Paying Attention

To my dear TFMC family,,

A few weeks ago I participated in an MCEC Pastors Retreat.  As it is, when pastors get together we drink plenty of coffee and we talk.  A lot.  The largest portion of our time was talking about what it means to be an “everyday mystic....

To Remember...

To my dear TFMC family,

Lately, I’ve found myself conflicted about Remembrance Day.

On one hand, I believe it’s vital that we remember our history — the horrors of war, the inhumanity, the slaughter, the heartbreak, and the pain. Growing up, that’s what I recall Remembrance Day emphasizing: how terrible war is, and why we must never seek it again. ...

Mystery, Miracles, and Memory

To my dear TFMC family,

This past Sunday we celebrated World Communion Sunday.  In my introductory remarks, I briefly spoke about how I saw Communion being special.  I didn’t say exactly how special it was for me.  I have always felt it a privilege to lead communion for congregations.  I think it’s a poignant practice that can highlight and elevate significant moments in congregational life...

The Present Past

I will openly confess that I’m far more comfortable in the New Testament than I am in the Old Testament.  I think for me, it’s because I’m far more comfortable with Jesus than I am with millennia of prophets, kings, judges, poetry and history of the Old Testament.  And that’s, at least, partially why I was rather excited to take on the challenge of the Narrative Lectionary for this year.

God led us through 'that'

To my dear TFMC family,

I was meeting with my Pastor’s Learning Circle yesterday and somehow, I’m not quite sure how, we got on the topic of experiences of God.  Something that was reflected was that a lot of the stories in scripture are stories of people’s experiences of God.  And, one thing that we talked about at length was that the stories that made an impression and the ones that were told and were re-told weren't individual experiences of God, but rather they were the corporate experiences of God...

'Difficult' Passages

What do you do with scripture passages that you don’t like?  Are you like a colleague of mine, who, after reading the book of Judges, was so angry that they threw their bible across the room?  Or are you like Thomas Jefferson, who took a razor blade and glue to his bible and literally cut out the parts of scripture that he didn’t like or agree with?  Or perhaps you’re a little less extreme, and you simply flip past those stories, not giving them any attention...

Seasons

To my dear TFMC family,

As far as seasons go September has almost always felt like a month that marks a clear end to things, and a clear beginning to things.  It’s the month where the lazy days of summer abruptly end, and when the routines and rhythms begin.

"What Can I Do?"

To my dear TFMC family,

This past Sunday we celebrated the recent rainfall.  As I write this, we’re experiencing temperatures that are about ½ of what we experienced on average this summer and we’re expecting more rain. It certainly feels like this week is an answer to prayers...

Blessed are the Undone

To my dear TFMC family,

At the MC Canada Gathering this summer, I was intrigued by a book I saw there, Blessed are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada.  Two things interested me about this book, first, it’s written from and reflects the Canadian landscape of faith, something that’s normally difficult to find.  And second, it was about folks who have stepped away from their faith for one reason or another, and this was something that I thought might be helpful for our summer worship.

Reflections from A National Church Gathering

To my dear TFMC family,

Last week, I was in Kitchener for the Mennonite Church Canada National Gathering.  Before leaving, someone asked me if I enjoyed going to such things.  The short answer is that, yes, I really do enjoy the MC Canada National Gatherings, for both personal, and professional reasons.  The long answer follows...

God does...

To my dear TFMC family,

A habit which I’ve developed over the last number of years is, when speaking of God, to not use pronouns, and to, instead, simply use God.  This has sometimes made for some awkward sentence structures, it has sometimes meant a reworking of a sentence, and when done on the fly, a lot of mental gymnastics. 

Breath of Life

To my dear TFMC family,

It’s easy to become discouraged with the current state of affairs.  It’s easy to become overwhelmed, disengaged, and to perceive that amongst the struggle and strife of everyday life, God must be distant; that God has forsaken God’s people and God’s church.  One may be tempted to cry out, “Where are you, God?!”