Tag: faith

  • Thanksgiving & Giving Thanks

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    Thanksgiving is such a good reminder to stop and reflect on the many blessings in our lives. In difficult seasons (and sadly in good ones too) I can so easily focus on what I don’t have, or what I’d like, rather than seeing the display of God’s abundance all around me.

    So today, I’ve been trying to see everything that I can be thankful for; while making breakfast it looked something like this:

    Gathering ingredients from the fridge...
        Lord thank you for refrigeration!
    Picking a pear from the fruit bowl...
        Lord thank you for fresh fruit!
    Washing the pear...
        Lord thank you for indoor plumbing & clean water!
    Eating breakfast...
        Lord thank you for the ability to taste and enjoy food!
    Child persistently requesting more cheerios...
        Lord thank you for the blessing of children!

    I will admit that this didn’t continue for too long, but it was amazing how many things I found to be thankful for, and the number of sub-blessings within each. May your thanksgiving remind you of the good giver of every gift.

    Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

    Psalm 136:1

  • Trusting God in a Technical Age

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    One of the core instructions throughout the Bible is to wholly trust in God. This instruction gets to the heart of following him; do we believe that God is good and that he can (and will) do what is best – or can we make a better future for ourselves?

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
        and do not lean on your own understanding.
    In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.

    Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
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  • Weeds & Sin

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    I’ve always loved plants, and have been a semi-serious gardener for the past 10-12 years. Though still a beginner in many ways, I am well acquainted with weeds.

    I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, but have been serious about my pursuit of Christ-likeness for the past 20 years or so. Though I still have far to go, I’m well acquainted with sin.

    These two pursuits have made me realize how similar sin and weeds are, and as I garden, I’m tangibly reminded of the battle against both.

    A small section of the garden, before and after weeding

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  • Garden in the City

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    Sitting in our garden on a sunny summer day, I am reminded of what an amazing space it is, nature in the city. The breeze causes dappled sunshine to break through the leafy canopy above me, busy bees flit from flower to flower, and wasps scratch at the cedar posts. I also hear the hum of the nearby road, and the sound of neighbours – music, talking, and washing dishes.

    Getting away from busyness to spend quiet time with Jesus is vital for our faith. Yet we don’t do that apart from the people we’re called to be in the world, sharing Jesus’ love tangibly with those around us.

    Being in the garden gives a blend of both, a quiet place to read, listen, and pray, but also to remember where I am, in the midst of a city with millions of souls created in God’s image. My call is to be a light here, not to everyone, but to everyone God leads me to. The garden reminds me to find that balance between stillness & quiet, and work in the real world.

  • Abiding & Gardening

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    The Bible is full of gardening analogies that spoke to the mainly agrarian culture of the time. My favorite of these is in the Gospel of John, where Jesus calls us to abide (or remain) in him, summing up the secret of the Christian life.

    I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

    John 15:5 ESV

    Although I have known and studied these verses for years, it recently got a fresh meaning for me.

    In our garden there are two grape vines that I am beginning to care for more earnestly. I cut off one of the branches, but left it in place. The next day, all the leaves were completely withered and dead; I was surprised at the speed.

    This immediately made me think of the verse above. When Jesus says apart from him we can do nothing, he doesn’t mean we can limp along on our own, but without him and the life he provides as the “vine”, we wither quickly and completely.

    Compare the before and after of my grape branch below 👇

  • Establish the work

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    We all desire for our work to have value

    Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!

    Psalm 90:17 ESV

    Establish comes from the Latin word meaning “to make firm” – and as I read this prayer, it resonated deeply with me. It feels like so much of the work I do is ephemeral or fleeting. What is important today is forgotten tomorrow, and even the “good” things I have built are mostly digital, simply 0’s and 1’s that could be erased and never seen again.

    I long to have the work I do make a meaningful impact, or at the very least, not be a total waste of time and effort that could have been better spent. The truth that God will establish our work, he will make it solid and of lasting value, is so encouraging, even when it doesn’t feel significant.

    CS Lewis captured an aspect of this idea well in The Great Divorce, when he pictured the good work we do here on earth reflecting the heavenly truth that is so much better. So yes, our work here is just a reflection, but when done well, it reflects heaven to those around us.

    When you painted on earth – at least in your earlier days – it was because you caught glimpses of Heaven in the earthly landscape. The success of your painting was that it enabled others to see the glimpses too. But here you are having the thing itself.

    CS Lewis, The Great Divorce

  • Unshakable Hope

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    He is risen!

    On this Easter weekend, despite all the uncertainty in the world, we are reminded of the hope we have in Jesus that cannot be shaken.

    My son (8) made the drawing above during the Good Friday service at church – his willingness to embrace new styles and mediums encourages me to be more creative.

  • Awareness & Justice

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    As a Christian, I am called to live a just life in the full sense of the word* – both seeking to do things rightly, and to correct injustice when it is in my power.

    However, if I am not aware of an injustice, especially one that I am somehow part of, does that clear me?

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  • Faith + Work Archive

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    Some encouraging letters about faith & work I wrote years ago

    In 2017 I started writing a weekly letter to encourage others in their faith and vocation – especially entrepreneurs, based on what God had taught me in my journey.

    Over a year and a half I wrote 70+ letters, covering failure, planning, control, sleep, and more. All the letters are available here.

    These are a few of my favourites:

  • Boring

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    I discovered John Van Deusen a number of years ago, and keep coming back as he releases new music. His blend of angsty rock and raw but honest lyrics are refreshing and so often relatable.

    Make me weird and make me noisy
    Prone to flipping tables crazy
    Fearsome in the face of evil
    Not afraid of broken people

    John Van Deusen, Boring

  • Beasts

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    A good reminder to question my daily choices.

    There are two beasts inside my chest
    one is cursed the other blessed
    one I love and one I hate
    the one I feed will dominate.

    Anonymous