Disturbing the World

I was driving north on Highway 6 on a recent midsummer morning. It was about 7 a.m. and the sun was already heating up the day, in the midst of what could be classified as an unbroken heatwave. Suddenly, I saw to my left a vast sea of shining yellow gold.

A field of mature sunflowers was basking in the morning light, its myriad faces smiling directly at the drivers passing up and down the road. Read the rest of this entry »

In his descriptions of the first century AD German tribesmen, the Roman general Tacitus wrote that it was a disgrace to throw away one’s shield. He was referring to deserting soldiers, who dropped their heavy shields and ran away from the battlefield in fear.

His observation has meaningful application to the realm of faith as well. Read the rest of this entry »

How many times during the course of the day do we ask each other the simple question, “How are you?” It is a brief question with expectation of an equally brief answer. We are usually not disappointed: “Fine. How are you?” “Can’t complain.” “Great, thanks.” And this is not necessarily a bad thing.

What we are ordinarily trying to communicate by asking the question is Read the rest of this entry »

My grandmother did not believe that a man could walk on the moon. Even as we sat around the television that momentous day, July 20, 1969, she kept repeating, “That’s not real. That’s not real.” Her worldview did not allow for the occurrence of such apparent impossibilities.

But many people have no trouble believing that men have actually walked on the moon. We believe that future travellers to the moon will find mementos of those visits such as footprints, flags, and abandoned equipment, including a used car or two. History, if we choose to Read the rest of this entry »

“On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” – Le Petit Prince

Qu’est-ce que c’est que l’essentiel? Il y a tout un tas de choses dont on a besoin. Si on n’a besoin de rien, ils existent les publicités pour nous convaincre au contraire. Si on ne sais pas dont on a besoin, il y a la télévision pour nous le dire. C’est evident qu’on parle ici des choses visibles.

Mais si l’essentiel est invisible? Comment peut on savoir les choses dont on a vraiment besoin? Comment peut-on voir l’invisible? On peut dire, c’est avec le coeur, bien sûr! Mais ce n’est pas Read the rest of this entry »

Winter 2009/10 is over. Soon spring will be popping out all over. Robins have been gathering in clusters on the lawn outside my window. Days are getting longer, and somehow, blue skies are bluer than ever.

March Madness has arrived. Before getting lost in it or we start complaining about April showers or worrying over a hot summer, we ought to take a moment to reflect on this past winter.

Loads of snow wreaked havoc Read the rest of this entry »

We use mirrors every day in our society. We look into a mirror to style our hair, prepare our makeup, brush our teeth, check our hemlines, and make sure our ties are straight. While this might seem to indicate that we are all a bit vain about our appearance, it can be argued that striving to look one’s best is really an act of kindness toward those around us who have to work with us, and look at us, each day.

Looking into a mirror, we see a reflection of Read the rest of this entry »

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…. My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” – Psalm 42:2-3 (NIV)

Have you ever felt like asking, “Where is my God?” Even those of us who have experienced great joy and delight in the presence of God will sometimes go through dark nights when God seems distant, or even absent altogether.

It sometimes feels like God disappears just when we need him the most, when we are at our weakest and most needy. How do we reconcile this with the concept of a loving, caring Father in heaven? Isn’t it bad enough that Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so the title is ambitious. I don’t really think that you and I are going to solve all of the mysteries of the universe in this article. Besides, if we know anything at all about the universe, we know she is very coy, and likes to reserve a few mysteries and keep some things to herself.

Personally, I think that there are mysteries that are unknowable this side of eternity. God doesn’t tell us everything. He wants to leave a few truths open to interpretation by faith. He has planned that we shouldn’t know everything at this stage of the great game. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the seminal movies for baby-boomers was a sentimental tear-jerker called Love Story. It remains the quintessential chick-flick, and came to mind while seeing one too many commercials for Valentine’s Day. 

The jewelry outlets and florists are geared up for the big day. Hallmark banks on the tugging of heartstrings. Every marketer imaginable gets in on the act. 

Each sixty second blurb presents a love story filled with hopes and dreams. The sparkling eyes and bright smiles of the actors give the impression that love will conquer all, which can inspire optimism, even among world-weary cynics. Read the rest of this entry »