Easter weekend had come and gone. The Super Bowl Sunday for a music pastor. It was an amazing celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and now, it was time to put my feet up and enjoy some much-needed rest. What started as a two-week vacation spiraled into nine months of being off work. Now, you’re probably thinking, that sounds amazing! Well, it didn’t go down like that. My short vacation turned into a one-month sick leave, then a sabbatical and then I ended up using all my stored-up vacation. My doctor diagnosed me with clinical burnout. I was toast. Done. Roasted. Fried. Caput. Whatever you want to call it. It was rough. If you’ve experienced this before, I’m sorry. If you haven’t, I pray you never do. It was the hardest season of my life, not only for me, but my entire family. Although it was a very challenging time, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Wait what? How does that work? “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”  – Billy Graham My life has changed since I’ve made my slow ascent out of the valley, and now, by the grace of God, I can stand on the mountain top to tell the story. It’s not fun going through fire. It’s not an enjoyable experience hitting rock bottom at the base of the valley, but now that I’ve climbed up the mountain, the view is beautiful. Here are a few things that I’ve learned through this last year.   ATTENTION When you hit the bottom of the valley, it’s dark. There’s literally nowhere to turn. You can’t turn to the right, and there is nothing to see on the left. The only place you can look is up. God got my [...]

In my last blog, I had made mention of the ancient Christian practice of celebrating Lent. My main emphasis then was my observation that, whereas the death and resurrection of Jesus takes up a large portion of the New Testament and is the center of our faith, the stories of the birth of our Lord, while important, take up a small part of our New Testament. I then wondered why it was that the North American church continues to make Christmas the biggest celebration of the year. Furthermore, the celebration of Easter, attended with its preparation with the celebration of Lent, has receded further into the background. A great many North American Christians know nothing at all of lent. More and more churches no longer celebrate Palm Sunday. Good Friday is sparsely attended. And Easter Sunday, although it is often still the celebration of the church, comes and goes in one Sunday. This practice of emphasizing the incorrect center of our faith (Christmas celebrations) reflects that we have forgotten the center of the gospel (emphasized in celebrating Easter). One of the reasons that Advent and Christmas have become bigger than Lent and Easter is because Christmas is attended with largess. Easter is attended by sacrifice and self-denial. While we may argue that giving gifts requires some sacrifice on behalf of the giver, it only does so with the expectation that we will all receive presents from someone. The explanation for this is that since God gave His son, we ought also, to both give and receive (or something like that!) Historically, preparing for Easter required not the purchase of chocolates, but deciding to sacrifice something we might have taken for granted. As the season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday, many Christians committed to times of fasting and praying. Others [...]

There are times in life when we are pulled by our desires, expectations, hopes and mostly, by our faith. We have a sense of what God wants us to do and it attracts us.

I have a morning ritual. I take my coffee and toast to the den to begin my day. The den is dark at 5:30 am. Since I read from my devices, I have no need for lights. I do need my coffee, so before dawn I sip and read in shadows. The time is peaceful and quiet, most of the time.

It’s hard to grasp the magnitude of what has occurred. As I write this blog, the death count has risen to 20,000. But because the situation in both countries is still so fluid, one has to believe that there are even more souls that have perished. It is a tragedy. Since it is winter and the temperatures have been cold, there will be, no doubt, people who will die of the elements before they are discovered. The misery of the injured and trapped, the overwhelming anxiety of loved ones and families of the missing and the dead, as well as the psychological trauma that has occurred is difficult to comprehend. If we have a modicum of compassion, we will pray for the living victims in both countries, as well as look for opportunities to give for the relief of these suffering people. The Red Cross is asking for funds for body bags to allow for dignified burials. The Christian organization, Samaritan’s Purse immediately began to deploy a 52-bed emergency field hospital to address immediate needs. Furthermore, since many are now suffering from cold and shock, many Christian organizations are joining many others to provide assistance and care. Now is the time for Christians to act like Christians! I can’t help but take this personally. I live on the West Coast of Canada. Experts are constantly telling us that we are due for a very large earthquake in our future. It is hard not to think of the events far away, and replay what we would go through if such a catastrophe would visit our nation and continent. No doubt, our grief and shock would be equally as great as what we are hearing on the other side of the earth. Hence, when we hear of the grief, we need only [...]

Anxiety, rejection, loneliness. Grief, confusion, aimlessness. Have you ever experienced the uncertainty of feeling lost? To be lost is to be unable to find your way - to feel insecure and disoriented without certainty of recovery.

At the time of writing this blog, there have been 39 mass shootings in the US in 2023. Let that sink in. The year has barely begun and already there have been 39 incidents of shooting where four or more people have been killed or wounded.* The violence has not been reserved to any one place. Shopping malls, community dance halls, youth centers, restaurants, churches, workplaces – there is no place immune to the threat of gun violence. Those who commit the crimes have ceased to fit stereotypes. Two in California were apparently committed by senior citizens. We are witnessing a surge of violence. We experience mass shooting syndrome. The shootings have become so common that there is a predictable pattern of response. The media relays the tragedy and there is a rush of reports. We hear and see the shock of survivors. There will be stories of heroic rescues. Neighbours of the assailants will be interviewed on camera. Questions of “Who? What? and Why?” will be explored - usually with few answers. There will be an outpouring of justified grief. “Thought and prayers” will be directed to those who suffered loss. There will be candlelight vigils. Then voices will be raised for solutions. There will be cries of “Enough!” and promises of action. But if the past pattern continues, all of this will quiet down. Little will change. There will be another shooting and the affliction continues. It continues despite everyone wanting it to stop. It continues regardless of remedial interventions. It continues beneath the awareness of society at large. This is a heartache second only to the loss of life. Mass shootings have become ordinary. I was shocked to find out that by Jan 24th, there had been 39 mass shootings: more than one a day in 2023. [...]

