the church open. But, is this what the Christian life and church life are all about? … Read More