Research studies show that giving can boost both your physical and mental health. Generosity of your time, talents and treasures is really, really good for you! Benefits of giving include: Lower blood pressure Increased self-esteem Lower stress Less depression Longer life Greater happiness and satisfaction MRIs show that giving stimulates …
As this pandemic season trudges on, and we contended with February in Canada (my least favourite month – well I love celebrating Valentine’s Day with Karlene, otherwise February is not a happy month), I am appealing to you, to pay attention to your soul-health. I subscribe to Dallas Willard’s holistic …
Part of being a healthy church is how we deal with people. All people. So, given this MOSAIC’s theme of mental health, we might as well ask the question “What is a God honoring healthy church’s response to folks dealing with mental health illnesses or concerns?” When I speak of …
The Free Methodist Church in Canada (FMCIC) typically meets for General Conference (GC) every three years. This is the only gathering of ministers and lay delegates from all of our approximately 140 churches and so it is a time of connection. We greet old friends and meet new ones. As …
The Biblical definition of “hope” is essentially related to promise and presence, and because His promises are true and His presence “real” (in the Methodist sense) we can live in confident expectation. Hope, therefore, is the sureness that God is with me and I live in His grace, forgiveness, love, …
Let’s start with an old joke. A guy, let’s call him Bob, prayed every night for God to help him win the lottery. Yet, he never did win the lottery. He cried out, made all kinds of promises about what he would do with the money, and tried everything he …
Have you ever heard the expression: “He or she doesn’t have a hope”? When someone feels or thinks that way about themselves or a situation, they are in a slow death mode, because without hope we feel that all our efforts are futile, the situation will never change and there …
In a recent Globe and Mail article, the former Governor General of Canada, David Johnson, writes about how acts of giving can help us overcome the pandemic blues: “Whether time, treasure, or talent, each one of us can experience the uplifting effect of giving. It is the antidote to loneliness, …
I have a confession to make: This year has been hard. I know that sounds obvious, but as a pastor of a small congregation, it has been difficult to lead my church through this pandemic. From the challenges of adapting congregational care, to the creative and technological challenges, to these …
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in …
