Meditate on these Articles.
What’s God got to do with it?
It’s hard to define the things inside my heart. I wonder if I’m the only one who feels what I feel and wants what I want. Am I the same as others in this mass of humanity, or am I alone in my experiences? Maybe you sometimes feel the same way. In high school, I had a vague notion that when I graduated I would take off for a couple days, go somewhere in the wild, set up a tent, and spend three days with myself. My hope was that at the end of the time, with nothing but myself and some food, I would have a better idea of who I am and what I want, and where to head with my life. read more
The gift of creative thinking
They said it couldn’t be done. But on May 11, 1997, a computer beat the world chess champion in what many considered the ultimate challenge of man vs. machine. The match pitted Russian chess legend Garry Kasparov against Deep Blue, an IBM supercomputer. Deep Blue won, 3.5 to 2.5. read more
What the...? If you’re real God
Lately, I've been challenged by some people to re-evaluate why it is that I seem to be constantly ragging on the Church. Some of these well-intentioned people have openly challenged the maturity of my faith and even questioned my "salvation". I can't help but wonder how much of their concern for me is based on dogmatic, indoctrinated attitudes or is it merely just a difference in personality? read more
On the comforts of home and finding my fit...
I was born with a borrowed homesickness for Tennessee bottomland where my daddy grew up. We never stopped piling into a station wagon and winding the long way there from Alabama for weekends of lap-sitting, early biscuits, percolated coffee, and that iron-rich dirt dotted with arrowheads. It was home to my daddy, where he had been a little boy and where he had known his daddy, and it was comforting to me to see him fit so well. read more
Spiritual Blogs
How do you explain this adoption?
While at a conference, I heard the touching story of Samuel, an adopted child. Samuel was born as a ‘congenital amputee,’ meaning his left arm is missing and his right arm is a stump that ends below the elbow in a little mobile “finger”. His left leg is skinny and malformed and half the length of his normal right leg. read more
In the grand scheme of things…
Every time my grandmother calls me, the first words out of her mouth are, “Am I bothering you?” followed quickly by, “Were you busy doing something?” My response is always the same: “No, Grandma, you never bother me!” 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. Last year, I decided that this lack of personal writing needed to stop. I am a writer, for goodness sake! I walked to the closest stationery store, picked out a beautifully bound journal, and made a deal with myself that I would fill it. read more
Getting your affairs in order
Every once in a while, the concept of a film grabs me. That usually happens when I have other things I should be doing and am wasting time watching movie trailers online. read more
How can I believe in God when there’s so much evil?
Even if you don’t believe in any sort of higher power, you probably believe evil exists. During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The experience tore at my heartstrings. I remember walking past piles of shoes that had been removed from bodies of gassed concentration camp prisoners. I saw the smothering sleeping accommodations from the camps. read more
What is your ideal father?
“When is the last time you checked the oil in your car?” This is probably the question my dad asks me the most, apart from “How are you?” and “When are you coming for a visit?” read more
Whiter than Snow
A friend and I were enjoying some food together recently, while grumbling about a late-spring snowstorm that left us wondering if summer would ever arrive. Then a woman only a few steps from our table introduced herself as Mikal and asked if she could join our conversation. “I heard you talking about the snow, and how frustrating it is to see more of it after such a long winter,” Mikal said with a smile. “I understand. But to me, the snow is also a sign of God’s amazing love for us.” read more
A Wild Place
I was reading the paper yesterday and came across this surprising travel advertisement for Newfoundland and Labrador: “Strangely, even with all of the abundance modern life has to offer, there are times when it feels as though something is missing. Something profound. And you find yourself on a journey of some kind, in a wild and weathered place, that leads you to whatever it is you’ve been searching for.” read more
The Easter story II: Proving the gifts of freedom, forgiveness
The facts around Easter – Jesus Christ, the son of God, dying for the sins of all who believe in him, then returning to life three days later – is beyond the sort of simple, quick understanding this world demands. read more
The Easter story I: Giving Yourself Away
Easter makes me smile. It probably makes you smile, too, since it’s the reason we have a long weekend coming up. But I have another reason. Whereas Christmas — as a religious holiday — was long ago bought, packaged and cleverly marketed by the Retail Council of Canada, Easter still carries the whiff of something spiritual that our culture can’t quite remove. read more
Considering the path of hopelessness
When atheist authors Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great) and Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) were all over the news a few years ago, I had a chance to discuss their main points with a Toronto-area rabbi. Dawkins and Hitchens blame religion — or, more specifically, deeply religious people — for the world’s present tumult. They claim religion contributes to everything from child abuse to violence against gay people to Africa’s HIV/AIDS crisis. read more
The good of need
Neediness is not a desirable characteristic in this day and age. “He’s needy” is not a compliment paid in our culture. We pray for the needy. Give to the needy. Poor, poor needy person. read more
Too odd not to be God
Life’s great mysteries! Does Area 51 really have aliens stashed away for experiments? Who built the pyramids? Do ghosts exist in houses where tragic deaths occur? My great grandmother asks - did man really land on the moon? The Bermuda Triangle? The Virgin birth of Jesus? The turning of water into wine at a wedding celebration by the Virgin Mary’s son? Will the Maple Leafs ever win another Stanley Cup? Did they ever really win one? And is there a God who answers prayer? read more
What's the point of Christmas?
