A couple of weeks ago we began our series “A Return to Civility” and I mentioned how earlier this year I had speculated on what I saw as a loss of civility in our society. We’ve come to a place where we can no longer agree to disagree, and we’ve stopped treating one another with…
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…
A Return to Civility
Earlier this year I was struck by how uncivil our society has become. I can’t remember if it was a personal encounter with someone or something I saw on the news or read on social media. But I do remember thinking: Why can’t we just be civil to each other, what can’t we just be…
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…
Reconstruction: Is the Bible Sexist?
If I were to ask you about the longest recorded conversation that Jesus had in the four gospels who would you say it involved? His best friend, Peter? John the Baptist? The High Priests when they were interrogating him or Pilate during this trial? Wrong on each account. The longest conversation that Jesus is recorded…
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…
What’s That in Your Pocket?
I still remember when I got my first calculator that would fit in my pocket. It was in High School, and it cost what then seemed like a fortune. But it could do so much, add, multiply, divide, etc. It could even do percentages and find the square root of any number. At least that’s…
The Cookie?
The headline read, “He wouldn’t give me the cookie.” The story was about a Catholic Priest in Florida who has been charged with biting a woman who wanted to receive communion. A charge that the priest does not deny. If you were reading just the headline and the article summary, you would tend to side…
Reconstruction: Add Wisdom
If you’ve been with us since the beginning of April, our theme has been Reconstruction, and we’ve been looking at ways to strengthen our faith, and possibly reconstruct our faith, if we’ve been struggling with what we believe and why we believe it. Often, when you talk to people who have walked away from their…