Something beautiful happened a few months ago as my wife and I were editing a new book on the parable of life with our son Edward – who has Down syndrome. We were working on a chapter that explored the challenge between “choosing for Edward” and “letting him choose,” when he came down the stairs…
Several years ago, my father gave me a copy of our family tree going back seven generations. It was quite grounding to see where I came from and how I fit in. Interestingly, our family genealogist (a distant relative in the Netherlands) chose to include two important pieces of information alongside many of the names…
For the past three years, I have been on a journey of deconstruction – disillusioned by the command-and-control nature of denominations and the modus operandi of the local church. At times my questioning has felt perilous. Should I be feeling this way? What would the faithful generations in my family tree think? Am I losing…
Most world religions have their version of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s a basic societal norm and a trust upon which we build our communities. Yet in a city where two-thirds of the population is either Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish, Calgary had to implement a face-covering bylaw for indoor public areas and public vehicles starting August 1. In July, Quebec was the first province to make masks mandatory. Similar bylaws have since been passed in Toronto, Edmonton and many other cities and regions. One would think that wearing a mask for the sake of others wouldn’t be a big problem in our city. And yet it is.
In the first week of April, I interviewed an Alberta emergency room physician, an emergency room nurse, a unit nurse and a primary care paramedic for an Easter-based sermon I was working on. Seeing news reports depicting these incredible souls work at the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic made me curious about what drove them. Who are these people that so willingly step toward the danger and choose to touch those no one else will touch?
There once was a world that had lost its way. Everyone was moving so fast that they forgot to look around. People didn’t notice each other. Some were blinded by consumerism. Others distracted by pleasure. Some idolized work and worried about the next thing. Others sought power, position and wealth. And everyone, it seemed, shared a common problem – all that should matter in life didn’t matter enough. People failed to notice the fragility of their existence.
In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, there is a prophecy that directly connects God’s actions in the cosmos to God’s actions toward his people.
If you look at teachers closely, you can find God there, just in behind their actions – knowing what they know – humbly making a learning moment all about you, brilliantly serving up the truth, hospitably inviting you into a deeper understanding of the nature of life.
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