An early Sunday morning that changed the course of human history; that is what we celebrate at Easter. There's no weekend more significant in the life of the church, so we invite you to join us for a celebration of the resurrection of Christ and our new life in Him. We'll sing songs of hope, hear stories of faith and transformation, and be challenged to consider how this one event can change everything for us. We invite you to join us in-person or online at 10:00am as we celebrate Easter togethe...
Apr 17, 2022•21 min•Ep. 406
Good Friday is an opportunity to reflect, contemplate, and embrace the significance of Jesus's death on the cross. It's a chance to appreciate his loving sacrifice through song, scripture and the Lord's Supper. It is an invitation to come and belong, a reminder that Christ is no stranger to suffering and a celebration of gift of new life that flows from His death. We invite you to join us on Good Friday, in person or online at 10:00am to encounter the welcome, comfort, and freedom that is found ...
Apr 15, 2022•19 min•Ep. 405
Maybe the truest thing about two years is simply that it has caused unprecedented amounts of stress. We have been overwhelmed by everything that has happened, and continues to happen, and we have felt unable to cope with the emotional pressure of it all. For many of us, the stress of COVID has triggered anxiety like we've never known before. For others, it has manifested as an apathy, or a sense of disconnection from the things that usually bring us joy. We are exhausted, unmotivated, and empty....
Apr 10, 2022•23 min•Ep. 404
Perhaps the most laughable line in the poem, "In the Time of Pandemic," is the one that imagined COVID as a time when we would experience "the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways." Regardless of where people came down on the questions of masks, lockdowns, vaccines, and mandates, COVID has often brought out the worst in us, rather than the best, whether in online or in person, whether in the public square or around our own dinner tables. Where is God in t...
Apr 03, 2022•27 min•Ep. 403
There probably isn't a better word to describe our collective experience over the last two years than the word "loss." At one time or another, for one person or another, COVID has taken nearly everything: economic security, health, loved ones, friends, community, weddings and funerals, school and graduations, stability and safety, personal freedom, future dreams, among other things. And every single one of these losses comes with its own grief, the unpredictable and emotional heaviness of lettin...
Mar 27, 2022•28 min•Ep. 402
In February, 2021, the BBC refered to the global pandemic as the "first global mass trauma event for several decades. It's arguably the first of its kind since World War Two, and likely the first of such severity in your lifetime." It is more than just a contagious disease. It has become a collective trauma that has worn down our mental resiliancy and deeply affected the way we see ourselves, the way we see the world, and the way we see each other. The evidence is in the surge of mental health c...
Mar 20, 2022•25 min•Ep. 401
One of the things that we've seen over and over again during this study of The Ten Commandments is that what God describes in them is more than just a way to live in the world, but a way of Being in our soul. The commandments don't merely describe things we should or shouldn't do, but attitudes of heart we should cultivate. Since that's true, it makes sense that the last one of these commandments doesn't address something going on in our lives, but something that happens in our heart. Why is it ...
Mar 13, 2022•24 min•Ep. 400
Have you ever been lied about or been the victim of the rumour-mill, where jealous or hate-filled people have spread malicious and salacious gossip about you that just isn't true? The Bible says that a good reputation is more valuable than great wealth, that it is better to be well thought of than it is to be on the Forbes Billionaires list with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. That is why it is so emotionally devastating to have people spreading falsehoods about you. And yet, in jealousy or hatred, ev...
Mar 06, 2022•23 min•Ep. 399
Have you every been the victim of a mugging, theft, or had someone break into your home? On the one hand, they are only "things." Yet, on the other, it is an incredibly violating experience. One that can leave anger, distrust and fear in its wake. That's why the home security industry is expected to grow by almost 20% in the coming five years: because we want to protect what is ours from being stolen by others. Despite that, it is surprising just how comfortable we are with the theft that we our...
Feb 27, 2022•21 min•Ep. 398
One of the dangers of a list like The Ten Commandments is that it feeds our insatiable desire for self-righteousness. Those who have not broken these commandments feel a smug self-satisfaction, and those who have are saddled with crippling judgement and shame. And this is probably nowhere more true than with the commandment: "Do not commit adultery." Statistically speaking, more than a quarter of all marriages have experienced unfaithfulness, and 33% of all pastors have admitted to "crossing the...
