StephenBarkley.com

I started blogging in May of 2005 by writing small devotions on the book of Ezekiel. Back then my url was pastorsteve.typepad.com. When I moved to my own WordPress install, the transfer of archives didn’t go so smoothly. The formatting was so messed up it was difficult to read. Add to that the cumbersome nature [...]

My blogging adventure began in May, 2005 when I opened up a Typepad account and started writing bi-weekly devotionals on the book of Ezekiel. Our trip through Ezekiel ended 146 posts later in February of 2008. A few months after I finished with Ezekiel, I migrated from Typepad to a self-hosted WordPress account and expanded [...]

Have you ever lived through an event so catastrophic that it made you question whether God was still with you? Using the life of Ezekiel, I want to encourage you with two truths: You’re not alone in your struggles—you’re in good company. God has never left you, despite all appearances to the contrary. Thanks to [...]

It’s hard to believe. A couple years have passed and we’ve read through all of Ezekiel together. I hope you’ve benefited from looking at the text closely with me. I know my attitudes about the Old Testament prophets have certainly changed. This blog is titled, “Meditations on Ezekiel”. Now that we’re through the text, I [...]

At the end of the ages the Son himself spoke to us through himself. — Cyril of Alexandria Endings are significant. Let me share a few of my favourite: He asks all, but He gives all. (Thomas R. Kelly, “The Light Within”, A Testament of Devotion) This book is written in the hope that this [...]

The homecoming of Israel bespeaks the healing of all creation. — Walter Brueggemann (Isaiah 1-39) Dorothy had it right: there’s no place like home. I find that no matter how great a vacation is, there’s a satisfying feeling when you walk through the door to your own home. This is even true when I go camping. I [...]

I am a pilgrim and a stranger Traveling through this wearisome land I’ve got a home in that yonder city, good Lord And it’s not, not made by hand — Traditional Have you ever tried to find a hotel room only to find out there’s a major event going on in the same city? It’s [...]

If we believed that the existence of the world is rooted in mystery and in sanctity, then we would have a different economy. — Wendell Berry (Citizenship Papers) Our Canadian Federal government’s in a good financial position right now. Jim Flaherty, the current finance minister, is almost giddy announcing tax cuts. The dreaded 7% GST that [...]

Paul is the first person in the history of world literature to argue that all human beings are equal. — Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis) I love looking at ancient maps. Maps of the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes are particularly instructive. They are very accurate along the water front, only to degenerate as the land [...]

You can’t love people collectively. — Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Salt of the Earth) I don’t play the lottery. I don’t have any biblical justification for my views (other than the implications of stewardship); I just don’t need another way to lose my money! One of the things I’ve heard people complain about is the taxation [...]