If you are looking for a helpful expression of the heart of a Jesus-follower, the hymn version of the prayer of St. Francis is very pointed and clear. The focus of this prayer is on loving God first (it is a prayer to Him), then on loving our neighbour. Loving like this goes against our (un)natural instinct to look out for #1, that is, ourselves. Pray through this prayer, and see how it compares with the flow of your own heart and life. Continue reading ‘prayer of st. francis’ »

Christ says, “Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think are innocent as well as the ones you think are wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you myself: my own will shall become yours.” [C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity]

“Your nature is a hard thing to change; it takes time…. I have heard of people who have life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both parties “let go, and let God.” But it was not like that for me. For all that “I was lost, I am found,” it is probably more accurate to say, “I was really lost. I’m a little less so at the moment.” And then a little less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting the computer at regular intervals, reading the small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken years, though, and it is not over yet.”

—Bono, lead singer of U2, [U2 (with Neil McCormick), U2 by U2 (HarperCollins, 2006), p. 7]

Here is an attempt by Brian McLaren to put into words a summary confession about Jesus. Since Jesus is the center of our faith, and the ultimate revelation of God, we need to be clear on Who He is.

We have confidence in Jesus
Who healed the sick, the blind, and the paralyzed.
And even raised the dead.

He cast out evil powers and
Confronted corrupt leaders.
He cleansed the temple.
He favored the poor.
He turned water into wine,
Walked on water, calmed storms. Continue reading ‘the Jesus creed’ »

I found this fascinating story of an evangelist turned atheist, and his end-of-life perspective on Jesus.

In the late 1940s, Charles Templeton was a close friend and preaching associate of Billy Graham. He effectively preached the gospel to large crowds in major arenas. However, intellectual doubts began to nag at him. He questioned the truth of Scripture and other core Christian beliefs. He finally abandoned his faith and made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Billy to do the same. He felt sorry for Billy and commented, “He committed intellectual suicide by closing his mind.” Templeton resigned from the ministry and became a novelist and news commentator. He also wrote a critique of the Christian faith, Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith. Continue reading ‘an atheist misses Jesus’ »

This past week I have been visiting some of the local ministries and service agencies in Ajax. I am reminded that the work of the Lord is so much broader than our narrow perception of it. I was able to connect with some of the staff of the following groups:

• Hope Community Church, a Salvation Army church plant
• Ajax Seniors’ Friendship Club, that meets at the St. Andrews Community Center
• Southside Worship Centre
• All Nations Full Gospel Church
• the youth centre

Its good to know some of the different service and ministries available in our own community. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is going to take me a while. Continue reading ‘connecting with Ajax’ »