I grew up and was educated in Halifax, I have worked most of my adult life in Halifax and I ran in a federal election in Halifax, so I thought I knew all the streets, roads and pathways in this city. But I didn’t and I don’t. Moreover the place I have recently found that gives me such spiritual insight and inspiration is a park I knew as a pre-teen...

I had never heard of the term “non-anxious presence”. The irony was not lost on me that the two men who explained the term, how it worked and its value in leadership were both “drama kings”. Both men were/are visionary leaders who see the big picture of the organizations they have led, both like to go to the “balcony”...

Politics and religion. Do they mix? Should they mix? In 2000 I ran for political office in my home town. In my 27 years as an ordained Minister nothing I have done has been as controversial or upsetting to my church. I was completely blindsided by the reaction. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the party I chose to run for, the reaction was from all sides of the political aisle...

Passivity. It carries with it an immobilizing sense that there is no way out, that everything is beyond your control, that you possess absolutely no agency whatsoever, that others have all of the control and we have none. I have only been in the clutches of passivity once in my life and it was not pretty. I was in university, my undergraduate degree at King’s...

http://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/quizzes/beliefomatic.aspx

Have you ever wondered where you fit in “theologically speaking”? My spouse dislikes these quizzes but I enjoy them though I don’t place a lot of stock in them. What I like about these quizzes is how they make you think about what you believe and how you practice what you believe. 

I believe that God gives life and life in abundance. That gift of life is described in our Bible and in Genesis 2:7 we read, "the LORD God formed (hu)man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life (Ruah), and so (hu)man became a living being." The breath of God is the principle of breath and life for all living beings. God keeps creatures alive by His creative breath (ruah). God breathes and creatures live...

There is a generational divide in our culture and while one can overstate this, make too much of this generalization, not being aware of this divide can make the way we talk about matters of social connection and the common good problematic. I was away at a religious conference this week with persons my age and much older...

A friend of mine recently asked me why I attend and belong to the Canadian Council of Churches. As a practical matter I attend the CCC because I was selected by the United Church of Canada to be one of two official representatives to the CCC. But I chose to apply for this work and I did so for specific reasons, all of which have been fulfilled by the four biannual meetings I have attended thus far...

I love coffee. Attending the Canadian Council of Churches biannual meeting afford very little time to explore the surrounding community. But a quick stroll around the campus revealed the existence of the Cafe Qui Pense. Located next to a local bookstore the café offers a great selection of specialty coffees and baked goods. Like many great local coffee shops there are also fine books and magazines to read...

I’ve been thinking about painful memories today, when we return to a physical place where pain has occurred. Initially most of us with these memories chose, for obvious reasons, to avoid those places. I have witnessed that in churches, where persons who had previously been heavily invested in church-life become involved in a serious conflict. Thereafter these persons will avoid that church...

People often ask me how I jam as much as I do into every day. The short answer is that I plan. Planning allows me to be considerate of others when they drop by the office. If I did not have my work done, or even have work done that is not needed until later, I would be in a pickle when someone drops by unexpectedly. I try my best to do three things in every day; do the tasks that need to be done, the day by day duties that are required, look a week ahead...

Dandelions. Just that word makes the urbanite and suburbanite twitch. For reasons I simply cannot comprehend local home owners loathe the dandelion. Why? I am no granolaite, I don’t drink dandelion tea or wine, I don’t eat dandelion soup or put it in salads. It is purely a visual thing...

In a sermon by The Rev’d Alisdair Smith of Christ Cathedral in Vancouver on this very text we hear about General Romeo Dallaire and his impossible mission in Rwanda. “While he did all he could to save lives, he was forced by inactive governments and the UN to face this genocide with a small band of lightly armed soldiers. He was forced to stand by as 800,000 people were hacked to death....

I love landscapes, urban and rural especially, not so much suburban or towns. In an urban environment the landscape is 100% human creativity or efficiency. The natural part of the landscape in an urban centre has to fight to be present, and these days it is being manufactured as never before by the choices of trees, vegetation and flowers that almost never have anything to do with what grew in that area for centuries. Still...

Rest. It means different things to different people. For many people it means stopping, moving away from what they normally do, getting away from the routine and presumably the stress of what was their usual life experience. I think this explains what to me seems utterly contradictory; going on vacation to a camping site...

I think differently about my shared experience of talking/doing theology in a congregational context than I did when I came out of seminary. I think then my goal was to move folks, there was a point-of-view I had in mind, a place on the theological spectrum where I was, where I was headed, where I wanted to be. Even if I wasn’t there yet I knew that was the gold standard, and therefore my studies, my preaching...

In a sermon written and delivered by The Rev. Alisdair Smith of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver referencing the Gospel text John 14:15-21 Smith digs into the word “Advocate”. “It comes from the Greek Parakletos, meaning ‘one who consoles or comforts, one who encourages or uplifts, refreshes, and/or one who intercedes on our behalf as an advocate... 

“Courage, it couldn't come at a worse time.” The Tragically Hip wrote and sang these words in a song that was later used in a movie The Sweet Hereafter. That movie is a powerful reminder that having and living out courage comes at a cost.

In a nutshell the movie surrounds the outcome of a tragic bus accident...

Tonight I attended a discernment committee for a candidate for ministry. We talked about “a call to Ministry” and how he experienced that vocational affirmation. He and I had one thing in common, our sense of call began with a visit to the pulpit. Whether it is because most United Church clergy are introverts or some other reason the fact remains that most of my colleagues did not come to this “calling” while standing in the pulpit...

I wish all of our mothers a happy Mother’s Day. I also want to wish all of our families a meaningful Christian Family Sunday. Family is a word that is being defined in a more open and fluid way these days. I am not speaking specifically here about marriage, though that obviously is part of that evolution. Here I am making reference to the way we define who is and who is not our kin...