The Parish

There is a path to create no more victims in this world which is deeply human and close to God's heart.  Building that path is happening in Peterborough and around the world.

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” — Albert Schweitzer

If you realized that you had lost Jesus:
How would you go about searching for Him? 
How long would it take you to find Him?

The ashes that are used to mark the beginning of Lent feel quite discordant in contemporary culture. How can they help us to a more meaningful journey toward Easter?

Trusting God is not an escape from trusting people, instead, it becomes a safe platform from which to do so.

In the face of all the turmoil in our world, it's tempting to escape into something that gives our mind a break from the anxiety. Some escape strategies just numb us but the psalmist recommends one that brings hope.

There are times when God’s loving gaze is so tangible-so palpable that doubt seems impossible.  And yet there are times when God’s tangible presence is so scarce that to believe seems completely inconceivable.

Maybe the blessedness we're looking for actually rests not in God changing our external circumstances but in changing us.

Plucked from the Billboard charts of Ancient Israel we look at Psalm 57.  This song of David teaches us more about ourselves than it does about God, but what we learn is incredible, and may even earn it a place on your mixtape.

Rip Van Winkle, of fairy tale fame, seemed to have a great strategy: settle down for a LONG winter's nap and don't wake up until the fuss is all over. But what if there is something important for us that we can only find in the waiting?

Not everything that comes out of a box actually fits back in.  Some things seem to expand and grow and can never find their original shape, what if this is called growth.

It’s easy to mistakenly assume that peace comes because our external circumstances have changed in a way that removes any cause for agitation and anxiety. But the newborn king that the Magi discovered in Bethlehem brings a different kind of peace.

It is important to be amazed at the right parts of this story.  In other words open the present, don’t just play with the fancy bows and paper.

Disbelief is one of the doorways by which we are invited to enter the Advent story, not as a reader but as many of the characters.  Joseph's dilemma not just believable but relatable.  Trusting God is only half of the struggle and sometimes not the hardest one.

Sometimes the unexpected takes us to dark places. But the message of Advent is that the Light is coming

And so advent begins, and the story is told.  But not everyone believes it is a good story, at least not at first. Some people who hear it- will need to be convinced-but let's not forget that some people in the story needed the same.

Our lives are capable of doing great good and yet also sabotaging the good we desire to do.  In this talk Neil takes a look at a seldom talked about Parable of Jesus.

Are you sick of all the bad news? Heres some practical ideas from someone who had to take his own advice.