Editorial
Are you ready for the March for Life?
May 4, 2023The 26th annual National March for Life is shaping up to be one you don’t want to miss, especially since this is the first Canadian March for Life since the United States overturned Roe V. Wade. This year’s march has the theme “Stand Firm” drawn from […]
Read full articleThe garden and the empty tomb
April 6, 2023What were Jesus’ first thoughts after the resurrection? What did He do first as He revealed His cosmic victory over all powers of darkness? The gospels are surprisingly vague on this, telling of Jesus’ resurrection from the perspective of the women coming […]
Read full articleStaying? Let’s shake on it.
January 5, 2023It’s time we renewed our vision and understanding of a really effective greeting ministry. Visitors form an opinion about whether the congregation is friendly within the first two minutes of the service. Luckily, welcoming hospitality is […]
Read full articleAdvent—A Messianic Jewish Reflection
November 24, 2022As a Jewish boy growing up in Montreal, Christmas was a very joyous holiday of happy children being showered with toys. At least that was my impression watching television, since I didn’t have any direct experience […]
Read full articleA biblical recipe for Thanksgiving
October 6, 2022“Do what makes you happy.” These words are practically the mantra of our culture. It’s not bad advice, we all seek contentment and fulfillment; the problem is that people (all of us) are terrible at figuring out what will make us happy. The rich and powerful (those most […]
Read full articleKing of Glory, Humble Servant—Reflections on Holy Week
April 6, 2022Stephen Silverthorne Special to Spur Ottawa The beginning of John’s Gospel, chapter 12, paints a powerful scene. Jesus has just
Read full articleThe ancient mystery of prayer
November 18, 2021Sunday morning. Wincing in pain, my wife groaned while holding a hand over one eye. She had never experienced eye pain like this. I looked closely, but it was neither red, nor inflamed. Still, it hurt fiercely.
Read full articleThe God who answers prayer
February 4, 2021I’ll never forget the words of an OC Transpo officer. I was job-shaddowing her and I mentioned prayer to steer the conversation toward faith. “Prayer is a good thing to do,” she quickly responded. “God won’t really answer or do much for you, but it’s good to pray.” For a […]
Read full articleReflections on the year of vision
December 31, 2020I’m thankful that I resisted the temptation to preach a sermon on “2020 Vision” back at the beginning of this year. Not that I didn’t have lots of plans for the year, but by Easter time it became clear that God had different plans for all of us, and for everyone […]
Read full articleAn open letter to the readers of Spur Ottawa
November 16, 2020When we launched Spur Ottawa, back in September 2015, our hope and vision was to have a news website that told some of the great stories we encountered and heard about through our connections with the Christian community around Ottawa—because there are many. We wanted to promote unity, stir passion, and to “spur one another on toward […]
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