As a parent, I fight a losing battle with sugar. But sugar isn’t evil. It is a powerful gift. We can learn and re-learn on each fresh new day how to choose God’s abundant life, that finicky recipe of restraint and indulgence, recognizing our agency in choosing to not have something that we can have, and giving thanks for the sweet gifts received along the way. Continue reading
This kind of discipline matters. It is a kind of willful attention to intentional priorities. It may be a struggle because those intentional priorities might stand in contrast to our habits or behaviours. In short, our disciplines may not reflect where we’ve been but may instead reflect who we’re called to become. Continue reading
Being loving, compassionate, faithful, and humble are essential for all of us. Still, it’s worth asking whether our day to day choices reflect the ideals of our faith. Continue reading
From where did we get the curious notion that the call to confession was somehow contrary to the love and grace of God? Why is it that we see confession as an exercise akin to guilt-mongering instead of one that ushers in spiritual freedom and closeness with Christ? Continue reading
Suffering. It’s a word that is routinely considered negative. We do not want to suffer. We do not want the people we care about to suffer. We want to avoid, alleviate, end the suffering we experience. But suffering can also be positive. Continue reading
Isn’t Lent a time of reflection, of self-examination, and prayer? Shouldn’t we arrive at the other end with some direction or thoughts about the big stuff of our lives? Continue reading
I was a little unprepared for the amount of shock people had when they learned that part of my Lenten devotion entailed giving up coffee. People seemed generally surprised that I would make this decision. Some saw it as akin to pigs flying and hell freezing over. Continue reading
…fasting is not just about refusing to eat our favourite foods, or drink our favourite drinks. It’s not a a more spiritual way to go on a diet, or to reduce our TV time. Continue reading
Yet, I would argue, we are just as finite and human as we ever have been and these increased demands on our time and energy make it all the more important for us to schedule Sabbath into our week. The increased pressure on university students resulted in the establishment of an institutional reading week for just this reason. Continue reading
Rooted in scripture, a group covenant is really helpful tools for all Christian educators. Simply stated a group covenant is a special agreement between the members of a group. It clearly states how a group will relate to each other and spells out the “rules” they will follow as they work, learn, play and worship together.
September often marks the beginning of a new year of Sunday school, so it is a good time to sit down with your learning group and discuss how you want to live and act together. Continue reading
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