The Church Mouse

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous…” [Joshua 1:5–6] “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation… I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” [Philippians 4:12–13] I used to run in some fairly serious music circles. When I was a late teen, I studied music in the U.S. and was convinced I wanted to be a professional musician. I’d come from a fairly small musician-pond—I’d rubbed elbows with very talented people and had an excellent … Read more

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:3–5) I was in my late 40s when I returned to Queen’s for my M.Div. Learning in your 40s is a very different pilgrimage than learning in your late teens or early 20s. Some parts were easier: I knew how to focus, juggle responsibilities, and keep my eye on the prize. In our younger years, the “What will I be when I grow up?” question looms … Read more

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed.” (Psalm 2:1–2) “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as our Father, brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now. With ev’ry step I take, let this be my solemn vow: to take each … Read more

“Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:18–19) “Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face.” (From “Let Us Build a House” by Marty Haugen, published in More Voices) “There are no strangers here, only friends you have yet to meet.” (William Butler Yeats) When I was in high school, I played on the Midget Girls basketball team. I know—I don’t exactly scream “high school athlete,” and truth be told, I … Read more

“The majority of hate crimes targeting a religion reported by police in 2023 were directed at the Jewish (70%) and Muslim (16%) populations. Some Canadian police services (including those in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver) suggested that ongoing conflict in the Middle East may have impacted hate crimes motivated by religion in 2023, particularly those targeting the Jewish and Muslim populations.”(Retrieved from: Statistics Canada, March 25, 2025) “So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another.”(Ephesians 4:25) “Then Jesus said to the people who had believed … Read more

Is there no balm in Gilead?Is there no physician there?Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? (Jeremiah 8:22) There is a balm in Gileadto make the wounded whole.There is a balm in Gileadto heal the sin-sick soul. (Traditional Hymn) “Always look on the bright side of life.” (Monty Python’s Life of Brian) Sometimes life just feels discouraging, eh? I said to a colleague recently that ministry feels like wading through mud. It’s a hard slog, full of hidden quicksand, and there doesn’t seem to be an end to the muck. The news this … Read more

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Matthew 5:13) Today is 9/11.  Like many of you, this date and where I was when I saw the Twin Towers fall will be forever etched in my brain.  I was still working at Kingston Psychiatric Hospital at the time, and every tv in every sunroom played the same news reels over and over again; planes hitting the towers, the towers slowly imploding, a … Read more

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12: 1,2) If I ascend to heaven, You are there;  if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. (Psalm 139:8) “Pray that these hands do God’s work”  (Rev. Alan Tysick, from a talk given at St. John’s Cardinal, September 5, 2025) Yesterday, I had the great privilege to … Read more

Where can I go from your spirit?Or where can I flee from your presence?If I ascend to heaven, you are there;if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.If I take the wings of the morningand settle at the farthest limits of the sea,even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me fast.If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,and night wraps itself around me,”even the darkness is not dark to you;the night is as bright as the day,for darkness is as light to you.— Psalm 139:7–12 God saw all that he had made, … Read more

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And as He spoke, the soldiers gambled for His clothes by throwing dice. (Luke 23:34) This past week has been painfully difficult to watch. Images of children starving in Gaza, accompanied by stories of those murdered while seeking aid, have at times left me feeling sick—to the point where I’ve had to look away. Simultaneously, we’ve seen the infamous Epstein files surface, exposing how the wealthiest and most … Read more