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Conflict happens— it is an inevitable part of life. This holds true in our personal and communal journeys.
During a discussion about my research on congregational leadership and conflict, I encountered an older couple with a rather stark perspective— that all conflict was inherently wrong and destructive, with no place in a healthy congregation.
In this post, I want to share a different perspective drawn from Acts 6 ...
If you were to meet Ute Carkner, you would quickly realize that she is a woman of prayer. When she prays, you sense both her awe at being in God’s presence, but also an intimacy that is born of much time spent in the presence of God! She is a kind and gentle soul, but she prays with boldness, frequently referencing the Scriptures in her prayers.
I had the privilege of sitting down with Ute Carkner, a member of our Outreach Canada team, earlier this year. I was eager to get to hear more from her about how she was first introduced to prayer, a bit more of her prayer journey, and how she has developed a ministry and practice of inviting others into prayer alongside her!
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the job You have given me. For the opportunity to represent You to all those I work with today. May I be sensitive to Your leading, satisfied in Your provision and secure in the knowledge that You are going with me through every challenge I may face today ...
A personal reflection from Rick Burdett, Outreach Canada's Chief Operations Officer and a member of the LeaderSHIFT team.
I used to say, "A suitcase is the greatest equalizer of immigrants."
We all arrived in Canada with only two suitcases. Regardless of our social, political, military, or even financial and educational status in our homeland, we arrived to start a new life.
In September 1981, my wife, our 3-year-old girl, and I arrived at Vancouver International Airport en route to Regina, Saskatchewan. We traveled thousands of miles from Manila, Philippines ...
Diaspora are those people who have dispersed or spread from their original homeland. By that definition, most of us living in Canada are diaspora, but the term is generally used to describe recent migrants, their children, and grandchildren.
People migrate to Canada willingly (for a better future) or unwillingly (to escape calamity). They may have come from a country where there are more churches and Christians than we have in Canada, or they may come from a place where they would never have met a Christian or heard about Jesus Christ.
The diaspora story in Canada is complex and full of opportunity; so let’s pray!