When Tomorrow Trumps Today
“Our challenge is to realize that we are not the story, that our propping up of what we treasure is not helping the bigger story of which we are a part.” In our local newspaper this week is a story about the Bank of Montreal’s purchase of the AirMiles program from a US company for […]
When more is too much
“In healthy human bodies, in churches, as in businesses, there is no cushion, no safety stock, no storage barns. If there is no flow, there is no life.” There is a new candidate for “worst job in the world” – church treasurer. Of all the thankless tasks possible, surely saying “no” to everybody about nearly […]
Don’t Weep, Stop the Funeral
“With Christ, and His Church, the story is not yet over. Despite the statistics, this is not the end.” I can remember the day that I knew we would fail, as if it were yesterday. I could not possibly change the outcome. In my young career, I was about to add to my resume an […]
‘Out There’ not ‘In Here’
“Jesus did not wait for the lost sheep to find its own way to the flock. He went out, He went off, He explored, He was inquisitive to know where it had gone.” Quite recently and quite suddenly, my friend Michael died. His suffering was very short, which I’m thankful for. His absence is very […]
Purpose not Pineapple
“We need to heed Christ’s invitation to focus on just one thing, the only person that matters, even to just sit at His feet.” It is a gross understatement to note that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced our shared experience of volatility. A lot changed in a very short time, and we all got very […]
How scarcity blinds us to abundance
“In the parable of the Sower and the seed, Jesus appears to have lost any sense of scarcity. He seems to be suggesting extravagance of a most dangerous sort.” My Uncle Don always ate too much at picnics because he was afraid that there would not be enough. Scarcity is terrifying and fear of “not […]
The Shared Experience of Business and Church
“Great treasure in cracked pots—do I treasure the vessel or the life it contains? Which is the prize, the form of worship or the Spirit of God?” Most Sundays at church, when I look around, I notice who is missing, the now empty spaces. When there are far more death notices than birth notices, I […]
Strange Bedfellows: when your enemy turns out to be your friend
“Jesus suggests that in His Kingdom, that which seems normal is turned upside down—the most abhorred has become a neighbour.” Most of us are familiar with the phrase “nothing personal, it’s just business” that usually follows an explanation for why some aspect of a deteriorating relationship because of supposed superior merits of a business objective. […]
