Personal Blog Good News: Glimpses of Grace Stephen Bedard, March 18, 2024March 18, 2024 This past week has been a week of vacation. These weeks are supposed to be relaxing but they rarely are. This was no exception. There were a number of things that happened this past week that were difficult. There were times of discouragement and grief. That is not to say… Continue Reading
Sermons A High Priest Brought Low Stephen Bedard, March 17, 2024March 17, 2024 Hebrews 5:5-10 Introduction What is Jesus like? For Christians, this is one of the most important questions we can ask. Think of it in these terms: When you picture Jesus in your head, which hymn seems most appropriate? What a Friend We Have in Jesus or Crown Him With Many… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Can You Be Transgender and a Christian? Stephen Bedard, March 16, 2024March 16, 2024 What does the Bible say about transgender people? Does the Bible say that being a transgender person is a sin worthy of hell? Many today would say so. The truth is that the Bible does not really address what we know today as a transgender identity: a person who identifies… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Goodbye Pekoe Stephen Bedard, March 14, 2024March 14, 2024 I have always been a cat person. Growing up, we had more cats than I can remember. For about the last twelve years, we have had cats. I love cats but there is one thing I don’t like about them. Cats (and all pets) get sick and die. Until recently,… Continue Reading
Military History Blog SWWP 36 – Cracking the Nazi Code: A Conversation With Jason Bell Stephen Bedard, March 12, 2024March 12, 2024 In this episode, I speak with Jason Bell, author of Cracking the Nazi Code. This book tells the true story of Winthrop Bell, a Canadian philosopher who worked for MI6 between WWI and WWII as a spy, providing important intelligence. You can purchase this book through this Amazon affiliate link. You… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Week Off Stephen Bedard, March 11, 2024March 11, 2024 This weekend I began a week of vacation. I know when I say this, the first question is: “Where are you going?” We actually have no plans. It will just be some time together, some relaxing, some reading, and some writing. The good thing is that when I talk about… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Fear the Walking Dead: Season Eight – Review Stephen Bedard, March 9, 2024March 9, 2024 Fear the Walking Dead, the first spinoff of The Walking Dead is now finished with season eight. And I’m okay with that. I actually really liked the first couple of seasons of Fear the Walking Dead. I wished that it had spent longer following this blended family as they nominate… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog Introverts, Extroverts, and Church Leaders Stephen Bedard, March 7, 2024March 7, 2024 You get a call that the church social planned for tonight is cancelled due to bad weather. Your reaction of either relief or disappointment may indicate whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. Pastors and church leaders come in all shapes and sizes, including introverts and extroverts. But which… Continue Reading
Military History Blog The Pacific – Review Stephen Bedard, March 6, 2024March 6, 2024 One of my favourite series about the Second World War is the Band of Brothers and so when I heard that some of those who made that series, also made The Pacific, I was very interested. For some reason I was delayed in watching it until recently. What did I… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Remembering My Father-in-Law Stephen Bedard, March 4, 2024March 4, 2024 This may seem like an odd subject for my weekly Good News post but I want to acknowledge that it was one year ago tomorrow that my father-in-law, Mark Peschell died. Obviously I am sad that he is no longer with us but my Good News is that I’m thankful… Continue Reading
Sermons Take Two Tablets and Call Me in the Morning Stephen Bedard, March 3, 2024March 3, 2024 Exodus 20:1-17 Introduction When I have spoken to people about the importance of following Jesus, there has been one response that I have received numerous times that always surprises me. Someone will tell me that they do not need Jesus because they already follow the Ten Commandments. I need to… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek The White Plague – Review Stephen Bedard, February 28, 2024March 8, 2024 When people think of the science fiction author Frank Herbert, they often think of the Dune series. Those are classics, but Herbert wrote other novels as well. One of those is The White Plague. I had never heard about it but being a fan of the Dune series, I decided… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: School Turnaround Stephen Bedard, February 26, 2024February 26, 2024 I am proud of all of our children and I am always hesitant to single one out. In fact, in this post I will not identify the child I am speaking about. But one of our children was struggling in school last year quite significantly. While I would not say… Continue Reading
Sermons Faith: Seeing What is Not Yet Stephen Bedard, February 25, 2024February 25, 2024 Romans 4:13-25 Introduction Are you a person of faith? And what does that even mean? For some people, they might take that as someone who is trusting or hopeful. Another person might equate that with belonging to a religious tradition. Faith is one of those words like love that has… Continue Reading
