Tuesday 17 July 2018

Basket Case - @ Lakeview Church



Preaching from Exodus 12 on Death and what the Passover means for us today. At Lakeview Church.

"The story of The Passover, is the exodus story for the Israelites. It’s the story of one people being set free from slavery to worship God so they can become fully human, fully free. The Gospel of Jesus Christ - the story of his life, death and resurrection - is the exodus story for everyone. It’s the story of God coming himself and setting us free from the power of sin & death, it is the story of God showing us what it looks like to be fully human, fully free."

Have a listen to the whole sermon on YouTube or iTunes

Getting Perspective On Privilege


As a child I went to Keheewin Elementary School. The school’s name “came from Chief Keheewin of the Cree Indian Band…named after the ‘Eagle’ (‘Kehew’ in Cree).” But while attending there I don’t recall ever meeting any Cree people, or First Nations people of any kind, for that matter. Even though I grew up living on Treaty Six Territory I had no knowledge that such a treaty existed. Nor did I have any meaningful connection with the Plains and Woods Cree, Assiniboine, or other nations who signed that treaty, a treaty that made it possible for immigrant families, like mine, to live a quiet suburban life in Edmonton, AB.

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Forgive Us Our Trespasses: Colten Boushie and the Gerald Stanley Trial


On a hot August day in 2016, a car full of young adults drove onto the property of a Saskatchewan farm. Those in the car say they were looking for help with a flat tire. Those living on the farm say the occupants of the car were trying to steal property and were trespassing on their land. Whatever the case, we know that by the end of this encounter the farm owner, Gerald Stanley, had shot and killed one of those in the car, a young man named Colten Boushie.

Continue Reading "Forgive Us Our Trespasses: Colten Boushie and the Gerald Stanley Trial"

Tuesday 9 January 2018

Barn Find - @ Lakeview Church

On New Years Eve I preached at Lakeview Church in Saskatoon, talking about eyes to see and ears to hear as we read Luke 2:22-38.

"Part of what Jesus shows us is that above all God is gracious and compassionate. God wants us to see the world around us with eyes of grace. That is what Jesus shows us, because that is what God is like, and if that is what God is like then that is what reality is like. The world of the rat race, of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, of getting what you deserve - that’s the illusion. The reality is Grace."

Have a listen to the whole sermon on YouTube or iTunes

Monday 6 November 2017

Gord Downie: Honesty, Hope, and Canadian Identity


When looking for people and events that help define Canadian cultural identity there is a fairly predictable list of exemplars that we tend to reference – Prime Minister John A. Macdonald and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Sir Frederick Banting and the discovery of penicillin, Paul Henderson’s winning goal against the Soviets in the Summit Series of hockey, and, of course, Terry Fox running his Marathon of Hope. One may also want to speak of artists who have helped to shape Canadian consciousness – from Emily Carr to Gordon Lightfoot, from Lucy Maud Montgomery to Pierre Berton. Upon his passing this past month, these lists must surely expand to include the name of Gord Downie, and rightly so.

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Sunday 8 October 2017


This post is part of a series I've begun over at the New Leaf Network looking at Christians who are done with church, but not with their faith, a group otherwise known as the “Dones.” This series is largely focused on distilling and reflecting on the content of a book written by sociologist Josh Packard called Church Refugees. To continue reading click the link at the bottom.
I remember sitting in the car with my friend, a friend who identified strongly with the LGBTQ community, had since high school, and yet still faithfully attended the pentecostal church where we first met. I remember my friend wishing they could invite all their gay and queer friends to come to church and experience it as a loving community, but also expressing fear for the judgement these friends might experience in coming there...

This post is part of a series I've begun over at the New Leaf Network looking at Christians who are done with church, but not with their faith, a group otherwise known as the “Dones.” This series is largely focused on distilling and reflecting on the content of a book written by sociologist Josh Packard called Church Refugees. To continue reading click the link at the bottom.

These days, when you ask a Canadian what religion they would identify themselves with, the majority of people (about 65%) will still tell you that they are part of a Christian tradition, even though these numbers have been in decline for over 40 years. By contrast, the demographic seeing the largest increase during this same period are those who would say they have no religious affiliation, often referred to simply as the “Nones,” a group who now make up roughly 25% of all Canadians. In the midst of this divide between those who identify with a Christian Tradition and the rising number of Nones there is a new category emerging, an increasing number of people who still hold onto Christian belief and practice, but who are no longer a part of any institutional church. These are Christians who are done with church, but not with their faith, otherwise known as the “Dones.”...

Continue Reading "Who Are The Dones?"