trust Archives - Keith Shields

Salieri and Mozart

In Timothy Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor, he writes about the story of Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as told in Peter Shaffer’s play, Amadeus. Keller recounts how Antonio Salieri was a court composer to the Hapsburg emperor in Vienna and wrote many successful operas. He had wealth and position but sensed that his…

Enemies and Psalms

As I read Psalm 3 a few days ago I was struck by two things: the dangers familiar to the writer of the psalm and the dangers of my life. The psalmist lived in a time of constant war in which any one of his many enemies might be lying in wait or planning his…

Warriors of Ephraim or Living Water

In Genesis, we read that Ephraim was the son of Joseph who was the son of Jacob. The descendants of Ephraim were considered one of the tribes of Israel and came to be associated with the northern tribes such that the tribe name, Ephraim, often stood in for the whole of the northern tribes after…

Truth and Fiction in Science

We have heard of many who are experiencing a crisis of faith as people wrestle with the place of God and faith in their lives; but there is another crisis of faith that is happening as well. Many are wondering how much we can trust science and the articles published in our scientific journals. We…

Authenticity

“The ideal of authenticity is something like the ideal of perfection. All of us have some idea of what we are talking about without ever having had any direct personal experience of it.”1 This is a revealing and reassuring statement from David Benner. For truly, none of us will ever achieve perfection, and neither will…

Guidance From God

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to…

Northumbria

The Northumbria Community is a Christian community which has its beginnings in the Northumbria district of the United Kingdom and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Yet, it is more than a localized community and is a world-wide monastic community with its own order and communal prayers. Their website describes the community in this way: Inspired…

Next Five Minutes

It is common to worry about the future; we often lament our past; the universal truth is that we must live in the present. The only moment I have is right now. What will I do with it? Emily Dickinson once said, “Forever is composed of nows.” Adam Anders wrote a song that conveys this…

Personal Data

Media outlets in the last few days have revealed that Americans spy on Americans; and Americans spy on Canadians; and some are concerned that Canadians might be spying on Canadians. Hmmm, we have systems that allow our spouses or parents to track where our phone is located, programs that allow us to know who has…

Walking in the Dark

For a few years now I have developed a practise of walking in the dark. What I mean by this is I like to go for walks at night in places that are as dark I can find. Living in a large urban centre like Vancouver means that even when I go for a walk…