C.S. Lewis and Friends Blog Why Tolkien Hated Disney Stephen Bedard, February 24, 2024February 24, 2024 A movie about a bunch of dwarves. Are we talking about Snow White or the Hobbit? Apparently both Disney and Tolkien had a thing for dwarves. But don’t think that made them natural allies. Tolkien actually had a very negative opinion about Disney. Find out why in this video. Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Ex Machina – Review Stephen Bedard, February 21, 2024February 21, 2024 I was a little late in getting to Ex Machina but it was worth the wait. Not many movies can make it work with just a handful of characters in a limited location but this movie does it. The basic plot is that a young programmer is invited to his… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Twenty-Four Years Stephen Bedard, February 19, 2024February 19, 2024 Today is the twenty-fourth anniversary of when Amanda and I got married. Hard to imagine that it has been that long. The building that we were married in and had our reception at is no longer a church and the pastor who married us is no longer with us. It… Continue Reading
Sermons A Sign in the Sky Stephen Bedard, February 18, 2024February 18, 2024 Genesis 9:8-17 Introduction I remember when we first started having children, we went from store to store looking at setups for baby’s rooms. One of the most popular themes for babies was Noah’s Ark. You could get matching covers, blankets, toys, border, and just about anything else you could have… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog The Wrong Way to Discern the Truth Stephen Bedard, February 17, 2024February 17, 2024 Christians, all along the theological spectrum, develop their beliefs over time, taking positions on certain issues. But how do we determine our position, especially when there are so many issues and multiple interpretations about what is the right way? I am going to focus here not on what to do,… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog The Unseen Cost of Being a Pastor Stephen Bedard, February 14, 2024February 14, 2024 I have been a pastor for approximately twenty-five years and I have enjoyed it for the most part. There are challenges, as there are with any career. If I had the chance to redo my life, I would still want to be a pastor. I think many people are aware… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Catching My Rhythm Stephen Bedard, February 12, 2024February 12, 2024 The things that disrupt my mental health are not just things that are clearly stressful. Often what really affects me is when I get out of routine and can’t seem to find my way. It’s not about being too busy but about not getting the important tasks completed and feeling… Continue Reading
Sermons An Adaptable Church Stephen Bedard, February 11, 2024February 11, 2024 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Introduction I want you to imagine that you have moved to a new community and in that community, there are two Baptist churches. Both congregations were planted by the same church outside of town a number of generations ago and they both began with the same kind… Continue Reading
C.S. Lewis and Friends Blog Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women Stephen Bedard, February 10, 2024February 10, 2024 One of the books that I have been wanting to read for a long time is Phantastes by George MacDonald. I have enjoyed other books by MacDonald and I know this particular book was influential on both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. This book is really a textbook fairy tale.What… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Exploring the MonsterVerse Stephen Bedard, February 8, 2024February 8, 2024 I have been a fan of monster movies such as Godzilla and King Kong for about as long as I can remember. The movies were usually cheesy but they were fun and a great escape from the boredom of everyday life. There have been a huge amount of remakes of… Continue Reading
Military History Blog SWWP 35 – Operation Barbarossa: Part One Stephen Bedard, February 8, 2024February 8, 2024 One of the major turning points of the war was Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. This had long been Hitler’s plan and now it was time to put those plans into action. The first few weeks included tremendous German success. But could they… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Wrestling With Prayer Stephen Bedard, February 7, 2024February 7, 2024 I purposely titled this post wrestling with prayer rather than wrestling in prayer, although the latter is a good thing to do as well. Even though most Christians believe in the importance of prayer, we rarely ask the hard questions about the nature of prayer. If I asked a random… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: The Return of My Co-Pastor Stephen Bedard, February 5, 2024February 5, 2024 For the past number of months, my wife Amanda has been on leave from Brookfield Baptist Church due to the ongoing struggles with post-concussion syndrome and post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. This was initially an indefinite leave, with no specified return to work date. I never wanted to push Amanda as… Continue Reading
Military History Blog Band of Brothers – Revisited Stephen Bedard, February 3, 2024February 3, 2024 I have watched Band of Brothers a number of times but I just recently rewatched the series after a number of years. You never know how a series will hold up. Considering that series came out back in 2001, Band of Brothers stands up very well compared to other movies… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A New Unit Stephen Bedard, January 29, 2024January 29, 2024 I have been an army chaplain in the reserves for about twelve years. It is something that I enjoy and I am thankful that I get to continue to do this after moving to Nova Scotia. Because of a lack of chaplains and because I am not full-time at the… Continue Reading
