In my life, butter tarts and the Bible have something in common.

What is a butter tart? A butter tart is a buttery, sugary, distinctly Canadian dessert, like a pecan pie, only better. What does a butter tart have in common with the Bible?

Some three decades ago, when I entered full-time Christian ministry, it occurred to me that I was entering a field that, at its foundation, is unchanging.

It was comforting to know that the God I serve, the God of the Bible, is unchanging. Who He is, He has always been and always will be.

One of the benefits for a pastor in starting a new church is implementing ministry essentials that pastors often only get to dream about.

You are largely starting with a blank slate with none of the difficult baggage leftover from a congregation’s history, at least in theory.

My wife and I just watched Places in the Heart, a movie we had both seen when it was first released in 1984.

I would not describe our viewing experience as “enjoyable” for the movie deals with difficult subjects like death, adultery, and racism.

It is HOT outside! As I am writing this it is 94 degrees Fahrenheit, or “foreign-heat,” as a beloved Canadian comedian once coined.

Canada is on the metric system, so my family would be complaining that it is a sweltering 35 degrees Celsius, which, I think you would agree, sounds more tolerable.

Recently, I found myself in an uncomfortable situation; I was in the men’s section of a local department store buying pants.

In my mind, I am still that young man whose leg length is greater than his waist girth. So, I head to the changing room with two pairs of pants, one pair that agrees with my illusion, the other that I know I am going to purchase.

It’s summertime and those pests are back.

No, I don’t mean the tourists, and shame on you for thinking about our valued guests that way! I’m talking about the bugs, the mosquitos and all their hungry friends, who now lie in wait just outside your door.

“It’s a win-win arrangement,” Jack’s mother said enthusiastically to a friend.

A party to their conversation, I nodded my head in agreement and added, “It sure is!”