The Holy Spirit can sometimes be a complicated topic with many different answers. Andrew Gabriel, however, is able to navigate this discussion with wisdom and clarity. Even if you don’t come from a Pentecostal or charismatic background, Andrew’s book (Simply Spirit Filled) is able to invite you into a healthy conversation of skepticism, experience, and academia – you’ll never think of the Spirit’s activity the same again!
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In Canada, it’s only been a few months since the federal government made cannabis a legal substance. It’s difficult to imagine really – one day illegal, the next legal. So, whether you call the drug – weed, grass, pot, marijuana, or cannabis, many are left wondering how to approach the issue. So, the question that’s often asked me: “Since, it’s no longer illegal, can Christians use cannabis?” The last time I was asked, I said I would articulate my answer a little better in a post, so hopefully this post can bring some clarity.
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We live in a noisy world where everyone wants to be heard. Avenues like social media have given everyone a voice, but has caused us to often stop listening and even think selfishly. Our culture wants us to think: ‘It’s all about me.’ Scripture, on the other hand, teaches something completely different. We need to listen and serve.
My wife and I have two kids under 5. When they’re awake, they contribute the most to the household volume. They enjoy singing, talking, and screaming. Sometimes they’re main objective is simply repeating everything they hear. There’s never a dull moment.
No matter what though, one thing remains true – they want to be heard. In fact, they will repeat themselves, and get louder, UNTIL someone listens.
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My husband has been after me for a while to write some posts on his blog. He said he wanted me to write about things from my life as a mother, stay-home-mom, wife, introvert, whatever. He said “you make people laugh all the time on Facebook – write things like that!”
I told him I think I’d enjoy writing something but I had so many things around the house that I need to get done first. (There was post-Christmas cleaning/storing that needed to happen and some organizing of the entire house since we only moved in about 3 months before Christmas).
So, I said “when I get the house a little more put together, and when I get some time alone to think I’ll see what I can come up with.” Then I laughed and laughed at the thought of a put together house and time alone to think and so, now, I’m writing this while I’m hiding from my family in our ensuite.
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Jesus didn’t establish denominations, he established the Kingdom. Jesus didn’t die and conquer death for policy, he did it for people. Believers created denominations and political order to make sense of the unimaginable grace that Jesus gifted us. Sometimes denominations are wonderful organizations that help build the Kingdom and extend that grace, while other times, denominations become derailed and ineffective, protecting the organization instead of the mission. No doubt there’s a cycle of effectiveness, but the question is: Do we allow ourselves to recognize, filter, and change, so as to pursue being effective again, or do we ignore problems, retreat, and remain, so as to protect what once was safe and familiar?
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