…but the flesh is weak.

Mark 14:32-42 

In Jesus’ darkest moments his closest friends were asleep.

We often read of how Jesus seeks out a place of solitude away from his disciples and the crowds that he might pray to his Father in heaven. However, when Jesus went to pray in the garden of Gethsemane he brought his disciples along. As the immense weight of his task began to bear down on him, pressing out tears and drops of blood-red sweat, Jesus sought out communion with his Father and the disciples were there to “watch and pray”. Yet, in this infinitely important time in the mission of Jesus, and the future of humanity, the disciples are unable to either watch or pray. Continue reading “…but the flesh is weak.” →

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The Acceptance and Rejection of the Messiah

The Christmas season is generally a happy and festive occasion. The narratives of Luke or Matthew are recounted with joy and it warms the heart to think of Joseph and Mary delighting in their newborn. There is also the multitude of angels praising God, the humble shepherds, and the regal wise-men. We celebrate because the long-awaited fulfillment of God’s ancient promise is finally here. Israel’s hope has arrived on the scene. God has come down to dwell with us and be our Saviour. The perfect kingdom of heaven is beginning to overtake the broken kingdom of this world. So many reasons to celebrate! Continue reading “The Acceptance and Rejection of the Messiah” →

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Health Matters

Several weeks ago Scott had some tests done to try to identify the cause of his gastrointestinal issues which have plagued him for some years now. The results of these tests recently came back and he was able to discuss them with his naturopath. The first test was simply checking for SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and came back positive. SIBO is a condition which occurs when bacteria that normally grow in other parts of the gut start growing in the small intestine. It causes pain, diarrhea, and malnutrition. It is treatable through antibiotics, herbal supplements, and diet, although there is a high rate of recurrence since these treatments do not address the underlying issue (which is often unknown). Continue reading “Health Matters” →

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In and Out of the Pit

Certain themes pop up time and again in Scripture and are evidence of its one Author. Many themes have their origins in Genesis and culminate in Revelation. One quick example of this would be the theme of a garden, and the associated language of trees, plants, vineyards, and land. Keep your eyes open to this type of language and you are bound to yield hundreds of passages that pick up on the broad theme of garden. Continue reading “In and Out of the Pit” →

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Many Are The Plans

On the occasion of our last update, we were rejoicing in being able to sign a contract with the Abbotsford and Vernon churches and had begun to take some concrete steps forward. There have been a few new developments on this front, such as booking flights and, more importantly, securing visa appointments at the end of January. Apparently, the Mexican Consulate in Toronto will only see two family members a day so we will be making three separate trips to the Big Smoke. If all goes well we should have our Temporary Resident visas within 10 days subsequent to the submission of the applications. After these appointments, our plan is to head west to B.C. to spend time with Annemarie’s family and our supporting churches, as well as to meet with the Mission Board face-to-face instead of screen-to-screen. Following this, we will hop one province over to visit Scott’s family for a while, before boarding another plane and heading to Colorado Springs for one month of pre-field training at Mission Training International. Upon completion of this training, our next step is to fly back to B.C and make last minute preparations. Finally, we hope to board one more plane (hopefully the last for a while) and jet off to Querétaro, México. Continue reading “Many Are The Plans” →

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Clever Fools

The Sadducees are sad you see because they deny the resurrection. So goes the little ditty. However, on at least one occasion they pretended to believe in the resurrection for the sake of argument. We read in Mark 12 how they came to Jesus with a clever conundrum that would expose the ridiculousness of belief in the resurrection. First, they pointed back to ancient Mosaic law that stated that if a man died without offspring, his brother was obliged to marry his widow. Then they create an improbable, but not impossible, scenario where seven brothers all marry the same woman in keeping with Moses’ law. When everybody resurrects at the end of the age, who will be the brother that is married to the woman? 

Continue reading “Clever Fools” →

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The Feast of the Flaying of Men

To be the victim was an honour. To have your heart cut out and lifted to the skies was your gift to the sun. To have your blood poured out onto the gladiatorial stone meant access to the paradise of the House of the Sun. Courage and integrity belong to the one who is ready when death calls. Honour is bestowed on he who does not falter in fear but desires the knife of demise and savours the scent of death. Continue reading “The Feast of the Flaying of Men” →

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A Mayan Creation Account – Part 2

This post is a commentary on my previous post about a Mayan creation account.

Three Observations:

  1. The Mayan creation account is “place-specific”. As an example, consider why corn is the key ingredient in the creation of human beings? It is because corn was the staple food of the Mayan diet. When man attempts to define and describe the divine he is always limited by his own experiences. The biblical creation account differs in this regard, for it does not display place and cultural limitations. Of course, this is because it is the Creator himself who is describing the actual creation of the world. God communicates his creation account in a certain language (Hebrew) and to a specific culture (mainly Israel), but it remains true for all times and places and this is reflected in the account itself. Continue reading “A Mayan Creation Account – Part 2” →
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A Mayan Creation Account – Part 1

The Mayans thrived as a civilization around the 6th c. A.D. in Mesoamerica (México and Central America). Their earliest settlements date back to 1800 B.C – about the time of Joseph.

In the beginning, after the earth was created, four of the gods thought up all the animals they wanted to create and upon speaking the animals came forth. They gave instructions on where they should live and commanded the animals to praise their creators and pray to them. However, instead of speaking intelligibly, the animals only squawked, chattered, and howled. As a result, the gods ordered that all animals be lowly creatures who would eat and be eaten.

Continue reading “A Mayan Creation Account – Part 1” →

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