Serving Christ in México
The world is a dark place. It is darkened by an abundance of famine, injustice, war, abuse, destruction, addiction. The list goes on. At the root of it all is the persistent and pervasive presence of sin. Sin darkens every corner of the earth, including the pews of the church and the depths of the human heart.
Continue reading “The Light Now Shines”
One night at the supper table our kids were taking turns praying before we started the meal. Moments earlier our second youngest daughter had been kicking and screaming because she didn’t get to sit beside her sister. Consequently, she didn’t feel like praying so I attempted to convince her that God still wanted to hear from her even if she was angry. Through sniffles and snobs she prayed: “Father Heaven, I’m sad. Amen.”
Continue reading ““I’m Sad””
On day three of our mandatory quarantine someone asked me: “Are you bored yet?” That was a perfectly legitimate question and if you had asked me back in August during our quarantine I would have answered: “Yes, very much so.” Our house in Mexico is spacious and possesses a concrete patio or two, but after a couple days of self-imposed isolation it felt pretty cramped. Not so our quarantine headquarters here in Alberta.
Continue reading “Not A Boring Quarantine”
As pilgrims making our way through the harsh elements of life, can we really be sure that we will reach our destination? In short, yes. In fact, both our survival and arrival are guaranteed. This is God’s promise to us as the Apostle Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians.
Continue reading “Guaranteed!”
Within the city I live in, there is limited natural, green space in which to escape the cacophony and the concrete. But there is one place my family and I frequent that gives us some sense of escape. It is a small water reservoir with a dirt path on the perimeter and populated by a variety of birds and flowers. It’s a nice place, other than the the greenish, contaminated water, the beer bottles, the lost shoe, the bag of garbage, etc.
Continue reading “The Pollution of Sin”
When it comes to theology, we tend to take a doctrine and strip it down to its basic form, leaving out all the intricacies and complicating details. We zero in on a particular verse or repeated theme in Scripture and then we say “That’s what it is all about.” We do this so that we can fit the doctrine neatly in our minds, keep it there, and pass it on to others.
Continue reading “Multidimensional Gospel”
Well, our plans have changed again.
We were planning to leave for Canada on August 9th, but days before, Annemarie started to feel unwell and decided to get the antigen test, which is faster – we didn’t feel like waiting a day or two for the PCR test to find out if she really did have Covid and if we were going to be able to travel or not. The test came back positive.
Continue reading “Change of Plans”
The ending of the gospel of Mark can be surprising – a group of women, close friends and family of Jesus, get up early in the morning to visit the tomb where Jesus lay so they can give him a proper burial. Instead of finding Jesus wrapped in burial clothes, they see an angel in white robes who explains that Jesus has been resurrected and can be found in the region of Galilee.
Continue reading “The Terrible Awesome Resurrecting Power of God”
Sin is like a snowball rolling down a hill. I admit that’s a bit of an odd comparison, but I think it gets the point across well. Sin is never content to remain small, and if it is allowed the space and time it will gain momentum and eventually morph into a giant ball of evil. The farther down the hill sin rolls, the harder it is to stop, and when it finally reaches the bottom we can’t quite believe what it has transformed itself into.
Continue reading “Sin is Like a Snowball”
Less than three weeks and we will, if the Lord wills, be in Canada! The plan is to spend two months there and return to Mexico in October. There is a lot to look forward to; seeing family being at the top of the list. We look forward to getting out into nature and doing some day trips with the kids. We look forward to worshipping in our home church. We look forward to a road trip to Alberta. We look forward to sharing about our life and ministry work in Mexico.
Continue reading “Looking Forward”