I thought I might break into the regularly-scheduled programming at this site to provide a few updates on what’s going on in my life, vocation, and family. I’ve got a few updates on health, projects, travel, and so on. Health Quite a number of people have asked about my health, and especially about the strange…
Not so well, actually, though I’m truly grateful you asked. I’m not sure if it’s pride or privacy that usually compels me to say “Fine” or “Good” when asked that question, but today I’ll just level with you. “Not so good.” These have been hard days—or maybe better, hard times lived upon lots of good…
Last year, before I set out on my journey round the world, I did a bit of research on the first aid supplies I ought to bring with me. After all, at some points I would be pretty far off the beaten path and pretty far from emergency care. I found all kinds of recommendations…
This flight from Kansas City to Toronto is uniquely significant to me. Though on one level it’s just another uncomfortable short-haul flight on another rickety regional jet, it marks the end of a journey that has taken me to the ends of the earth. Almost eighteen months ago I boarded a plane to Israel to…
I spent a lot of last year traveling the world to carry out research for my forthcoming church history project–a project that took me to 24 countries across 6 continents. Now that the travel is winding down, I’m beginning to think about a few of the travel lessons I learned along the way. I decided…
During a recent trip to China , I was invited to spend some time with some friends who live there. They asked me questions that ranged far and wide, but here they asked me “as a public persona, do you struggle with desiring the approval of others? How do you deal with it?” Here is…
Hi, everyone. This is Aileen writing today. On behalf of Tim I wanted to let you know that the ongoing issue with the nerves in his arms has flared up badly over the past week. He is also having some issues with his back—we are not sure if the two are directly related although we…
A few weeks ago I walked into my local Best Buy, marched up to the counter, and said “I want to buy your cheapest phone.” The guy looked at me quizzically for a moment, then wandered over to the shelf and returned with a box labeled “Polaroid A300.” “Forty-nine bucks. That cheap enough?” “Let’s do…
If I could roll back time a little, what would my older self say to my younger self? That’s the premise of this short video. I also try to predict what I’ll want to say a few years hence… Transcription What was one thing when you were younger that you thought was going to be…
During my recent visit to New Zealand, I made a quick detour to Middle Earth. While I was there, I found myself thinking about Amazon’s forthcoming Lord of the Rings series. I want it to be amazing, but I’m concerned it will be disappointing. Here’s what I want to see out of it… This video…
Every Christian believes. Belief, faith, is the gateway to the Christian life and we mark our conversion from the moment we first believed: I have heard the gospel, I have put my faith in Jesus Christ. I believe! Belief is the gateway to the Christian life but it is far more than that. I believed…
Friday morning was the funeral for evangelist Billy Graham, one of the most famous men in the world. Two thousand people attended the invitation-only event. On the guest list were presidents, cardinals, celebrities, and megachurch pastors—an A-list of significant and accomplished people. Friday morning was the memorial service for Irene Morrison. A couple hundred people…
This year I am traveling the world for my EPIC church history project. Just for fun, here’s a video of what I’m taking with me in my pack. (And here is what Stephen McCaskell takes with him as he travels with me.)
At the 2018 G3 Conference I spoke on “Discipleship in Diversity.” I told of how we, at Grace Fellowship Church, have learned to be a church that is united in a context of great diversity. I concluded the message with a video of some of the people of Grace Fellowship Church reading Revelation 5 in…
We’ve just come through this long and deep cold snap. We’ve just gotten over this spell where it’s been -25, -30 degrees, absolutely freezing. It’s finally warmed up a little. And I’ve decided I’ve got to get out of the office. I’m here at one of my favorite spots at Waterdown, Ontario just to explore.…
It’s the time of year for blogs and other sites to provide their annual round-up of the year’s most popular articles. I don’t know why we do this, but it seems to be a tradition. On that basis, let me tell you who visited and what they read in 2017. The site served up well…
I know I’m prone to feeling sorry for myself and I am quite committed to avoiding the temptation. It is one of those sins that feels like it will feel good but actually just ends up feeling miserable. I know that intellectually—it’s just that tricky matter of implementing it emotionally. So here’s the deal: I’m…
Dear Mom, We don’t really do this stuff, do we? We don’t often feel the need to say what we assume the other person already knows. It’s that British reserve, I suspect. But on this Mother’s Day, I want to tell just some of what you mean to me, and I’ll do it through a…
I consider it the greatest privilege, the highest act of God’s providence, that I grew up in a Christian home. I consider it no small responsibility to ensure my children, likewise, are growing up in a home that is distinctly Christian. Then, it is my sincerest desire and confident hope, that my grandchildren will have…
Today my parents and brothers and sisters and brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews are gathering in a little house in Chattanooga. Forty years ago today, the third of June of 1972, was a double celebration for my parents: my father marked his twenty-third birthday and he married my mother. Both had been born and raised…