Recent web posts

Covid pushes local ministry

as the Covid experience has acted to literally atomize us into smaller and smaller units of contact with people, it has drawn us unwittingly back to our local neighbourhoods and places of residence. Has this moved us to rethink our missional calling and reinvent a more parish model of localized contact with those we bump up with in our own geographical context? –Doug Ward in “Rethinking local church ministry during Covid”

“Because I Languish for Love”

many of Steve Bell’s songs couch hard-hitting lyrics in light or even comic styles. Here [in his new song “Quia Amore Langueo”] the hero is suffering and dying accompanied by music that seems like a nursery tune set to a soft-jazz shuffle. Perhaps Bell knows that strong medicine needs to be administered gently and with at least a little sugar. –John G. Stackhouse, Jr., in “A walk through the latest album by Steve Bell”

Ministry report from Thailand

this beautiful story – starting with Nikki – has spread from country to country. Others can see the children who live at Agape Home [a ministry in Thailand founded by Newfoundland-born Avis Rideout] living and doing things with others who do not have this condition. “We love and care for children with HIV/AIDS at Agape Home,” says Avis. “Lives have been touched by the power of love that people feel and see here.” –Donna Squires in “Seeing love in action at Thai orphanage”

Early career lessons in pastoring

i showed the pastor a copy of my message. It was 14 pages long, single-spaced, handwritten in red ink. Panic filled his soul. I’m sure he quickly did the math – 14 pages at five minutes per page equals 70 minutes. It was about to be a long night. –Jim Molloy in “The secret ingredient for making pastors”