Sermons When Christians Disagree Stephen Bedard, January 28, 2024January 28, 2024 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Introduction I have been a part of three different Christian traditions (Anglican, Pentecostal, Baptist). I have attended nine different churches (seven in a ministry capacity). I have participated in a number of parachurch ministries from campus ministries to short-term mission trips. From all of that, one thing… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog There Will Always Be a Place For Apologetics Stephen Bedard, January 26, 2024January 26, 2024 I have been involved in Christian apologetics in one way or another for most of my adult Christian life. Over that time, I have become disillusioned over some aspects of what I call the apologetics industry. But this is not to the time to vent about that. There are many… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Leave the World Behind – Review Stephen Bedard, January 23, 2024January 23, 2024 I had heard about Leave the World Behind and I was interested as I have a thing for apocalyptic movies. But I also heard some mixed reactions from people and so had second thoughts. It was only after my daughter saw it and recommended it. I am limited in what… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Weekend Exercise Stephen Bedard, January 22, 2024January 22, 2024 When other people talk about “weekend exercise” they usually mean going for a Saturday morning jog. What I am referring to is participating in a weekend military exercise. Reserve army units usually have a monthly weekend exercise. Most often, I can only go on a Saturday because of my Sunday… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Echo – Review Stephen Bedard, January 19, 2024January 19, 2024 Back in the Hawkeye series, we were introduced to the character named Echo. Her story was that she was an indigenous person who was deaf and had a prosthetic lower leg. She also was a deadly assassin raised by the Kingpin. At the end of Hawkeye, Echo realized who Kingpin… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog An Open Letter to the Babylon Bee Stephen Bedard, January 17, 2024January 17, 2024 Emotionally, I want to write a different letter than what I am going to write. I want to tell you how disgusted I have been with some of the content you have been creating. But that is not the letter I am going to write. Not exactly. I remember when… Continue Reading
Military History Blog A Glimpse of the Hitler Youth Stephen Bedard, January 16, 2024January 16, 2024 We rightfully condemn the action of Adolf Hitler but we can at the same time acknowledge that he at comprehensive plan that was effective in many ways. There is a reason why many Germans followed Hitler while many Italians failed to give their allegiance to Mussolini. Hitler had a focus… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Getting Some Reading Done Stephen Bedard, January 15, 2024January 15, 2024 One of my favourite pastimes is reading books, second only to buying books. I have often felt guilty that I buy more than I read. I have bought a few more lately, both through Amazon and a couple of second hand stores. I have found some unexpected treasures, some I… Continue Reading
Sermons A Journey of Faith Stephen Bedard, January 14, 2024January 14, 2024 John 1:43-51 Introduction If someone asked you to share your faith journey, how would you respond? Where would you begin? Would it be a simple story or a long and winding story? For some people, their story is that they grew up in the church, always believed, came to the… Continue Reading
Personal Blog My Effin’ Life – Review Stephen Bedard, January 12, 2024January 12, 2024 I have been a Rush fan for over forty years. Coincidently, they formed the same year that I was born, although it took me a bit longer to start listening. As a young teenager, my cousin brought over a copy of Fly By Night on cassette tape and we listened… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog What is and What is Not Church Trauma? Stephen Bedard, January 11, 2024January 11, 2024 Until relatively recently, there was very little if any discussion of church trauma. Now there is a lot of discussion on this topic, often from two very different perspectives. Is trauma real? There are those who see church trauma everywhere. The truth is if you are looking for signs of… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Writing Again Stephen Bedard, January 9, 2024January 9, 2024 I never go more than a couple of days without writing. I’m either writing blog posts or sermons or something else. It’s something I do. But there is a kind of writing that I really enjoy. I have a couple of books that I have started writing that I have… Continue Reading
Sermons You Mean I’m Adopted? Stephen Bedard, January 7, 2024January 7, 2024 Galatians 4:4-7 Introduction There are people who will say that they have attended church, had a bad experience, and never want to go to a church again. I do not want to minimize that bad experience and churches need to come to terms with the fact that people do experience… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog Leading With a Limp – Review Stephen Bedard, January 6, 2024January 6, 2024 I have read quite a few leadership books and have found most of them helpful. However, I often finish the book feeling like I do not quite measure up. The picture of the leader is one who inspires others because they have it all together. They are the smartest person… Continue Reading
