Meditate on these Articles.
God brought me down to nothing
Seventy-three years of living are etched into the grooves of Lou Sheppard’s face. Every line, every wrinkle speaks of his journey through life. As a young boy, Lou loved Jesus deeply. He left home at age 14 and moved to Saskatchewan to live with a Christian family and work on a farm. He accepted Christ, taught Sunday school each week, and sang in the choir. read more
A huge cast
Practically everyone had left the theater, but we remained, waiting impatiently for the name of our friend to scroll across the screen as the credits rolled on and on and on…and on. He had worked as a grip on this film and was now a friend of the star, receiving invitations to visit his home. We were impressed! Finally, there it was on the screen, and we clapped and hugged our hero. read more
Now You're Speaking My {Love} Language
Understanding the love languages of your spouse and family can play a huge factor in your relationships with those closest to you. According to Gary Chapman's best-seller, The 5 Love Languages: "Of the countless ways we can show love to one another, five key categories, or five love languages, proved to be universal and comprehensive—everyone has a love language, and we all identify primarily with one of the five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch." read more
What if God meant all that stuff? A Letter to Non-Believers
Shane Claiborne, of The Simple Way, a Christian ministry for the poor, recently addressed those who don’t believe, in Esquire magazine’s ‘A Letter to Non-Believers’. In it he writes: To all my non-believing, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. read more
Hope for a broken heart
I thought I was just overweight and out of shape. And while I was both overweight and out of shape, it really had nothing to do with the fact I couldn't finish climbing up the thousand or so feet of Arthur's Seat, a small mountain which overlooked the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. My husband and I were visiting some friends who were starting a community outreach and we wanted to climb to the top to pray over the city. A few hundred yards in, I couldn't breathe, and my chest started hurting. read more
Are you getting what you want?
Too many people associate Christianity with restrictions, with arbitrary dos and don'ts and with negative commandments. Often the Church has banged away negatively at evils but has left men and women empty, without reminding them that God is tremendously interested in our finding a satisfying way of life here and now. We Christians have talked so much about the negative side of Christian experience that we have forgotten to emphasize the positive, joyous, thrilling and victorious experience of daily fellowship with Christ. read more
Spiritual Blogs
An identity that can’t be stolen
The thought never crossed my mind that someone would want to impersonate me. I never saw myself as an Elvis, a Tina Turner, or a member of ABBA – you know, one of those people who have imitations of them headlining shows on the Vegas strip. That was until last week (minus the Vegas part). read more
The challenge of commitment
What a world we live in. That’s the only thing I could think as I read, in open-mouthed astonishment, a Canadian Press article about a Toronto woman suing Rogers because, she claims, the Internet/cable TV/telephone/mass media conglomerate’s billing practices ruined her marriage. read more
Looking after our needs
Despite being a writer, I’ve never been much of a journal-keeper. My teenage years weren’t spent chronicling the boys I liked or documenting what moody girls said about each other. read more
Resisting the seductive siren calls
Most of us have probably read or heard about lottery winners who blew their entire fortune. But this example is so astonishing, I had to investigate it. read more
All we need is love
Wedding season has arrived, at least for us twenty-somethings with friends getting married left, right, and center. I am about to attend my third wedding this year. For many people, love is the ultimate goal. The ratings of shows like Say Yes to the Dress; Rich Bride, Poor Bride; Four Weddings and countless other nuptial-centered programs speak for themselves. read more
The exhaustion of relying on myself
I’ve been thinking lately about how Facebook is like a daily high school reunion. The panicked feeling of not having achieved enough before facing your schoolmates occurs every time the little icon on the right side of your screen says “Friend Request”. read more
Bigger, better than the World Cup
The South Africa FIFA World Cup 2010 is all the rage these days. Millions of people around the world are watching every match of the beautiful game. It has been suggested that South Africa 2010 will have an accumulative audience of 70 billion, with more than three billion people watching the final match on July 11. The World Cup is really big. But why? read more
What's your "thing"?
After one of my blogs was posted on Soul Chat, I emailed friends to get some feedback (in case they wanted to read the essay). Here are two responses: The first asked me to stop sending her links to Soul Chat because anything related to God is “not my thing.” read more
Beauty in this broken world: Who do we measure ourselves by?
A while ago, I saw a Special K cereal ad in a magazine. It was a picture of an overweight male clothing designer squashed into skintight leopard leggings and a revealing lacey top. The caption said, “IF ONLY DESIGNERS HAD TO LIVE UP TO THE SAME STANDARDS THEY'VE SET FOR US.” The last sentence read, “After all, if the standards you judge yourself by aren't your own, they shouldn't carry any weight.” read more
Beauty in this broken world: Are you beautiful?
I could do a month without makeup. Really. I hate the stuff – well, I hate the time it takes to put it on, and the way it feels on my face. And I could do a month without accessories. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces. It would be a little more challenging, but I could do it. read more
Valentine’s weekend: It really is all about love
It’s all about love! St. Valentine thought so. He believed love is worth risking our souls and very lives for. read more
Valentine’s Day and the gift of acceptance
February 14 is almost here and that leads me to asking all the guys out there a question: how many of you like Valentine’s Day? read more
WWCD!
