StephenBarkley.com

This passage evokes images from movies and really bad fundamentalist Christian videos. When I read it, I imagine an exorcism scene where the sweat-stained minister has his hands wrapped around the head of some poor soul writhing in agony from the demon inside her. “Do you confess that Jesus is Lord?” asks the minister as [...]

There’s a old joke older pastors used to make when they got close to the end of their sermon but didn’t feel like stopping. “I’m just circling the runway,” they say. This is usually followed by a recap of the main point of the message that launches the speaker into another diversion before almost touching [...]

I remember the day I proposed to my wife. We had been dating for over a year and we both knew we were going to get married. All of our friends knew it was only a matter of time before the engagement. All that was left to do was ask. Finally, the day arrived. I [...]

I’m a multi-billionaire . . . just not in Canada. I keep a genuine Five Billion Dollar banknote from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe pinned to the wall above my laptop screen to mock the so-called no-god of Mammon. The Zimbabwean dollar has had a troubled past. From its introduction in 1980 it’s been reintroduced [...]

Have you ever taken a personality test? A few years ago I went through the Birkman system. After completing a series of seemingly unending questions about all aspects of my life, the results were fed into a machine. A few weeks later the Birkman representative debriefed myself and the rest of the staff on the [...]

In a lamp-lit room after a ceremonial meal and a few glasses of wine, Jesus spilled his heart to his disciples. There was an awkward tension in the room. Jesus was troubled, and sent Judas away. The remaining eleven were not sure why he left, but they knew that something didn’t feel right. Jesus took [...]

“The Devil made me do it!” Flip Wilson popularized that phrase in his comedy routines.  Here’s a good example from, “The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress”: While some people just blame everything on the devil to avoid taking responsibility for their actions (it is a pretty convenient excuse), there is a serious truth behind [...]

I love the depth and shock-value of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Can you imagine what it would have been like to hear these words for the first time? You’ve heard don’t murder—I say if you’re angry with someone you’ve already committed it. You’ve heard don’t commit adultery—I say if you’ve lusted after someone, you’ve [...]

Last Sunday was unique. It happens only once every year in my tradition. Since it was the second Sunday of Advent, we sang carols and took time to remember the birth of Jesus. Since it was the first Sunday of the month, we celebrated the Lord’s Supper, and took time to remember his death. Birth [...]

George MacDonald is one of my all-time favourite authors.  I became hooked on him when I realized the esteem C. S. Lewis held for him.  I read Lilith and Phantastes a number of times, not quite comprehending the depths of them yet feeling strangely moved. Next, I read a biography and plowed through his three [...]