Military History Blog What is MI6? Stephen Bedard, January 3, 2024January 3, 2024 You have probably heard references in movies and books of something called MI6. MI6 is short for Military Intelligence Section 6. This is the foreign intelligence service for the United Kingdom and not to be confused by MI5, which is the domestic intelligence service. MI6 is known as the Secret… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: 2023 is Over Stephen Bedard, January 1, 2024January 1, 2024 This past year has been one of the most difficult years for our family. The details of which do not need to be shared here. I don’t pretend that difficult circumstances respect the calendar and that what happens in one 365 day period must be different after a specific date…. Continue Reading
Personal Blog 2023 Year in Review Stephen Bedard, December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 I considered not writing this post this year. The reason is that this has been one of the most difficult years for the Bedard family. But I have decided to share some of what happened. January began with me still having back pain that I developed in early December of… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Is It Lying to Use Someone’s Preferred Pronouns? Stephen Bedard, December 30, 2023December 30, 2023 Imagine you meet a person and they tell you that they use the pronouns they/them or you encounter someone you know was born as a male but now identify as female and request that you use she/her as pronouns. What do you do? For those who want to be respectful… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek On a Pale Horse – Review Stephen Bedard, December 28, 2023December 28, 2023 About thirty years ago, a friend lent me a novel. It was about a regular guy who ends up killing the Grim Reaper and in turn becomes employed as the new Death. I was hooked and went on to read most of the rest of the series. On a Pale… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Rebel Moon: Part One – Review Stephen Bedard, December 27, 2023December 27, 2023 I am long time fan of science fiction. The problem is that science fiction can be really bad or be really good. How would the new movie by Zack Snyder, Rebel Moon, fit into this continuum. This is actually the first instalment of Rebel One, having the subtitle A Child… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Top Five Posts in 2023 Stephen Bedard, December 26, 2023December 26, 2023 Thank you for the support of this blog. I post with hope that some people will read what I write. I thought I would share the top five most popular posts. These were not necessarily written in 2023 but what was most read in 2023. In fact, only no. 5… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Blessed Christmas Stephen Bedard, December 25, 2023December 25, 2023 There is no difficulty in coming up with a Good News post this week. It helps that it is Christmas but it is more than that. This past year has been a difficult one for our family. There has been a lot of loss and we were anticipating a very… Continue Reading
Sermons A People Sought Out Stephen Bedard, December 24, 2023December 24, 2023 Isaiah 62:6-12 Introduction I want you to think about a time that you really felt loved. I don’t mean that you just understood the fact of it on an intellectual level but when you actually felt it inside of you. It could have been from a spouse, a parent, a… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog Should Congregations Support Families at Christmas? Stephen Bedard, December 21, 2023December 21, 2023 There are many families that struggle financially. This can be because of a loss of income or because of an increase in prices for utilities, groceries, and other expenses. There are many families where a parent is regularly working but still can’t make ends meet. There are organizations that keep… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Shadow and Bone – Review Stephen Bedard, December 19, 2023December 19, 2023 This post will be about the television series as I have not read the books. When it comes to fantasy stories, there are only limited combinations of elements. Most often they draw on aspects of our own history, usually Medieval or older. I watched the Shadow and Bone series and… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Love a Good Potluck Stephen Bedard, December 18, 2023December 18, 2023 At each of the churches that I have been a pastor of, I have gotten the reputation as the guy who always loves potluck lunches/dinners. It is a well-deserved reputation. It is not because I am a glutton and that I require large amounts of food. My appetite has gone… Continue Reading
Sermons Why This Jubilee? Stephen Bedard, December 17, 2023December 17, 2023 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Introduction I find it fascinating how language changes over time. I often will talk to my children about the slang of their generation, Gen Z speech. It is really strange and often I wish they would just speak English. Having said that, there are ongoing changes and… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Satanic Images, Public Buildings, and Christians Stephen Bedard, December 15, 2023December 15, 2023 There has been a recent uproar as a satanic image had been placed in the Iowa Capital Building. Now Christians frequently describe things they don’t like as “satanic.” In this case it was a display erected by the Church of Satan and so was literally satanic. Since then, a conservative… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Bodies – Review Stephen Bedard, December 13, 2023December 13, 2023 The good news is that there is a tremendous amount of content available on Netflix available for us to watch whenever we want. The bad news is that there is so much that is difficult to know what is junk and what is worth watching. One of the most recent… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Soldier Appreciation Stephen Bedard, December 11, 2023December 11, 2023 This past Saturday was rather busy, in a good way. I had back-to-back Soldier Appreciation Dinners. I have been serving as a chaplain with two military units and they usually have this annual even on the same day. Thankfully the meals were at different times. This is not just a… Continue Reading
