I guess I never really thought about it. In a recent article I was reading, Frank Jacobs elaborated on the theory of “Mental Map Oversimplification (MMO)” That’s not an actual theory, it’s just a term that Jacobs made up, but that doesn’t make it any less real. Jacobs maintains that because maps are so…
Happy Birthday
It was my birthday the other day, and it was well celebrated on Facebook. As I read through the birthday messages, I marvelled at those who had taken the time to wish me a happy birthday. I heard from folks that I had attended junior high, high school and university with. There were posts from…
The Promise of Peace
When I was learning to preach, I heard someone quote an old preacher who said, “I take my text and divide my sermon into three parts. In the first part I tell ’em what I am going to tell ’em; in the second part—well, I tell ’em; in the third part I tell ’em what…
Sliding down the slippery slope
“One-third of Canadians fine with prescribing assisted suicide for homelessness.” Seriously, folks, that was the headline in a recent article in the National Post. The survey discovered that 27 percent of respondents said MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) should be available to those in poverty, while 28 percent said the same for the country’s 30,000…
The Fires
This wasn’t the Penn I was planning to write, but it is practically impossible to ignore the wildfires that devasted our communities.A few random thoughts, I have never felt so helpless or heartbroken as a pastor than watching our community burn on Sunday evening.Angela and I opened the church in case it was needed and…
The Reality of Joy
The question that Paul seems to be trying to answer for most of this passage of scripture is, how Jewish do you have to be to be a Christian? It was the question of whether or not Christians had to follow all of the Jewish regulations and guidelines was an ongoing debate throughout the New…
Oops is not Enough
Is it enough to acknowledge that you made a mistake if you aren’t willing to make it right? That doesn’t seem all that helpful. Before we left for our vacation, I contacted my cell phone provider, asking them to put a roaming package on my phone. It’s a good package, and I often use it when…
The Power of a Word
The power of a word. Recently, while travelling in Columbia, Angela and I had the opportunity to visit several cultural sites. And I noticed their history displays spoke about the church coming to Columbia to evangelize the indigenous people. Interesting. In Canada, it is usually said that the church’s mission was to convert the indigenous…
The Unity of Love
The Unity of Love If nothing else, you need to love the sixties and seventies for their awesome sense of style. The band was “The Brotherhood of Man,” the year was 1970, and the message of the song was spelled out in its title “United we stand, divided we fall.” Interesting tidbit about the song,…
The Snowflake Crown
I thought it was a joke, but apparently not.Have you seen the newly updated crown on the Canadian Coat of Arms? It was just unveiled last week. It looks like an illustration from a fairy tale or a possible Disney offering, “The Snowflake King.”In an effort to modernize the design, and perhaps in an attempt…