February 2012
18 posts
On Tenacity.
Enjoy this word from Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest for February 22.
“Tenacity is more than endurance, it is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that what we are looking for is going to transpire. Tenacity is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero...
Bread Truck Monday
Last week my friend Dave Smith reminded us all of one aspect of ministry that I had to laugh about. Quoting Mark Driscoll, the two of them get a resounding “Amen” from pastors all over the world as Driscoll honestly speaks about his “Break Truck Monday Fantasy.”
Here it is:
“‘Is there ever a time, even if you love God, that you’re in ministry and you...
March 3, 2012.
The nice thing is that when it’s your own blog, you can post whatever the heck you want.
6 months of running sprints and early morning practices comes down to one sold out game…
Who Is Colin?
A couple days ago I was at a pub with some friends when I recognized a girl from Vancouver that I had met a few days before. Vancouver people tend to have instant connections…unless they’re in, well, Vancouver.
I called out to her, “Hi Alex.” She said hi back and then introduced me to her friend she was with…
“This is Colin.”
Um…
This exchange...
Does Supralapsarianism Hinder Free Will?
I don’t die on the free will hill but I still acknowledge how much our choices matter. I’m sure some will appreciate this.
Supralapsarianism, the argument I’m working on from a previous post claims that this world we live in now is the best of all the possible worlds there could be. I say this because in this world not only God exists but he has come to us and died for us in...
There's Always A Market...
Happy Valentines Day
On Supralapsarianism And The Problem of Evil.
I had fun kicking around a solution to the problem of evil a couple weeks ago and wanted to post something about it.
I did a paper on Supralapsarianism for Christian Faith And Philosophy class that drew heavily from the work of retired Notre Dame professor, Alvin Plantinga. This post contains sections of my paper so it is a little more rigid and wordy but I tried to smooth it out a bit to make...
On Unworthy Servants
“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all...
On Resurrections.
“So she [Mary] ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the One whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tom, and we do not know where they have laid them.” John 20:2
I like how honest the Bible is about the humanity of the characters involved.
Mary Magdalene was a resurrection skeptic just like many people today. Granted, people...
Don't Give Up
This was an incredibly moving post from Jon Bloom of Desiring God.
God’s Word is sufficient to be our source of encouragement, nourishment and respite. How sad it is for those who do not have God’s word in times of need.
How much more sad it is for those who have God’s word but neither value it nor read it?
I would encourage you to read Bloom’s post taking time to...
To Run Or Fly?
“Run, John, run.
The law commands
But gives neither feet nor hands.
Better news the gospel brings;
It bids me fly and gives me wings.”
— John Bunyan
My Tall el Hammam Trip
“By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.” -Genesis 19:23-25
I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember and yet I...
January 2012
18 posts
We Made It
Here’s the link.
On Moving Dirt
“Jon, you moved a lot of dirt today.”
This is the daily refrain I get from my site supervisor, Gary, who I have been working with all week. Gary has been on working on Tall el-Hammam for 8 years, since the very beginning of the dig. He has been my archaeological mentor and has taught me more than I ever thought I would need to know about baulk lines, the ideal trowel size, and when...
Some Pictures So Far
Tebowing At Petra. I had to. It’s been submitted to Tebowing.com for approval.
I like this picture because that photogenic camel has some serious personality.
I swear he was winking at the camera. You decide for yourself.
It’s almost like I had the whole Dead Sea to myself. Certainly didn’t have to share it with any fish.
Today I had my first day on the dig site. Dr....
The Magic Of Floating On Water
One of the incidental parts of this trip to Jordan is that the dig site (Tal el-Hammam) is conveniently located at a five star hotel right on the Dead Sea. Since this is the winter, we got a really good deal on rooms…and with that really good deal comes really good food as well!
Today we got newbie-archaeology training in the morning and had the afternoon off to do whatever. Some people...
Dabbling In Biblical Archaeology
What good is a blog if you can’t tell the world about all your crazy adventures?
The Trip
Last year at the Apologetics Canada Conference, our last speaker was Dr. Steven Collins, whose talked called, “Confirming the Bible Through Archaeology” was after lunch, at the end of a tiring week for me. I was tempted to tune out of this one or skip it altogether. Then he said something...
Agree Or Disagree?
From The Presentation Secrets Of Steve Jobs. It’s pretty good.
Would You Know A Great Young Preacher If You Saw...
Maybe you heard or maybe you haven’t but Driscoll got himself in some trouble over here this week. He basically challenged the evangelicals of the UK to start pumping out some good preachers instead of guys who give comfortable sermons that would satisfy your grandmother’s sensibilities. I suppose he offended them a lot more than that but that was the jist of it.
I heard all about it...
4 Reasons Why You Should Trust Church OS
My brother, Matt, is in the business of helping churches. He focusses on helping churches reach their communities and serve their communities in the online frontier. He has recetnly decided to step out and go full time with his service called, Church OS. He and his coworker, Luke Cowell, have developed a system that can get a slick and easy to use website that will give churches a personalized...
The Gospel For The Rest Of Us
Maybe there is a pure gentleman out there. It’s certainly not me. I’m don’t make it very far through my own list and then I’m sliding down my chair in despair.
Oh the hypocrisy of the blogosphere!
It reminds me of this trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: ”For this we have the gospel.”
The gentleman’s rules remind me of the human struggle...
JonMorrison.ca - On Being A Gentleman
A friend recently posted a picture called “Rules of a Gentleman” that I appreciated a great deal. Upon conclusion that the previous list was lacking and in discussion with some classmates (including what I consider a true, British gentleman) we came up with our own Gentleman’s List. The following material is original as no other websites were consulted:
A gentleman will refuse...
Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
Are you tired of arguing about the importance of the atonement?
Are you frustrated with Christians who don’t hold to the primacy and authority of Scripture?
Does the trend to dismiss the importance of biblical doctrine keep you up at night?
Are you weary of being lumped in with Right-Wing Fundamentalists, a camp you work hard at distancing yourself from?
Well if you’re an...
Would You Believe Dr. Luke's Prescription?
In a cynical generation such as the one I am a part of, it is nice to know that the Bible offers the skeptic a chance to test their conspiracy theory on a historic document. Without reading too much into who Theophilus is, I think that the timelessness of Luke’s approach in writing to this influential Greek is timely to skeptics of our day.
It’s right there in the intro:
...
Breaking News
JonMorrison.ca now offers Comments again.
Be kind.
WatchWhen jet-lag kept me awake, Piper and Patrick kept me inspired to be a better man.
15 timely minutes of gender discussion so needed for our day and age. Well worth your time.
Ezra - A Timely Priest Then And Now
It’s good to have role models. My new role model has been dead for thousands of years.
His name is Ezra.
“He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him” (Ezra 7:6).
Ezra had three things going for him: knowledge of God’s word, favour from...
2012...Are You Having A Go?
For all of the craziness and transition that was 2011, the New Year is upon us. Even though I the same person that I was on Dec 31, in the same circumstances, with the same strengths and weaknesses, there is yet something about flipping that calendar year that gives me renewed annual optimism.
Here are nine things I’m excited for this coming year:
A new term as a student at Oxford that...
Christmas Break Thoughts
Thank you Vancouver…all of you.
Today, I’m back at my desk in Oxford and have some quiet time before term starts to reflect on the past weeks. Though I covet my time out here, it was a blessing to be back. Here are some things I was remembering as I reflected on my time in Vancouver:
God led a friend to pay for my flight home. I shouldn’t have even come back in the first...
December 2011
15 posts
Top Ten Tweets Of 2011
One of the unsung heros of the twelve days of Christmas is all the “Year in Review” shows you see on TV during this time. A barrage of sports highlights, top news stories, and newsmakers every December send me nostalgically thinking of the year that is now behind us.
Though I personally may not end up on TSN, Sportsnet, or CNN’s year-end show, I did manage to do a lot of...
Top 5 Favourite Posts #1 "November 14...Humbled"
When compiling this list, I had to laboriously look through all the blogs that I have written. This one I enjoyed the most. It wasn’t perhaps the funniest, the most clever, the most popular but I do think it was the most of what reflects my greatest desire- to see Jesus glorified and his name made great.
This post represents a great season of life in ministry leading with people that I love...
#2 "A Few Correlations"
I just like this one and wanted to dig it up, out of the blogging attic. It was good to bring back some old memories, struggles and laughs.
This is going to be a fun blog. Now, as a preface, I am fully aware of my personal limitations in several areas of the human experience. Two major issues I will not touch with a thirty nine and a half foot pole are: 1. Dispensing authoritative relational...
“The intensity of one’s response to the question, “Am I going to see...”
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in...”
– Isaiah 26:3
#3 "8 Steps To Shipwreck Your Faith"
Perhaps no other blog has reflected my greatest fight in ministry, the battle against liberalism. It’s been said often, “Bad theology” hurts real people. I have seen liberalism take its destructive course on individuals, families, churches and even entire denominations. It is sad. It is predictable and it is seldom seen by those who are in the middle of it.
Camp Qwanoes has a...
Top 5 Favourite Posts #5 "Stuff Single People...
This post from 3 years ago got the most “Hey I liked your blog…” comments from people. Having had 3 more years experience and served as a young adults pastor for two of those years, I would add more to this list. For today, I will keep the post as it was. Enjoy.
We are a funny, predictable bunch us young and single adults. I will belabour to point a few of these predictable...
Favorite Posts #4 "It Really Helps To Vote"
Though this was never really a popular blog, I think that this one is my favourite. I thought of it in the middle of voting for a municipal election and sped home (after the school zones) to write it out. I just really like what came out.
My friends often say, “You need to vote or you can’t complain.”
Ok. I just went to Irvine Elementary School and voted. Now it’s time...
“At most holiday parties I feel like the bowl of salsa after the guacamole has...”
– Jim Gaffigan
Celebrating 5 Years Of Blogging
It’s hard to imagine that just five years ago I found an envelope under the tree with my name on it that would change everything. When I opened it up, I found a piece of paper also with my name on it. This time it was different though. This time there was a .ca at the end of it. It was a gift from my brother who was then but a budding web design student. Now he is the Matt Morrison, CEO of...
I was giving a budding blogger some advice on the “art of blogging” and among the pointers such as word count, paragraph brevity and subtitles, I caught myself in some hypocrisy.
“…and they say that if you want to keep people coming to your site you should update your blog consistently and predictably…But then again I’m too sporadic and never listen to them...
End Of Term Update
I made a newsletter for the folks back home. Thought I would share it here too.
Click on this link for the full PDF version.
Not Your Ordinary Exercise
I don’t know about you but I often get tired of getting dressed in the morning. I suppose being the son of an Image Strategist (whom I love dearly), the mantra of trying to “wear a ten” every day can wear you down over the long haul.
When I woke up this morning, however, something was different. I knew that it wouldn’t be your ordinary getting dressed day. As I was...
A Reminder.
Is Christian mission about preaching the gospel or doing acts of justice? Some say you shouldn’t ask either/or but both. This is reductionistic I feel. If you were to give $100 to “missions” (a label not particularly effective but it will do), how much of it would you want going to a Bible School and how much would you want going to the building of say…a well? Good...