Returning home from shopping, I uttered the words that my son desperately dreaded hearing, “Please try on these clothes to see if they’ll fit.” After several attempts to thwart the option of obedience, he gave in begrudgingly and walked with drooped shoulders to his room. Two minutes later he reappeared looking a little bit like the Michelin man - bigger and bulkier than he’d ever looked before. My head cocked. “Did you put the new clothes on top of the ones you already had on?” “YES!” He replied with such bold, loud glee that it made me question my entire parenting skill set. One arm and fist were held straight in the air above his head. “Honey, you have to take off your old clothes before you put on the new ones!” Dejected, he complied. Slowly.  Can we be like that? When conviction hits, we can droop our shoulders and obey slowly, if at all. Our sin can feel so comfortable and familiar that we grate at its exposure because we know its removal follows. We become experts at layering the godly on top of what’s ungodly. Like Adam and Eve, we convince ourselves that covering our ungodliness is an equally viable solution to replacing it (Gen 3:7). How does this look practically? We bury the bad things by doing more good things. The theologically minded can drown out conviction by learning more theology. The hospitable can lessen conviction by having more people over. In a multitude of shapes and forms, we soothe the conviction of sin by layering on more lukewarm bulk - more serving, more generosity, more fill-in-the-blank. Slowly over time, it becomes easier to forget the unconfessed burdens that lay beneath the good appearances. The bulky layers of covering and burying sin become their own burden to [...]

Steve Biggerstaff, the COO of Back to the Bible Canada, just sent me a note. Back to the Bible Canada will be on the air in Jamaica starting this month. That is the third country to be recently added. In the spring, we went on air in the African nation of Liberia and on air in the UK in October.

The title above is an edited quote from a Spanish poet named Antonio Machado. His poem reminds us that our footsteps create the path we need. We make our way in life by striding into it. Our lives do not come with maps. Since every life is a novice experience; we all step into uncharted territory, and every tomorrow is untouched. Praise God that we are not left blind! We depend on His Word of Truth which shapes the points of our compass. We are led by His Spirit who sees around the curves of our lives. There are wise guides among us who support us from their own experience. Still, our individual path is unmarked, waiting for us to blaze it. It's vain to hunt for paved highways that will lead us to the correct destination. Paved roads lead to a destination someone else has determined for us. What's true of our lives in general applies to our souls specifically. Our soul's progress is a pilgrimage. We make our path by walking, and we walk by faith. There is no other way to navigate our journey of soul. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor.5:7, ESV). We are to pace ourselves to the Spirit’s leading and not trust our natural instincts or desires (Gal.5:16). We crave a path of our own making, or at least an explanation of what will happen when we navigate by God’s directions. While we crave certainty, it’s an appetite which will go unfed. Our longing for obvious signage and direct routes will be disappointed. We proceed one step at a time and one day at a time. There are no short cuts. Most journeys are not straight lines. The route doesn’t always make sense to us. A faith walk may not [...]

Have you ever felt concerned at the hypocrisy in the church? How do we process the failure to live as we ought, with the charge to live as He taught? Matthew 13 gives us some clues in its description of the Kingdom of Heaven. Here, the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a small mustard seed that grows into a tree where ravens perch. It’s also compared to yeast that rises dough to larger proportions than before (Matt 13:31-33). In Scripture, ravens and yeast are often symbols of evil. And when we see mustard plants growing to a disproportionately large size, it means that the mustard is no longer usable – the overgrowth signifies growth gone wrong. These Kingdom of Heaven parables give us repeated glimpses of an overgrown, bloated church where the kingdom of the enemy grows alongside the Kingdom of God. These parables warn us of the dangers that lurk within the believing community. They clarify that we should not necessarily equate growth with godliness. They remind us to pursue holiness and lean into those who can help us discern. They challenge us to never underestimate sin’s power to influence us and become too comfortable in Christian company. They are parables that ask us to examine our lives and ask whose image we are enlarging – our own, or His? Yet the parables are also a tremendous encouragement. In spite of hypocrisy and inadequacy in the church, God is not taken aback. In spite of the danger, God is in control. In spite of the evil, God will build His Kingdom and His Kingdom will prevail. This isn’t a license to be nonchalant with the truth or His church, but rather ignites us to discern and contend with greater zeal and hope (Rom 6:1). While it’s easy to [...]

Allow me to reach into the top of the closet and pull down a Christmas memory. One Christmas, when my children's age fell between the “can't sleep” goosebumps and the teenage morning coma, I assigned them a shopping trip. I stuffed their fists full of cash and pointed them towards the mall. They had one name on their list—mine! So, I made sure the currency was more abundant than normal. I was hoping for something with batteries and Japanese instructions. So on Christmas morn, I tore into the box they put under the tree for me. But…it was a tie, a ghastly and, by my calculations, a rather expensive tie. I squeezed out a smile and masked my sense of disappointment. I don't mind a tie now and then, but this one hung between ugly and hideous. I put it back in the box. After tactful negotiations, we agreed to take this tasteless tie back for a refund. It wasn't to be. The merchant explained he had a firm no return policy (apparently ugly ties had found their way home before!) I was polite and persisted. He was less than polite but more insistent. So, I huffed out of the store with three things: a tie I'd never wear, an attitude I shouldn't have, and a lesson I really needed. Why was I was being Scrooge-like over my children's act of kindness offered in love? Because my expectations were so inflated that no matter what the kids purchased, it would never measure up. My puffed anticipation elevated me to a height where a fall was inevitable. Frankly, some of you fall into the same Christmas trap. We laden Christmas with more demands than a tree has needles. We long for a pristine Christmas where every carol is in tune, every [...]

We are again entering into the Christmas Season. Advent, the celebration of expectation, is an important time in the Christian calendar. It reminds us that the expectation of God’s deliverance is the story of the human race. Genesis 3:15 is often called the first mention of the gospel in the Bible. It promises that God will put enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between his seed and hers. And in the end of the day, the serpent would bruise the heel of the woman’s seed, but the woman’s seed would bruise the head of the serpent. This is the promise; that the serpent will be mortally wounded, but the one who triumphs over the serpent will suffer in the struggle. Genesis 3:15 is the first promise of Christmas. Its placement in our Bible is significant. Since this is the promise that was given immediately after the fall into sin, we are led to believe that since the time of the birth of the human family, human beings have been reminded of the promise of deliverance. This world is not as it should be. Death is not to be welcomed and accepted, rather, death is the great enemy of the human race. We were created, not to die, but to live forever. Furthermore, sin is not essential to the human experience. It is not essentially human to lie, to steal and to kill. Also, the natural disasters that are always a part of living on this planet are not a part of the necessary existence of this planet. Rather, the creation itself is groaning, awaiting liberation from her distress. And that leads us to the celebration of Advent. Advent reminds us that all human beings long for the darkness that makes up our existence to end. This is the [...]

