Jack Miles' book, God: A Biography, bases deductions about God's nature and motives on God's words and actions as recorded in the Hebrew Bible, the section we call the Old Testament. To my knowledge this has never been done or … (read more)

Yesterday, we began talking about our image of God. We're all used to thinking of God as "Our Father, who art in heaven". We may not be quite so familiar with the images of God being like a mother, as … (read more)

I love the way Jack Miles' Pulitzer prize winning book God: A Biography addresses the nature of God and the many ways people perceive the divine. Penelope Mesic, writing a review in the Chicago Tribune, captures the essence of the … (read more)

On April 1 of this year I was scheduled for an operation in the North Bay General Hospital about sixty miles from here. I don't like operations. I was somewhat worried and upset. It was not a major operation but … (read more)

Their goals were to live simply, truly, and lovingly. Noble goals. What started well, ended tragically. Thirty nine dead. The questions: How? Why? Where did they go wrong? Noble goals aren't enough. According to St. Paul, what is needed is … (read more)

Past-Moderator, Linda Bell, explains the place of prayer in her life when she writes: For me, prayer is like having an ongoing conversation with a dear and precious friend — with one who is shocked by nothing, forgives everything, never … (read more)

Rev. Lorna Raper-Hillian is a beloved minister of St. Andrew's elder Mary Watt when Mary is visiting 'out west'. Lorna writes: I find when I am worried or upset about an issue, I simply give it over to God. I … (read more)

I was reading an article someone sent me from Florida in response to a sermon of mine on the Internet. It was called: "One Woman's Prayer Life", and briefly this is what it said: We all have our own ideas … (read more)

Our family once spent a night watching Lorenzo's Oil, about a boy with a disease of the nervous system. The parents of the boy refused the advice of every doctor, they refused to give in, they persisted in seeking out … (read more)

Dorothy Roberts, spouse of former Moderator Earle Roberts, talked about her experience of prayer while recovering from an accident. She awoke with the feeling she should pray but was too weak to make the effort. A small voice seemed to … (read more)

Let's be blunt and honest to God before we begin talking about prayer. We have real trouble in this present age with prayer. I'm not certain if the problem stems from our belief or lack of belief in prayer or … (read more)

How often have we begged God for a "sign" so that we would know God's will? When we pray, how do we recognize God's direction over the beguiling call of our desires and perceived needs? Wouldn't it be so nice … (read more)

One of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard were the Waywayseecappo Sacred Drummers in Manitoba. When I first invited the drum into the church for a sacred wedding song, the drummers thought I had lost my senses — drums … (read more)

The importance of music means that if the church wants to reach out to new communities, new people, new generations, it must use (get ready now…) new music. When I was a child, most Protestant churches sang hymns such as … (read more)

You are not familiar with one of the most divisive moments in St. Andrew's history, but it had to do with sound. To be more precise, it had to do with the organ controversy that wreaked havoc and division in … (read more)

With the possible exception of the communion elements, we do not think of being able to "touch" God in most of our Protestant services. But we do sometimes touch each other, though rarely, as when the biblical "kiss of peace" … (read more)

"To live is to taste and touch, to smell and see and listen to, the good things of the earth and rejoice in them." Frederick Beuchner Go back with me to the days of Thomas Moore. He lived in trying … (read more)

There is a famous tale about the visitor who went to the great cathedral at Chartres while it was being built. Spying some men cutting stone, he asked them, "What are you doing?" They replied, "Cutting stone. Can't you see?" … (read more)

There is so much more that we could do to use sight to enhance our praise and proclamation. Some churches are now experimenting with dance and movement as part of the service. We have had dance used here to express … (read more)

"To live is to taste and touch, to smell and see and listen to, the good things of the earth and rejoice in them. … It is to search for God if you are religiously inclined and, if you are … (read more)

"To live is to taste and touch, to smell and see and listen to, the good things of the earth and rejoice in them." Fred Beuchner My mother baked bread on rare occasions during her years of illness, but I … (read more)

"To live is to taste and touch, to smell and see and listen to, the good things of the earth and rejoice in them." Fred Beuchner Protestant denominations in the Calvinist tradition are sometimes so word-oriented that we forget about … (read more)

I have had people come into the church at night and ask me if I don't find it spooky here when there is no sound but the creak of a board or the twang of a heating pipe, or that … (read more)

There are times in Kedge (Nova Scotia's National Park on the mainland) during our annual wilderness journey that I simply go off by myself to see a sunset and the only sound is that of a loon or the ripple … (read more)

Silence can be the balm of Gilead that cures the aching soul. Ask Donald Nicholl who finally decided to take some time for himself, and this was his experience: "It happened some years ago when I had the good fortune … (read more)

Time and again the Bible invites us into the silence that surrounds us, and we are unwilling. Time and again the Bible invites us to listen, even when we do not know what we are listening to or for, and … (read more)

Dear brother and friend Andis: Greetings from Canada! Cold as it is outside I hear even colder reports from your country and what is happening there at this time, especially in the south. Many here in Canada are praying for … (read more)

We need to take time to get in shape. It is a daily routine. I've seen people do binge exercising, going all out for a day or two or a little longer but then quitting. Anything takes time and patience … (read more)

I travelled right across Belfast today to visit a sick baby. The old images of Belfast were back again. Burned out cars and trucks at the roadside. The remains of the makeshift barricades used the night before, now pushed aside … (read more)

We have instant custard, instant coffee, and instant tea! We live in a world where more and more companies market products to meet our demands for an instant response. Think of all those snack meals where all you do is … (read more)