Sermons Comfort for the Broken Stephen Bedard, December 10, 2023December 10, 2023 Isaiah 40:1-11 Introduction December can be a very difficult for many people, especially in terms of dealing with grief. It feels like there a lot of deaths in December. I wondered if this was just an illusion and so I checked with StatsCan and generally, December is the second highest… Continue Reading
Military History Blog With the Marines in Battle of Tarawa Stephen Bedard, December 9, 2023December 9, 2023 One of the bloodiest battles fought by the U.S. Marines in the Pacific was at Tarawa in 1943. Amazingly, some of this was caught on camera and we have video footage from this battle. If you are interested in Tarawa, I recommend this episode of the We Have Ways of… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog Programs vs Relationships Stephen Bedard, December 6, 2023December 6, 2023 There tends to be two different emphases when it comes to ministry styles. One is program-focused and the other is relationship-focused. Now someone is likely to push back and say that this is a false dichotomy, that it is not an either/or but both/and. Leaders who emphasize programs also value… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Much Better Week Stephen Bedard, December 4, 2023December 4, 2023 My previous Good News post was rather cryptic and this one won’t be much better. There have been a number of chances that I have been facing and I am not going to get into them in detail here. I can say that this has been a much better week… Continue Reading
Sermons Looking for a Breakthrough Stephen Bedard, December 3, 2023December 3, 2023 Isaiah 64:1-9 Introduction There is a lot of pressure put on people at Christmas-time. The expectation is that people at least pretend that they are happy and that everything is going well. Consider even our common greeting: Merry Christmas. I realize that it is a polite wish, but what about… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek I Bought Some Comic Books Stephen Bedard, December 1, 2023December 1, 2023 Comic books have been a part of my life for a long time. Some of the first comics I owned were from the early seventies, when I was very young. While I had a couple of Superman comics, my focus was on war comics. I ended up having thousands of… Continue Reading
Bedard on Discipleship David and Bathsheba: Adultery or Assault? Stephen Bedard, November 29, 2023November 29, 2023 What exactly happened between David and Bathsheba as described in 2 Samuel 11? Was it adultery between two consenting adults or an assault accompanied by an abuse of power? And how does this affect the controversies about pastoral sexual misconduct in the Church today? Support me through Patreon. Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog What We Learn From the Termination of John Stackhouse Stephen Bedard, November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 I have commented on the fall of numerous respected Christian leaders from Ravi Zacharias to Bruxy Cavey. Each time I write a post or record a video, I am all too aware that there is another Christian leader caught up in sexual misconduct or abuse of power just around the… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Holding Onto Hope Stephen Bedard, November 27, 2023November 27, 2023 This past week was challenging in a number of ways. You do not need to know the details, just trust me that it was hard. In the midst of the difficulties, I have seen numerous glimpses of hope. These are not solutions to all of the issues but reminders that… Continue Reading
Sermons Testing the Church Stephen Bedard, November 26, 2023November 26, 2023 Matthew 25:31-46 Introduction How do you feel about tests? My suspicion is that most of us do not enjoy tests but at the same time they are necessary evil. There are times that we have to measure how well people grasp the material that has been presented to them. My… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Loki: Season Two – Review Stephen Bedard, November 22, 2023November 22, 2023 Marvel has been creating a lot of television content for Disney +. Some of it is better than others. So far, Loki is only one so far to get a second season. I was surprised when I first heard that they were giving Loki a series but I thought they… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: A Good Birthday Stephen Bedard, November 20, 2023November 20, 2023 Birthdays are not a big thing for me. I tend to barely notice them or be slightly annoyed that people expect me to have an amazing day. I don’t to have great expectations about birthdays. However, this has been one of the better birthdays. It is not that I have… Continue Reading
