Sad news out of Iraq. Five Christian missionaries – Larry Elliot, Jean Elliot, Karen Watson, David McDonnall, and Carrie McDonnall – while scouting sites for a possible water purification plant were gunned down in the northern city of Mosul… Carrie
I’ve received a couple of follow-up emails from friends asking what’s prompted my dump of questions in 3/21’s entry. First off, yes, I am well aware of the self-deconstructive tone of my questions. Many of those questions reflect my personal
What is power in a loving relationship? When John Calvin wrote, that he was – among other things – seeking a way for the church to be kept pure without “the Church,” thus there was great safety in the system
I am finding myself with a growing distaste for everything I have written to date. I want to deconstruct all of it in my good moments and burn all of it and take up furniture making in my bad moments.
One of the tools I have come to find quite helpful when I’m in the process of discerning which path to take, or question to explore, or practice to engage… basically when my way doesn’t seem clear I often spend
How we say what we say, says more about who we are than the words we say. Words point to realities beyond themselves the words. The way we piece together our words is often slightly less conscious, and the tones
I am experiencing a something of disruption in my calm order of existence these days. In addition to facilitating Quest, working on my doctorate, being a life partner & a dad, I have recently stated working part-time theology grader at
“Every soul has a will capable of loving God.” St. Francis de Sales Centering Prayer is a practice of prayerful meditation, which prepares us to receive the gift of God’s presence, often referred to as contemplative prayer. It consists of
I don’t see postmodernity at odds with special revelation. However, postmodernity is very in in the midst of a vigorous conversation with a foundationalist approach to the text. I dare say that a postmodern reading of scripture brings it to
The modern epistemological project assumed that systems could be objective, thus making neutrality possible. A more pomo approach might suggest that no system, construct, ideology, etc can be neutral. Semiotically speaking, all systems are a type of language. The systems
“He who has eyes sees something in everything.” – Roy Lightenberg My typical rate for spiritual direction is $100.00 per hour. That said I provide a sliding scale if the cost is an issue. Peace, dwight
I’m a little sad today. Got together with some good friends, and over the course of the last little while our paths seem to be going in different directions, and it just seems almost inevitable that the friendship we have
I think that of all people of all time I am blessed. God is so good to me. Here I am sitting in my studio, hearing my partner and son singing upstairs, I’m surrounded by great books, and art. Augie
A couple of weeks ago Mark Humphries – Winnipeg artist, spiritual innovator and community curate – emailed me regarding how I might define ‘relationality’ within the rhythm of community gathering. Mark’s email, alone is a testament to his generosity… I
My doctoral work is getting back into gear. Online discussions begin again on Monday – Labor Day – what’s up with that? Our cohort is going to be discussing a little book, “Letters Across the Divide: Two Friends Explore Racism,
Well, I’m back from my brother’s wedding. It was great! I hadn’t met Leanne before and she and her family are a very outgoing fun-loving, crazy-dancing bunch of Newfies… I love them already! I love my brother so much! And
I was having lunch with Andy and Joanna the other day, and we got to talking about our online blogs, Journals, etc., and Joanna commented on what an ugly word “blog” is. Aesthetics have always been important to me. I
Wow, I’m tired. This bi-vocational thing has a way of wearing a person out. I guess we all feel this way from time-to-time, huh? Trying to juggle life as a husband, dad, pastor, community member, employee, doctoral student, let alone
On Friday night Lynette and I had dinner with Jacob & Tania Bailey. It is such joy to connect with friends, to wrestle together, to sharpen one another, etc. Sat. Sam, Jackie & Samuel, followed by party over at Jason
Together with Lynette and Pascal we took a few days over the last week to go camping and to visit my parents in Victoria. I was reflecting on my last ten years of “ministry”. I began by asking myself whether
We “make” disciples when the “disciple” somehow – though relationship – other awakens to the shalomic love of the Divine, seeking away the Way of Jesus the Christ. What the “disciple” encounters is more than just you or me, and
All the senses are vital to relationship. Yet the eye is arguably the most easily deceived; slight of hand, smoke and mirrors create illusions that feel true. Vision can only take a person so far. Its interesting to me that
I find it odd how much I struggle – at times – to know how to bring the complexity of my self to this site and this online platform. I am the pastor of a fellowship of Christ-commons dubbed “quest“,
Though I wouldn’t define myself as “process” or “open” theologian – I also wont say that I’m not a process or open theologian – by faith I believe God and humans can have a real relationship. That God walks with
Michael Polanyi writes, “Since rules of rightness cannot account for failures, and reasons for doing something can only be given within the context of rules of rightness, it follows that there can be no reasons (in this sense) for a
One of my areas of interest has to do with the essence of relationship. What is a relationship? How… When… Who… Unto… Why… etc. So far I have feel like my relational imagination is being expanded by attending to Augustine’s
Ok, I have to admit, I’m new to blogging and I find myself wrestling with the desire to sound smart and cool. I know… I know… Very mature, very “real.” 🙂 In fact as glanced over the few entries I’ve
Jesus preached the gospel but it wasn’t Jesus’ preaching that that made people take note. Jesus preformed the gospel – making the blind to see and the lame to walk but it wasn’t Jesus’ performance of the gospel that made
I am grieving the loss of the patron saint of the neighborhood. Fred Rogers, known to most of us simply as “Mr. Rogers” died of stomach cancer yesterday. Raised in Canada I didn’t grow up watching Mr. Rogers, I grew
