Fear of what people think about me. It can be downright restricting. That’s why I’m giving it up this advent season. I know most people don’t give things up for advent (it’s more of a lent thing) but I think Jesus is calling me into the deeper places. Maybe I caught a mountain parasite or…
Erika and I have been in Alberta since Tuesday. Our main purpose for the trip was to attend the Church Planting Congress. One of the most powerful moments came during a time of communion at the end. As the band was wrapping up their song one of my pastor friends from Alberta reached over and…
Amazingly, the Mills clan now have a family physician in our area. We started looking for a Doc shortly after arriving in the area in 2007. We weren’t overly aggressive about searching until last winter. Our 8-year-old is prone to strep infections. After multiple emergency room visits, Erika started praying. During one snowy visit, a…
A couple of weeks ago I announced that I was going to start praying for change. What I didn’t say was that I invited the rest of our staff team to join with me. And since my invitation, we’ve met three times. We spend 1/2 hour talking openly about the transition and 1/2 hour praying…
Happy Birthday to my favorite person in the whole world. No, not me; Erika. Last night we laid in bed reminiscing about when we first met. I think God had something to do with it. We were both raised by parents who spent a lot of time reminding us that we the greatest thing since…
This morning we sang the song “Lay it down” during two of our worship services. The words of that song resonate deeply with the questions I’m currently asking: questions like, “Who am I?”, “Where is God calling me?”, and “What is God asking of me?” Personal recognition and ambition often get in the way of…
I’m ready for change. So, beginning tomorrow, I’m going to pray to that end. I’ve got some attitudes and ambitions that need to die. And I’ve got questions: questions about ideas that are in my head. Sometimes I see things that others might not; not “I-see-dead-people” kind of things but “what-could-the-future-look-like-if…” kind of things. Lately…
I’ve been invited to present a seminar at a missional church conference this weekend in Guelph. It’s being put on by the United Brethren Church in Canada. I spent the first twenty years of my life learning from the leaders and servants in that tribe. Needless to say, I’m feeling a bit sentimental. I’m co-presenting…
Last Sunday morning I preached for 30-40 minutes, casting a vision and laying out a strategy for accomplishing our congregational mission. Tomorrow we begin our fall sermon series. Today, I’m stoked and here’s why: 1. In the past two weeks, it has felt like we’ve left our church moorings and set sail. There is a…
My family spent our labour day in Owen Sound hanging out with longtime friends. While we were waiting to eat, I chatted with someone who was part of the Owen Sound church I pastored. After some informal chit-chat, she made a bold statement. She said, “You were way ahead of your time. You saw things…