The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

© John August Swanson

Christmastide

Born is Christ the Lord by Deborah A. Reeder

I may not go to-night to Bethlehem,

Nor follow star-directed ways, nor tread

The paths wherein the shepherds walked, that led

To Christ, and peace, and God's good will to men.

I may not hear the Herald Angel's song

Peal through the Oriental skies, nor see

The wonder of that Heavenly company

Announce the King the world had waited long.

The manger throne I may not kneel before,

Or see how man to God is reconciled,

Through pure St. Mary's purer, holier child;

The human Christ these eyes may not adore.

I may not carry frankincense and myrrh

With adoration to the Holy One;

Nor gold have I to give the Perfect Son,

To be with those wise kings a worshipper.

Not mine the joy that Heaven sent to them,

For ages since Time swung and locked his gates,

But I may kneel without--the star still waits

To guide me on to holy Bethlehem.

Christmastide by E. Pauline Johnson Tekahoinwake

I wish you a Christmas season filled with love and fun.

My prayer for you and I is that we will take the time to be led 'back to Bethlehem' during these blessed days.

With love, Nicole

Are We Using The Poor?

Morteza Katouzian

"Philanthropy has the potential of immense good and yet it can crush the souls of the recipients when it’s mixed with the ingredients of a new-colonialism or an insistence on superiority of race and pride; the ancient injunction to ‘love our neighbour as ourselves’ will eventually produce the inevitable diabolical result of dehumanizing others."


A perspective on service that encourages us to search ourselves.

Read the full post on SoulGardeners

Our Epic Quest

There are 3 key elements in all GREAT and enduring stories or myths:

1. Things are not what they seem.
2. Some great struggle or quest or battle is well underway.
3. I have a crucial role to play.

--Don Sawatsky

Your friends, your family, your co-workers. Things are not what they seem. Each of their lives is a quest, with many hidden battles. And you have a crucial role to play. What would you like it to be?

Mystefied Kitty

Saffron's first view of snow.

This inside cat is not too sure why her world has turned white.

She has judged it and found it wanting.

Winter Wonderland

24 hours after returning from Winnipeg, and its unseasonably plus-zero weather, I was treated to a winter wonderland in my own front yard.

I found Winnipeg to be a beautiful city. I've posted some pics of its arcitecture and artwork here.

Winnipeg On Grey Cup Sunday

I flew into Winnipeg on Sunday, and took this picture of the stadium from the plane right around the time the BC Lions won the game. Pretty cool!

Visiting The Viv

On Sunday I went with some friends to view The Vivian - a shelter for the hardest to house women in Vancouver, run by Triage. It is my company's chosen charity, and is dear to my heart. The Viv was gutted in a fire last May. My company has committed to raising $100,000 in the next 5 months to help rebuild this home of hope. If you're inspired to give to this worthy charity, get in touch!

Where Would YOU Shop?

If this was an option, I'm not sure I would choose IKEA, but I love this commercial!

Ask An Evangelical

"Jesus loves me and I love him. But my story is part of a much bigger story that tells me about who God is, and why human beings exist, and why — in the midst of so many bad things happening in the world around us — there is hope for a better future."

That's what evangelical Christian Aileen Van Ginkel wrote when we [Globe and Mail] asked her to explain a bit about her faith. What do you think? She came online Monday to respond to your questions about her religion.

Christian Aileen Van Ginkel was the guest of Globe and Mail for a 1 hour online forum titled "Ask An Evangelical." Ms. Van Ginkel presented a surprisingly balanced view while fielding questions like:

• I am a homosexual. Does Jesus still love me?
• How do you feel about the efforts of the so-called "Moral Majority" or Christian Right in North America?
• If the Bible is the inspired word of God, how do you justify the negative parts of the Bible, such as slavery, killing your neighbour, the plagues of Egypt (which God states he prolonged to glorify him), and hell?
• I was raised an evangelical Christian and left the church in my late teens. Why is it that when an earthly leader says "love me, obey me, serve me, be faithful to me....or else I'll torture and kill you," he is recognized as evil, but when God says the same thing, He's supposed to be supreme Good and Love?

Kudos to you, Ms. Van Ginkel, for taking on this challenge. Thank you for representing Evangelical Christians so well.

See the full interview at globeandmail.com.