When God called me to pursue ordination in the Anglican Church, He also called me to go to a specific place for the next three years of preparation for ministry—Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, in Ambridge Pennsylvania (in the Diocese of Pittsburgh where the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Bob Duncan, is now seated). I was overjoyed to learn that there was an Anglican seminary that was both theologically orthodox and spiritually alive. Going to Trinity in 1986 was a great adventure for Jen and me and our new baby, Andrew, who was six months old when we started there. God did many amazing things in getting us on the ordination track and in providing an excellent place in which to prepare for ministry in His church. I learned by first-hand experience that when God calls He also wonderfully provides.

Once we arrived at Trinity, I began to be exposed to people who shared the same faith in Jesus to which I had been drawn and yet expressed their faith in very different ways. At times this was very challenging for me. But I needed to be stretched in this way. One day I was struggling... continued

Soon after I returned to the Lord many years ago, I began to realize that God has a plan and a purpose for my life and for each person’s life. I have, by God’s grace, endeavoured to discover and walk in that plan and to encourage others to do so. This has not been an easy journey as there is resistance both from within myself and from outside myself. Yet God opens unexpected doors and blesses and enables what He initiates. His plans indeed turn out to be good but costly (Jeremiah 29:11-12, Luke 18:28-30).

Others may denigrate or misunderstand God’s plans for you. I remember when the Lord sent me and my family to Thunder Bay to begin a new stage of life and ministry after my ordination in the Anglican Church. I was telling another recently ordained minister about this and he responded as if I were being punished or sidelined by being sent to what he perceived as a backwater. Instead of being offended or thrown... continued

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) God is waiting for us to draw near to Him. He will not force us to draw near but when we do He responds. God does not hold grudges as we often do. He is not cold or remote or difficult as people can sometimes be. He is not too busy, preoccupied or overloaded as we often are.

When the prodigal son came to his senses and began his journey back to his father, while still a long way off, his father ran to him and embraced him and kissed him. The father welcomed the errant son back with open arms and with full restoration of his privileges as a son and indeed with joy and celebration. (Luke 15:11-32)

This parable of Jesus tells us that God is a loving Father who welcomes back—indeed runs to meet—all who have gone astray even while still a long way off on their journey back to Him. The father... continued

It’s very easy in life to let things get blown out of proportion. Some people, by their inborn temperament and life experiences, are more prone to ‘catastrophizing’ than others. But anyone can lose perspective and fall into the trap of allowing an issue or problem to become larger in our minds and emotions than it really is. Of course, there are actual catastrophes as we’ve seen all around the world this spring. But often, it is less catastrophic things that can trip us up. As we dwell on the issues troubling us they get magnified. What is the solution? The following story gives us the Lord’s perspective:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset... continued

Have you ever noticed when you’re driving that, if you start to focus on something other than the direction in which you want to head, suddenly the car will start to veer off course toward whatever you are looking at? The car goes wherever you focus your attention.

It’s even true with walking. Once, when I was about nine years old, I was walking home with my dad and telling him something about my friend’s house where I had just been visiting. I kept walking as I turned back and pointed and then I turned around and banged right into a concrete lamp post. I almost knocked myself out and quickly got a big goose egg. Another time, I was sitting on a sandy beach and a young man began walking backwards toward me as he played catch. Before I could get his attention he was falling over me. By God’s grace, I quickly ducked my head so that he wouldn’t break my neck as he tumbled with his full weight over me. I think you get the idea! It’s important that we focus our attention on the direction in which we are heading.

In terms of... continued

Everything good that we have comes from God. Whether we realize it or not, we have received it as a gift. We are not the source of anything. God alone is the source. So why is it so hard to actually live as though this is really true? Our fallen natures get in the way.

I’ve been reading a book by Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian man, entitled “The normal Christian Life”, originally published in 1957. In it he talks about how the human soul has been overdeveloped ever since the Fall of man. At that time the first man and woman chose to follow the way of independence from God—to live according to their own volition, to be in effect their own god. That’s what Nee means by the overdevelopment of the soul. It’s the “I am my own person”, “I can and will chart my own course” sort of attitude. Well you can but where does this lead?

Nee makes it clear that it is not that we don’t need a soul—a personality, a sense of selfhood. But the human soul was meant to be dependent upon the One who is the source of... continued

Have you ever felt that there was no way forward—that you were at a dead-end and there was no way out? Perhaps you feel that way now. All last night the words to a song kept coming into my mind: “God will make a way”. When I got up this morning I looked up the next lines:

“God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way for me.”

This song brought me back to a time in my life and ministry when any possible way forward seemed blocked. I remember listening to this song and letting the words strengthen me as I let the Holy Spirit minister to my tears and the discouragement and heaviness in my heart.

My experience is that God has always opened up a way as I have looked to Jesus and fixed the eyes of my heart on Him. Jesus said, “I am the way…” (See John 14:6.) I have found that the true way forward is always through Jesus. Other... continued

Wherever you are, God has planted you there for a reason and a season. In your family. In your neighbourhood. In your workplace. At your seniors’ centre. At school. In the hospital or clinic. Playing sports. On the internet. God has you where you are for a purpose.

The Scriptures use the things of the natural world to reveal spiritual truths. Plants and trees and vines are images of our lives because they grow and reproduce themselves through their blossoms and fruit. Once we are joined to Christ through our faith in Him, we are enabled to reproduce His likeness through our lives as we allow His Resurrection life to flow through us. Our job is to let this happen.

There are people everywhere we go who need our prayers and our love and our trust in the Lord to help them to know that Jesus is there for them—to help them to experience the presence, comfort and strength that the Holy Spirit brings into anyone’s life who will believe in Jesus.

God has given us a powerful implement in prayer. Everywhere we are, we can pray for others. When you see a bad driver—instead of... continued

Today it is estimated that two billion people saw and heard a Christian Marriage service as Kate and William wed! The first words heard were: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this Company, to join together this man and this woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate signifying unto us the mystical union between Christ and his Church.”

Marriage is the Sign given to us in Creation by God of the intimate relationship that God desires to have with His people. Our Lord Jesus died, rose again and poured out His Spirit so that we could have such an intimate and life-giving relationship with Him. Jesus is the bridegroom of His people and together we who believe in Him are His bride.

In giving instruction for Christian marriage, (Ephesians 5:31-32 NIV ©2011) the apostle Paul tells us he is ultimately addressing a much greater revelation: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a... continued

[Depiction by Matthias Scheits (c. 1630-1700) of Jesus being recognized by His disciples after the Resurrection in the Breaking of Bread]

On Maundy Thursday, all the ordained folk in our area got together at St. Hilda’s with Bishop Don for the yearly remembrance of the Last Supper and renewal of our ordination vows. As soon as the opening song began, I sensed the Lord had something to say to me and, as I waited, I received very clearly “Behold how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together.” (Psalm 133) I sensed that this is what the Holy Spirit wanted me to write about this week.

These words go right along with our Lord’s words and actions at the Last Supper. Jesus washed their feet saying in effect this is how I want you to treat each other: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15 ESV)

Later in the... continued