suffering

The Best Offence is…

…an outside observer with no actual issue taking issue with something or someone on another’s behalf. There was a time when the best offence was a good defence, but things have changed. Instead of playing defence people have taken to making others go on the defence because they find what they are saying offensive. Yes, there are universally offensive actions, at least there used to be, but what was once black and white has become grey while what was once no big deal has become the thing most offensive to a select group of self-appointed defenders of those they perceive in need of defence.

(more…)

Where Were You When…?

At first glance this could be a question you would ask of someone you were counting on during a difficult period of time. There is nothing worse than facing the things that life throws at us without the support of those who we feel we can count on. The tone of voice assigned to this question immediately exposes the degree of pain one has been forced to endure in what can be best described as isolation.

(more…)

What If?

It’s a strange time in my life. I wrongly assumed that the things I have done and continue to do would have reached more people. Somehow, I came to the conclusion that the things I love to do like writing blogs, plays and music, my book, leading worship and preaching sermons would lead to a wider audience. I’m not saying I expected to be famous or even well known. I’m not going to lie; I dared to dream once in a while that I could be more than I am, be someone who’s name came up when people talked about this thing or that thing  but now my dreams can be best described as backwards. Instead of a vision of what I want my future to be, my dreams revolve more around the past and the question, “What if?”

(more…)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall… 

…who’s that guy looking back at me? I know it doesn’t have the rhyming beauty of the classic but to be honest some days I look in the mirror and think the Evil Queen in Snow White has a leg up on me in the looks department. Each morning, I try to peak through one eye to get some sense of what fresh horror I will see after not getting my beauty sleep for the fourteenth month in a row. Sometimes I can guess because I have already passed the same bathroom mirror in the night more than a few times. Based on this, I hear a voice inside say, “don’t look David, don’t look; this ain’t going to be pretty.” 

(more…)

If God is Good, Why…?

It is the beginning of a question many atheists, agnostics and people from other faiths ask of those of us who claim that following Christ is placing faith in the only true God. The concept of the Trinity is difficult. The virgin birth is not in line with our understanding of procreation. The creation of the universe through the utterances of a being outside of time, hard to comprehend. The death and resurrection of Jesus can appear to be a fairytale made up to win over people to a way of thinking. They can be stumbling blocks for those seeking the truth, but the biggest by far has to be; if God is good, why…?

(more…)

What Would Jesus Say About 9/11?

A special guest blog by Dennis Menard

In His earthly ministry, Jesus did speak to the deeper realities behind tragic, seemingly senseless deaths. In Luke 13:1–5 (NIV), we find Him addressing two catastrophic events: one, an act of mass murder ordered by Pilate; the other, a deadly accident—the collapse of a tower in Siloam. Both would have stirred deep emotions and raised profound questions, much like 9/11 does for us today.

(more…)