spirituality Archives - Keith Shields

Dry Bones and the Spirit

In Ezekiel 37:1-14 recounts one of the most important prophetic visions of the Bible. The vision takes Ezekiel to a “plain near a settlement of exiles at Tel Abib.” Ezekiel was prophesying at a time when the people of Israel were in exile. The Babylonian people had overcome the nation of Israel and scattered the…

Grace and Effort

As I prepare a sermon for this Sunday on New Wine, I know I need to meditate upon this quote by Dallas Willard. “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins…

Of Cats and Bells

Today, I saw a house-cat hunting a squirrel. The cat crept up on the unsuspecting creature, carefully trying to get within range of a giant leap and an unleashing of claws and teeth. One could see thousands of years of instincts and intuition, passed down from ancient ancestors, coiled up in the body of this…

Inland

I have been listening to the songs on Jars of Clay’s album Inland since 2014, shortly after it came out. Some of my favourite songs on the album (I have previously written about some of these) include “After the Fight,” “Reckless Forgiver,” “Loneliness and Alcohol,” and “Fall Asleep.” (The amazing video for Fall Asleep can be…

Spirit Gifting

“It seems a sad commentary on the church and on its understanding of the Holy Spirit that “official” leadership and ministry is allowed to come from only one half of the community of faith. The New Testament evidence is that the Holy Spirit is gender inclusive, gifting both men and women, and thus potentially setting…

The Difficulty of Explaining Spiritual Experiences

“. . . spiritual matters are very hard to explain. . . . I am convinced that those who refuse to believe that God can do far more than this, and that He is pleased now, as in the past, to communicate Himself to His creatures, shut fast their hearts against receiving such favours themselves.…

We Were Soldiers

The Mel Gibson movie, We Were Soldiers, is one of my favourite movies of all-time, with strong themes of leadership and courage. An example is Colonel Hal Moore’s stunning speech just before the young soldiers ship out under his command? I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I…

Walking in the Light

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we…

Woodstock

One of Joni Mitchell’s more spiritual songs. Woodstock(“Woodstock” is track #8 on the album Shadows And Light (Live). It was written by Joni Mitchell.) (Listen to a great performance of this song here.) I came upon a child of God He was walkin’ along the road And I asked him, I said “Where’re you going?”…

I Just Want To Know

Regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey, I pray that you might be always drawing closer to God. As I went for a run this morning a prayer written by Steve Taylor came to mind and I prayed as I ran. In all of the activity of life: teaching, mentoring, preaching, planning, and…