I heard a pastor recently speaking about the uneasy feeling many people get when a pastor enters their sphere. I assume he was referring to the sudden urge one gets to do a quick self-assessment of one’s own appearance and hurried review of the company one is keeping. Perhaps a limiter is hastily placed on the laughing volume. Depending on the joke, laughter may be restricted entirely. He went on to suggest that the pastor who joined your group was exerting control over you i

Have you ever found yourself in a pickle where you couldn’t be in two places at once or where unforeseen circumstances interrupted your plans? Each situation needs attention, but you can’t supply both. What is one to do?! At just the moment all seems lost, a knight in shining armor steps forth and says, “I’ve got you covered!” Well, there aren’t many armored knights around these days, but we all appreciate those who have come to our aid in these times of need. Perhaps an impo

Have you ever been convinced of someone’s wrong-doing only to discover you were the wrong-doer? Did you ever suspect someone of a crime they didn’t commit? There are many ways in which we can inadvertently be caught up in the crosshairs of someone’s offense. It probably happens more often than we ever become aware of. A suspicious mind can take you farther than you planned to go and cost you more than you expected to pay and keep you longer than you planned to stay. When your

My neck of the woods has had some general excitement around the anticipated opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge in June of 2026. This is a 6.4 billion dollar, cable-stayed bridge featuring the longest deck span in North America. The engineering beauty connects Canada and the United States and receives its namesake from a Canadian hockey great, Gordie Howe. The structure’s two main A frames resemble a pair of hockey sticks standing at over 700 feet high. I’m person

We’re told it’s the little things that make the difference in relationships. This is true in many ways. Recognizing little kindnesses can cushion the common frustrations of life in close quarters. Striving to be courteous and considerate of others helps a good deal to take attention off one another’s shortcomings. A grouchy undertone can often be appeased with a gentle or joyful reply. These are like littles loves. Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh wo

Do you know the feeling of being busy in the house and after stepping outside for a minute you catch the smell of a neighbour barbequing? Suddenly you’re gripped with the realization that you’re simply starving, and you begin to think God is calling you to missions starting in your neighbour’s backyard. Perhaps it’s as simple as coming home from work and catching the scent of onions frying in butter, or the irresistible savor of bacon as a side for…. honestly, anything! When

God is a good Father. This is a claim that most Christians would readily agree with. A rift begins to appear when Christians consider how God’s goodness is expressed. In its simplest form, the good love of God would only be revealed in blessing and benefit to the recipient. Again, this may be mutually agreed upon by all sides, but what form does the blessing and benefit take? Does benefit and blessing only come in the form of better jobs, higher pay, more stuff, longer holida

“King me!” is the phrase every delighted checkers player expresses when they settle into the back row of enemy territory. This newly minted royalty has special privileges. No longer is the king fettered by only moving in one direction. The king may move forward or backward as desired. There is no more getting stuck in congested traffic moving only a single space at a time. The king may fly across the board at will capturing enemy checkers along the way. Every advantage seems

What would you suppose to be the greatest motivator to pray? I think my motivation to pray would come from two different places. The first is need. To my shame, I am often motivated to pray after I have lost all motivation by first trying to handle it myself. If I can’t seem to fix it, I resort to prayer. I have much to learn. The second motivator to pray is an answered prayer. Little will move you positively toward prayer like the spiritual boost of an answered prayer. Simil

Hurt in the Lord’s house is as common as hurt almost anywhere else. The reason for this is that God’s house is still filled with imperfect people. These people, such as I, are still being perfected. Yet we find that our expectations for the church are higher than just anywhere else. Should one not expect more from the redeemed of the Lord? Shouldn’t those indwelt by the Spirit of the Lord be more sensitive to the needs of others? How is it that if one Christian should be a “b

Familiarity breeds contempt is a phrase understood by most. Co-workers become well known and mysteriously begin to irritate. Your fiancé could do no wrong, until you married and discovered that prince charming puts the toilet paper roll on backwards. Sibling rivalry is a reality because of familiarity. Close quarters and the passage of time reveal the small annoyances that can erode trust and cause confidence to evaporate. Why is it that those we love most become the objects

Pastor Ponderings #181: *Never Give Up* I must make a confession to you. In my last pondering I shared the history of a plastic frog that sits prominently on my desk as a reminder of much shared history and a symbol of hope. I was inspired to share that because of an old poem about two frogs that I came across. I had intended to share it in the post last week but after writing all I did, I forgot about it! My apologies. Well, here is an opportunity for me to make it right and

This plastic frog has spent more than two decades on my desk holding a variety of pens or highlighters in its mouth. Mr. Frog was first introduced to my desk at elementary school in the early 2000s when I was a teacher. I secured him from a local dollar store to lighten up the mood and bring some humor to the dreaded “male teacher” persona I wore. Mr. Frog has witnessed broken hearts and breakthroughs in math class. He has seen minds changed and perspectives altered during cl

Digital content like social media, videos and news articles are designed to attract attention. Their aim is more often to elicit engagement from the reader than to qualitatively inform. They grab you with an offensive headline, a startling question or shocking photo. Sometimes the content isn’t even related to the headline! Their substance is designed to divide, inflame, offend, and enrage. All of this is intentional. The creator’s goal is to draw a response from you by tappi

Christmas is a season of great expectations. We build up a war chest of excitement throughout the year in anticipation of this season of joy. Some will celebrate half Christmas while stores offer Christmas in July sales. Expectations are often so lofty that few actually attain unto it. Preparations are made with greatest care, for banquets, gatherings, and celebrations. We transform the drab to dazzling with our decorating. Do all our efforts in transforming the peripheral, a

Advent is defined as the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. Where I live in Canada, there is always the advent of snow leading up to winter. The Bible notes two specific advents, one that has already happened and one which is still coming. The advent which has already occurred is celebrated each Christmas as the birth of Jesus. Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with

The victory was incredible! God demonstrated His power in the battle of Jericho and all the land of Canaan would hear of the nation with whom the Lord dwells. Forty thousand battle-ready troops against this heavily fortified city and all they needed to do was march and shout! The confidence of the inhabitants of the land melted at the hearing of the Lord’s intervention on Israel’s behalf. Who can withstand a nation whose God fights for them? Joshua was exalted in the sight of

George Eastman presented the world with the first affordable and user-friendly, consumer camera in 1888. His company, Kodak, was about to embark on a picture-perfect century of success! The “Brownie” camera cemented Kodak’s dominance in the personal camera field. So popular was the brand that their slogan became commonly used when a special or memorable moment was caught on film – a Kodak moment. Kodak had a remarkable run, but times were changing. Who could have foreseen the

I once had someone approach me after a Sunday service and tell me a gripping account of his life story complete with mafia gangs, near death experiences, job turnovers, breakthroughs, breakups and a recent robbery. It was a fascinating roller-coaster-type story which had the makings of a book contract. Apparently, this had all produced a tenuous but strengthening relationship with the Lord. Oh, and a desperate need for some financial aid to provide for some immediate needs th

Have you ever noticed that life doesn’t simply acquiesce to your desires or comply with your idea of what would be best for the future? We do not control our coming and going as freely as we would wish. There are many forces at play interfering with our control of our own lives. For example, hunger compels me to go to work when I’d rather sleep in. Bills are mostly unwilling to compromise on due dates. Responsibility compels me to continue a project when I’d rather give up. C