Have you ever felt uncertain when faced with a life challenge? Too big. Too painful. Impossible. Moses may have felt like this. At God's command, he led God's people out of Egyptian slavery only to stare into the looming face of death anyway. Wasn't slavery better than death? The Israelite multitude mocked and panicked beside him. The Egyptian army advanced behind them to slaughter. The sea before them beckoned them come drown. Trapped. God's Word? Fear not. Stand firm. Move forward. In the power of God, Moses placed his stick in the water and told God's people to advance - not after the waters parted, but before. They were asked to advance forward in faith before the waters moved back to deliver.   Fear not. Stand firm. Move forward. This repeating triad echoes in the words of Paul when he insists that the same resolve be made by the fledgling Philippian church. Persecution pressed in from outside persecution from both the Jewish community they left and the Roman empire who ruled. Distress lurked within the church in disunity, jealousy, and gospel distortion. They were in unprecedented territory of suffering, fear and confusion. Trapped. Yet in a rhythmic-style march, Paul repeatedly encourages the Philippian church to stand firm and move forward in the truth of Jesus and His Word - not in the absence of confusion, but in the presence of it. Not in the presence of solutions, but in their absence. How can the fearful unknown be met with such confident resolve? God's Word remains as consistent as He is. Do you find yourself trapped in circumstances that loom too large to be defeated by your own effort, insight, or capability? Do you feel overwhelmed, scared, trapped? Then rejoice! You have been qualified by Jesus to stand in the strength and [...]

Some time ago, I had a conversation with a man regarding the Christian doctrine of universal sinfulness.  He doubted this doctrine because, in his words, he thought that the Christian faith taught that people were as bad as they could be.  He added that he had observed many people who were not Christian, yet were kind, loving, and generous.  “While it is true that people do wicked things”, he said, “it is also true that a great many people live exemplary lives”. A great many Christians have no answer to this observation.  Indeed, we have all observed the same.  Those of us who call Christ our Saviour and Lord work, play, and live alongside of decent and ethical people who are not Christian.  We have even noticed that some of them live moral lives that put some Christians to shame. What accounts for this?  Is the doctrine of universal sinfulness wrong?   Was David correct when he said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5). And was Paul right when he declared; “none is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10)? Christians believe that all people, regardless of race or social standing, are dead in sin.  In John 8:34, Jesus declared that anyone who sins is a slave to sin.  And since all have sinned, it should then follow that all are slaves to sin.  Paul reaffirmed this truth when he said that all are dead in trespasses, following the prince of the power of the air and that we were carrying out the unrighteous desires of the body (Ephesians 2:1-3).  The impression we are left with is that every aspect of our humanity has been twisted by the power of sin. What then do we make of the noble and seemingly [...]

I know.  We all know.  October 31 is Halloween.  At best, it is harmless fun.  At worst, it is about vandalism and the glorification of death.  But Halloween is not important.  At least not in the grand scheme of things. But October 31 is very important.  It is important, not just for the church.  It is important for the world.  And it’s time we told the story of October 31, all over again. Many modern-day Christians don’t know what happened from the time of the completion of the New Testament until today.  How did we go from a church that was overseen by the apostles, until today, where there are three different branches of the Christian faith?  I am speaking of Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the very many versions of Protestant Churches.  October 31 marks the beginning of one of the great breaks in the Christian church.  The monopoly of the Roman Church in the West was broken. It all began on October 31, 1517.  An Augustinian Monk from the small German town of Wittenberg walked through the snow with a piece of paper in his hand, nailing it to the church door.  That act would not have seemed strange.  Church doors in villages served both as bulletin boards as well as newspapers.  All the news would be attached there.  A monk, charged with teaching the Bible to seminary students, posting a note was normal.  But that note, called the 95 theses, changed the world. If you went to church in those days, there really wasn’t a sermon, congregational singing, or any of the things millions of Christians take for granted today.  If you had gone to church in Europe 500 years ago, you would have gone to celebrate the mass.  You would have received the bread in which [...]

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…" James 1:17 To get and to receive. These are the two modes of living that sustain us. Both of these paths provide for us, but there is a marked difference between them; in one I am the subject, in the other the object. In getting, I am the subject. Words like work, earn, achieve, deserve, reward, ambition, all become a natural part of my vocabulary and understanding. These are words tied to my sense of worth. I perceive my life through the effort and energy of my talents, education, merit, struggle and success. Life becomes very much about what I can do and what I believe I have coming to me. So naturally, a sense of possession and protection takes over. This is my house that I must maintain. This is my job that I should excel in. This is my bank account that inflates because of my skills. The personal pronouns and attitude of “getting more” or “hanging on” can combine into a white-knuckle fear. If life is what I can grab by my drive and ambition, then life can be taken from me by forces larger than my grip. Of course, there is another way of sustenance. In receiving, I am the object. Something is done for me or to me. Now, the words that fill my mouth and mind are different. Gifts, donation, kindness, blessing, and most of all, grace. These words are not tied to worth. They speak of obtaining outside of effort, ingenuity, or drive. They can deliver to me as much as the pathway of getting (perhaps more), but they create a different effect. Instead of fear about losing what I can’t get or hold on to, [...]

