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Woman, Behold Thy Son... Behold Thy Mother!
The Third Saying of Christ on the Cross: John 19:26-27 “Woman, behold thy son...Behold thy mother!” Jesus is in the deepest darkness of...
Ryan Kleinjan
Apr 213 min read


Ask a Pastor: What Do I Do If I Find It Difficult to Forgive Someone?
What do I do if I find it difficult to forgive someone who has continually hurt me and my loved ones?

Re. Jan Neels
Apr 102 min read


Sermon of the Month: April 2025
For how many of us are the words of Psalm 109:4b, “I give myself to prayer,” true? Prayer is one of the hardest and yet most essential...

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Apr 11 min read


Branches of Service: Elder
When the Plants & Pillars team approached me about writing an article on the work of elders, I focused in the importance of home visits...
Bill Brunsveld
Mar 244 min read


Branches of Service: Pastor
It takes many people in many different roles in order for the church to function properly. The church needs elders and deacons, Sunday...

Rev. Jack Schoeman
Mar 44 min read


Sermon of the Month: March 2025
In our youth, we can often sympathize with the book of Ecclesiastes when it tells us “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” We are...

Rev. Ian MacLeod
Mar 11 min read


Ontario Winter Summit 2025
In the summer of 2023, then again in 2024, the FRC Youth and Education committee hosted the “Young Men’s Summit” in Grand Rapids, seeking...
plantsandpillarsap
Feb 274 min read


What If It Feels Like Christianity Isn’t Working? (Surviving Religion 101 Postscript)
Healthy plants have deep roots and strong pillars have solid foundations. If we are to be Christians who are deeply rooted in Christ and...

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Feb 257 min read


How Do I Handle Doubts? (Surviving Religion 101 Chapter 15)
Healthy plants have deep roots and strong pillars have solid foundations. If we are to be Christians who are deeply rooted in Christ and...

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Feb 207 min read


Ask a Pastor: How Should a Church Handle Repentant Criminals?
How should a church handle repentant criminals (including sex offenders) wanting to join a congregation?

Rev. John Koopman
Feb 142 min read


Sermon of the Month: February 2025
This month’s Sermon of the Month is from the wonderfully encouraging and strengthening chapter of James 1. Pastor Eric Moerdyk of St. Thomas

Pastor Eric Moerdyk
Feb 11 min read


Branches of Service: Sunday School Teacher
When I was first approached about teaching Sunday school, part of me felt apprehensive and intimidated. This would mean a regular time...
Martina Bruinsma
Jan 314 min read


How Can a Book Be from God If It Advocates Oppression or Genocide? (Surviving Religion 101 Chapter 14)
The most common attacked aimed at Scripture these days may not be a historical one but a moral one. We need to let the irony of that sink

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Jan 157 min read


Can We Be Sure We Have the Right Books of the Bible? (Surviving Religion 101 Chapter 13)
In 1945, the shepherd Muhammad Ali (not related to the boxer!) stumbled onto a significant archeological discovery in Nag Hammadi, Egypt.

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Jan 86 min read


Sermon of the Month: January 2025
This sermon is based on the text of Philippians 3:13-14 which says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended...

Rev. Kenneth Hutton
Jan 11 min read


Jesus, the Humble Saviour
Often in the holiday season, we are reminded by pastors, teachers, parents, and grandparents that we have to remember the heart of Christmas
plantsandpillarsap
Dec 25, 20242 min read


Have the Words of Scripture Been Changed? (Surviving Religion 101 Chapter 12)
Can we really trust our English Bible today? Thousands of years have passed since the original texts were written and all we have are copies

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Dec 11, 20246 min read


Can I Trust the Gospels? (Surviving Religion 101 Chapter 11)
The four biblical gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – are some of the most loved and most scrutinized books in the history of the world

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Nov 27, 20246 min read


How Do We Know the Bible is Really from God? (Surviving Religion 101 Chapter 10)
As we engage in conversations on a variety of topics – salvation, morality, church, abortion and so on...

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Nov 6, 20247 min read


How Can I Believe in Miracles If I’ve Never Seen One? (Surviving Religion 101 Chapter 9)
As a child it’s easy to simply accept the stories of miracles in the Bible, including the resurrection of Jesus.

Rev. Mark Wagenaar
Nov 6, 20247 min read
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