Consider this

            Every once in a while, in every church, everywhere, you will hear people say things like:   “I did not like the singing today” or “That service went way too long” or “The preacher was really boring today!”    You may also hear something along the lines of, “No one ever visits me” or “Why is there not more stuff for my kids?”             Why do people make comments like that?   Well, at least partially, it is because they see themselves as “guests” to be served, rather than “hosts” with a responsibility.               If I am hosting someone in my home, I will go out of my way to make sure that they are looked after and enjoying themselves.   In fact, I will give up just about anything (my food, my space, even my bed) if it means that my guest will be cared for properly. ...

            I hate “gimmicky” things and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to evangelism.   Over my 22 years here, I have seen more useless “evangelism strategies” than I can count.   If we are ever going to share the story of Christ effectively, we are going to have to do it in a way that is real and natural.   Here, then, are four “real” and “natural” ways to live and share what you believe.            1.   Look around.   While most people seem to have their lives together, many times that is not the case.   Many quietly struggle their way through their days just hoping to survive.   The question is not whether people need help or the hope of the gospel, rather the question is “Can we see where people really are and will we put ourselves out to get involved?”            ...

            As the boy packed his lunch that day, I am sure that he had no idea how significant that action would become.             Jesus was nearby, teaching and healing a huge crowd of people.   As evening came, Jesus’ friends became concerned about the fact that the crowd had not eaten anything all day.   Approaching him they said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food” (Matthew 14:15).   Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat” (verse 16).   Philip, looking around and seeing more than five thousand people said, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:7).             Enter, again, the little boy.   I am not...

          In the gospels, the story of Jesus’ birth is preceded by the prediction of the birth of “John the Baptist”.              John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest at the temple in Jerusalem.   One day, while he was burning incense to God, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John” (Luke 1:13).               This was surprising news to Zechariah and so he asks, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (verse 18).   That is a logical question, right?   I mean, he is asking for a sign so that he can believe something that seems quite unbelievable.   Who would fault him for that?        ...

            The “As then/so now” principle states that past habits are the best predictors of future actions.   In other words, regardless of your dreams or your best intentions, you are likely going to keep doing what you have always done.   King Josiah is an exception to this rule.             Josiah became king when he was eight years old (2 Chronicles 34:1).   At the age of sixteen he began to seek the God and when he turned twenty he cleared all the idols out of Jerusalem and the surrounding area (verse 3).   At the age of twenty-six, he reopened and repaired the temple in Jerusalem (verse 8). During the renovation, the workers found a book of the law of God and they immediately brought it to the king and read it to him (verses 14-18).               Now, many times when this story is t...

“How old is your little boy?” I asked the man sitting in front of me at the Bruins’ game a few weeks ago. “Nine months” was the reply. The reason I asked was that this little guy was putting on quite a show. First he would lean over his dad’s left shoulder, look at Sara and me and smile. Then he would look the other way at my daughters and their friends and laugh. Then, back to us. Then back to them. He was having a great time. In fact, he was not the only one having fun. I think we missed an entire period of the game making faces at this happy little boy. Three rows down sat a row of older boys. None of them were smiling. In fact, most of them were angry, yelling and throwing things at the visiting team. It was an interesting contrast. The happy, smiley person in our section received smiles and laughs from those around him. All the not so happy people got was a warning from the security guards.  It is a simple truism, but one worth thinking about: You get wha...

            One hundred dollars seemed like a lot of money for two little pictures at a garage sale.   In fact, most people just walked right past them.   One man, though, picked them up, looked them over, gladly paid the price and left.             This past May, a small, untitled oil painting, measuring just 28 by 21 centimetres, was put up for auction at “Maynards Fine Art and Antiques” in Vancouver.   Identified as being the work of iconic Canadian artist Tom Thomson and depicting a sunrise over Ontario’s Algonquin Park, typical of many of his works before his death in 1917, it sold for $110 000.               A second small painting, this one a water colour by “Group of Seven” artist Fredrick Varley was sold as well.   It brought $6 500.        ...