Part 8. We like the idea of freedom for prisoners and the oppressed, but we forget the power of Freedom in the life of the Believer. When we give up our Freedom, when we choose to walk another way, we let go of the most basic building blocks of life in Christ. A life without Freedom is a life stuck in a dangerous place.
Every life has to make a crucial decision. It is the most important decision you will ever make. No, it isn’t your major in university or the person you are going to marry. It isn’t even the church you will attend. The biggest decision you will make in life is whether you will follow God’s Word or choose any one of the countless other paths in life.
This decision doesn’t stop to weigh all of the ins and outs of each path. There are no reconnaissance missions to scope them out for a distance and bring back a report on each one. No graph exists to organize the bumpiest roads from the smoother ones. You won’t find a color-coded report highlighting roads with more or less traffic on them. It’s a simple choice. You can choose God’s road or any other road. The only road with a unique destination is the one God calls us to. All of the others, regardless of promised joys, successes, accomplishments, or gratifications, all end up together.
My purpose here, though, isn’t to draw lines between the roads. God’s Word does a very clear job of that. Instead, I think we need to be reminded about the reality of the decision itself. We may find it uncomfortable to talk about, and we might even try to imagine that it doesn’t exist. But this choice is real, and we have to keep making it everyday.
Continue reading “God or Sin? A Choice that Cannot be Avoided”
Late last week the Supreme Court of Canada made a monumental ruling. It will put Canada and its people under a microscope. Though it does not take effect for the next twelve months, those months will be filled with debate, concern, and the drafting of interpretations and regulations on national and provincial levels.
If you didn’t hear about it, the Court’s decision lifts the ban on doctor-assisted suicide. (CBC News article; CTV News article; Global News article). The ruling brought cheers and concerns. Though the ruling was very specific, it isn’t freely accepted and triumphed.
As Christians we can be loud when issues like this hit the spotlight. We consider ourselves champions of life. I found it interesting that the Court used the Charter of Canada to explain how their decision puts them on the same side, defending life. Before we start banging on doors and shouting through megaphones, we should stop and consider what drives a people to desire such a law. You might be surprised at how your response will change.
Continue reading “The Right to Die?: How to respond to the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling”
Part 3. Even the smallest difference in opinion can divide deeply, whether in politics or in the Church. We sit like armies, each one camped upon a hill, with the valley of war between us. Though we start down the Narrow Road together in joy, we drift to one of two sides. This week we learn what separated us and what each side has chosen to fight for.
One of my favorite parts of church is the singing. My life was always filled with music. We learned how to play the recorder in Grade 3. In Grade 5 we were given the chance to sign up for the school band. When I went home and told my parents I needed a trumpet, they were quite surprised. All through my school years I was part of the choir, which is where I learned music theory. Later I took that knowledge and taught myself to play the piano and the guitar.
Songs can stick with us for years. It will be a long time before people stop hearing the music of Disney’s Frozen every time they hear the phrase, “Let it go.” The songs we sing in church have the same power. We may not be able to remember them in their entirety, but parts of those songs can sink deep into our memories. They help us remember powerful truths about God and life. And no matter our situation, we can pull those songs out of our hearts, any time and any place.
Scripture describes what we do with our songs using many powerful words. One of these tells us to take the words we sing and use them to take God from the back burner of our minds and put Him front and center.
Continue reading “Magnify the Lord: Making God Bigger in Our Lives”
I am a child of the 80’s and early 90’s. My parents wouldn’t let me listen to secular music, and for the most part I didn’t stray away from the Contemporary Christian Music scene. Anyone who grew up in the church back then listened to one of the greatest Christian storytellers of all time: Carman.
You never knew what to expect on a Carman album. There’d usually be one great story like “The Champion” or “A Witch’s Invitation.” Though his music is considered contemporary, Carman is versed in many styles of music. And he proved it with the song, “Addicted to Jesus.”
It was a venture that a few other CCM artists would bravely dive into with mixed results. Partnering with growing sensation DC Talk, it involved adding a hip hop, from the street feel. We were called to this positive addiction, obsessed with the Son of God, the Word of God, and in prayer.
There is nothing more amazing than feeling the power of the Creator of the universe touch your life. God created us with a desire in our hearts and souls that can only be satisfied by Him. No amount of pleasure or treasure can fill that hole. So when that hole inside of us actually connects with the one true God, our lives yearn for it to happen again. But can we go too far? Can we be addicted to Jesus in a bad way?
Continue reading “Addicted: Understanding the purpose of God’s touch”
Chris MacKinnon 