Well, another survey is out showing that Christianity is losing ground and that church attendance is down. The world would like us to think that we’re failing in our mission. But, depending on your perspective, we aren’t losing, we’re winning. When you stop and think about it, every person who isn’t a Christian hasn’t been…
Staying Relevant
From ski slaloms to swimming pools. What had once been showpieces on the world stage are now ruins. The victims of war, neglect and bankrupt nations.I read an article the other day about Olympic venues from around the world that are no longer in use and have fallen into total disrepair. And that wasn’t the…
Was it or Wasn’t it?
Was it, or wasn’t it? That’s the question people worldwide were asking about one scene in the Olympic Games opening ceremony.Was it a mockery of DaVinci’s painting of the Last Supper or, as the opening ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly insisted, simply a celebration of pagan gods? So, we can rejoice that it wasn't a…
But What about. . .?
I was recently reminded of a story I read in a newspaper in April of 1985 (If you don’t know what a newspaper is, ask your parents). The story was about Galaxy Airlines Flight 203, which crashed in Reno Nevada on January 21, 1985.Seventy of the seventy-one passengers and crew died in the crash, the…
As Advertised on TV!
Last week I was listening to the radio, and they played a TV ad from the 1970s. As I listened, I could almost see it in my mind’s eye. If you are old enough you probably remember the ad for the K-Tel Record Selector. It was promoted as having a space-age design, finger-tip control and…
That’s Wild!
That’s wild. A man in England is suing Apple for £5 million. Now, to be truthful we’ve all thought of suing Apple for various reasons. The wild part of this lawsuit is the reason. The man is suing Apple because his wife discovered ‘deleted messages’ he sent to sex workers on his phone and the…
Really?
What is with people these days, defacing historically significant items to protest climate change? Over the past few years, we’ve read reports of people defacing some of the great masterpieces from artists such as Monet, DaVinci, Picasso and Van Gogh. Last month, the same group targeted the Magna Carta as part of their protests. Last week…
Bang!
It was one of those stories that make you go, Hmmmm? Just recently it was reported that authorities in China secured a grenade that was in the possession of a 90-year-old resident of the village of Hubei. What makes the story more interesting is the lady had been using the grenade as a hammer since…
Gifts from the Past
I had another reminder today not to judge yesterday’s events by today’s standards. It was an article in Saltscape Magazine about past Christmas celebrations at the MRA department store, in Saint John NB. In the story was a picture of an event called, “The Legion Christmas Tree” and it was an appeal for Christmas gifts…
Agreeing to Disagree
One of the most valuable lessons I learned in ministry, I learned almost forty years ago in my first church as lead pastor.A gentleman by the name of Russell Patton taught me the importance of being able to “agree to disagree”. I didn’t know at the time that Russell was actually quoting John Wesley. I’m…