Soon you will be able to download Hanover Missionary Church sermons directly to your iPod. That’s right folks. You can have our weekly teachings automatically show up in your itunes account, whether you want to hear them or not. My good friend Luke is working night and day to get this new feature up and…
I’m in Kitchener for a two day denominational gathering. Here’s what’s happening: Hugh Halter, author of the Tangible Kingdom, is our keynote speaker. He is challenging us to think missionally and to dream about what the church might look like if the committed (those who follow Jesus) lived in a way that made a tangible…
Yesterday I participated in Emmanuel Bible College’s graduation ceremony. Since I’m an adjunct instructor I donned my black robe and red, white and gray hood, marched through the gathered crowd with the rest of the faculty, and took my place on the platform overlooking the assembly of friends, family and supporters. As I watched graduates…
Now that my contract as interim lead pastor has been extended, I thought it would be appropriate to share how I’m feeling and how it has affected my family life. The details: on March 1st I moved from being the director of worship and the arts to the role of interim lead pastor. It was…
I’m officially half way through my first week of full-time work since 2004. That’s right. I haven’t had a full-time job since my five-year-old was born. In case you’re wondering, I haven’t changed jobs. I’m still pastoring at Hanover Missionary Church. But since my college responsibilities wrapped up for the summer last week and my…
Since my message on Sunday I’ve been asked this question many times: “What does the Bible say about cremation?” Here’s a short answer to a very hot–no pun intended–topic. The Bible doesn’t say anything about cremation. It always assumes the burial of a body. The early church always buried the dead. They believed that the…
I’ve been thinking a lot about the resurrection these days. It’s partly because it’s the Easter season and partly because I’m preaching on the resurrection this Sunday. As a preparatory exercise I’ve been asking various people what they think ‘resurrection’ means. The responses have been all over the map. Not only is there confusion about…
This week has been a whirlwind of activity. Yesterday, I perused a stack of resumes for a office position we’re hoping to fill in the coming 2 weeks. Today, I spent the whole day–locked in a room full of white boards, coffee, and ministry staff–drafting next year’s intentional plan. It was productive and helpful. It…
I’m only three days into my new ministry role and I’m starting to wonder why church leadership looks a lot more like a wrestling match (where the goal is forcing others into submission) rather than the stuff Jesus talked about (for example, loving God and loving our neighbours)? I don’t think we should stop using…
Right now, part of my calling is to mentor emerging leaders. It seems strange since I always assumed that offering guidance to younger people would come when I was much older, at least after I turned thirty-five. Instead, I’ve been watching a few twenty-somethings hovering around wondering if I might be able to invest a…