Written by Jeff Duncan

One of the most compelling biblical stories is the story of Gideon. When the Israelites were being oppressed by their neighbouring nation, a young man Gideon was visited by an angel who addressed him as “mighty warrior” and called him to lead Israel to rescue them from their oppressors. Gideon responded with understandable skepticism, saying “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Written by Ian McLean

Have you ever felt like God was taking too long? Like His promises were delayed, and you were left waiting in the silence? Joseph’s story is a profound reminder that God’s timing is never late but always perfect. From the time Joseph dreamed of leadership to the moment he stood before Pharaoh as Egypt’s second-in-command, there were long, painful years of waiting. Those years must have felt confusing—betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and unjustly imprisoned. Yet, in all those moments, God was working.

Written by Jeff Duncan

With the American presidential inauguration, it may well be that Canada will find itself with 25% tariffs on our U.S. exports. This has many concerned on both sides of the border.

Last week as we fasted and prayed for our nation, I was led to Genesis 26 where we find the story of Isaac and his relationship with the Philistine King, Abimelek. It was a difficult time, a time of famine, but two neighbours: Issac with his wealthy family, and Abimelek, made a peaceful treaty that resulted in blessing. As I read this, it seemed to me that this passage had similarities to U.S./Canadian history and indicated God’s intention for the future.

Written by Jeff Duncan

The message of Christmas is that the Saviour born to the world came to rule and reign in justice. His rule means victory over sickness and death, and freedom from oppression and injustice. And He invites us as co-labourers to join Him as He does this. This past Sunday Beula gave us practical ways we can do this as she preached from the well-known scripture Matt 18:18. We can understand this scripture in a new light

Written by Jeff Duncan

As Christmas passes and we survey the new year, in our reflections as Christians looking ahead, we often ask, “What do I want to do in the church this year?” Buckminster Fuller, the creator of the geodesic dome for Expo 67 and a solid Christian, suggested that a better question would be, “What does God want done?” In posing that question we move from the finite into the infinite. It causes us to sit with it, marinate with it, meditate on it, before hazarding an answer.

Written by Jeff Duncan

At church last Sunday I was given a book of sermons published in 1901. What a wonderful gift! I will read it and look for some gems in it, but more than that, I sense a message in the gift. Many years ago, I was taught that often God speaks to us through the gifts we are given, that we should pay close attention to them, particularly to those that may seem unusual.

Written by Jeff Duncan

I had a boss who once declared to me that he refused to participate in the recession. Regardless of what was happening to those around him, he determined that he was going to prosper in any environment. I like that attitude.

Written by Jeff Duncan

In the church that I grew up in, most Sundays our pastor would have an object lesson for the children before dismissing them. My dad would often say that he got more from the children’s lesson than the long-winded sermons! Jesus communicated in parables: object lessons. Prophets would often act out the messages that they were to give. (Think of Ezekiel laying on his side for 430 days, and Agabus binding Paul’s hands.) This past Sunday, the Lord had a message for our church and brought an object lesson to us. We saw acted out what the Lord is doing.

Written by Jeff Duncan

I love basketball. I played in high school. I still play a couple times a week. A few weeks back I had a very rewarding game. Our team won on an easy layup by my teammate. I had set a screen for him that made him open, so that he could score easily. Setting a screen is positioning oneself to block a teammate’s defender, so that the teammate can then easily make it to the basket or be open for a shot without the defender being close to him. 

Written by Jeff Duncan

In 1986, Cheryl and I traveled on a short-term ministry trip to Uganda. We came to a country that had suffered for 15 years under two dictators who had devastated the country. Many may know the name Idi Amin, known for the genocide estimated to be more than a million, but less known is Milton Obote, who is also estimated to have eliminated more than 1 million of his enemies in genocide. Fifteen years of civil  war, corruption and genocide had left the country very different from Winston Churchill’s description of Uganda as “the Pearl of Africa.” We passed checkpoints with teenagers holding machine guns, roads that were often barely drivable, and infrastructure that was a mess. But what made it most real, however, was the day we were taken to a shed that was filled with dozens of skulls of the victims of the mass killings. 

Written by Jeff Duncan

One aspect of fire is that it is unpredictable. What was unexpected in the ’94 revival was that when the Lord came, He came in a way that many did not understand. It was not what they had expected or would predict. And this caused a lot of controversy.

Written by Jeff Duncan

Statistics say that churches in North America have seen an overall drop in attendance of 16% to pre-pandemic levels. Less people see it as important to meet together as Christians. And of those who attend, their frequency has dropped.

Written by Jeff Duncan

If in your family, there are broken or dysfunctional relationships, don’t give up hope for God to restore and heal. God is reconciling all things through Christ (Eph. 1:10) and that includes families.

Written by Sharon Remmerswaal

Have you been feeling discouraged, stuck or stagnant? I think all of us have times when we question our faith; times when we feel inadequate or like we are ineffective.

Written by Jeff Duncan

Last week we began a series “Scripture’s Solutions for Stress, Fatigue and Burnout.” We looked at the 4th commandment: honouring the sabbath. Thinking of the 10 commandments led me to think about the 10th commandment and what it would mean for us today.

Written by Jeff Duncan

The ship sailed up the river. The deck was full of people, people of all ages and from every nation. They had been rescued from the dark land. A band was playing on the deck. Their songs of joy were wafting over the ship. The music could be seen coming out of the instruments like ribbons of colour that twirled and twisted through the air....