February 26, 2017

What the US Could Learn from the United Church

In the post-election reaction in the US, I hear echoes of 1988 in The United Church of Canada. The years surrounding the famous decision not to allow sexual orientation to be a determining factor in s...

February 21, 2017

Leave or Take – a 3 dimensional question

The bed is covered with clothes, containers, medications and solutions for “what if?” scenarios. At one end sits a suitcase and duffel bag, both small enough to meet the carry-on baggage requirements ...

February 8, 2017

A Leadership Sermon (based on the Beatitudes)

Retirement is not working out - exactly.I think a part of me imagined long, leisurely mornings sitting on the deck, feeling the warmth and a gentle breeze. Reading, writing, wondering would fill the d...

January 25, 2017 / 6 Comments

How Should the Church Respond to this New Era?: A Leadership Blog

How should the Church respond to the culture change personified and possibly foreshadowed by the US election? Although this emerges as fresh and powerful, the question has occupied Christian ethicists...

January 17, 2017

5 Reasons the Church May Make it: A Leadership blog

Last week I published a blog, 5 Reasons the Church May Not Find a Way Ahead. This blog is the counterpoint.First, a couple of preliminary clarifications.When using the word “church” I do not mean the ...

January 9, 2017 / 4 Comments

5 Reasons the Church May Not Find a Way Ahead: A Leadership Blog

Note: Every couple of weeks I will try and write a post specifically about the church or leadership in the church. These posts may not be of interest to those of you primarily interested in inspiratio...

December 23, 2016

The Role of Chaos, Despair and Decline in the Birth of New Life

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes A thin sheen of flour covers the floor. (My wife has been baking non-stop for a week!) Fifty percent of the Christmas presents lie hidden but unwrapped o...

November 4, 2016 / 12 Comments

We Will Not Think the New Church Into Existence

We will not think the new church into existence.Not that I have anything against thinking. In reality, we now need great clarity and disciplined reflection about theological and ethical matters. But t...

October 18, 2016 / 4 Comments

But I Like It!

In a curious way, realizing a 50-year-old dream of owning a Fiat 124 Spider has made me more compassionate toward many church leaders and members.I am grateful that, five decades after the original 12...

July 12, 2016 / 2 Comments

The Staggering Theological Challenge for This Generation

Our eight-year-old granddaughter Zoe worries about ISIS. She wonders where her family might find a safe place.Is it a personal matter? As one of the more intuitive and imaginative of our grandchildren...