The Calgary Herald ran a nice spot on my book Seeking God's Face in today's paper - you can read it here. Although the article's title ("Taking the struggle out of prayer") might lead you to think I've discovered the magic bullet to your and my prayer woes, I have not. Prayer is still work -… Continue reading Good article, cheesy photo
As a newbie to the publishing world, finding important people to say nice things about my new book, Seeking God's Face, is a well-used marketing tactic. The reality as a rookie author is that I'm an unknown to most people beyond my family, friends and church, and so for the book to find appeal beyond that very limited audience, the trustworthy… Continue reading Kind words for a newbie
By the end of this Sunday I'll officially be an unemployed pastor - and by my own choice. About a year ago, I realized that I was somewhere at the mid-point of life and felt this heightened burden to steward well the next chapters of my life. Betty and I felt the strong need to pray and… Continue reading Going without knowing
Hello and welcome to my blog, Squinch. So first thing off, why the name? It is actually a word in the English language (more on that later), but I've named it squinch as a made-up, mashing together of "square" and "inch." One of my spiritual forefathers, Abraham Kuyper, once famously said, "There is not a square… Continue reading Welcome to Squinch
Have you ever thought of the tight connection between God's joy and evangelism? Luke 15:7 outlines it fairly clearly when Luke writes: "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." The context is the hope of lost things found… Continue reading A joy evangelist
And in other very exciting news, I'm having my very first book published. I've had articles published, entries in a book, but this is my first book. It is scheduled to be released at the beginning of October 2010. It is called Seeking God's Face: praying with the bible through the year. It's co-published by Baker Books and Faith… Continue reading And now for my new book
I'm very sorry for being a blog-slacker since mid- August. There has been a lot going on here - start of a new season at church, and also the big decision for me to be stepping down as Sr. Pastor and taking my leave from River Park Church. Betty and I have discerned the need to step away… Continue reading I'm back
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, a great and merry soul, called joy the gigantic secret of the Christian life. Near the end of his classic, beautiful book Orthodoxy, he writes on the veiled joy he finds in Jesus: "The tremendous figure which fills the Gospels towers in this respect, as in every other, above all the thinkers… Continue reading God's great mirth
Just back from holidays on the West Coast of Canada and catching up on some blogging. Today, I'll keep it simple. Here's what I think joy might look like. It's Lily on a rocky beach of the west coast of Vancouver Island, surrounded by sea and sunshine. We walked down a path near our cabin,… Continue reading Joy portrait, v.2
You can't help but be struck by the repeated call to joy and gladness throughout the Psalms. Obviously, the writers of the different Psalms had many good reasons for joy, and for calling other people to joy. It's intriguing, this call for joy, because the Psalms are also filled with numerous laments - which must mean that joy… Continue reading The Psalms on joy
Squinch 