I have been asking people if they remember Anne van der Bijl. He was a Dutch Christian who just passed away. That was a trick question. And so, I also gave the name whereby he was known in the English-speaking world. Brother Andrew. Most people I spoke to had not heard of him (although a significant minority did). But that got me thinking. I also asked if they had heard the name of some others. And this time, I gave the name of well-known so-called Christians who had created scandals. Almost everyone knew the names of the people I mentioned. Many Christians today are unaware of our great heroes. We seem to not know those that served the gospel faithfully for many years and in our generation. They died, not in disgrace, but having run the race well and leaving behind a legacy to be emulated. In short, we need to celebrate our heroes. Here is one of them. Brother Andrew was a Dutch missionary. He was born in 1928, and came to Christ in the early 1950’s. By his own account, while serving in the Dutch military in Indonesia, he had taken part in a massacre of an Indonesian village. The memory haunted him. But it drove him to Christ. After his conversion, Brother Andrew committed his life to God and to missions. His famous book, “God’s Smuggler”, written with the help of John and Elizabeth Sherrill, recounts how he became involved in smuggling Bibles into the former European east bloc countries, then under the grip of communism. He made his first trip in 1957, entering what was then the nation of Yugoslavia. The Bibles were hidden in his blue Volkswagen Beetle. He recounts how the guards searched the cars ahead of his. He also recounted his prayer. “Lord, [...]

No intro or warm up, I'll get to my point. My soul (and yours) is not so much fixed as it is grown. It is apparent that our souls are in need. Something is broken, missing or deficient. If we are in tune with our interior, we see the need daily. We also understand that the need of our souls is beyond our souls. We are not self-sufficient for our own restoration. We have learned that help is found in God. So, when we look to God for His help, what do we want Him to do? Often, we want Him to fix us.... that is misplaced. I am surrounded by things that break and need to be fixed. So, a trip to the hardware store or an appointment with a mechanic will usually remedy the situation. It will cost me some time and more dollars than I want, but at least the item will be working again. That mindset is fine if we are talking about toasters, but I am not a toaster. Souls are not machines that can be restored with replacement parts. It would be great if I could take my soul to a professional, leave it in the shop for a few hours, and get it back running smoothly and even washed. We know that's foolish, but it's often what we ask God to do. Just fix us! Take out the bad parts, put in good ones and send us on our way with some sort of warranty. Fix our hurts. Repair our mistakes. Restore our dis-order. But we are not so much fixed as we are grown. And that has certain implications. It takes more time to grow than to be fixed. I should remember that when I think that God is nonresponsive to my [...]

This is now my second blog about The Queen. I suppose that her life and death have had a greater impact on me than I was aware. I also suppose I am not the only person to feel this way. Millions from around the world watched. I have been reflecting on the funeral, as well as a conversation I heard in a coffee shop. First, regarding the funeral. Her Majesty scripted her own funeral. It becomes apparent she wanted Christ to be proclaimed. Scriptures were read, concentrating on those that gave hope in Christ. The songs that were sung reflected the gospel. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury very clearly proclaimed Christ, even going so far as to call for his listeners to receive Christ. But also important was the power of symbols, for the symbolism was filled with the Christian worldview. It was taken up in three important symbols, each one on top of The Queen’s coffin. Each reflected the Christian worldview of life and death. The first was her crown. The second was an orb, or a globe with a cross mounted on top of it. This symbolized her role as a defender of the faith, and that the Jesus she worshipped ruled all the earth. The third symbol was a stick. This stick belonged to the Lord Chamberlain, her chief of staff, who organized her affairs according to the authority that she gave him. His authority was not in him, but was derived from her. At one time during the funeral, the crown was removed from the coffin. It was no longer hers. For she wore it only as long as Christ permitted her to do so. Upon death, she was no longer The Queen, but would now take her place among the faithful before a greater [...]

I went through a breakup last week, one I didn’t see coming. My cell phone provider called and said, “We need to talk.” I thought our relationship was fine, so I called back with a twinge of confusion. A prolonged and convoluted conversation revealed that my cell phone use was falling outside of the company’s parameters (something about towers, coverage and too much hassle for them). They admitted that the problem was with them and not me. Nonetheless, they suggested that I move on to another provider. I was stung! They threw in $300 to take the sting away. So, I am dating a new cell phone company and have hopes for a long-term relationship. The episode was a lesson on capitalism. Capitalism works when all parties gain by the arrangement. The buyer and seller profit in the exchange. It breaks down when one of the parties seeks to stretch their gain into an unfair advantage. A consumer might look for a free lunch. A company might engage in price gouging, or ignore safety concerns to enhance profit. There are pitfalls to capitalism. The dissolve of my cell phone arrangement tipped me into one of them. Consumers are allowed to consume, only to the limit of the provider’s tolerance. Car insurance policies, all-you-can-eat buffets, hotels with noise restrictions, and plumbers who don’t want to drive too far - all provide service, but with a boundary. If you get close to it, you may be cut off. So, I am glad God is not a capitalist. Our relationship with Jesus is not built on a reciprocal exchange. Clearly, there is gain on both sides of faith’s accord, but it is not equal. I receive much more than I could ever give! There is no Biblical fine print which warns me of [...]

We have all now been made aware that Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, has died.  Most of us also remember, that two days before her death, the Queen welcomed the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle.  Even though she was in poor and declining health, the Queen performed her duty as the Monarch is expected to do.  Elizabeth II was faithful to her duties until her death.  That is how she will be remembered. It would appear that Queen Elizabeth was a devoted follower of Jesus.  As such, she has been welcomed into the presence of her Lord and Saviour.  Queen Victoria before her once said that she looked forward to laying her crown before the feet of Jesus.  Elizabeth will then join her. In remembrance of the Queen’s faithfulness to her duties until death, I have thought it fitting to consider her legacy for Christians.  Writing in his last letter to Timothy, Paul, then a short period before death, says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul could confidently say that he was faithful to his Lord, up until the time that the Lord called him home. Jesus spoke about the importance of this.  “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when He comes.” (Matthew 24:45-46) That is, when the master comes for us, we are to be found engaged in the business He has assigned to us.  We will not be found to have been negligent in our duties.  Jesus gives a similar message to the church in Smyrna.  “…Be faithful unto death and I [...]