Sermons An Amazing Investment Opportunity Stephen Bedard, November 19, 2023November 19, 2023 Matthew 25:14-30 Introduction Do you have any experience in investing? I can almost guarantee that you do. It may be what we traditionally think of as investing, such as putting money into the stock market. Doing that is not just to energize the economy but because you hope to make… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog What is Heaven? Stephen Bedard, November 18, 2023November 18, 2023 Sometimes Christians get accused of being so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. I understand the critique in that statement, but I’m not sure that all Christians are agreed on what we mean by heaven. Probably in statements like that, people are referring to Christians who are eager… Continue Reading
Bedard on Discipleship Were Paul and James Enemies? Stephen Bedard, November 17, 2023November 17, 2023 Two of the most influential leaders in the early church were Paul and James, the brother of Jesus. These two men were very different in their styles but were they enemies? Some people think so and that is why we look at this question in this video. Support me through Patreon. Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek The Marvels – Review Stephen Bedard, November 14, 2023November 14, 2023 Remember when a movie only had to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in order to be a major hit? Those days are gone. Marvel has stumbled at the theatres a number of times in the last couple of years, the most recent is the Marvels. The Marvels… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: One Step Closer Stephen Bedard, November 13, 2023November 13, 2023 You may have noticed that I have not blogged for a couple of weeks. The reason for that is that I have been at CFB Borden doing a course for my role as a military chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces. I have been a chaplain for over ten years… Continue Reading
Sermons Hope in Christ Stephen Bedard, November 12, 2023November 12, 2023 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Introduction I experienced an existential crisis in my teen years that lasted into my early twenties. The issue I faced was that despite being raised in the church, I became convinced that there was no life after death. When you are dead, you are dead. We would… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog The Church Must Address Clergy Sexual Abuse Stephen Bedard, October 28, 2023October 28, 2023 What is the greatest threat to the church today? Some people claim it is Critical Race Theory and others claim that it is drag queens. I think the greatest threat is the total loss of credibility based on the tolerance of and cover up of clergy sexual abuse. I remember… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Train to Busan – Review Stephen Bedard, October 27, 2023October 27, 2023 I must confess that I have a soft spot for zombie movies and television shows. But they have to be done well. I need more than just the undead biting into people. The problem is that there are only so many variations on the theme. Somewhere I came across a… Continue Reading
Military History Blog Ukrainian Waffen SS Division Stephen Bedard, October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 A little known aspect of World War Two history recently received wide coverage in an embarrassing way. In the Canadian parliament, at which the Ukrainian president was visiting, a Second World War veteran was recognized as a Canadian and Ukrainian war hero. Unfortunately, he fought on the side of the… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Candlelight Experience Stephen Bedard, October 23, 2023October 23, 2023 I am always amazed at how Amanda is able to find events for us to experience as a family that are able to draw together our widely divergent tastes. The most recent was a Candlelight Concert. This was a string quartet, surrounded by hundreds of candles, playing music related to… Continue Reading
Sermons Dual Citizenship Stephen Bedard, October 22, 2023October 22, 2023 Matthew 22:15-22 Introduction I have been pastoring for approximately twenty-five years and have seen a lot of things over that time. But I can say that the COVID-19 pandemic was by far the greatest challenge and in many ways can be seen as a turning point for the church. It… Continue Reading
Bedard on Discipleship The So-Called Persecution of the Canadian Church Stephen Bedard, October 21, 2023October 21, 2023 Are Christians in Canada being persecuted? Are Christian churches being targeted in Canada? I address this persistent claim in this video. Find other episodes of this podcast. Support me through Patreon. Continue Reading
Blogging and Writing Churches Need Good Websites Stephen Bedard, October 20, 2023October 20, 2023 Every once in a while I have a reason to do a search for a particular congregation. There is generally three results: a good website, a bad website, or no website. I must confess that I am confused by the final two results. Why do churches have bad websites or… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Umbrella Academy: Season Three – Review Stephen Bedard, October 18, 2023October 18, 2023 In the previous season, the Umbrella Academy once again saved the world. They were able to return to their own time, looking forward to picking up their lives where they left off. Except they cannot. Something they did changed history and now no one knows them. Not even, their “father”… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Is Walking Away From the Church the Same as Walking Away From Christ? Stephen Bedard, October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 There has been some recent discussion online, based on comments by John Piper, that walking away from the church is the same as walking away from Christ? Is this true? What I think is ironic is that much of the agreement of Piper’s statement comes from Reformed circles which believes… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: Contacts Stephen Bedard, October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 I have worn glasses since high school. For a long time, I have wanted to get contact lenses. I have seen others make the switch and I wanted it too. The only problem is that I am extremely sensitive with my eyes. My eyes water when I see other people… Continue Reading
