Tag: david sawler
If I was the Devil? What Can You Learn From One Picture
I have been called a devil, but I am not the devil. However, let’s for a moment, for the sake of this story, pretend I was in fact the real devil. If, as the father of lies and deceit, my purpos... Read More
Being Good without God?
I have seen this sign and similar bumper-sticker sayings in the past. I am sure it is unintentional but this group is doing more to promote faith than destroy it. By talking about ‘good’ t... Read More
The End of Faith is Near – And other lies we are told.
I love stats at times. I use them all the time when talking about youth and young adult rentention in the church today. Sometimes I believe people think I must be quite depressed as I have spent a sig... Read More
Haemorrhaging Faith Explanation by David Overholt
[youtuber vimeo=’http://vimeo.com/65575367#at=0′] This is video featuring David Overholt. It is an explantation of what the Haemorrhaging Faith survey is and also why it is so very relevan... Read More
Thank God for Science – It Is Increasing Faith
‘Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.’ Carl Sagan Science is built on facts. Or perhaps for some it is the discovery of those facts,... Read More
Helping Others Find Their God Moments
A truth from the Hemorrhaging Faith Survey – Young people who are engaged in the church today are far more likely to say that they have personally experienced the love and acceptance of God, as ... Read More
Hasn’t science disproven God? by Andy Bannister
Dr Andy Bannister was one of the people we asked to give some input for the Before You Say Goodbye Project. He was asked this question, ‘Hasn’t science disproven God?’ Here is his re... Read More
Lost in Transition – Free Chapter from Before You Say Goodbye
Lost in Transition Talk about surprises. It has been a long held belief that most young people walk away from their faith after high school and into young adulthood. While it is true there is a decrea... Read More
Who do YOU want to EMULATE?
Who do you want to be like? As a skateboarder there are a few guys I have always idolized. I am amazed at the things they can do and wish I had the same skills they do. You likely have your own people... Read More
Ashley Gowenlock – A Young Canadian Hero
In Before You Say Goodbye we have included stories of real Canadian youth and young adults. Ashley’s faith journey is one we could all learn from. Watch her video below. I was born with Cerebral... Read More
Sendme.ca is Here
Some things change for the better. In the last few years the Gideons have taken huge strides in becoming relevant to the younger generations in Canada. Some people just know them for putting Bibles in... Read More
Before You Say Goodbye Video Explanation
After a year of work we have finally finished putting together a one of kind resource for Canadian Youth and Young Adults. It is a web-interactive magazine style book that is a proactive response to t... Read More
Where is God when Bad Things Happen? Watch a story from three siblings who lost their brother.
Life doesn’t always go as planned. It seems that trouble finds us. If it hasn’t yet, it will. Pain, suffering, sickness, loneliness, and death are all coming. It seems when we go through these thi... Read More
Young People Are Starting Churches All Over Canada
There are so many great stories of things our youth and young adults are doing across our nation. Very often there is a focus on why churches are losing this age group. However, did you ever stop to c... Read More
An Incredible Future
Before You Say Goodbye tells the stories of just some of the incredible things happening with youth and young adults across our nation. Some are in print, but we also have many links to videos, in t... Read More
Andrew’s Cafe, Not in Vain
I had heard all my life that people learn from their mistakes. That some people have to learn the hard way. There is a level of truth to these statements, but in some cases it is not true at all. One ... Read MoreWhy I Believe – Post 7
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYAv4Q9dg70′] Last year I had several people ask me this question. ‘Why are you a Christian? There doesn’t seem to be any proo... Read MoreWhy I Believe – Post 6 – Goodness and Tim Hortons
Good….. You have likely been told to be good. To do good. You likely got rewarded for being good when you were kid. You may have received money for getting good grades in school. We also... Read MoreWhy I Believe – Post 5
There has been a long pause between my posts on this topic. We have been in the middle of a fundraising / building project for our church and youth centre the last few months and I put blogging aside ... Read MoreWhy I Believe – Post 4 – Too Much Evidence