It was a media release from a Toronto radio station, issued more than a month before Christmas, that did it. At the time, I was an assistant editor at a newspaper in the Toronto area when this came across my desk: “97.3 EZ Rock is thrilled today to announce they will be playing 100 percent holiday music up to and including Dec. 25,” it said. Grrr.... read more
The Incarnation – Merry Christmas
The story is about a family who had to put their little dog, Finney the Westie, down just before Christmas a few years ago. The decision was agonizing. Finney had a stroke a few months earlier and went downhill over the next number of weeks, to the point where she lost her sight and started messing in the house. read more
Judging a book by its cover
Do we judge a book by its cover? Check out these unbelievably different ways of living in this world and decide for yourself. read more
What if I were Kate Gosselin?
What if I were the one standing in front of the blaze of TV cameras flickering day and night? What if my children lay in bed at night, confused, misunderstanding why daddy left, why mommy’s always crying? What if I were the one who made all of those wrong decisions? read more
Which is a lie: God or this new movie?
Is God just a desperate fib? That’s one of the main plot points in the 2009 movie The Invention of Lying, co-written and starring British actor/comedian Ricky Gervais. The movie creates a world where everyone tells the truth – all the time, no matter what – with funny and often awkward results. Then Gervais’ character stumbles upon telling the first fib. read more
Worship
What’s with this “worship” thing? I used to ask that question when I passed by churches and the sign referred to Sunday “worship services”. Or, if I was at a service and the musicans started playing “worship songs”. I just couldn’t figure it out. Why would the creator and master of time, space and the universe need us to worship Him? Does that mean He has a universe-sized ego that requires stroking? Really?? If that’s the case, why? I mean, it’s not like he has a lot of competition from other gods, right? read more
Is this true?
How often in life have you heard a statement or read some literature and your heart says, "This is true!" Thomas Aquinas said, "Any statement of truth is from God, no matter who utters it." The Bible claims that God's truth is written on all of our hearts whether we are aware of His truth or not. read more
God, the source of good?
A bus campaign launched by British comedy writer Ariane Sherine in partnership with atheism poster-child Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, leapt from the U.K. to Canada earlier this year. read more
Mystery
We live in mystery. It’s not something people, including Christians, talk about much. But it’s as constant as the northern star and worthy of examination. We like to talk about knowing God. And that is possible for Christians, thanks to the Bible and the ministry of Jesus. But the mystery remains, doesn’t it? The book of Ecclesiastes, in the Bible’s Old Testament, puts it this way: “When I determined to load up on wisdom and examine everything taking place on earth, I realized that if you keep your eyes open day and night without even blinking, you'll still never figure out the meaning of what God is doing on this earth. Search as hard as you like, you're not going to make sense of it. No matter how smart you are, you won't get to the bottom of it.” read more
Contemplative Videos
Who is God?
Who is God? And how does God see you? Listen to this story told by Greg Laurie to find out. Watch
Jesus Loves You, This I Know
A powerful story interspersed with a meaningful, Biblically-based message. Watch
Does God Exist?
Do you believe there is an intelligent force in the universe? Is there design and order in the universe? Where did this design and order come from? Let's take a look at the complex human eye. Watch
Best argument for belief in God?
What is the best argument for believing in God? There are a number of different reasons for believing in a god, so which one makes the most sense? Watch