Camrose Church of God

New resolutions seemed full of promise last week. But some have already gotten lost in the ordinariness that takes over as the year gets under way. Prayer can be somewhat the same. It is sometimes energizing, sometimes even exciting, but often mundane, even boring. This should not upset us. The tones and colours of prayer [...]

The day after my father, an avid musician and band leader, passed away, my school choir was scheduled to compete at a local Music Festival.  But I had succumbed to grief, and felt numb and out of control.  After leading the children onto the risers, I raised trembling hands and nodded to my accompanist.  At [...]

I often chuckle at what some folks suggest I should be doing in my role as a volunteer hockey chaplain. Here are a just few examples: “You need to talk to those players about improving their power play…” or “You should go and fire them up between periods…” or “You need to pray for better officiating…” or “Pray they [...]

The Camrose Kodiaks Jr. A Hockey Club invites the Camrose Church of God to enjoy their game v. Drayton Valley Thunder on Sunday, Dec. 11 @ 2 p.m. for FREE. Just notify the church office by Dec. 1 if you plan to attend and we’ll reserve tickets for you. We will be provided with a [...]

One of the reasons Jesus said, “Beware when everyone speaks well of you” must have been because ego-strokers rarely teach us anything worthwhile about ourselves. Critics, on the other hand, even when unfair, unsolicited, and unkind, drive us to truth and nudge us closer to God’s heart. For example, the notorious Albert Camus had no [...]

When I hear a Christian say, “I guess I just need to try a bit harder at my spiritual life,” I want to puke. Sorry, that’s my gut reaction (pun intended). Someone lied to that person. Someone led him or her to believe that if they put in a bit more effort, they’ll please, impress, [...]

The Thanksgiving Sunday service concluded with a happy, lingering “buzz.” There was so much to celebrate. Three young men got baptized. Lots of other good news was shared. New connections were made and established ones were strengthened. After a lengthy time of visiting, I locked up shop and walked towards my vehicle. A man was [...]

“The Lord told me…” is a wonderful phrase. But it can be used for lording it over other people in order to get our way. Or it can be used to stop a conversation that is getting uncomfortable, or squelch opposition. After all, who would argue with the Lord? TLTM people (folks who use the [...]

I’ll just say it: too often the church has been co-opted by capitalism. How do we measure “success” in the church? Typically it’s by the number of people attending worship, dollars in the offering, and the condition of the church building. In short, the 3 B’s: Butts in the seats, Bucks in the plate, and [...]

We’ve all grown up being told that we should invite our friends to church. The theory is that if you get ‘em to church, the preacher will get ‘em into the Kingdom. Please don’t think that way. And please don’t invite people to church with the hope that some professional hitman will “do a number [...]