Stillness Amidst Agitation

And the beat goes on. I arrived in Simcoe just as the 2008 recession was digging its tenacles into every fibre of society. We more or less recovered, at least economically; but it seems there have been constant and serious seismic shivers shaking life ever since. The past many months have only intensified the severity … Read more

Chafed by Safe

Mis-speaking seems to be almost as endemic in Western society as the COVID virus. Retractions, corrections, additional information and apologies [both abject and ambivalent] are common occurrences in the public sphere. One form of mis-speaking that rarely gets emended is incorrect use of the English language. One misuse in particular has drawn my attention, reflection … Read more

Definitely Time To Pray

Wow!! I cannot remember a General Assembly that has been prayed for in advance for such a prolonged time. Dedicated intercessions began early last Fall and have only intensified and multiplied in the past several weeks (I am penning this in late May). Even though military imagery upsets some, for many this prayer onslaught resonates … Read more

Putting The Bite Back Into The Apple

Sometimes it is mind-boggling to realize that just one year ago the word ‘pandemic’ evoked pleasant images of a happy evening playing a co-operative board game with family and friends. During this past 12 months many, many ordinary people have demonstrated admirable qualities of passion, perseverance and personal sacrifice as they have risen to the … Read more

A Cautionary Tale

Admittedly my awareness of the details is limited [sketchy, disjointed, distant], but even so the situation evokes descriptions like distressing, disturbing, disastrous, devastating, even debacle. One of our partner churches, The Guyana Presbyterian Church, is experiencing deep division, perhaps even its death knell. Recent developments involve: i) two rival groups, each forming a Synod [their … Read more

Love is the Answer

Once, after a night of debauchery in my early thirties (at that time in my life debauchery meant staying up to the wee hours playing ‘Hearts’ - the card game, not the relationship pastime), I woke hearing the strains of *Slow Train Coming*. Our host had it hot off the press (it was a LP ... Read more

Extending Space or Drawing a Line?

It would seem that the differing theological and Biblical starting points that have become apparent within the PCC in light of the remits before us indicate that we are confronted not so much with varying points of interpretation within the same faith family, but have actually become differing families altogether. I say this very aware that faith families are often ... Read more

General Assembly 2019

WOW! We didn't see that coming. 145th General Assembly lived up its advanced billing. It was intense, deeply emotional, and contentious. In the end, commissioners choose Pathway B – Inclusion – that disappointed and dismayed us. However, the remits (printed below), to be sent down to presbyteries for approval, propose a much less exclusionary avenue. … Read more