Pastor Kerry

Philip Yancey’s beautiful book What’s so Amazing about Grace does a wonderful job exploring the sheer marvel of the grace of God. Though several years since it was first published, his descriptions of grace manifested in the lives of everyday folk remains insightful, encouraging and challenging. The book should be a yearly “must-read.” Many other excellent books continue to point to the majesty of this gift of God to us in Christ Jesus. Yet again and again, I find myself…

I want more noisy Christians. Or perhaps I should say, I want more Christians to become a whole lot more noisy in the exercise of their faith, especially in terms of bringing their prayers to God. It always strikes me so fascinating (I’m sure I’ve said this before) that Jesus emphasizes the importance of demanding, expectant, unceasing and bold prayer. I think of his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, in which laid down the invitation and promise six…

I’ve turned into a grump, a fogey and a curmudgeon.  I’m not certain when I crossed the line from being, if not eager, at least open, to change, and instead became one of those folk who grumble, grimace and bemoan why things had to be changed, seemingly for the sake of change or mere commercialism. How far I’ve transitioned into full curmudgeonliness has yet to be determined, but I’ve certainly made big strides this past week. The cause? Windows 8.…

In one of his meditations in Diary of an Old Soul, George MacDonald begged Christ “to  possess me utterly. Take me and make a little Christ of me.” His poem then speaks of how resistant our human hearts are to this holy re-making and enlivening of our souls, and then he makes this beautiful prayer: But we who would be born again indeed, Must wake our souls unnumbered times a day, And urge ourselves to life with holy greed; Now…

I’m in the midst of puppy training and the success rate seems elusive. The ball of fluff named Buddy arrived about three weeks from across the fence. Part of a litter of five pups born to our neighbour’s little dog, Buddy is a miniature mix, part Shih Tzu, Yorkie and Maltese, and, I am discovering, purebred donkey. Stubbornness comes often in small packages, and Buddy is proving determinedly resistant to the command “Come.” Either that, or his English-to-dog translation skills…

…is another man’s treasure, so the adage suggests, which certainly is realized afresh when one holds a garage sale. We have been doing some badly needed de-cluttering in our house, and through the process, a considerable amount of stuff has been labeled no longer essential for the running of our home. Books, puzzles, games, CDs, furnishings, toys and trinkets, excess dishes, sports equipment and old electronics and even some stuff still unopened in its original packaging – eventually my workshop…

From time to time, I come across thoughtful reflections and writings from friends, colleagues and members of the congregation that deserve to be published and circulated. One such is the following from Ruth Heyd…   My Tree This morning, from my window, I see a lovely fir tree. It is tall, slender, and beautiful in its natural habitat. But then I notice it has suffered some damage on one side. Partway down, the branches have been destroyed, broken, cut away,…

His words broke my heart. The young man had just finished telling me of a deep failing in his life, that had left him humiliated, shattered and ashamed. I had listened carefully to his account of bad decisions and selfish actions and consequences which, though regrettable, were not as tragic as they might have been. Still, for him, they were severe enough to bring him to this place of repentance and confession. As we talked, I urged him to pray…

It seemed like a simple project at the beginning. A couple of years ago, I built a nice little potting bench and set it up behind my workshop. The inspiration had come during a visit to one of the families in the church. My host was showing me around their lovely grounds and in the course of the tour, showed me his potting station. Within the same week, one of my woodworking magazines arrived in the mail with the cover…

I was listening to an intriguing video presentation from Focus on the Family last week in which the presenter made the challenging suggestion that too often the church has been guilty of creating prodigals. The speaker, Rob Parsons, went on to suggest that many of us as Christians will have to answer to God for the judgmental attitudes, ungracious behaviors, rigid perfectionism, demanding expectations and shame-inducing pronouncements that have literally driven all sorts of folk, young and old, out of…

Since that moment when the reality sank into my heart as to what Jesus did for me upon the cross, Good Friday has always been the most precious of days. During the years of my ministry, it is the preparation of the Good Friday service over which I spend the greatest amount of time and attention every year. Without question, it is my favourite service, as we gather in the greatest solemnity, listen to the terrible story of his suffering…

It may sound blunt, bold and brutally lacking in compassion, but when, during a season of pain or difficulty, the cry “Why me, Lord?” is voiced, the response, “why not you?” remains not merely appropriate from a theological sense, but often reflects an old-fashioned spirit of acceptance of the ways and blessings of God. “Why me, God” is, on one hand, an understandably natural response when trouble comes our way. For instance, we may cry out to God wanting to…

One of my favourite pastimes is Sudoku, that logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle that people either love or hate. Originally called Number Place, the game was popularized in 1986 by a Japanese puzzle company under the name Sudoku, meaning single number. It became an international hit in 2005. For those who haven’t scratched their heads over finding the correct sequences by which to fill the 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3…

I had the privilege today to be part of a panel of pastors speaking with the students at Auxano, a discipleship training and service program run out of Camp Imadene. Our role, as a guest panel, was to talk about our understanding of the purpose of the church, and to dialogue with the students about how they understood themselves to be part of the church, both now and as future leaders in the church. The discussion was stimulating and thoughtful,…

This morning’s devotional in Jesus Calling exhorted the reader to avoid the trap of self-pity. As I read the admonition, I suddenly thought of an old story that counsellors sometimes relate as a non-confrontational means of helping clients perceive repetitive, dysfunctional patterns of behaviour in themselves that need to be changed. It is sometimes called “Healing in Five Chapters.” It goes like this: Chapter 1: I got up this morning and went outside. I walked down a certain road and…

It was down one of those confusing but provocative theological rabbit trails that my mind went wandering early this morning as I sat, coffee in hand, Bible on lap. I had been reading Psalm 15 in which David was doing his own holy pondering about “who may dwell in [God’s] sanctuary, and who may live on [the Lord’s] holy hill?” The list of righteous behavior and attitude that David then suggests is more than humbling, and few of us, I…

In my personal devotions, I follow a practice of spending time praying and reflecting upon three Psalms every day for a week, and then three new Psalms the following week, and so on. I find myself falling ever deeper in love and gratitude for these incredible songs and prayers which David and other writers lifted up to the God who was their hope and strength, refuge and rock. This week, Psalm 28 is among my trio of Psalms. It is…

It might seem an odd question if you have never seen an elephant in its natural environment in Africa. One might wonder how you could lose an animal that stands anywhere from nine to thirteen feet tall at the shoulder and weighs up to seven tons. Yet the amazing reality is that an elephant can literally disappear merely by walking about ten feet into the African bush. Between the thickness of the undergrowth and foliage and the natural camouflage coloration…

Twas the eve before Christmas  And all through the church, The pastor was frantic When he stopped with a lurch! “What’s wrong with this picture?” Out loud, he did ask. Why am I so frantic, And so bound up with each task? Though worthy each one, And all have their place, Have I joined the many Caught in the rat race Of buying and doing And getting things done That I’ve completely forgotten To remember the One Whose advent and…

There is a profoundly beautiful verse in the book of Zephaniah, in which God re-affirms his saving presence with his people Israel, and declares that “he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17). The image which the prophet gives is of the Almighty Creator God crooning his love song over his frightened, wayward, difficult people, even as a parent, overwhelmed with compassion and love, might sing a lullaby over a fretful child, trying…