Six Ways From Sunday

Robin and Ben share some personal wilderness stories, how God led them through times of uncertainty, doubt and fear, through Robin's journey into ministry at Bashaw United Church, and through Ben's solo flying adventure across Canada.  We talk about what we learned from these "wilderness experiences" and also dive into some other wilderness stories, from Noah's Ark and quarantined cruise ships to Robin's favourite brand of toilet paper!

The wilderness, literal or metaphorical, can feel like a scary place. Temptation, isolation, solitude, struggle and hopelessness is what we often associate with finding ourselves alone in the desert, or cast out of the garden. But maybe the bible's many "wilderness stories" point to something else, something that could offer us a way back to wholeness.

What role does religion/church/faith play in your life, really? What better time to ask that question than right after the story of Jesus being revealed (transfigured) on the mountain, and right before the season of Lent? Let's take a look at the "why" within our religious structures, routines and practices, and explore some confronting questions that could help remind us what Jesus stood for.

If Jesus gave an inspiring 18 minute lecture at a TED conference, it would probably sound a lot like the "sermon on the mount", which he began with, "you are blessed." In this conversation, Robin and I dove into this famous teaching to explore what Jesus' words mean for us today.

After Christmas we often talk about Epiphany, the revealing of Jesus. So, is Epiphany simply about revealing the divinity of Jesus, the Messiah who the Magi had been waiting for, based on ancient prophecies? Or, is Epiphany about the humanity of Jesus, the word made flesh, a man who would first ask "what are you looking for?", and then, offer us the chance to come and see?

The third annual Sugar Plum Family Christmas Ball was a huge success last weekend. The purpose of the event is to create a magical evening of celebration for the entire community, where children and adults of all ages and all income levels can get together and experience the joy and wonder of the holidays. In this episode, Ben Wilson and Melissa Lenz have a conversation with three Grade 10 students and Ben's daughter Elise, to talk about this unique and magical event.

The end is near (of the church calendar), and Advent begins this Sunday. Are you ready for Christmas? Ready to greet the baby Jesus? Ready for Christ to return? So much to prepare for and so much to reflect on this Christmas, like how and where we meet Jesus in every moment of life. I love how Robin put it today: "If you're living the way the adult Jesus teaches, you are always prepared for the arrival of baby Jesus."

Bringing comfort, kindness and peace to the thresholds of life and death, "threshold singing" is a selfless act of love and compassion. Ron and Leah have been part of this global movement for several years and this week they shared with me their beautiful story and their beautiful voices.

We've talked about "end times" before, and at this time of year it's thematically appropriate to revisit the topic right before we dive into the season of Advent, but this week we decided to expand on the conversation and talk not only about the troubling signs of armageddon and apocalypse that are all around us, but also about the way in which we engage each other around things like politics, climate change and other "hot" topics. What might happen if we committed to approaching endings and beginnings, and each other, with love?

This week I was asked to share the story of our Rising Spirit Ministry project with Rev. Stephen Harper from Symons Valley United Church in Calgary, for their new podcast.  You can also listen to this conversation with Stephen on their website as well as other episodes of the Symons Valley podcast at http://symonsvalleyuc.com/podcasts/