Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries
By Simon Yung In 2004, Michael Gungor and Israel Houghton released a worship song titled “Friend of God” that became an instant hit. Our church sang it a lot in our Sunday worship in the following years. The lyrics read: “I am a friend of GodHe calls me friendWho am I that You are mindful […]
By Jeff McCarrell Editor’s Note: This devotional can serve as a refresher of the Christmas story and the key concepts therein for all of us, and it can also be used as study material with the students. It is written in plainer English for that purpose. “The Gospel” is the “Good News” of Jesus’ life […]
By Elmer Warkentin Ever feel really rich? I did, at least once – on my morning walk here in Guelph. I had been feasting on one of Paul’s radical claims during my quiet time: “Everything belongs to you . . ., the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs […]
By Tom More What do you do when you are faced with disappointments and unexpected roadblocks? The pandemic has been an emphatic, sometimes stark, reminder that we are subject to letdowns. While we ought to see changes and setbacks as part of the Lord’s many seasons, we often despair. For some, I’m sure, this has […]
By CY Yan A seemingly never-ending pandemic, the tearful exodus of thousands upon thousands from Hong Kong, the helpless cries of the oppressed in Myanmar, the desperation of those fleeing Afghanistan, and – most recently – the harrowing images from amid the heartless invasion of Ukraine by a super-power… ! Faced with such uncertainties and […]
By Allan Pole D.L. Moody led many people to Jesus, yet he never displayed the pompous air of self-importance that so many famous evangelists did in that era. He was a tolerant, understanding man who rarely criticized others. One of his famous sayings was, “Right now I’m having so much trouble with D.L. Moody that […]
By Kaarina HsiehLead Pastor, Parkway Forest Community Church Recently, I met a kind, thoughtful man who came to Canada from Brazil with his wife and daughter mere weeks before Toronto went into lockdown because of the global pandemic. To be newer to Canada, arriving with so many hopes and dreams of new work, new friendships […]
By Kathleen Barnard i saw a man with his childwalk along a path before meshe walked ahead of himhe followed closely behindwatching herwaiting for herwatching all aroundthey passed byout of my line of sight a while laterthey walked backwell …he walked backcarrying her in his armsstill watchingholding her tightly moments laterhe placed her gently on […]
By Johnson Hsu I find myself wondering about the Priest and the Levite in the Samaritan man parable (Luke 10:25-37). What were they thinking as they walked past a beaten and naked man, left for dead by the side of the road? Were they going off to serve God, and thought they were doing the […]
By Allan Pole The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was a highly debated issue in the first century between the Pharisees, who believed in a bodily resurrection, and the Sadducees, who did not. This teaching is foundational to our faith as followers of Jesus Christ. The meaning of life is defined by our […]