Category: Behold Vancouver

Is Grandpa really in my bones?

How can we cultivate the deep relationships Jesus invites us toward in an age of isolation, transience, and superficiality?

You may be familiar with different Catholic rites, but did you know there are more than 20?

Fr. Gregory Pine explains the various rites of the Catholic Church, what makes them unique, and why they exist. Discover the rich diversity of the Catholic Church and the traditions that make up its universal family!

Meet Matt. A dear friend of Glass Canvas whose identity at a young age was shaped by external factors. Throughout his formative years, he struggled with the way his identity was forming — either through basketball, friendships, and achievements — without first understanding who he truly was. He spent years climbing ladders, performing well, and pleasing those around him, assuaged by the feelings of value and belonging.    

At a pivotal point in his life, Matt came to the realization that his identity is secure because it is received from God rather than earned through performance. With this shift in perspective, he can fully embrace the gifts he has been given and allow them to flow freely in service of the people around him, knowing that he is loved unconditionally without the need to prove anything. This secure identity also allows Matt to lean into the freedom of embracing who he is truly meant to be.

Meet Simon. A member of Glass Canvas Ministries and a part of our Accompaniment Training team. As a young missionary kid in Papua New Guinea, Simon formed many of his early memories surrounded by missionaries and witnessed how they faithfully brought the gospel into the jungle. His worldview was put to the test when he moved to North America as a teen. No longer in the company of Evangelicals who professed and practiced the same faith, Simon found himself in cultural and spiritual crossroads — eventually leading him to hide his faith in order to fit better in an environment who ridiculed his belief system.

Several years later, Simon came back to faith, revitalized and on fire for saving the lost. Vowing never to hide his faith again, he proclaimed the truth of the gospel, boldly calling those around him into repentance. While struggling with the reality of holding the tension of friends having different spiritual beliefs, a friend lovingly invited him to consider the missionary work of the prophets and the saints: “What if they did what they did out of love, not out of anger?”

Equipped with a new lens in which to view and interact with the world, Simon not only deepened his conviction to bring Christ into the world, but to do so first and foremost with Christ-like love.

Meet Asia, a a friend of Glass Canvas who has been accompanied by a member of Glass Canvas, and her own community. We were honoured to witness her life and her vulnerability as a model of the freedom we desire for those you are accompanying.

Asia spent years chasing the film industry, believing that making it would finally prove her worth. She was functioning on the outside — acting classes, parties, a supporting lead role — but hollow inside, numbing herself and unable to be present to anyone, including herself.

Standing in what should have been her moment, she realized the emptiness hadn’t gone anywhere. What changed wasn’t her circumstances but her orientation — from being seen to learning how to truly see and serve others.

What kind of faith can actually last a lifetime?

Happy Easter! In this episode, we conclude our Lenten book study on “The Way of Trust and Love” and focus on Chapter 6: Enduring Trials. We talk about how even in the light of Easter, we may still experience suffering and how we can choose to rejoice in God’s goodness when His ways remain hidden. We also reflect on why trials are not signs of God’s absence, how we learn to recognize God at work in the present moment, and how to embrace suffering as a necessary path to share in the fullness of Easter. Friends, in this Easter octave, we invite you to reflect on how God has transformed your heart this past Lent. Let us enter into this Easter season with renewed hope, gratitude, and a deeper surrender to God’s unfailing love. We will see you in two weeks!

Why do so many people drift from faith in early adulthood, only to feel drawn back to it later in life? 

In this episode of Office Hours, I explore the Hindu concept of Ashramas and the parallels with what modern science tells us about how our priorities change with age. 

As we get older, the worldly rewards we once chased can start to feel less satisfying. We begin asking deeper questions about wisdom, meaning, and transcendence. That’s what happens when you enter Vanaprastha—the stage of life when we turn our attention inward. 

I also share five practical steps for beginning (or rebeginning) your own spiritual journey. 

In this episode, we continue our Lenten book study on “The Way of Trust and Love” and focus on Chapter 3: Being Reconciled to Our Weakness. We talk about how our struggles with ourselves often spill over into our relationships with others and how learning to accept our own weakness can soften our hearts towards the weakness we see in those around us. We also reflect on the tension between accepting our littleness and desiring real conversion, how we become more aware of our imperfections as we draw closer to the Lord, and the gift of community in helping us clearly see our lives. This week, we invite you to receive God’s love, extend that love to yourself, and then offer it freely to others.