And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the other young women came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25: 10-13) One of my two kids always regarded my competence with suspicion. Okay, a whole lot of suspicion. From the moment they had enough words, I was regularly grilled. “How do you know that?” … Read more

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”’” (Exodus 32:7–8) “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is … Read more

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”(Matthew 18:21–22) “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”(Matthew 6:9–13) Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or … Read more

  Back when I was a student, I had a part-time job working at a Mac’s Milk. It wasn’t what anyone would call a ‘good’ job. It was boring, it paid minimum wage, and I was required to wear an undeniably ugly red polyester smock. It was also a little weirdly unsafe because I had to work the overnight shift. Mac’s was staffed 24/7 back then, and the store where I worked was on Princess Street, situated directly across from a Timmies that served as the informal gathering spot for a local motorcycle club. Now, I know very little about … Read more

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1–3) I’m about to take two weeks of vacation, which means that, for the next little while, I will not be answering emails, writing sermons, checking the church calendar, or wondering whether I’ve forgotten something important. At least, that’s the plan. I’m also aware that taking vacation is one thing. Actually resting while on vacation is something else entirely. I’m good at being away. I’m less good at stopping. There is always … Read more

“So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:29–31) I’ve been trying recently to set up a defined “office” space at home. It shouldn’t be a problem, right? Hugh and I are empty nesters in a three-bedroom family home. The kids have been grown and gone for quite a while. Well, … Read more

“Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.”(Genesis 32:30–31) Parenting isn’t for the faint of heart. There are so many moments that I remember with the distinct feeling that I was making it up as I went along and really wishing that children came with an instruction booklet. Something practical. Something like: When your toddler asks this particular question in this particular tone, do this. But no. Apparently, we’re all just handed tiny humans and … Read more

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”( Matthew 13:31–33) Yesterday, while I was at Giant Tiger, I watched a young mom with a baby in tow and a … Read more

 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!”  And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28: 16,17)  Jacob is having a terrible week. Not the sort of week fixed by a long walk, a takeaway, or a polite email saying, “Let’s put this behind us.” This is the kind of week that makes a person consider changing his name, burning the evidence, and catching the first cart out of … Read more