Phil Wagler

“Do as I say, not as I do!” Ever heard that? I’ve said it as a parent in those moments when the type of behaviour I desire from my kids…

I’d had one of those weeks. Most weeks feel like “those” weeks these days. Is that how you feel too? Given my season in life, the week in question included…

“To err is human; to forgive…” “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Kudos to English poet, Alexander Pope, for one of the most memorable lines of the English language.…

At 23, I was handed the keys to a pastor’s office for the first time. I remember the idealism leading up to the moment the key went in the door. This was a small church trying to find its way, and I was full of vigour, vision, and a healthy dose of naivety.

Some good words [and a few bad ones] In Katherine Paterson’s children’s novel, Bridge to Terabithia, a fascinating conversation takes place. Leslie, the new neighbourhood girl, is riding home after…

I had a nice house: the wide front porch my wife always hoped for, a great backyard the kids could frolic in, a garden, a master suite with fireplace and claw-foot tub. It was all so, well, nice. Then God called.

Are we no longer communities of the Spirit?

I grew up in southwestern Ontario where – by my childish observations – most everyone was religious, or at least made excuses if they weren’t. The statistics verify my early mastery of sociology. A recent Globe and Mail article (“Canada Marching Away From Religion to Secularization,” December 11, 2010) notes, “Before 1971, less than 1 per cent of Canadians ticked the ‘no religion’ box on national surveys. Two generations later, nearly a quarter of the population, or 23 per cent, say they aren’t religious.”