Suffering -a week of reflections

When in the middle of a trial it is easy to ask. “Why me?” We are tempted to look at others and assume they have no troubles. A struggling friend said “others in the church have perfect lives and can’t understand mine”. Being privileged to “pastor” many I can attest...

At Home with Suffering

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him…” Philippians 1:29 Two weeks ago was devastating for my friend. She had lost her wallet and all her credit cards. The weight of the world was on her shoulders as...

We prayed

Well we did it. We celebrated Resurrection Day. We affirmed that Jesus is alive in this universe, in this world he made, in this country he rules, in this church he leads, and in us individually. He is alive. He is alive and so we prayed. We prayed in our small group...

Serving in the Hood

From the foundation of Faith in the 1940’s in South Vancouver, serving the neighbourhood has been a priority for us. In recent years that has involved housing for refugees, partnering with the Foodbank and South Van Neighbourhood House, operating two daycares, hosting...

In Less Than 5 seconds

If I met you for the first time, how long do you think it would take you to form an opinion about who I am and whether we could have a relationship of any kind? Duane Elmer, in his book Cross-Cultural Servanthood (p. 48), cites an American study which demonstrated...

Distinguishing God from nature

We live in an age where many seem to worship the creation more than the Creator. The lines between stewardship of creation and worship of creation are blurring. This probably shouldn’t surprise us as the signs of this shift are evident in our culture. We have people...