Sermons A God We Can Control Stephen Bedard, October 15, 2023October 15, 2023 Exodus 32:1-14 Introduction What is God like? This is one of the most basic questions of humanity. And people have widely varying views. Some see God as personal, some as impersonal. Some see God as infinite, some a finite. Some see God as all-loving, some as being more wrathful. Try… Continue Reading
Military History Blog Palestine and the Second World War Stephen Bedard, October 14, 2023October 14, 2023 I blog on military history, particularly the Second World War, in support of my podcast on the Second World War. When it comes to WW2, we often think of Europe, Africa, or the Pacific. But the war affected and helped shape Palestine, including what would become Israel. Israel became a… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog Christian Ministry and Efficiency Stephen Bedard, October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 How important is efficiency to Christian ministry? Over the last three decades, Christian leadership has drawn many principles from business practices. This is not necessarily a bad thing. We should be careful in making a strong distinction between what is Christian and what is secular. Jesus in the Gospels often… Continue Reading
Bedard on Discipleship Evangelicalism Issues: The Culture War Stephen Bedard, October 11, 2023October 11, 2023 I sometimes struggle with Evangelicalism. One of the issues is that some evangelicals hold tightly to the culture war, the battle between conservatives and liberals, and wed that to the identity of the church. I share my thoughts on that. Subscribe to this podcast. Support me through Patreon. Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: I Can Be Thankful Stephen Bedard, October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 When people ask me how I am doing, I never quite know how to respond. Usually people are hoping that I will share that everything is great. But if I was completely honest, not everything is great. I am not going to list all of the challenges in my life… Continue Reading
Sermons Radical Generosity Stephen Bedard, October 8, 2023October 8, 2023 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 Introduction If I was to ask you to preach a sermon in church, how would you go about doing it? Hopefully you would start with a Bible passage. A sermon is more than just a speech on a religious or oral topic. So you pick your Bible… Continue Reading
Blogging and Writing Promoting a Blog With Social Media Stephen Bedard, October 7, 2023October 7, 2023 This post is not about which social media you should focus on or the strategy that you should take with social media. Things are changing so quickly that the moment I hit “Publish” my advice will already be out of date. But is social media still relevant for bloggers? Each… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Are Gay-Affirming Christians Outside of Orthodox Christianity? Stephen Bedard, October 6, 2023October 6, 2023 I believe that attitudes toward 2SLGBTQA+ people within our churches is the most divisive issue among Christians. This is a debate not just between Christians and non-Christians but also between Christians. Some more conservative Christians might reject that statement since “You cannot be a Christian and support same-sex relations.” Therefore,… Continue Reading
Comic Book Geek Ahsoka: Season One – Review Stephen Bedard, October 4, 2023October 4, 2023 There has been a shift in Star Wars content from movies to television series, with some being better than others. The most recent of these series is Ahsoka. The live-action version of Ahsoka made her debut in a recent season of the Mandalorian but Star Wars fans would have known… Continue Reading
Military History Blog We’ll Meet Again by Vera Lynn Stephen Bedard, October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 When we think of a war effort, we think of combat troops and the production of equipment. But what about morale? One of the most beloved English entertainers during the Second World War was Vera Lynn. She had a huge impact on the British war effort by encouraging the troops… Continue Reading
Personal Blog Good News: The Beauty of Autumn Stephen Bedard, October 2, 2023October 2, 2023 My Good News post for this week is pretty simple. While I am usually not much of an autumn guy, mainly because it means winter is on the way, I will admit that I am impressed by the beauty of autumn. This is especially true now that we live in… Continue Reading
Sermons Us and Them Stephen Bedard, October 1, 2023October 1, 2023 Matthew 21:28-32 Introduction I am proud to be a Canadian and there is no other country that I would rather live in. Having said that, I find even myself contrasting Canada with other nations in ways that are perhaps not completely factual. For example, Canadians tend to pride ourselves on… Continue Reading
Leadership and Ministry Blog Can a Church Lack a Vision? Stephen Bedard, September 30, 2023September 30, 2023 A lot of pastors talk about vision casting. Some people pushback on that as a business concept that has infiltrated the church. But what happens if pastors and other leaders choose not to cast a vision? Is that even possible? Sometimes we speak as if a church or other organization… Continue Reading