Did you ever get a gift you didn’t expect? Have you ever been given a gift that you didn’t want? Have you ever received a gift that you didn’t want, or expect and yet you are so glad you got it? I remember one Christmas while growing up when my Read more…
Christmas is all about Family. Family gatherings, family parties, family meals, family travelling and family sleepovers. Christmas, as families, can be beautiful and chaotic all at the same time. As a husband I find the whole Christmas travel thing crazy. You pack the whole family, including the usual suitcases, pillows, Read more…
First and foremost, Christmas is all about Traditions. All families have them. Traditions come in all shapes and sizes. Some have a lot of ceremony to them and others are more personal and intimate. One thing is certain the traditions help to keep us grounded and serve to bring memories Read more…
God called me into youth ministry, on a yellow school bus, when I was 14 years old. When I was in grade 7 my Dad organized a “family meeting.” Family meetings are never particularly good. Usually they are grand announcements of impending doom or disappointment. In this particular case my Read more…
One of my favourite camp speaking memories comes from a long drive on the way to Torch Trail Bible Camp in Saskatchewan. I was driving and praying… I do that a lot. I was probably listening to music as well. Mostly, I was wandering through my sermons and sermon topics Read more…
Wednesday October 5, 2011 was the day that one of my heroes died. I got a text message from one of my youth leaders asking “What do you think about the news?” I responded with “What news?” and was told about the death of Steve Jobs over text message. I Read more…
I recently ran into my 3rd grade teacher. Apparently she attends my church. That’s a little weird I must admit. Do they ever wonder if some of this malfunction is their fault? Who knows? So, she introduced herself to me and informed me that she also hangs out with my Read more…
Yesterday I went to my first CrossFit Basics class and I am dying. The whole of the class involved us running a 400 m run. Which basically meant we ran around outside of the building and did a circle of all of the buildings in their little strip mall. Then Read more…
I spent the weekend in Calgary taking an entry level referee coach for the Canadian Soccer Association. It was long, and boring, but I passed. The best part about this weekend was that I got to, as a 37 year old man, spend 2 days with my Dad. My Dad Read more…
What’s with the name? I hate camp names. Almost every summer camp I go to wants me to have a camp name. Instead of just calling me Chet, or Pastor Chet kids are supposed to call me Muffy, or Rufus, or Sparrow, or who knows… I just don’t go by Read more…