I had an educational moment at a book launch recently. As you may have noticed on social media, it got a fair amount of attention. I did not anticipate the attention the post got, nor did I anticipate the level of animosity that would come in the responses. When I was on my way to the bookstore my naivete got the best of me; I really thought it would be an open moment of conversation and celebration.

Did you notice a change I made in 2026? It seems like I always have a few small changes afoot, so for many it probably did not seem like too big a deal. If you follow my transitional leadership material then it will be a little more prominent. With the release of my short form transitional process I now use the word 'priorities' in place of the more common 'values'.

When I share with people my work of transitional leadership there is no shortage of follow-up questions and stories of familiarity. The questions part makes sense to everyone, the 'stories of familiarity' not so much. What I mean by this is a story or a memory shared by someone trying to make sense of what I mean, so they share something similar.

So, did you have a good Father's Day? If you are not a father or don't celebrate, I apologise for this one and hope you look forward to the next time I blog... I looked back at what I have said about fatherhood and Father's Day in the past on this site, and here are a few favourites, in case you wanted to take a walk down memory lane with me:

On Saturday morning, the day of Winkler’s first Pride celebration, Erika Enns Rodine, a Mennonite pastor wearing a white T-shirt with a rainbow-coloured dove on it, prayed.

He can’t win; he won’t say he’s lost. So he dithers.

Are you an ER fan? Not a fan of going to the actual, physical ER (emergency room) of course, but the TV show that somehow lasted for 15 years in the ’90’s and early 2000’s. I love…

Are you an ER fan? Not a fan of going to the actual, physical ER (emergency room) of course, but the TV show that somehow lasted for 15 years in the '90's and early 2000's. I loved the show from its original airing but stopped watching about a half way through. Now with the beauty of online streaming I have been able to revisit the show in its entirety, even if I probably would not recommend the last couple of seasons.

MP Adam Chambers introduced Bill C-230 last year after raising transparency concerns

The aluminum trade is in crisis.

What do you meme? It seems like that is the primary purpose for AI these days, just making memes as fast as possible without hesitation. A few years ago I just thought of AI as an inevitable force we would need to accommodate, but as with everything, it is clear we need to harness the power for good. And we are definitely taking most steps to do this a little late in the game.

It is Easter Monday, and this is the first day of what happens next. Kind of like the disciples waiting for Jesus in the upper room at the beginning of the book of Acts, we ask that simple question: Now what? He is risen! He is risen, indeed! I'm really loving the new music from U2 that dropped specifically for the Easter season.

Regulatory body seeks public apology from Tory leader

1 likes, 0 comments - mr.eric.friesen on March 31, 2026: "Passion week. A walk to the cross. A reminder of a kingdom, not an empire. While nations rage, the author of peace bids us to come. Join him...

Some immigrants with chronic health problems were swept up by ICE in Minnesota, leading to missed medications and, for one man, missed chemotherapy sessions.

Are you familiar with transitional leadership? It is often confused with the term ‘interim pastor’ or can be misplaced with a type of placeholder between pastors for the local church. It is so much…

When I started to use the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) occasionally for teaching, and then my preaching schedule I realised for the first time that there were 2 options for the Sunday before Easter. Before then I was only aware of Palm Sunday. I had heard or studied a number of things on what we call the Passion Week, but had little contact with Passion Sunday.

That is a lead up to a great joke, I’m sure of it. But over the past year it has been my life! “Laughter is the body vomiting joy.” Daniel Simonsen, Norwegian comedian I finally d…

So a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to fly out East to spend a few days with my son. 4 separate plane rides, a lot of time to think and read, plenty of people-watching to fill the gaps. The flights home were exceptional considering I had a head cold and the cabin pressure did a number on my hearing for a week, but that is a story for another time...

This is kind of a follow-up to my post a few weeks ago, "What makes a day sacred?" in that another big day for me has passed. Not to highlight every day I have marked on my calendar for you all, but there are a few that come to mind in a significant fashion. As I sat here working at my local Starbucks, as I often do, the end of the school day arrived and the students flooded the building.

OK, I planned on writing a short post this month about the state of evangelicalism in North America, then a few key individuals died... John MacArthur, Hulk Hogan, Ozzy Osbourne, to name a few. Spiderman was a big deal in my early years, and then again later on, but I digress. The others were all key to my life and formative thinking in both identity and faith as a young man.

How many sacred days do you hold? That is a bit of a trick question, sorry. The obvious response depending on your faith tradition would be focused on what we might see as holy days, feasts and festivals, remembrances, etc. Most Christian churches will at least celebrate Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas. Some will include Epiphany and Pentecost, maybe the Ascension or Annunciation, and still others include Ash Wednesday.

Where do you place your highest priorities in life? And how long is that list? This is the 2nd time I have blogged this post. You will see the addendum for 2025 about half-way through...take it with a grain of salt if it helps! A while back I was called to evaluate this list, considering what my next options were in career and vocation. As I tend to be one who spends a lot of time evaluating and introspecting on the healthiest of occasions, these types of lists come easy to me.

What slogans have you adopted over the years? As much as I say I hate slogans I have to chuckle at how often a slogan has stuck with me over the years. A number of slogans were not real 'slogans' per , as in no one designed them and said this is what we need to say from now on in this context.

Why? Yeah, but why?? Why not??? I am a lifelong 'why?' asker. Just ask any of my siblings and people who had to oversee me in some way. I have gotten in trouble for the question more than once, but still asked. It is what made me an uncomfortable fit in some permanent roles, where people want things done not a system tinkered with.

"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood..." and the song goes on. Most people in North America know the theme song for 'Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood' in their memory files somewhere, even if you grew up north of the border like me. I actually did not have any working knowledge of Mr. Rogers until much later than my developing years, we just did not get that channel with 'farmer vision', so my world was formed with the likes of 'Mr.

I really liked this pope and I am saddened by his passing. From the moment he came on the scene as the new pontiff I was surprised by his approach to the role, the church, and the world. I know others noticed the same. Regardless of your views on his office, the church, or all things in between, it would be very difficult to argue with his impact.

Report finds over a quarter of Canadians exposed to ‘more sophisticated and more politically polarizing’ fake content

Pope Francis, who took the world by storm with his non-traditional papacy and made history for delivering a long-awaited apology for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in Canadian residential school abu...

Spikeless is able to detect common drink-spiking drugs like GHB and ketamine within 30 seconds, say researchers

If you are not familiar with this idea, one of the discussions that comes up often in church circles is the role of the church (institutional term) in the times around us. (AP News) Part of the rea…

If you are not familiar with this idea, one of the discussions that comes up often in church circles is the role of the church (institutional term) in the times around us. (AP News) Part of the reason I do not speak to that conversation often is because I do believe the local church, in whatever form it takes, speaks into the larger community in which it is located.