If I were to build a bridge, I wouldn't reach for a kite as my first tool. But Charles Ellet Jr. is a better engineer than me. The time is 1848 and the place is the Niagara gorge. Those who wander north from the famous falls will eventually come to the whirlpool rapids. As the name suggests, this is a section of the river inhospitable to boats or bridges. But as I mentioned, Charles Ellet is a good engineer. He was commissioned to erect a suspension bridge connecting Canada and the US; the first of its kind. He chose this site where the gorge narrowed to 1000 feet across the rapids 200 feet below. Like many things in life, beginning was the hardest part. How do you put the first cables across the gap? Boats - too dangerous. Helicopters - too science fiction (remember, it's 1848). Charlie held a contest to see who could fly a kite across the gorge. Homan Walsh won the $5 prize on the second day. He let the winds blow his kite from the Canadian shore to friends on the American side. The kite trailed a slender thread which they quickly tied to a tree. A larger string was tied to the thread and pulled across. A cord was then transported and became the means to get a rope across. The rope led the way for a steel cable and the cable became a bridge (and we all have just passed our first year of engineering). So, what is the point of the paragraph apart from dull party conversation? Many matters of life have very small beginnings. As a prayer pilgrim, my efforts at consistency, silence, focus and faith often feel feeble. They are threadbare, too little to cross the expanse between Heaven and Earth. [...]

My first meeting with a doctor was at my birth. We did not have a formal introduction and our encounter was brief. Nonetheless, it was a life-giving experience. Throughout my decades, I have returned to various doctors more than once. My repeated returns are not a reflection of poor doctoring, but an indication of my sickness and infirmity. I go back to doctors not because they failed to do their job, but because their job is unfailing. It is the same for the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ is a place of returning. My first encounter with the cross of Jesus was life-giving. By faith in His finished work, I received the full blessedness of grace. But then, there are repeated returns to Calvary throughout my spiritual experience. My returns to the cross do not suggest that the cross is weak, ineffective, or incomplete. I return because my soul is frail and broken. I return out of my need. I return out of my longing. I return because it is the intersection of God’s mercy and my sinful ways. My theology tells me that the work of the cross is finished. My experience tells me that this finished work is applied repeatedly to my need. Because of the cross, I can come boldly and repeatedly before God to find grace to help in my time of need. The path of returning to the cross has a name. It is called repentance. When I repent, I not only turn from the sin which plagues me, but I turn to a place I have come before. I return to the atoning work of Jesus. I return to the only place that can grant me the confidence of forgiveness. Repentance is more than a regret. It must go beyond good intentions. It [...]

This week as I read my Bible, sparks flew off the page. It happens once in a while. This time the ignition point was Jeremiah 16:14-15. You can turn there yourself, but have a fire extinguisher handy. Here's the context. God is about to bring judgement upon Judah - severe, unrelenting, devastating judgement. God will employ the Babylonians to tear down His own city, demolish His temple and march His people as captives into a foreign land. The causes of such extreme measures are scattered throughout Jeremiah's book; but hope is also planted by the prophetic voice. God's judgment is not void of mercy. The Lord promises that He will bring His people back home. There is a dawn to this darkness. That's where the sparks flew. Israel used to boast of how God brought them out of the land of Egypt. The 10 plagues, Red Sea miracle, Sinai covenant - these were emblems of His great redemptive grace. But Jeremiah says Israel will change their boast. Instead of pointing to the exodus as the epitome of grace, they will speak of their return home from Babylon. The proof of His love is this - "God brought us back." In other words, the mercy of restoration speaks louder than the mercy of redemption. So, you can understand the singe marks on my Bible. We focus on our redemption as the unshakeable demonstration of God's love for us. The cross declares His grace and I cling to it. To be rescued and forgiven - this is mercy! Of course, even redeemed people mess up. Forgiven people fail and need even more forgiveness. Followers wander, disciples disappoint, and God's children can rebel. So, when we have stormed out of the house, slammed the door and turned our face from God, is there [...]

Rejoice in suffering. It’s the kind of message that can rouse anger when we sit alone in cold, painful places. Paul wrote Philippians from this place with compassionate boldness. He was repeatedly near death (2 Cor 11:25), endured the confusion of thwarted calling (Acts 16:6), bore betrayal within God’s family (Phil 1:15-18; Phil 1:15-18), and even penned this letter from prison (Phil 1:12). Though his life could easily be described as a constant hot mess, he rejoices…repeatedly (Phil 1:18-21). Why? The gospel advanced through his suffering to witness to unbelieving hearts and encourage believing ones (Phil 1:13-14). What kind of mindset did Paul have to generate such a response? He refused to focus on the circumstances that pressed him down, by focusing on God’s glory rising through them instead (Phil 1:21; Phil 2:5-11). His perspective of suffering changed from being an entrapment, to becoming a trigger of gospel advance. He knew that God’s glory not only rises in times of prosperity and clarity, but within times of confusion that lack solutions. Notice that Paul never prayed once to be released from prison because he knew that he had been ‘put’ there by God (Phil 1:16). Suffering becoming a catalyst for spreading the gospel is God’s pattern throughout Scripture. • When Nehemiah was called to rebuild the wall, his team was repeatedly mocked, falsely accused, and threatened to the point of needing to carry weapons. Yet when the wall was built in a miraculous 52 days – not in the absence of suffering but in the midst of it – this testified to God’s presence and favour having moved among them (Neh 6:16). • The Israelites lost their patriarch Joseph, became enslaved, increasingly brutalized, and given over to genocide. Yet God simultaneously increased their number, strength, and blessing at every turn [...]