Feb 20, 2022•21 min•Ep. 397
How would one commit the perfect murder? It is a question that people have mused about for a long time. It would have to be one where there are no witnesses, no relationship to the victim, no obvious motive, and a plausible, defensible alibi. The crime scene would need to be squeaky clean, and the weapon would need to vanish without a trace. Maybe under those conditions, someone could get away with murder. Or, maybe we've all been getting away with murder. The Bible says "Do not kill," which few...
Feb 13, 2022•22 min•Ep. 396
Joyce Maynard once said, "The portrait of my parents is a complicated one, but lovingly drawn." This statement probably resonates for many of us. Our relationships with our parents are complicated. For some, they are largely filled with joy and gratitude. For others, they contain a lot of sadness and regret. For most, they are comprised of a significant mixture of both. Regardless of how complicated your relationships with your parents, what does it look like to consistently draw your parents wi...
Feb 06, 2022•23 min•Ep. 395
There's been a lot to feel hopeless about over the last couple years. Not only has this been hard on each of us personally, but it's likely affected our relationships. So in a time when we all need hope, what can we learn about the role that hope plays in how we love? How can we become people who embrace and extend a love that always hopes?
Jan 23, 2022•24 min•Ep. 394
It's been famously sung that "love hurts." And while relationships certainly involve the risk of putting yourself out there and potentially experiencing the hurt of love, is there also a love that actually avoids hurting? Or one step further, what would it look like to love in a way that not only avoids hurting but seeks to actively protect? How can we become people who embrace and extend a love that always protects?
Jan 09, 2022•30 min•Ep. 393
In some ways it is very ironic to celebrate a New Year hoping that we can final go back to the way things used to be! So much has changed in the last two years, so much has been lost, so much has been stressful or frustrating, disorienting or depressing. There’s a sense of impatience for things to finally “get back to normal.” But what if God’s deepest desires for us has very little to going back to what was? What if what God wants for us in the New Year is some genuine newness?
Jan 02, 2022•21 min•Ep. 392
Christmas is the one time of year when, for many people, everything finally seems to be the way it is supposed to be. For that short season, lives are filled with the joy of gathering with loved ones, the laughter of giving and receiving gifts, the beauty of the kind of relationships that happen over food. For a time, there is hope that our lives could be what they were supposed to be and that peace could fill our world. It feels like, for once, everything is right side up for a change. But what...
Dec 24, 2021•15 min•Ep. 391
Our goal as a church is for every one of us to take our place at the table, participating in seeing the church change and grow in compassion and Christlikeness. But that takes more than just hard conversation and good intention. Ultimately, it takes the wholehearted investment of our time and resources to make the changes required for us to actually become this kind of community and people. So, where are these conversations headed? What's your part in the conversation? And how can we all not jus...
Dec 19, 2021•26 min•Ep. 390
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was created through a legal settlement between Indigenous communities, the federal government, and churches to inform Canadians about what happened in residential schools. It started a conversation about the relationship between the Indigenous Peoples and the settlers who colonized this land by acts of “cultural genocide,” and it points forward to acts of reconciliation between those communities. How do these truths, and the various calls to acti...
Dec 12, 2021•33 min•Ep. 389
Change is hard, even positive ones. To let go of prior ways of being, even to embrace better ways of being, is still very hard to do. To that end, the shelter community has undergone some challenging changes through the pandemic, changes that have simultaneously illuminated ways that we can learn to love and serve each other better, not just in the shelter, but in every relationship we have. What is it that we are learning in the shelter these days, and what can we learn about loving people like...
Dec 05, 2021•33 min•Ep. 388
One of the most inspiring and Christlike part of our church is the way that hundreds of us are learning to engage in friendships of mutuality and love with our marginalized neighbours, serving each other, and through each other to see a clearer picture of who God, and becoming genuine friends. It is inspiring to see God changing so many individual lives as a result. But what if God has a higher vision for this part of how we follow Jesus? What if God is calling us beyond our individual experienc...
Nov 28, 2021•25 min•Ep. 387
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are gradually rediscovering the right way to answer the inevitable question: "How are you doing?" The right answer, of course, is: "busy." Alongside all the chaos, pain, and grief it unleashed, COVID-19 did also cause many of us to slow down our lives. Having nowhere to go and nothing to do forced many of us to rediscover the simplicity and surprising beauty of an unhurried life, one that could open a space for rest, nurture relationships, and invite us b...
