Tribute to Cor

I received word yesterday of the passing of a friend. I met Cor when I was applying to Briercrest Seminary. Cor was the registrar, but he was much more than that. Cor was a gentle shepherd of students.

I recall sitting in the one class that Cor taught. The class was supposed to be on doctrine, but I think I learned more about Cor’s life and the man he is. Cor is one of those people who faced life’s challenges and lived life well. His experiences had shaped him as a man of compassion, a compassion that was evident in his work.

Cor’s guidance and encouragement of students was an integral part in the development of leaders, counselors, teachers and shepherds for the Church. His legacy will live on through the lives of each one of us.

We will miss you Cor, but we will meet again. 

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Filed under Pastoral

It Has Been A Long Winter: A little wishful nonsense

 

Not much serious here. Just a little story from a guy wanting to sit on the deck on a warm day and read a good book.

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    Frosty’s his heart melted when he saw the sheriff ride up to the snow fort, its walls crumpling under the mid day sun. The sheriff was a green horn. Just a kid from the south. The sheriff could feel Frosty’s icy glare, like a ice crystals blown by a howling north wind. A lesser man would have slipped and fallen, but not the intrepid sheriff with a warm heart and a laugh that could melt the heart of the coldest gal in town. Frosty’s time was up. He had a ball while it lasted.

     Frosty’s feet felt frozen to the ground. He couldn’t move. For a moment he thought he was sweating. Then he realized he was melting.

     “What do you want sheriff Spring?” The chill in Frosty’s voice was fading fast.

     “Frosty, the folks of this fine town have had enough of you. They’re tired you abusing them so you can have a fat account in the snow bank. They’re tired of hiding in there homes. They’re tired of your icy grip. ”

     “And what are you going to do about it Sheriff?” Frosty did his best to sound calm and cool.

     “Frosty, either ride out of town or you’ll be down the creek with out a paddle.” Frosty glanced down at the puddle by his feet…no he wasn’t that scared…yet.  

     Sheriff spring noticed the puddle too. “Are you cold or just shaking in your boots.”

     “You don’t scare me sheriff.” There was a lingering chill in Frosty’s voice.

     “The folks in town want you gone. Either head north or feel your life trickle away, one drip at a time.”

     “Are you threatening me Sheriff? Just wait until the heat of summer and you will all be paying big bucks for snow cones, blizzards and iced tea.”

     “Nice try Frosty, but it wouldn’t work. Your days are numbered. You’re getting old. You’re not as tall as you used to be. You’re getting soft.”

     “Who are you calling soft Sheriff. You’re just a green twig of a man. Why don’t you just leave.”

     “Oh, I plan to leave, leaf that is.”

     “What are you going to do, pun me to death…or are you packing heat?”

     “No frosty, I’ll save the bullets and let the mid day sun do that. Say, isn’t sweat running down you face. Right, cool guys like you don’t sweat.” 

     “Yeah I’m cool and your not. All you have to offer the town is mud and flowers. What kind of sheriff are you anyway. You break me up Spring.”

     “You’re melting Frosty. You’re the one making the mess. It’s time for you and your flakey friends to get out of town.”

     “Yeah, well maybe I’ll go, but I’ll be back.”

     “Not so fast snow man. Why don’t you just run off now.”

     Frosty’s fear was getting the better of him. His legs were feeling watery. His heart melted. He began to droop as his strength flowed out of him. Soon he would be snow more.

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Filed under General Musings

Questions

I originally posted this on my church web site. I thought I would x-post it here in my personal blog.

One of the occupational hazards of being a pastor is the impulse to give answers to people’s questions…even the ones they don’t ask. I am, however, becoming increasingly convinced that questions are far more valuable than answers. Let me explain.

The more I learn from the Scriptures, the more questions I have. Although the questions become deeper, sometimes the questions raised are “simple” ones. It isn’t that the Scriptures don’t provide answers. The issue is, what kind of answers do we seek?

An answer that raises no questions, acknowledges no questions or even doubt, is a dead end. There is no where to go to dig deeper, grow in understanding and perhaps even correcting error. On the other hand, answers that raise new questions promote deeper understanding, open the door for fresh dialogue and yes, even correction. This means of course that there are in a sense, no answers, only new questions.

Some may find this endless line of questioning troublesome, but I don’t. It is through the questions that we gain understanding. We grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures, of Theology, of God Himself as we dig deeper, asking new questions. We stagnate when we merely accept answers with no further questions. Our life as Christians becomes stale when we quit asking questions.

My own journey with Christ began not with answers, but with questions. I asked a couple of Christian friends a question. They tried to answer it, but realized that the answer they had was inadequate. That lead us to embark on a journey of questions together and the rest is history. By the way, I haven’t found the answer to the question.

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Filed under General Musings, The Christian Life