I recently read a most interesting article.  It was about a pastor, who was robbed during his sermon on Sunday morning.  A thief had come into the church.  He was well aware that the pastor, a prosperity gospel preacher, wore jewelry and expensive clothing, worth as much as one million dollars.  The thief simply came forward with a gun, and, using the offering plate, demanded the pastor put his ring, necklace and watch into the plate.  With that, the thief was gone. I chuckled to myself as I read the article.  And a thought occurred to me.  One of two things must have been true.  Either this pastor was completely unaware of Matthew 6:19, or he chose to ignore it.  Matthew 6:19 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” In a very real way, on that given Sunday and in that church, Matthew 6:19 was played out before the entire congregation. But as I thought about the matter more fully, a different thought came to mind.  Perhaps applying Matthew 6:19 to this bizarre Sunday morning robbery is far too easy.  After all, not many of us are preachers.  And those of us that are do not have a million dollars worth of jewelry that we could wear.  If all we do with the words of Jesus is to heap scorn on others, we have learned precious little for our own lives. Money is a difficult matter.  Most people that I know do save up money for their retirement.  Wiser people will actually save up money for a car, rather than have to take out a car loan on a depreciating asset.  And so forth.  Almost all of us lay up treasures on earth.  If we [...]

“To such as these belongs the kingdom of God”, Christ said to his disciples one day (Matthew 19). The people had been bringing their children to the Lord for a blessing. When the disciples saw this, they were upset and told the parents they had to stop this nonsense. Bothering such a busy, itinerant teacher was unacceptable. Jesus didn’t see it that way. In fact, He held Kingdom promise not only for the children, but for all who are childlike. Christ’s response has puzzled us to this day. How might children hold key understandings of the kingdom and where have we, as adults, lost our grasp of its true nature? For a child, everything is new. A butterfly dancing on a breeze creates a sense of wonder. Perhaps Christ had been calling his disciples and the parents to be engaged in the lost childhood art of “wonder”. Adults approach life with a familiar sense. We’ve “been there and done that.” But God is always taking us into new growth. The Christian life always has unexplored territory. I’m intrigued. Does Christ call us to pursue a new frame of reference in each season of life? Readying our souls daily for the next new adventure with God allows us to be “fully alive”, with hearts prepared to be amazed in reverence and gratitude. Maintaining a stance of “wonder” at God and His ongoing work, allows us to become more in tune with his Holy Spirit and His overall curious and mysterious plan for our lives. J. Phillip Newell writes that “God has given us at our birth something that is of the essence of his life. It is at the beginning of who we have been created to be and it is at the end or heart of our journey that we [...]

“You have said, ’Seek My Face.’ My heart says to You, ‘Your Face Lord do I seek.’” Ps.27:8 David reveals an intimate conversation with God. God started it with an invitation, “Seek My Face.” The heart of the King heard the whisper of the Lord and it resonated with his deepest longings. David answered with a commitment, “Your Face Lord, I do seek!” It is not presumption to say that God’s grace extends the invitation beyond David. God’s welcome is whispered to every one of us. We are created to be seekers of God. We are explorers of the spiritual life. We live with our feet on the ground but our eyes on heavenly realities. We are pilgrims whose destination is not any particular location, but God Himself, who dwells everywhere. Our quest is only possible because Jesus has created the way. The Spirit guides our steps upon the path of His Word. We are moved less by duty and more by desire. It is a journey we must make on our own, but with the support of a community of faith. This seeking is not easily nor quickly accomplished. To know an infinite God may take infinity. But the challenge doesn’t dampen the longing. The heart knows what it wants and what it’s shaped for. As Jesus taught us, eternal life is to know God. (Jn.17:3) Few among us would debate the preceding paragraphs. We recognize the Biblical truths and sense the “rightness” within our chest. But we would also have to confess a problem. While we are meant to be seekers of God, many live without passion or progress. They live as already arrived. In “The Pursuit of God”, Tozer speaks of those who are snared by a “spurious logic which insists that if we have been found [...]

I was meditating on Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Since Paul makes it clear that no spiritual blessing is lacking in the life of any believer, and since Paul also makes it plain that God is to be unceasingly worshipped because of the treasure he has bestowed on his people, it becomes clear we should know all we can about the spiritual blessings we have received. But what is a spiritual blessing?  And are spiritual blessings really valuable?  It’s important to ask those questions, for I fear that many have concluded that they are not that valuable. It might aid in our understanding if we contrast a spiritual blessing with a material blessing.  Material blessings are well understood.  They include wealth, health, safety, our families, our reputation, as well as our ability to exert legitimate power in the world that allows us to accomplish the goals that are dear to us.  I conclude that if Ephesians had told us that in Christ, we have been blessed with every material blessing, most of us would be greatly encouraged.  We would be motivated to bless God, for we would conclude that we would have all the wealth, health, family etc. that we so desperately want in this world.  Indeed, as I think about my years as a pastor, and the hundreds of people I have prayed with over the years, almost all the prayer requests I have heard have been about the desire for God to give us more material blessings.  We ask for prayer, because the doctor’s diagnostic tools have told us that we might have a malignant tumor.  We ask for prayer because we might lose our jobs [...]

Ever notice the rhythmic unison displayed by a school of fish? There’s no other viable alternative than to swim individually, while together. A biblical design of identity is both individual and corporate. If I want to know you, I must know who you’re with. The beauty of our corporate identity builds across Scripture and culminates in a complete family worshiping in one voice (Rev 5:9-10). In Philippians, Paul emphasizes the high priority of our corporate identity with a feverish repetition that’s almost peculiar (Phil 1: 27; 2:2). Over and over, he insists we have one mind, one Spirit, full accord, are the same. Why? God’s people reflect His harmonious communal nature (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Division conveys a fractured God. It implies that sin’s power to tear us apart exceeds Christ’s power to hold us together. Our unity reflects the very nature of God and signals that He’s moving among us (Phil 1:28). We will suffer (Phil 1:28-30). God’s people have suffered for centuries because we move within a broken world, and we’re continual targets for being His. We’ve been designed to grow together and to endure suffering together, which is a promised inevitability to life in Christ (Phil 2:2). We need one another. What hinders unity? We may be fearful that maintaining unity may compromise truth. Yet, while Paul insists that unity be a higher priority, he does not suggest that it becomes our ultimate priority - God’s holy glory is. If we replace the supremacy of holiness with unity, we’ll allow unbiblical doctrine to loosen the gospel and weaken our identity. Unity is not at the expense of good doctrine but rooted in good doctrine (1:9; 4:9). Books like Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage (Gavin Ortland) offer a thoughtful theological framework [...]