The Olympics are here! Entertainment, agony, disappointment, inspiration will be shoehorned into a short period of time, night after night, for two solid weeks. What intrigues me the most are the stories of the athletes. How they sacrifice and work so hard to qualify for the games and earn the lifetime title of Olympian fascinates me. read more
Spiritual questions and struggles about Haiti!
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti will live in our hearts and minds forever. I have been amazed at the amount of water cooler talk around this horrible disaster. A constant question has been – what was the involvement of God? Some see a tremendous amount of God involvement while others wonder if He took a vacation. Let me begin with another North American disaster which happened in 2005 before we consider Haiti. read more
The ultimate inconvenient truth
There’s a simple sentence in the Bible that is mysterious, possibly offensive to some, and yet has great hope for all humanity. The sentence comes from St. Paul, one of the people most responsible for helping the early Christian church spread throughout the Mediterranean. read more
The answer?
I went kicking and screaming to the Sex in The City movie last year. My fear was that I’d be the only male in the theatre. My prediction wasn’t that far off. But what was I to do? It was date night and the last three dates involved football, a ski hill and a Will Farrell movie. read more
Channel surfing 1 – The virtue of kindness
I have a confession to make – I have a notepad by my favorite comfy chair when I channel surf. I confess I can be a little geeky at times, cool but geeky. But, for the record I grew up in locker rooms, sidelines and dug outs, so I’d like to think I hid it well. Sometimes it’s amazing what life-nuggets for the soul one can get from the tube. read more
Morality vs. reality
"It's not that the world wants to see a higher level of morality; they want to see a higher level of reality." read more
Contemplative Videos
Bailee Madison - I am Second
Bailee Madison speaks about the choices she makes as an actress, the challenges she's had that make her rely on God, and how she tries to remain humble. Her love for God is evident in her words: "You will have struggles in life, but you will know that God is watching you. And the most important thing is that you have to have hope; you have to have faith; you have to commit. It's a big thing, but it's nice for God. He looks down and says, 'I'm very very happy with what you just did.'" Bailee, the youngest of seven, has a unique combination of sensitivity, strength and emotion that is well beyond her years. She has acted for commercials, made-for-tv movies, and played feature roles in major films. Watch
Woody Allen Interview With Billy Graham (part one)
Woody Allen and Billy Graham discuss favourite Commandments, relationships, marriage, and God. Watch
What Are The Misconceptions About Love?
We go to the streets and ask people what some of the misconceptions are about love. Watch
What is sacrificial love?
We go to the streets and ask people their definition of sacrificial love. Watch
The Christian Faith of Skateboarder Chad Tim Tim
Professional skateboarder (for Element Skateboards) Chad Tim Tim talks about his life. Watch
Woody Allen Interview With Billy Graham (part two)
Woody Allen and Billy Graham discuss drugs, evangelistic meetings, and whether Woody should become a minister. Watch
Kerry Joseph - Former Toronto Argonaut
Robert Melnichuk with Kerry Joseph - Recorded when he was quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts. What about an athletes career as a calling? Kerry Joseph recognizes his calling with the importance of prayer, the bible and his leadership position with God on and off the field. Watch
Will your life be meaningless?
What is the insatiable curiosity inside of you? Do you hunt for truth? Do you have a desperate desire to find something valuable in this life? Watch
Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints QB
With all its major twists and turns, Brees’ story is turning out to be truly faith-inspiring. The injured and slighted quarterback looking for a fresh start. The down-on-its-luck team in search of a leader. The ravaged city in need of inspiration and hope. All culminating with the collective and individual emotional comeback of each. Watch
John Meador - I am Second
What do you do when your whole world goes silent? What do you do when God won't answer your prayer to regain your hearing? Watch
The Christian faith of pro surfer Brian Jennings
Pro surfer Brian Jennings tells how his Christian faith and relationship with Jesus Christ changed his life. Watch
Michelle Aguilar, Season Six Winner of The Biggest Loser
"I think when you're at a place that you're so upset, and you're kind of out of control with a lot of things, it um... it's an easy step to turn to food," says Michelle Aguilar, winner of the TV show called The Biggest Loser. Michelle's world was rocked when she found out her parents were divorcing. To cope with the pain, she turned to food. Watch
Josh Hamilton, major league baseball player
Josh Hamilton, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, descended into a cocaine addiction that nearly destroyed his career. Josh tells his story of decent and redemption so that he can help others who face the same demons. Watch
Jason Castro - American Idol Contestant
Jason Castro was a contestant on the seventh season of American Idol, parlaying his substantial singer-songwriter appeal into a third-place runner-up finish. In this video he speaks of his reliance on Jesus Christ in his daily life. Watch
Can there be meaning without God?
Can there be meaning without God? Is life equivalent to shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic? Watch
Life's Purpose (Comedy)
What is your life's purpose? Watch