What stuck more in my mind, however, were the people who reached out. The command to “love your neighbour” might actually be easier than letting yourself be loved. But compassion makes all the difference when you’re living through this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
“I can’t have authentic communion with Jesus,” she came to realize, “mired in the trappings he begged me to avoid.” And so begins her repentance through reduction: a month eating only seven kinds of food; a month getting rid of seven possessions every day; a month praying seven times a day, and so on.
This refreshed issue builds on our strengths – news, clues and Kingdom views – while making it easier for you to use Christian Courier as more than just a newspaper. Our new look has multiple entry points, including questions for family devotions and Bible study. Many CC articles are great fodder for small group discussion, we’ve been told, so we added a few symbols to indicate the best ones.
Loneliness affects people of all ages – teens, new parents, workaholics, seniors. We feel lonely for two reasons: when social interactions decrease – in our physical bodies; online friendship does not replace it – and when we feel less responsible for other people. Both physical and mental well-being decline as a result.
Good art does many things – it can educate, empower, entertain. I like poems with a current of power rather than a pretty turn of phrase. Poetry might seem flimsy, only suitable for greeting cards or picture books. But poems are not all fluffy, delicate things.
Nearly 300 years ago, an English clergyman called Isaac Watts published Psalms of David Imitated (1719). Though he didn’t write it for Christmas, a song from that book is now a beloved Christmas hymn – “Joy to the World.” It’s based on the second half of Psalm 98, the part that imagines seas roaring and floods clapping their hands (in the KJV) when the Lord returns. Watts gave the psalm a New Testament focus.
Jesus holds every wounded heart with great tenderness. He knows all the sad stories, every loss. Let’s take our bearings from him, and then travel so many times from the altar to the gutter and back that we trample down a path together – bringing our selves to hard places and giving every suffering soul to Jesus.
This issue of Christian Courier takes an inventory of the Reformed movement in Canada today. The framework is grace – grace for each other on top of God’s grace, which covers all our human mistakes. What does a “reforged” church look like?
Do I see glory to God being lived out across Canada? Absolutely. I see it in CRC members who run companies and give generously; I see it in local churches that keep the word of God central; I see it in the desire of local churches to involve their community; I see it in our urban Aboriginal ministry centres across Canada . . . I see it all the time.
My brain is converted – I can tell you the doctrines of Christianity – and even sometimes my heart, but not my imagination. When I picture what makes a good day or the good life, it is basically like American consumerism. Suffering does not enter my view of the good life, which shows that I still have a long way to go, because Jesus suffered.
Nonetheless, my vision for Christian Courier hinges on hope. I am hopeful about this paper’s future and its mission.
If you really want to build disaster resilience, look to where the biggest need is in your community and identify who is most vulnerable. Start by helping those that need help the most.
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