The book of James begins with an invitation.  “Count in all joy”, it says.  “Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds.”  We might wonder why we should encounter trials with joy.  But James is quick to explain.  Through trials, God is producing steadfastness in His children.  It produces a kind of faith that is determined, resolute, and firm.  Furthermore, this kind of faith will help us to endure unto the end. One thing is apparent.  God has promised us that all of us who are in Christ will suffer hardships and that these hardships are designed by God. There is a great difference between those hardships that come to all human beings, and those that come specifically to believers. For Christians, our suffering is seen as a trial sent by a loving and kind God to produce steadfastness in us.  In other words, we know that God deliberately allows this into our lives, indeed, He designs our days of suffering.  A loving and heavenly Father would only ordain this for us because He is preparing you for the best possible eternity.  We should rest secure in knowing that it is His loving hand we are encountering in the midst of our trials. But what is the long-term benefit that comes from our suffering?  Sometimes we don’t see it.  I have heard many Christians say, “What good can possibly come of this?”  But, Paul would say, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17) James 5:7-12 teaches us 4 attitudes that are necessary to be faithful to the end, to help us keep [...]

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus has long fascinated both Christians and non-Christians alike. Indeed, the phrase, “he had a Damascus Road experience” has, to some degree, been maintained even in our secular culture. To be sure, it is sometimes used as a form of sarcasm. When a politician suddenly changes his mind on something, his or her critics chuckle, saying, “looks like she’s had a Damascus Road experience.” Of course, for us who are Christians, Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus is fascinating. The man who persecutes the church is now a follower of Jesus. The man going to Damascus to find Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains met Jesus on that very road. There are so many parts of Saul’s story that will forever remain unique to him. For one, his story is so much more dramatic than most of our stories. For a time, it was quite popular to claim the most dramatic conversion experience. We must, however, not attempt to improve on our own experience of finding Christ. Let the grace of repentance and forgiveness be enough. We don’t do the Christian faith any favours by spicing up our own stories. It really is OK to have a story that says no more than what actually occurred. God is glorified in “garden variety conversions.” That being said, there are some amazing similarities between Saul’s conversion and the conversion of every other person who calls Jesus Lord and Saviour. Let’s consider 3 of those. Similarity #1. Like Saul of Tarsus, we were all enemies of God. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes us as dead in trespasses and sins. We lived in the passions of the flesh. Furthermore, we were the children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. The Bible never sugar coats our status. [...]

I have been musing on Luke 22:31-32.  Jesus is speaking to Simon Peter shortly before he goes to the cross, and shortly before Peter will deny his Saviour three times.  Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” Simon is about to face the greatest trial of his life.  It would seem, that Satan was laying a claim on Simon.  He would have been a prize for the evil one.  The subversion of Judas would have been less of a challenge.  After all, Judas had already been stealing from the offering given to Jesus and his ministry.  Greed had already consumed Judas’ heart.  Jesus would later say that he was the one destined to perdition. But to have captured Simon Peter would have been a coup.  The leader among the disciples!  To have Peter, would mean that Jesus is unable to keep his own.  It would have meant that Jesus’ words in John 18:9 were hollow words.  “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.”  Hence the driving ambition of the evil one.  He wanted Peter I find it fascinating that Jesus did not pray that Simon should not be sifted like wheat.  He didn’t even pray that Satan would not have a “whack” at him.  Instead, Jesus prayed that Simon’s faith would not fail.  And, as we know, in spite of a tragic failure, Simon did not desert his Lord.  And Jesus, as we know, re-instated Simon.  I am convinced that the only reason Simon Peter did not abandon his attachment to Jesus, is because Jesus was praying for him.  This is the sole explanation of his ultimate triumph. So, how about us?  Given that [...]

No one doubts that these are difficult days. COVID-19 continues to rage, although it would seem its effects are less deadly than they originally were. War is raging in Europe. China is presently holding military exercises around Taiwan, even as a group of US lawmakers are visiting the self-ruled island. And that’s not mentioning other crises, such as wars in Ethiopia. And then of course there is the Taliban seizure of power in Afghanistan, as the U.N. warns that millions of Afghan children could starve. And what of Iran’s continual quest for nuclear weapons. Experts suggest that the war in Yemen is poised to get worse, resulting in even more pressure on oil reserves. What can this mean? Additionally, at home, fuel prices are rising, and inflation is soaring. And there continues to be shortages of certain goods. Don’t believe me? Go visit an automobile dealership! Some, of course, see all these as signs of the end times. To that, of course, faithful Bible readers will always respond in the same ways. We simply don’t know if that is true. Christ may come back at any time. But we do not know if this is the hour. But there is biblical counsel for times such as these. Read the wonderful words of Psalm 46:1–3. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah” The words “we will not fear” are imperative. Psalm 46 goes on to remind the reader of the city of God, in which God reigns supreme. And, says the Psalm, “The LORD of hosts is with us.” I write [...]

I was recently listening to a video featuring the late R.C. Sproul.  A listener had written in regarding his grief over his unsaved adult son who had recently died.  The listener wanted to know how to deal with his anger towards God. Sproul responded, “Repent”.  He said, “Repent in dust and ashes.  There has never been anything that has happened to you in your whole life including this great tragedy that could ever justify being angry with God.  Instead, there are ten million reasons why God should be angry with you.  God does not owe us a life without pain and tragedy.” Sproul was right.  None of us who believe in Christ has been treated as our sins deserve.  All the grief, hardship and crushing agony we experience in this life is still less than our sins have merited.  God is righteous in condemning us.  But instead of condemnation, he sent his only Son to be our sin substitute.  It is not anger with God that should dominate us.  We should, instead, be overwhelmed with holy fear and with thankfulness. Yet all of this does not yet answer the question of anger.  Some have suggested that some of the plaintiff Psalms open the door for our anger with God.  Psalm 13 begins with, “How long, O LORD?”  Verse 3 then adds, “Consider and answer me, O LORD my God”.  The issue in that Davidic Psalm is that the enemy is boasting that he has prevailed over David.  God has not been answering.  Other Psalms are very similar.  Psalm 22 was quoted by Jesus as he hung on the cross.  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Are these examples of anger?  Or are they examples of a plaintiff heart, pleading that God might remember him in the hour [...]

