Faith Archives | Council Fire

October 18, 2026

October 18, 2026

God Promises His Presence

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV) We were on a bus, on our way home from visiting the Vancouver Zoo. A father and son boarded, and the dad had a big bag of popcorn. “Can I have some popcorn?” the son asked. “Hold out your hands,” the dad replied. The boy opened up both hands as wide as he could. “Open wider,” said the dad. The little boy strained to open his hands wide. […]

October 17, 2026

October 17, 2026

What Fears Do You Face?

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace.” Philippians 4:6-7a (NLT) We humans feel all kinds of emotions when something unexpected happens. This was very real to me this past winter when I was told over the phone by my doctor that my test results indicated stage two cancer. I didn’t have any words to say, except “Okay.” I kind of went numb for a while from the news . . . thinking I had just received my death sentence. After […]

October 16, 2026

October 16, 2026

Who is the Creator?

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth . . . All things were created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16 (NKJV) Among our First Nations people, much is said about the “Creator” . . . like, “We believe in God the Creator; He created Mother Earth,” etc. There is not one accepted theory, as some believe the Bible, but others do not. To many, the Creator is just a mysterious power out there. The Scriptures teach that He is an intelligent Person who knows more about us than we know […]

October 15, 2026

Memories

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider things of old.” Isaiah 43:18 (KJV) “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13b (KJV) I have a bad memory. I don’t mean that I forget things, I mean that I have almost total recall of events, people and conversations of my entire life. Most of the things I remember are not happy memories and I’d rather forget them. The average person has one quadrillion pieces of information in his or her brain. That would be written with the number 1 followed by […]

October 14, 2026

October 14, 2026

Before the Rescue

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14 (NKJV) I love the gritty, last-minute deliverance stories in the Bible. It makes me want to cheer when God wins another seemingly hopeless battle. But how about the time before the rescue, before the miracle? The Israelites faced a hopeless situation. They just got set free from the evil clutches of Egypt and headed towards their Promised Land. No more slavery. God’s presence in a cloud by day and a pillar of fi re by night to guide them. No worries, right? But wait . . […]

October 13, 2026

October 13, 2026

Untapped Potential

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) I just love old guitars! A bunch of years back we were singing in a really remote fly-in community, and I couldn’t believe what I saw hanging on a friend’s back wall. It was a 1956 Gibson ES125—I was just wowed by this half-century-old guitar. I was even more speechless when my friend gifted it to me! Two weeks later, I was getting the old Gibson ready to go to work— new strings, new strap, new case—getting […]

October 12, 2026

October 12, 2026

A Father’s Laugh

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36 (NKJV) What’s the biggest mistake you have ever made? Sometimes we perceive our mistakes as bigger than they really are. That feeling when you think you have completely wrecked something is not a good place to be. Two times come to my mind. The first one happened when I was still learning how to drive. We were out on my dad’s trapline, hunting and trapping beaver. We had this huge Chevy Suburban that needed to be moved, and I volunteered to do it. I had it in reverse, […]

October 11, 2026

October 11, 2026

Childlike Wonder

“Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’” Matthew 18:3-4 (NLT) When I was in Grade One, I was so excited to tell my school friends about Jesus. Anyone I was able to talk to, I’d share about who Jesus was, and what He’d done for us on the cross. One day, one of my school friends said she wanted to ask Jesus […]

October 10, 2026

October 10, 2026

Together for Good

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV) What does a good marriage look like? It’s a question looked at from different angles—whether we’re single and thinking about it, engaged, happily married, not-so-happily married, or divorced . . . our current life status will influence how we answer that question. Our upbringing will go a long way toward our minds on the issue. My parents’ marriage […]