Welcome to this year's best-of lists! With regard to books, I didn't read as much this year as last and didn't love as many books either. Nonetheless, I was completely awestruck by the Little Flower's autobiography (Story of a Soul) - a true spiritual masterpiece in my opinion and one that elicited all sorts of … Continue reading Best of 2023 (Books, TV, Music)
Advent: God’s Many Comings
The following is taken from the first pages of Advent: God's Many Comings - a free resource I created for Advent. We Christians are a sneaky bunch. Somewhere down the line, someone had the bright idea to call a season in the Church’s calendar “Advent.”We get “Advent” from “Adventus,” a Latin word which means “coming,” … Continue reading Advent: God’s Many Comings
Sermon: A Five-Part Gospel on Lazarus, Brent, and How God Feels About Death” (Brent Woelke’s Funeral)
I gave the following sermon at a friend's funeral. I was very honoured and humbled to be able to do this, and to be asked to do so by Brent himself and his wife, Stephanie, before his passing. Part One: In the Gospel of John, when Lazarus was sick, his sisters Martha and Mary sent … Continue reading Sermon: A Five-Part Gospel on Lazarus, Brent, and How God Feels About Death” (Brent Woelke’s Funeral)
Homily: In Whose Hands Would You Rather Be? (Reign of Christ)
I don't often write out homilies/teachings word for word, but I did for this one. This homily was given at West End Abbey, based on Luke 23:33-43, and you can listen to the recording on our West End Abbey podcast here or on most major podcast platforms. 1. Have you ever felt like your life was … Continue reading Homily: In Whose Hands Would You Rather Be? (Reign of Christ)
Best of 2022 (Books and TV)
At the end of last year, I compiled my "Best of" list and posted it. Around the same time, a friend posted a list of books he read; the list was upwards of 70 books. I was mesmerized and inspired. I wondered what it would be like to read extensively through the year, as well … Continue reading Best of 2022 (Books and TV)
Christmas Eve: An Anatomy of the Gospel
What was the Trinity thinking as the Word was being formed into flesh in Mary’s womb?When the one through whom all things were made had his first cells woven together in the secret; from blastocyst to embryo to fetus? As the body parts took shape, what was the Trinity thinking? Perhaps that: These eyesWill look … Continue reading Christmas Eve: An Anatomy of the Gospel
Best of 2021 (TV and Film)
Last year, I didn't do a best of list. Probably because we were in the throes of the pandemic and I didn't have much motivation to look back with affection. This year, though we are still very much in a pandemic, things feel a little different. Perhaps I have accepted the new normal. Perhaps I … Continue reading Best of 2021 (TV and Film)
Becoming a Father (Round 2)
If we had to heave our first child into existence, our second floated toward us on a gentle stream. We had only been trying for four months when we found out we were pregnant with number two. When Jennifer took a pregnancy test this time around, there was hardly any waiting before it blinked positive. … Continue reading Becoming a Father (Round 2)
Fear: A Discernment Checklist
Photo by José Ignacio García Zajaczkowski on Unsplash I am not usually prone to fear. I am an Enneatype 4 which, by virtue of being in the relational/heart triad, means that my Achilles heal is typically shame. Shame - that underlying sense of somehow being inherently wrong or deficient or not good enough - is … Continue reading Fear: A Discernment Checklist
Witness: From Thin to Thick
Photo by M.T ElGassier on Unsplash The following was written for and presented at a plenary panel on "Work, Worship, and Witness" at the tenth annual Society of Vineyard Scholars conference, May 2, 2019, Minneapolis. Early on the morning of the resurrection, while it was still dark, the Gospel of John tells us that Mary … Continue reading Witness: From Thin to Thick
Writing Is Prayer 