Author Archives: davetcourt

“Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith’… And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ – Mark 4:40-41 At the end of chapter 4 we discover that the disciples, those who are supposed to seeContinue reading “A Faith that Stands Taller Than Fear- reflections in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Mark.”

This is undoubtedly the prevailing question of the last few years when it comes to discussing the entertainment industries longest running awards show- Do the Oscars still matter? To be honest, I’m not sure. They might, they might not. It does seem simple at first. Lower ratings mean fewer people watching, while an increase in controversyContinue reading “Do the Oscars Still Matter? Maybe. Should They Matter? Yes.”

“Father’, said the Lord of Chikugo, ‘you and the other missionaries do not seem to know Japan.’  ‘And you, honourable magistrate,’ answered the Priest, ‘you do not seem to know Christianity.’ Silence, page166 (Shusaku Endo) Written by Shusaku Endo and adapted for the screen by Martin Scorsese, Silence tells the story of two 17th centuryContinue reading “Scorsese, Silence, and the Parable of the Sower”

In my previous reflection, I noted the transition from John (the Baptizer) to Jesus in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, a transition that pushes us into a fuller discussion of the nature of discipleship- the call to follow Jesus on the Way. Recognizing the Way as a movement in (and into) life in theContinue reading “The Provocative Gospel of Jesus, The Son of God- reflections on the third chapter of the Gospel of Mark”

I reflected in my previous posts that the first chapter of Mark is primarily concerned with helping us to “see” the person and works of Christ- Jesus is where John points us and Jesus is the one that we are called to follow on the Way. In the second chapter of Mark we begin toContinue reading “The Counterintuitive Ways of Jesus- Reflections in the Second Chapter of Mark”

In my previous reflection on the first chapter of Mark, I focused on my response to “the Kingdom of God coming near”, suggesting it necessarily be shaped by the following two ideas: 1. Repentance (a turning towards Jesus) 2. Belief in the Gospel of God (living into the “way” which John comes to prepare andContinue reading “The Pattern of Discipleship: Further Reflections on the First Chapter of The Gospel of Mark”

Every year our Church embarks on a journey through one of the four Gospel narratives. This year it is The Gospel of Mark, and with this past Sunday marking the start of the series (the first Sunday of Epiphany), we opened the series by looking at Mark’s first chapter. To help foster some further reflectionContinue reading “The Kingdom Come Near: Reflections on The First Chapter of the Gospel of Mark”

I think Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical is Keller’s best work yet. He has gone on record stating that Making Sense of God is a sort of prequel to his best selling The Reason for God. The reason he gives for such a prequel is that he felt the need toContinue reading “Book Review: Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical by Tim Keller”

One of the podcasts in my weekly rotation recently published an episode on New Years resolutions. Normally I don’t do resolutions. I find them predictable, cheesy, a bit silly, and unrealistic. So I was a bit cynical when I found the podcast promising an approach to resolutions that could actually make a difference in theContinue reading “ROSEBUD- A resolution that just might work.”

Wonderfully nostalgic and gloriously choreographed, La La Land presents itself as a love letter to a Hollywood golden age, a time past when musicals were written for the screen and production numbers were full of Tinseltown glamor. For a sense of reference, there is an interview that admits the movie’s appreciation of That Thing YouContinue reading “Learning to Live in La La Land”