From the “Freedom Sunday” Website:

On February 21, 2010, churches around the world will be praying for those held captive in honor of the first ever Freedom Sunday. Please join in this worldwide day of reflection by preaching about the freedom Jesus brings, singing songs of redemption and prayerfully considering taking an offering to support the global projects of the Not For Sale Campaign. From India to Australia, Myanmar to San Francisco, Costa Rica to New York, churches around the globe will collectively ring the Freedom bell to declare that they are Not For Sale, you are Not For Sale and no one should be For Sale.

I was surprised - painfully so - to learn that human trafficking isn’t something that happens somewhere else in the world. There are slaves right here in Canada - perhaps right here in our own city. That’s a little hard to take. Most, but not all, are sex-trade workers and Canada is known as a place of transit for foreign slaves entering the United States. This Sunday we’re participating in Freedom Sunday to raise awareness of the issue. Our Manifesto says that we are a community that stands up for justice and speaks against oppression and - sooner or later - we’re going to have to do more than raise awareness.  But here is where we are, so here is where we begin. We’re going to have communion as a reminder that freedom comes with a price , that freedom is found in Jesus Christ and that freedom for the oppressed is found in God’s people living as Christ did…

…and as a reminder that if one of us ain’t free then none of us is free.

Michael - brought a group of extraordinary people together to make this magazine happen. It features some Third Space friends and family - Chris Jardin, Jenn Knight, Jonah Clifford. The New Canadian Centre is featured, as is “Bike”, whom we share our space with. Preaching the gospel? That’s easy. Living the gospel? Another matter altogether. [...]

Nathan Colquhoun is one of two hip-cats who are pastors at The Story in Sarnia, Ontario. The other is a former pro wrestler with cauliflower ears named Stamford “the Steam Roller” Brogan. Mostly their ministry consists of keeping Joe Manafo from setting things - and occasionally people - on fire. Joe would say, yes, on [...]

Jesus, a Jewish Rabbi, meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He not only asks for a drink of water but strikes up a conversation with her. This just isn’t done. This is not just a woman, it’s a Samaritan woman. A less than ‘pure’ woman. A less than fully human being. And what’s more [...]

On Sunday we were talking Jazz. Well, Ian was talking Jazz. Specifically, about the intersection of Jazz and faith. How is it possible that jazz and faith intersect? Ian shared with us Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith by Robert Gelinas in which he discusses just that. He does in book form what Ian [...]

The thing I like most about Kingdom Grace is that Grace doesn’t post unless she has something to say. Mindless chatter to fill page views is not her style. Unfortunately, though, I missed a post in which she wrote her own glossary of Christian terms. It’s inspired me to do the same. I’m not saying [...]

Pentecost is derived from the ancient Greek for ‘fifty’ and the festival of Pentecost got that name because, on the ancient Jewish calendar, it came on the fiftieth day after Passover. In Jewish religious life the festival commemorated Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God and the establishment of his covenant relationship with his [...]

“Dance your bones” may be the best advice I get all year. Your best advice of the year is probably in this post from Rae at Blackbird Studio as well.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
This is from Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church, which [...]

we have this day - today - and we have none other.
these hands, these lips, these feet,
this breath, this spirit, this song:
we have none other.
how full of mystery our world becomes,
how full of wonder, awe, majesty, silence, beauty and
wild joy our world becomes
when we are fully present in it.
let this now be the year [...]