The early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles describe what might fairly be described as the golden era of the church.

Paul was an amazing champion for Jesus even though he spent his early life persecuting those who professed faith in the Christ. His conversion is well documented and then his unabashedly faithful witness to Jesus is recorded in no less than fourteen of the books of the New Testament.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the work of God in human freedom does not stop with Jesus but continues in us!

The walk to Emmaus is not a story about seeing the Risen Jesus (Jesus is seen from the moment he approaches the disciples to the end of the story). Rather, it is a story about recognizing the Risen Jesus – and, more specifically, about how we – all of us – come to recognize him in our midst.

One of the devotionals that I read daily comes from Oswald Chambers and is called My Utmost for His Highest. It is one that at times I find thought-provoking and makes me squirm a bit, so I know that it is useful for my growth.

Today marks the passing of forty days since our churches suspended gathering in public for ministry.

Forty days.

That number, forty, reverberates through the story of the People of God like an active fault line in the crust of the earth. Just saying it aloud cracks open the deepest recesses of our collective memory as pilgrims of the Way – a people confronting God’s will for their lives and listening for God’s word in the wilderness. It touches a nerve.

Black-capped chickadees are a great backyard bird. They can be found pretty much anywhere in Ontario and they are instantly recognizable by their iconic winter song: "chickadee-dee-dee-dee"…

I’ve always loved the story of Doubting Thomas. While most of us will have just heard it at yesterday’s service, the short form is this: The Risen Christ appears to the disciples as they are locked away in their room and brings them a message of peace. Sadly, Thomas, for some reason, wasn’t there.

​In Acts 2, Simon Peter preaches to residents of Jerusalem. In addressing the crowd, he offers a passionate explanation of the newly emerging theology of Christ's death and resurrection. In terms familiar to many of today's Christians, Peter speaks of the death of Jesus as having cosmic implications. And in speaking of Christ's resurrection, he situates that event as the culmination of his cultural and religious history.

When Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead, he comes out of the tomb with “his hands and feet wrapped in a cloth.” Jesus says to the people gathered at the tomb, “Unbind him, and let him go” (Jn 11.44).

When Jesus’ friends discover his tomb empty on Easter Day, they look in and see “the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself” (Jn 20.6-7).

Yesterday, my family and I baked bread for the first time in quite a while.

Have you ever encountered someone that you haven’t see in a while and their appearance changed so much, that they were unrecognizable?

Easter is more than a day. It’s a season.

"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb..."

Easter Sunday. Empowered by God’s word addressed to us, may we proclaim with Mary, “I have seen the Lord.”.

The Book of Psalms is a collection of ancient poetic prayers. On Good Friday, it is traditional to pray Psalm 22 in remembrance of Christ's suffering on the cross. On this solemn day, this text is offered as an invitation for study and prayer.

God’s love shown to us in Jesus Christ is a man in his undershirt washing the dirt from our feet.

The saving force of Christian faith is not my ascent to higher elevations of thought and prayer…

I coached basketball for many years at many different schools in the U.S and Canada. I was blessed enough to have mentored some amazing students who were also gifted with the ability to play the game of basketball. Because of these athletes, their teams experienced some very successful seasons along the way. But every coach remembers the losses more than the wins.

Fifteen years ago I graduated from Algonquin College's practical nursing program and became a RPN. My career in nursing was brief but I will always be thankful for the opportunity to be formally trained in the science and art of caring for other people.