In the two decades I’ve been working as a freelance writer, I’ve had thousands of stories, columns and feature articles published. Following are links to some more recent ones:
“Ten Lessons from Fallen Leaders” for the March/April 2021 edition of Faith Today allowed me to dig into ways in which churches and ministries can safeguard themselves against abuse of power.
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Henri Nouwen described writing as “a process in which we discover what lives in us.” In writing this article for Faith Today’s January/February 2021 issue, I discovered that what lives in me—at the end of all the time, money, and effort expended on my studies—is deep gratitude for having undertaken them.
“The Value of Theological Education”
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I was sitting in my daughter’s home—half a country away from my own—listening to the murmurs of her tiny, perfect six-day-old son when I picked up for the first time Steven Garber’s new book The Seamless Life. Book review for Convivium Magazine:
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This story for In Trust magazine found that for one seminary, which developed its own mobile app, they are finding it useful for reeling in students, broadcasting content, and gathering analytics.
“For students, convenience; for schools, connection and data”
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It was a desire to explore and deepen the practices that shape and express who I am as a believer in Jesus Christ that resulted in this essay for Faith Today magazine:
“Practicing the practices of my faith”
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My story for In Trust magazine’s New Year 2019 issue explores digital teaching tools for theological educators.
“Mastering Digital Teaching Tools: Expertise in online pedagogy, adapted for theological education”
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More than half of today’s senior pastors will be retirement age within the next ten years, and there may not be enough young pastors to replace them. This feature article for Faith Today’s Nov/Dec 2018 issue looks at the coming crisis and how denominations are responding.
“Is a Clergy Crisis Coming? How to prepare for the coming shortage of pastors”
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Just before the movie “The Shack” opened in theatres earlier this year, Faith Today magazine asked me to write about it. You can see my thoughts on the film – and on the controversy surrounding it – in the May/June 2017 issue.
“The Shack Controversy: How the label ‘Christian’ can lead us all astray”
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Any Canadian with a social media account and a handful of opinionated friends may remember 2016 as the year when political discourse sank to a whole new low. Yet 2017 was only days old when our country’s public broadcaster offered a not-so-subtle reminder that this reality is not just an American one.
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They call it “the most wonderful time of the year.” But for too many of us today, Christmas means stress. With this in mind, World Vision Canada commissioned this thoughtful Advent devotional booklet for Christmas 2016, designed to help us all glean a little more beauty from the season. I was privileged to write the daily reflection questions and prayers.
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It was three separate incidents over a period of about as many weeks that persuaded me swearing is no longer the taboo it once was for Evangelicals.
“Foul mouthed and faithful” for Faith Today magazine.
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When word came of a meeting between Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis in Cuba, a headline in the National Post wondered whether the event might hail the “End of the 1,000-year schism?” Accompanying photographs of the two church leaders, adorned respectively in Byzantine bling and papal finery attracted my attention …
“The Pope and the Patriarch and the Meeting in Cuba” for the blog over at Faith Today magazine
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When Faith Today asked me to submit something for this space related to “How to Read the Bible Well,” I said yes. And then I considered backing out. …
“Reasons to Read the Bible Well” for the blog over at Faith Today magazine.
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The first Bible I called my own was a tiny New Testament. A gift from the Gideons – in an era when such gifts were still widely thought to be good – it had a burgundy leather cover with gold lettering. …
“How to Read the Bible Well” for Faith Today magazine
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I’d never been to a strip club before. And so I admit that even as I forced myself to put on my fearless journalist’s hat (for the sake of my husband and daughter who accompanied me) my heart was beating just a little bit faster as I walked through the doors of The Manor strip club in Guelph, Ont. …
“The Day I Went to Church in a Strip Club”
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When I was still a young woman in my early 20s, I heard a pastor say in a sermon that, “every person is a monument to the decisions and choices they have made.” That little piece of wisdom must have struck me as particularly profound because I scribbled it down on one of the blank pages at the front of my Bible. I’ll bet I read those words thousands of times over all the years I had that Bible; it would not be an exaggeration to say they helped shape my life. …
“When Life is a Monument” for the blog at Faith Today magazine
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I was sweating the first time I set eyes on Reg Petersen, retired businessman, philanthropist, former nursing home mogul and founder of Bridgeway Foundation, the sought after prom date of every Canadian Christian organization trying to make ends meet. …
“Building Bridges” for Faith Today magazine
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Save the Mothers summer intern and journalism student Meagan Doll interviewed me for this Q&A, published by MediaShift.
“Why Cross-Cultural Competence is a Must in Journalism Education”
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Patricia Paddey 