Too much evidence. For the past weeks I have been posting thoughts I have on why I believe in God. I know many people who have issues with the idea of a god(s) because they believe they have not seen,... Read MoreTurns out Age Segregated/Specific Ministry may be Biblical
For the past several years of my life I have studied, read, and listened to just about every book, research paper, blog, and video that I have been able to about why all young people do not remain in ... Read MoreThe Challenge – Why I Believe – Post 3
Several weeks ago I decided to answer a challenge. How do you know God is real? People question is it just a feeling? Is our faith only in the ‘unseen?’ Just Emotions? Knowledge? A... Read MoreBeautiful Hope
Over the past years I have traveled to areas of the world and seen unimaginable poverty in many places. I have been to countries where lives have been ripped apart by war. I have sat with sick and t... Read MoreBeautiful Christ Video – Book Release
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvUFGo-SXBc Promo Video for the new ‘Beautiful Christ’ book. It is subtitled, ‘Why I believe, in an age of skeptics’. There are many objections ... Read MoreThe Challenge – Why I Believe – Post 2
I have found some very interesting challenges online lately. I am presently trying a new weight loss one. I will let you know how that one works out. I have also challenged myself to try and explain... Read MoreThe Beautiful Church – A Covenant Community
Everyone has an idea or definition of what a church is. There are many who don’t want any part of any church because of the experiences they had in one. It seems the actions of many have tainted... Read MoreWhy Will This Be Different? A Lesson on Faith.
It was seven years ago my wife, kids, dog, cat, and I moved to Glace Bay to work towards starting a new church. Recently I was asked, ‘Why do I think our new church start would succeed?’ I... Read MoreA Letter to Senior Pastors
Dear Senior Pastor and Leadership Team, My name is David Sawler. I am senior leader of a Church in Glace Bay, NS. For the past decade of my life I have been studying and speaking on the topic of why a... Read MoreHands – A Small Blog On Suffering
For several years I was lead short term mission teams to areas surrounding Monterrey, Mexico. During most of our trips we stopped by a particular orphanage run by several Catholic Nuns. The children l... Read MoreA Lesson on Discipleship from the Ski Hill
For most of my life I have be involved with various extreme sports. If there is something I love it is to go fast. Whether it has been mountain biking, snowboarding, four wheeling, or being on my ... Read MoreWhat is Wrong with this Picture? A lesson on young leaders.
What is wrong with this picture? A lesson on young people. This picture, or ones like it, are hanging in churches and homes all over the world. Every time I see one I am slightly annoyed. Not becaus... Read MoreWhat I Appreciate about the Atheist Movement
Some may think this would be a strange topic to bring up being as I am a person of Faith, a Christian, a Pastor, and I writer on such issues. However, no matter how odd you think it may be, I have a... Read MoreWhy I Am Proudly Religious
Just a few thoughts from my upcoming book release ‘The Beautiful Christ’ It seems no one wants to be religious anymore. Christopher Hitchens has called religion, ‘the root of all e... Read MoreWho is My Disciple?
Some rambling from my book – ‘The Disciple’ Recently a pastor told me about a difficult time his church had gone through. A large portion of the church members had left after a ser... Read MoreThings That Are Wrong in the Bible
From the upcoming Beautiful Christ Book – Discussing Christ through the objections people have to faith, religion, and Christianity. Much of the Bible is the history of God’s people. Jus... Read MoreBefore They Say Goodbye – Huntley Interview
Before They Say Goodbye Interview... Read MoreThe Problem with the Bible
To even bring this up in various settings as I travel it has brought up much emotion. To openly mention it, and discuss it, seems to be quite offensive, as we certainly hold the Bible in highest reg... Read MoreIs the Internet the Next Challenge to Faith?
There has always been challenges to Christianity, religion, and faith throughout history. Most of the arguments are not new. However, today, there is a change. There is actually something new. ... Read MoreDid Youth Ministry Kill the Church?
Before I start into this I better say, ‘I know nothing can kill the Church.’ However, we certainly can do some things which make it harder for local faith communities to exist long term. Recentl... Read MoreOrphan Generation – Free Chapter from Goodbye Generation for Father’s Day
On several occasions I have had the opportunity to visit orphanages in developing countries. I have seen first hand how the love of a few has saved the lives of many. Recently I spent a day at an orph... Read More