Kevin Dibbley

         This past summer, my wife, MariAnne, and I were walking along a street in Oxford England. As we passed one of the many Oxford colleges, we had to make our way around a large group of international students who were lined up along a long stone wall which stretched to the end of the block. The most clearly noticeable feature of this group was that they were all (and when I say "all", I mean "all") absorbed with their smart phones. No one was talking, laughing, or listening to one another. They may have been chatting with each other by means of texting. Who knows? However, it seemed clear that they were using the break between classes to catch up on whatever was happening online.             It is pretty clear today that it takes no effort to fill the gaps of time in our lives with information. That information may be as shallow and mundane as Facebook posts about the weather, ...

"In peace, I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8             It is not often that there is a great deal of Canadian news dominating the headlines in the United States. Other than the antics of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, Canada tends to be the sleepy, easy to ignore neighbour to the North. We ship many of our best hockey players, comedians, and theologians south of the border, but most people just assume that they have always been from America. Canada typically remains out of sight and out of mind. It is only on a rare occasion such as yesterday that Canada is thrust into the spotlight. On October 22, 2014,  all over the U.S., and the world for that matter, major news networks covered the unfolding events surrounding the deadly attack at the Parliament buildings of Ottawa by a Quebec man who had become radicalized into an extreme and violent Islamic ideo...

                      Before long, grief comes. It is the inevitable and often heart wrenching experience of every one of us this side of heaven. For those who profess to be Christians, there is no escaping what is common to all people everywhere. None of us grieve precisely the same way. For some, grief will be part of our experience until it is our time to leave our earthly tent. For others, the pain will pass more quickly with only occasional times when it seems to appear out of nowhere and catches us off guard.           The Scriptures encourage us by not dismissing or making light of grief. We do grieve. Jesus wept. Such deep trials will "distress" us, according to the apostle Peter [1] . The Bible also remind us that grief, though real and difficult, is fundamentally different for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ...

In my first two blog posts about how we are to talk to each other as Christians, I focused on building a philosophy of speaking and developing an understanding of the principles that set the parameters of our speaking as Christians. I have rooted this study in the book of Ephesians. So far, it has looked like this: The Philosophy of Christian Speaking: ·          Be the temple of God ·          Build the temple of God Six Principles That Guide our Christian Speaking: Praise - Our speech must first be to the glory and praise of God's grace. Peace - Our speech must recognize that in Christ, we have been united as one people. Prayer - Our speech must be the overflow of our prayer that all God's people might know the certainty and depth of His love for them in Christ. Preserve - Our speech must recognize that it is our calling to prese...

             In my previous blog post, I laid out a biblical way to formulate a Christian philosophy of speaking (see http://www.kevindibbley.com/2014/09/developing-christian-philosophy-for-all.html ). It is clear from the Scriptures that how we speak as Christians is no small matter to God. It is also no small matter to those upon whose ears our words fall. Words do much good and much harm.             When we speak, we reflect the image of the Triune God who is eternally communicative within the communion of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have been created to share and to enjoy fellowship with God and with one another. Sin has made a royal mess of that. We all know that firsthand. Our words come out wrong intentionally and accidentally. Trying to express ourselves and to be understood has long been a major source of frustration for all people. ...

                      Very few people doubt the power of words to do good or to do harm. Developing a strategic mindset that aims at making our words powerful for good rather than for harm is not optional. Proverbs 12:18 warns and encourages us with these words: " There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing ." Rash words are words that are spoken quickly, carelessly, and without thinking. They do a great deal of harm. The tongue of the wise, that is, the person who has thought about how to use his or her words for good, brings healing in a world of hurt.             A simple but not insignificant question that every Christian should ask himself or herself is this: Do I have a clear Christian philosophy of talking? Have I a mission statement that directs and governs each and eve...