Living Stones Church, Red Deer, Alberta

“In his provocatively titled book From Darwin to Hitler, historian Richard Weikart examines the revolutionary impact Darwinism had on the ethics and morality of social thinkers in Nazi Germany. Believing that Darwinism had overturned any sense of the sanctity of human life, an evolutionary ‘fitness’ (especially in terms of intelligence and health) became the highest arbiter of morality for the Nazis.  We...

How can we see through the lies and deception that come our way? We might immediately think of how others come across, but the deeper question we need to ask ourselves is: what are we communicating with others? Are we living an authentic life? There is nothing worse than living a life of self-deception. How does God view our lives?               

As we come to th...

What should be the goal of a godly parent in raising children? It would be that our children would come to know the Lord and wholeheartedly serve him. One reason is that this is in their best interest. But what happens when they rebel and are seduced and deceived by what this world has to offer? How do we respond to this kind of heartache? Here we find Paul acting as a loving father to this church community that he had established....

In addressing the challenges at Corinth, Paul faced ongoing conflict with false teachers. Paul’s final presentation to the Corinthian church, aimed at persuading those who were being influenced and drawn away from a biblical understanding of Jesus and the gospel, addresses the sensationalism of the false teachers' visions and revelations. Even today, people are wowed by people retelling sensational and spiritual experiences. ...

The true measure of a person is not what they have acquired or achieved but what they have had to endure, struggle through, and suffer in their lives to fulfil God’s purposes and assignment for their lives.

John Piper writes in “The Roots of Endurance,” “I have found myself in conversation with Christians for whom it is simply a given that you do not put yourself or your family at risk. The commitment t...

Nearly forty years ago, one of the spiritual leaders in our church family attended a two-day event sponsored by a group that challenged the validity of his faith in Christ. He was told that he was not experiencing the totality of the gospel and that he needed to do certain things for it to occur in his life. The approach was fear-driven and moved him away from the ‘freedom that there is in Christ’ to a very legalistic b...

How often do we take a text of Scripture and apply that truth personally in our lives, only to discover, once understood in its biblical context, an even greater reality? That’s exactly what happened to me this week. Since I had never studied 2 Corinthians in my undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate courses, nor had I ever taught or preached from it, except for a few isolated texts, I was startled by a text I assumed I und...

All the arguments in the world cannot explain away the power of an experience with the living God. Unfortunately, for many, Christianity is strictly theory rather than reality. It is critical that our faith does not rest solely on what is in our heads. An encounter with Christ will do more to move our emotions and wills. Biblical faith affects the total personality: our minds, our emotions, and our wills. It is life-changing. Anyth...

Life is all about stewardship or management. How do we manage what God entrusts to us? There are a number of areas that we are tested in. How do we handle our time? Another area is the finances that God entrusts to us. The greatest area of stewardship is the people God calls us to care for. There are people that God places in our lives, siblings, children, parents, co-workers, and neighbours. Depending on your vocation, you can be ...

Each of us is living out our lives within the framework of a greater story. From the very beginning of time, God’s plan is to reveal his amazing love to each of us, despite our sin, but also the sin of others. Our sin affects not only our lives but also others'. So, many people today are experiencing the pain from the sins of others. How do we handle that? One of the greatest tools is forgiveness, as it frees us from carrying...

When we think of someone who is generous, we often think only in terms of what they give financially, but the reality is that true generosity is an attitude that is reflected in how a person treats others. Giving money is only one aspect of true generosity. Generosity is the giving of oneself for the good of others, which includes our time, our concern for others, our expertise, and above all, our prayers.

The issue in our lives is...

Good Friday Service

Consider the cross, an ancient tool of punishment, torture, and death. The cross slowly and painfully ended the lives of its victims. In the process, they were shamefully abused, rejected and despised, humiliated before all passersby. And yet, in an astoundingly ironic reversal, the cross became the greatest symbol of Christianity, speaking of glory and victory!

So, what brought about this astonishing recognitio...