My Spiritual Suitcase

Over these past few weeks, there has been one thing i've been incredibly aware of, that has been brought to my attention and has got me thinking a lot about. Mental health. Now I am by no means an expert as I myself am also rather new to this subject, but with what has happened over the last little while, I want to do my part by raising awareness about this issue that has always been around, but yet has rarely been spoken of. Several people have come and shared with me their struggles with mental health, be it aspergers, depression, panic attacks, the list goes on. I'm glad that a few of my Child and Family courses have touched on some of these so i've been exposed to the idea of it all, but at the same time, my knowledge is very limited. I've been slowly learning more and more about it. For example, for those who may be wrestling with depression, I know that sometimes they just feel completely helpless, have no motivation and just want to lie in bed, sometimes th

Having Valentine's day just past, and with new holidays like Galentine's day and Palentine's day on the rise; where you celebrate your favourite girlfriends or pals, the 14th of February has transformed from couples night, to single awareness day, to who knows what's next. With love in the air, singleness is a concept that has been on my mind quite a bit lately, from having a fellowship program discussing romantic relationships to a retreat on holiness in our relationships. Society has played a great role in influencing how we perceive singleness, I personally have and still struggle with seeing it as a curse, as something that implies failure, and being incomplete. #ForeverAlone was the big thing a few years back, but in scripture, we can see that this idea of singleness has veered far from what God intends. Paul shares openly about his singleness in 1 Corinthians 7, and addresses this state as a gift from God; a gift at an equal level with marriage. This was som

Take one minute and see if you can remember the words you spoke today. Even in just the past hour. Can you think of it? I know I cannot. Speech has been something i've been thinking a lot about these past few weeks, as our main form of communication, we talk all the time, from the moment we wake to the moment we sleep, heck even when we're sleeping we may be talking. Words roll off the tip of your tongue and for people like me that talk a lot, it's almost like non-stop vomit that just comes out of your mouth. This past week in Men's Cell, the men came together to study scripture, and while we waited for the stragglers to join us, I sang, just because I like to sing. I was singing "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith, and just as we were about to get started, the leader turned to me in front of everyone else and said "Jason, stop singing about one night stands!". My face dropped, I immediately shut up and I had no idea how to respond; talk about rebuke r

"walk by faith, and not by sight" These six words have been up on the screen behind the pastor every sunday morning for the past few weeks. Being raised in the church, I have heard this phrase many many times, but I think for the first time, these words finally are starting to ring loudly within me. As we continue going through the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis, we have seen Abraham live out this phrase time and time again. In Chapter 22 when Abraham was tested by being asked to sacrifice his son on the alter, even though Isaac was God's promise of a son, Abraham believed that God is sovereign. Though nothing in the moment seemed to make sense, Abraham passed God's test as he chose to follow what he could not see, the everlasting and almighty God. In Chapter 23 when Sarah had died, it all seemed as if God was unfaithful to his promise as He had said that out of Sarah would come nations (Genesis 17:16). Abraham walked by faith by burying Sarah knowing

Sitting in service today, I was reminded of the importance of remembrance in the Christian faith. We are always called to remember. To hold fast to God's promises, to remember God's faithfulness, to be mindful of his blessings and providence, to cling to His promises. Before we broke bread and drank the cup for communion, our senior pastor shared two verses with us. It was a quick simple message but it really stuck to me throughout the day, especially as I reflect on it now. Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgment he utters. Psalm 105:5 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Psalm 106:7 Looking through the two Psalms, it was quite interesting to see the context in which these verses were found. Psalm 105 takes us through the first two books of the Bible, Genesis and Exodus, highlightin