God bless you! Blessing someone who sneezes is a very old tradition, originating at a time when it was believed that a person was very vulnerable to possession by evil spirits while they sneezed. A sneeze is an involuntary action, … Read more

When I was younger, I went to my first service in a Roman Catholic Church and what a culture shock for a small town Presbyterian! Smells and bells and whistles greeted me, and kneel down, stand up and turn to … Read more

Once upon a time there was a place called Christendom and all the people were very happily a part of what they called the church, and everyone in the community… It reads like a fairytale in today's world where your … Read more

How many times have I wondered how best to share the love of God in Jesus Christ my Lord? I don't mean by being a missionary somewhere around the world, but right in my small town. My culture says its … Read more

I'm in Brazil today. I have to say that slowly because I'm a real small-town Canadian boy and this is that "trip of a lifetime" you hear people talk about. I'm joining hundreds of committed Christians from around the world … Read more

If Paul's letters are regarded as E-mail, then his message is evangelical, ethical, ecclesiastical – and also ecumenical. This is another word that makes some people suspicious. Yet originally it was one of Paul's greatest contributions to see the Church … Read more

If Paul's letters are viewed as E-mail (evangelical, ethical), then another of the E's is ecclesiastical. That's a word that sends shivers down some people's spines. It conjures up visions of the Church as an institution, often protecting its own … Read more

Paul's letters can be regarded as E-mail. If his message is basically evangelical then it is equally true that it is also ethical. That term comes from the Greek ethos, meaning habits or customs, thus referring to a person's character … Read more

Paul's letters are among the most influential ever written even if by today's standards they were certainly snail mail. In another sense, however, they might be regarded as E-mail, for the leading themes of Paul's letters all seem to begin … Read more

A friend of mine shared his credentials outside his church for all to see in the village of Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia (you have to go to British Columbia now to see if he is still doing this). On the sign … Read more

I can't help being in ministry. I tried to get away before my ordination and failed. My principal at Knox College once said to me: "If you can picture yourself in any other profession, answering any other call with your … Read more

Jeremiah is in a personal crisis. It may be his self-esteem or his self-image that is suffering, but he is in a real crisis of identity. He is young, too young to be taken seriously; He isn't into public speaking; … Read more

Someone once told me that to look like you have authority in ministry you need: glasses to look intelligent; grey hair to look wise; and hemorrhoids to look concerned. I guess two out of three isn't all that bad, so … Read more

A few minutes ago I received an e-mail message from one of our sons in which he exulted about finally getting a 50-cc Honda dirt bike dating back to the early 1970's. The background, he went on to say, was … Read more

Our phone rang late the other evening — long after normal people would call. "Hi, this is Ted Anderson. Is Gordon there?" Jeannette gingerly handed me the phone. I am never in a terribly good mood for late evening phone … Read more

Prize above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well. Do not hurt them or scold them, and never part from any of them in anger: after all you simply do not know, but it … Read more

In the last days of war, and the first days of Allied occupation of Germany, Helmut Thielicke preached on the Lord's Prayer to a congregation under siege in Stuttgart. Thielicke shared his congregation's fear of the bombs, their relief that … Read more

Why pray, when God is all-powerful? God can do whatever God pleases. God created the universe, set it in motion. Why pray? How could we ever hope to move the great God's hand? We pray because something in us longs … Read more

"And lead us not into temptation." Perhaps it's better to say, "Don't let us walk into temptation alone." It also suggests, "Don't leave us to be tested beyond our strength." Of course it's hard to imagine God doing either of … Read more

"Give us each day our daily bread." Think of the manna in the wilderness. God provided enough bread for each day's needs. No more, and certainly no less. Pray for enough to meet our need. Trust that God will provide … Read more

What we pray for reveals what really matters to us. These words of Jesus show us what mattered to him, and what we should seek when we approach God. First pray that God's name will be honoured. In ancient times … Read more

If we look at Jesus' words in Luke 11, we can learn the who, the what, and the why of prayer. First the who of prayer. Luke tells us that Jesus began by saying "Father". It's a different form of … Read more

Over the years, people have told me that each Sunday the words of the Lord's Prayer strike them in a different way, as a reminder of something that's wrong in their lives, or challenging them to forgive others, to struggle … Read more

Our shared journey through Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress this past week is quickly coming to an end. As I get ready to close, I want to thank you for listening to "the journey" as seen through the eyes of Bunyan's character, … Read more

Christian takes a journey with Jesus as the primary character in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Long ago I invited God in Christ to take this journey through life with me as my personal friend who sticks closer than a brother, and … Read more

On this journey of life, we find it hard going, especially when we presume that we journey alone. We all need is the company of our friends, our family, and the faithful, all those willing to make the journey with … Read more

Christian's journey in Pilgrim's Progress takes him places he never intended to go – like through the Slough of Despond or through Vanity Fair, or down a number of dead-ends that lead nowhere and slow down the journey or end … Read more

Christian in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is on a journey, a journey of faith in the promises of God – a journey that takes us, along with Christian, from where we are now to where God wants us to be. We … Read more

The old saying is that every journey begins with a single step. We are joining the journey of Christian in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. What better place to start than at the beginning. For Christian this beginning results from an encounter … Read more

Come with me back to the days of John Bunyan, and join the journey recounted in Pilgrim's Progress, and especially the journey of the one called CHRISTIAN. Bunyan wants every one of us to identify with this primary character, Christian. … Read more