Today I would like to share with you a conversation between myself and my friend Stephen Milton of Lawrence Park Community Church in Toronto. Stephen and I know each other from seminary and we both share a common love of the contemplative tradition and patristic theology. In this video we talk about monasteries and the … Continue reading What is Contemplative Christianity? →

Today is a Sunday where I am preaching locally and so what follows below is our complete service. You may feel free to say every prayer and sing every hymn or simply to skip to the sermon in the middle and the commissioning at the end (which is still kinda part of the sermon). Call … Continue reading The Prince of Peace →

In his book Conferences, John Cassian recorded the wisdom of Abba Isaac who explained how we can follow Paul's words to pray without ceasing. This is done by using a single scripture verse over and over again. The words Isaac recommends are taken from Psalm 70:1 “O God come to my assistance; O Lord make … Continue reading Praying Without Ceasing →

Today I would like to share with you a poem which can be found in my upcoming book Psalter of the Birds. This poem comes from The Black Book of Carmarthen, which is a thirteenth century book with a black cover from the area of Carmarthen, Wales. This poem is interesting because it speaks about … Continue reading Poetry and the Cosmos →

Because I had such positive feedback from people about the service I shared with you last Sunday, I thought I would try again. Today is the eve of Samhain, a Celtic festival which celebrates the new year and brings us closer to our ancestors. You can read more about Samhain HERE. This liturgy is one … Continue reading A Service for Samhain →

This morning I am preaching in person at a local church. Usually when I do that I take the sermon and make it into my Sunday article. I decided to try something new this time. Instead of using a revised version of the sermon by itself, I thought I would try giving you the whole … Continue reading The Temple of God →

Humanity seems to be afflicted with a spiritual illness. It is in our families, our schools, our religious institutions, our media, and so much more. This cancer seems to have afflicted every aspect of human society and, as near as I am able to tell, it has afflicted every society around the globe - though … Continue reading Spiritual Medicine →

Our world is full of noise. If you live in the city then you rarely experience true silence. There are always cars going by with their horns and their mufflers. There are people arguing in the street. There are parties happening at all hours of the day. There is constant hustle and bustle and very … Continue reading The Gift of Silence →

“We do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 The word monk comes from the Greek word monos. It means “one” and is usually understood more precisely as “alone” or “solitary.” This is because the earliest monks were hermits who … Continue reading The Inner Person →

Ask the animals, and they will teach you, the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth and they will teach you, and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand … Continue reading The Animals Will Teach You →