Nov 21, 2021•24 min•Ep. 386
The third commandment is likely a familiar one: "Do not take the Lord's name in vain." Those who grew up in the church were told that it forbids anyone from speaking God's name carelessly or offensively, especially as a swear word. It has inspired the Jewish community to never speak the name of God at all, and led Christians to be offended whenever they hear somebody yell, "Oh my God!!", "Jesus Christ!", or "Good Lord!". But what if that has virtually nothing to do with what the third commandmen...
Nov 14, 2021•22 min•Ep. 385
The idea of worshiping idols (which the second commandment forbids) is a strange one to Western society, and to the way we practice our religions. Aside perhaps from Catholic statues and shrines to the saints (which are not idols and are not worshiped), these are simply not features of Western life. It seems like the easiest commandment to obey because literally none of us have ever erected an idol of, or assembled a shrine to, any god anywhere ever. Great job, everybody! One down, nine to go! B...
Nov 07, 2021•21 min•Ep. 384
What are you most "devoted" to? Most of us are devoted to relationships: with our families and friends, even with our favourite teams and bands. Some of us are devoted to our pursuits: to jobs, education, sports, achievements. Many of us are devoted to goals: to graduation or retirement, to starting a family or emptying the nest, to paying off the house or buying a cottage. These things are the things on which we are laser-focused, pouring out time and money, attention and energy. They motivate ...
Oct 31, 2021•23 min•Ep. 383
So much of our religious energy is spent in trying to clarify what we think about God, but have you ever wondered what God thinks of you? We probably have our suspicions. Maybe we imagine that God is unconditionally accepting, like a kindly grandpa, or that God doesn't think about us much at all. Perhaps we suspect that God is mostly angry with us, or just disappointed with our failures. Or conversely, perhaps we imagine that God is impressed with our religiousness and righteousness, with our co...
Oct 24, 2021•23 min•Ep. 382
"What does God want from us?" That is the question that throughout history has formed the heart of every genuine human quest to connect with the divine. Entire religious systems are formed to answer that question, complete with rules and rituals, traditions and temples. If we answer that question the right way, go to the right places at the right times, and devote ourselves to the right things, we will be living rightly. The Ten Commandments are the Bible's answer to that question, the ten rules...
Oct 17, 2021•21 min•Ep. 381
Think back to the most significant influences in your early life, the people who changed the trajectory of your life. Maybe it was your parents, grandparents, or foster parents who loved you into loving yourself. Perhaps it was an elementary school teacher who showed you the beauty of math, or the power of art, and launched you into your career. Maybe it was a coach who taught you discipline and teamwork, or the scout leader who taught you to believe in yourself. None of us would be who we are w...
Oct 10, 2021•23 min•Ep. 380
In 2009, Simon Sinek delivered the third most watched TED talk of all time. Its premise was simple: the most effective people, movements, and organizations all start by asking the same question: "Why do we do what we do?" It is an interesting question to ask of ourselves: Why did you get up this morning? Why are these your priorities? Why are you pursuing those goals? Why do you spend your time the way you do? The question "why?" explains what we genuinely value; it exposes our sense of purpose....
Oct 03, 2021•26 min•Ep. 379
We’ve spent much of the last year and a half self-isolated, quarantined, working from home, navigating massive challenges and changes mostly on our own. In addition, COVID has broken our community into "sides" and contributed to our sense of being alienated from and by those whose experience has been different than ours. At the end of the day, aside from the loss of loved ones, perhaps the greatest casualty of COVID has been our experience of community, the feeling of togetherness. We've been le...
Sep 26, 2021•24 min•Ep. 378
This has been a challenging season for most of us. COVID has been significantly disruptive in our financial and work lives, friendships and family relationships, mental and emotional health, physical well-being, and faith (among other things). Many of us now face a hard questions about how to rebuild our lives, and all of our loved ones, and the rest of the world, are in the same boat. It can quickly become overwhelming, to say the least. But perhaps that feeling of being overwhelmed is actually...
Sep 19, 2021•26 min•Ep. 377
