Marching Forth!

Few things have fueled the exponential interest in conspiracy theories as the internet.  People make a lucrative living from "exposing" the hidden agendas of politicians clamouring for a new world order, the not-so-secret "Illuminati" in Hollywood and the music industry.  While much of it is conjecture which borderlines hysteria, I have no doubt that there is more than a shred of truth to the claims.  Sites and news feeds focus on pictures of celebrities throwing down symbolism of the "All-Seeing-Eye," or the use of 666 by Dr. Dre and Brittany Spears in ads or on clothing.  Is the Illuminati really calling the shots?  Is there a satanic plot to use music, movies, and media to influence people and destroy Christian ethics and morality?  In such a convoluted world where alleged conspiracies and connections are made between a hand signal and global domination through subliminal influence, it is hard to figure out how deep the rabbit trail goes.  It is no...

On my way home from a meeting this morning, I could see a line of traffic extending towards me from the intersection of Windsor and Samantha Riley Drive.  The coloured lights of a fire truck, police cars, and ambulances flashing through the boughs of swaying trees told me there had been an accident.  The 10 minute wait as traffic was an unexpected setback, but was nothing like the shock and serious injury of being the one in the smashed vehicle.  A blue hatchback suffered severe damage, and the airbags had been deployed from a frontal collision.  I could drive away from the accident as a bystander, but as I did I thought how there are likely some people who will carry physical injuries and frightening memories for the rest of their lives. Life can change in an instant.  As durable and hardy as people are, life is a most fragile gift.  I expect the driver of that blue car expected to reach his or her intended destination.  But instead they were rushed...

It occurred to me how seldom I have seen people actually desperate to be saved.  In the Bible there are grave warnings given concerning those who have done wrong.  Ezekiel 18:20 bluntly states, " The soul that sinneth, it shall die ."  The death spoken of here is not merely a physical death, but a spiritual death spent in eternal torment separate from God.  I have great concern that this warning is either not being given, people don't really believe it is true or could care less.  Most people are more worried about being stuck in traffic, their car breaking down or losing their mobile phone than going to hell.  Something is very wrong with that picture. Are people any less desperate now than they used to be?  I don't think so.  We are so desensitised to death from TV and movies that when we see it for real we don't know how to respond.  There are also more distractions in our lives than ever to keep us from thinking about the things of ete...

The Bible is an utterly awesome book in every respect.  I feel humbled and privileged every time I open God's Word and explore the limitless storehouses of wisdom contained therein.  It is not just history, poetry, dialogue, and hard-hitting action:  it is the primary means of God speaking to us as we are led by the Holy Spirit.  Every word of it is pure, powerful, and relevant to the struggles and questions we have today.  For a high daily percentage of the last 30 years of my life, I have read the Bible.  The lustre of its truth has not dimmed, nor the depth of the riches of wisdom.  Through it God is revealed to man, and man is shown his great need for a Saviour and King. When I was young, I used to report weekly at church to my friend Evan all the juicy tidbits I found.  I loved reading the book of Judges most of all.  Some of the historical accounts are quite graphic in detail.  One of my favorites was when Ehud gutted King Eglon ...