Yesterday I came across 2 different but linked pieces of information. The first is that only about 25% of people, worldwide have bank accounts. So the 2008 bank crash that plunged the rest of the world (7 billion of us) into recession was caused by a teeny, tiny number of people who have substantial bank [...]
I’ve been fascinated by some of the behaviour of public figures around the world lately. There are about to be deposed dictators who somehow can’t figure out that their immoral physical and/or economic depredations upon their own populations have now swung back to them. I think they genuinely don’t get it. But there are also [...]
Just because you say you are? Well, maybe not, or obviously not in the case of Barak Obama. This week Bill Maher (a thoughtful comedian) in the US decided that Obama is not a Christian or a Muslim but a secular humanist. Okay. But that made me think how it is that we know someone [...]
My cat was diagnosed last week with a long laundry list of ailments including stage 2 renal failure. This is a common cause of death in senior male cats. He is heading toward his 15th birthday which makes him about 90 in human terms. Beyond the unbelievable amount of money shelled out last week for [...]
I am struggling with the return. To go get groceries Saturday morning I hiked, with a bundle buggy, a kilometre from my house, in the snow, to a large shopping centre where my choice of food is essentially whatever the large supergrocery has in stock. There are few alternatives where I live in Canada. The [...]
So I did the impossible thing. I left Italy. It really did seem impossible and I could not believe I was doing it. The departure was not easy. I had many invitations to meet with people in the last few days. I loved a dinner of homemade pizza and champagne. And Italian hot chocolate is [...]
I am rushed and busy and have too much to do before I leave. Always. Sempre. People wish me well, they give me gifts, addresses and emails are exchanged. It is difficult to leave Italy. Meanwhile I must look ahead. All the applications for professor positions in Canada are due in the next month. No [...]
As I continue to take my leave of Piacenza I am reminded of a few things. These come in no particularly order. Piacenza was always the preferred crossing point of the Po River from northern Italy to the middle and south. That is part of the reason the Romans located the city here. It meant [...]
Ci vediamo is the informal, friendly way of saying good-bye. It means ‘we see each other’. I have begun to say ‘ci vediamo’ to Piacenza. It has been difficult to consider leaving. I have really enjoyed the life here despite health issues, language issues and all the other struggles that go with landing in a [...]
It is difficult not to be fascinated as the Republicans in the USA attempt to relive the mythical glory days of President Ronald Reagan with a new approach to what was known as ‘trickle down economics’. This consists of large tax cuts to the rich that increased the national debt. The tax cuts worked as [...]
The system is broken. Praise God. Funny how many of us still live as if we want the system to be repaired. We just want it to be a bit nicer than before. I’ve been thinking about the art of listening. When you don’t know what to do it is a good thing to spend [...]
Much of the material that will be central to these posts will cover perspectives on the 'gates' of society, the places of influence that shape the culture. If transformation is a desired outcome, such aspects as strategic prayer and understanding the redemptive gifts of places will play their part. As prayer opens up space, filling it will be vital, not in a controlling, top-down sense, but with a servant spirit. Finding appropriate terminology is difficult. Maybe 'transformation' is not the right term, perhaps 'transfiguration', where inner qualities burst through.
I have chosen to use the term 'gates' and although they can be defined any number of ways these are the seven ways I have chosen to group them by:
These are in two formats. Epub can be read in many ereaders, such as Ipad, kobo etc.; if using a kindle then the format will be mobi. If there are difficulties in reading the format an internet search should show any peculiarities for your specific ereader
Vol 1.1 Epub format Vol 1.1 Mobi format
Vol 1.2 Epub format Vol 1.2 Mobi format
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Am I my brother’s keeper?
So asked Cain of God. God does not give a definitive answer, at least not in that conversation. However, I think over time Cain was led to an answer and that is the city. Cain was condemned to wander but he ended up founding a city. Cities fascinate me because they push an already altruistic, [...]