Years ago after experiencing a period of attending many funerals of lost friends and family, I attended an Evangelical friend’s wedding. It was a positive relief to finally attend an event in which we could enjoy each other’s fellowship while celebrating life and newfound love. When it came time for the speeches, the father of the groom brought up his Bible and preached what felt like a 20-minute sermon, though it wasn’t exactly a congratulatory one. He finished off by pointing… Read more
May 4, 2020
May the Fourth: My Collection of Disney-Era Star Wars Film Reviews
May 4, 2020 By René Albert
In the spirit of May the Fourth, I figured that I might as well post my reviews of the Disney-Era Star Wars films from Rogue One to The Rise of Skywalker. I never got around to doing a review of The Force Awakens since I didn’t start blogging until a year after its release. Perhaps I’ll get around to it sometime later. Please note that there are SPOILERS AHEAD in each of these reviews in case you haven’t seen these… Read more
April 23, 2020
The Idolatry of Freedom and the Inconvenience of Sacrifice
April 23, 2020 By René Albert
Considering both scenarios, it makes me wonder, what exactly is ‘freedom’ and at what point does it become excessive? Read more
April 16, 2020
Are Demons Real?
April 16, 2020 By René Albert
While I may be a believer in God and the spiritual realm, I also tend to hold an equal amount of skepticism. For most who are religious, it’s easy to connect anything that happens in the physical world with the spiritual realm. But sometimes that heightened awareness of the metaphysical can come without realizing that the unknown does not always mean diabolical. For example, as an adolescent I remember being frightened by my parent’s housecoats that were hung up behind… Read more
April 7, 2020
A Reflection on Church Closures, Passover & Healing During The Sabbath
April 7, 2020 By René Albert
It sure is a strange time to be alive. In the wake of public closures of ‘nonessential services,’ it really makes me consider how we take human interaction for granted. I think we’ve been truly blessed to live in a time when the internet sort of alleviates the feeling of isolation, but certainly doesn’t replace in-person conversation — especially when it comes to the Church. With that being said, I have a somewhat strange reflection to share. Given that we are… Read more
March 25, 2020
Addressing Fearmongering And Conspiracy Over COVID-19 Outbreak
March 25, 2020 By René Albert
Image credit: pixabay.com “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV In the wake of any traumatic event or disaster, emotions usually run high among those involved. In my own experiences, I’ve had my own share of vehicle accidents where, in the aftermath, my head was usually overloading with questions. What if I had gone a bit slower? What if I took an… Read more
March 20, 2020
Communion In The Hand?
March 20, 2020 By René Albert
For non-Catholics, this article might come across as a bit of an oddity. Most Protestant Christians (with the exception of certain Lutheran and Anglican denominations) believe the Eucharist is merely a symbol and an act of remembrance, though Catholics, Orthodox and certain mainline Protestants believe it is much more than that. While the vast majority of Christian denominations teach that individuals ought to receive Communion in a reverent manner, the method of reverence varies among them. Because Catholics believe the… Read more
March 17, 2020
Coronavirus, Avarice and Human Depravity
March 17, 2020 By René Albert
In Chapter 7 of Elie Wiesel’s novel ‘Night,’ there is a disturbing scene where prisoners of war boarded a train car in Poland on their way to the concentration camps. After they journeyed for days with little to no food and drink, the prisoners were gradually becoming sick and dying. Some would even consume the snow on the ground in an attempt to find some form of nourishment. A few German workmen by the train tracks tossed pieces of bread… Read more
March 12, 2020
A Reflection on the Parable of the Good Samaritan
March 12, 2020 By René Albert
The first week of March was a pretty rough haul for me. In addition to battling sickness, I was assigned to a job site about an hour and a half out of town while the weather was still your typical Albertan winter. The periodic wind gusts exceeding 35 kilometers an hour made finishing the tin roof of an unfinished gazebo a task that required more caution that the usual times I’ve been sent out in the field. As I had… Read more
February 29, 2020
Scripture, Apostolic Succession and the Importance of Foundations
February 29, 2020 By René Albert
“According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 RSV As a carpenter, dealing with building foundations is part of my profession. Like a domino effect, a faulty foundation not only affects the framework of… Read more
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