The book of Isaiah contains a number of declarations against the folly of idolatry.  The passages I am thinking of contain a condemnation of the Jewish people – and their love affair with foreign gods.  And so – God confronts his chosen people.  Isaiah 41:21–23 says, 21 Set forth your case, says the Lord; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. 22 Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. 23 Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods… And then – from Isaiah 46:9–10 – 9…for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’… I know there are people who say, “wait a minute haven’t others made accurate prophecies about the future?  Yes, others have.  But who has made prophecies about the future that have proved to be correct 100% of the time?  And by the way, have you ever read Nostradamus?  If there ever was a fraud, he’s it.  He said very little outside of vague generalities that could be interpreted in thousands of different ways.  Anyone can make anything out of them.  Indeed, truth be told, that is exactly what has occurred in his case. Set forth your case, says the Lord.   Let the gods and goddesses, the diviners and magicians and prophets of this world declare their power by telling us what is going to happen.  We will find they are impotent. [...]

I remember well the week of my graduation from Seminary.  I was in the bookstore, overhearing a conversation from two of my classmates.  One of them said something like this: “When I first arrived here, I had a great deal of certainty.  But during the course of my studies, and the introduction to critical studies, I have come to doubt the historicity of the gospel narratives.  All I have been left with are two things.  I believe the Lord’s Supper is an authentic historical tradition.  I also am left with an intact pneumatology”. If you are unsure what he meant, let me explain.  My fellow student was sure, that in spite of the fact that he doubted most of the Bible, the Holy Spirit would still direct him. Unfortunately, he is not the only seminary student to graduate with a collapse of confidence in Biblical certainty.  A great many seminaries teach students to doubt the authorship of key New and Old Testament books.  “After all”, they are told, “does it really matter who wrote the books?”  With that, they also told that many books were written a great time later than was originally thought. And so, the Bible is no longer seen as the declaration of the Apostles and Prophets.  Rather, it is the result of committee work!  Endless editing and re-editing have given us our current texts.  Hence the conversation of my two classmates.  He could only attest to one true pericope in the gospels.  The Bible had been dismantled in his thinking, but he was left with a belief that the Holy Spirit would not abandon him.  Even without a Bible, some truth would remain.  But it was no longer objective truth.  It was subjective and inner.  The sad truth is, this man probably ended up in pastoral ministry [...]

I ended my last blog by saying that nothing happens by accident.  God is not only sovereign, but he is meticulously sovereign.  By that I meant that he not only controls the large, macro events, but that he is meticulously in charge of all things. This view of things is difficult for many people to accept.  For one, they wonder that if this is true, would that not make God the author of evil? And yet, the Bible continually emphasizes that God not only rules when things are good, but he also rules when it seems that evil has its way.  Consider but three scriptures on this matter.  Amos 3:6 says, “Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid?  Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?”  Isaiah 45:7 “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.” And Lamentations 3:37-38 says, “Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?  Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” A great many people are deeply troubled by these verses.  Reading them alongside of the current tragedy in Ukraine, at least in their view, makes God the author of atrocity.  But is the belief in the meticulous sovereignty of God troublesome?  I think not. First, let’s acknowledge that God controls the evil that is done.  In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers that they intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.  In Exodus 4:21, we are told that God hardened Pharoah’s heart, so that he would not let Israel go.  In Exodus 9:16, we are told that God raised up Pharoah, to show his power [...]

All Christians say they believe in God’s sovereignty.  “Don’t worry”, we say.  “God is in control”.  It’s another way of saying that God is sovereign.  It is also another way of saying that our God is King over all.  He rules.  He reigns. The difficulty comes in when Christians contemplate suffering or when they contemplate evil.  In what sense is God sovereign over this?  To say that He is not, but only permits it, seems comforting.  After all, God is not the author of evil.  1 John 1:5 categorically states: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Therefore, when evil happens, it cannot be from God. Furthermore, for many, this same principle extends to our own suffering.  When suffering occurs, that also can’t be from God, for God is love and has compassion on His children. And this has led to a view of God’s sovereignty that assumes that God is only partially sovereign when evil and suffering occur.  From this perspective, God permits suffering and evil because of the free will of man, and because of the nature of living in a fallen world.  God does not stop Putin from invading Ukraine and bombing its cities into ashes.  Neither does He stop cancer cells, brought about by the fall, from randomly invading the bodies of some.  In this view God is sovereign, in the sense that in the end, He will overcome evil and suffering.  But in the present hour, He has chosen not to act, for His own purposes. What I have just described is the view of many.  In their understanding, this view is the only view that allows for God to not be responsible for evil and suffering.  [...]

I was reading portions of C.S. Lewis’ book, “The Abolition of Man”, and thinking about the war in Ukraine. I, along with almost everyone else in the West, have been astonished by what I have been seeing. I don’t mean that I am astonished that the Russian military is wantonly destroying cities and killing civilians. Anyone who has paid even the slightest bit of attention will know that this is how the Russian Military pacified Syria and Chechnya. Furthermore, what we have been seeing in Russia seems to bring to mind the images of the Stalinist USSR, when the value of human life was made subservient to the values of the Statist Control. No one who has paid attention is surprised to see such wanton disregard for human life. What has surprised many of us is the courage of Ukrainian people. Furthermore, I am overwhelmed at the many men who have taken their wives and children to safety, only to return and fight and die for their country. Rather than fleeing with their family, they have chosen to sacrifice all for their homeland. As I reflect on this, I reflect on C.S. Lewis’ thesis in “The Abolition of Man”. Listen to what he says about virtue.“It is still true that no justification of virtue will enable a man to be virtuous.” He means to say that mere arguments or philosophies of what it means to be righteous will never sustain that character in anyone. Putting that into Ukrainian context, the people of Ukraine are not the courageous people they are merely because they believe in their land and culture. There must be something more. Lewis goes on.“Without the aid of trained emotions the intellect is powerless against the animal organism.” Lewis says he would rather play cards against a man [...]