The Inspired Life
Throughout the book of Acts we read stories of men and women who become followers of Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit. This...
How to Use our Daily Readings
Most of our daily readings are linked to various topical teaching series. If you want something to help you grow in your faith, consider listening to a teaching series and doing the daily reading alongside it.
Find all Daily Readings Here!
Listening
START HERE This week we are looking at the topic of listening. It’s worthwhile to learn to listen to the people around you. Is it easy...
Experiencing the Presence of God through Prayer
This week’s Daily Readings have been written by Meghan Matthews, who began a one-year internship with The Well in May 2022. Meghan is...
The Table
Its slightly ironic that I’m writing this week from my kitchen table that my entire family – including myself – hates. Let me...
Not just flesh & bones & sweatpants
This past week’s message identified that fact that to various degrees we are out of practice when it comes to interacting with each...
Lent
LENT begins today. Perhaps you’ve celebrated the season of Lent many times before. Or maybe it’s an altogether new idea for...
Selah…and Lent!
Here we are – it’s the end of February in Ontario Canada. I’m writing this today looking out into a backyard blanketed in deep, deep...
Make space for fear to be displaced
When you are walking home at night and you notice someone following you. You become alert, anxious thoughts and feelings flood your mind...
(Not) just a flesh wound
This week’s daily readings were written by Jenn Krishnan, following her message from this past Sunday. If you missed it you can catch...
Going Back to Go Forward
This week’s Daily Readings have been written by Meghan Matthews, who began a one-year internship with The Well in October 2021....
Take back ground!
I can’t go in that room… Apparently some people didn’t get the message to stay at home and not come into work during this...
Who do you think you are?
Are you familiar with this book? Because I am. Very familiar. I vividly remember this book being extremely upsetting to me as a child. Its...
Breakthrough! Live No Lies
This week, we will delve into the ideas that we have about God. The face word for a set of interrelated ideas is called a mental...
Breakthrough! Unstuck & Unhindered
This past Sunday, we began our Winter Teaching Series called, Breakthrough: Unstuck, Unhindered, and Unbelievable Freedom! So, over the...
Coming Jan 9th…
Seeing the End from the Beginning
This week’s Daily Readings have been written by Meghan Matthews, who began a one-year internship with The Well in October 2021....
Decisions, Decisions
In our Advent series on Joy, this past week’s message made the observation that sometimes (often?) other people with power or influence...
Let it be to me as you have said…
This week we are going to be reading through the first chapter of the biography of Jesus written by Luke. Luke was a Gentile – not a Jew...
Joy Actually
As we step in to Advent – a time when we prepare our hearts in anticipation of Jesus – we will begin with the Gospel of Mark....
This week, as we wrap up our exploration of the Holy Spirit, we’ll be taking a closer look Gifts that DO, Gifts that SPEAK, and Gifts...
Helper Wanted – Gifts & The Body of Christ
Day 1: The Gift of the Spirit Read Acts 2:1-41 This is the account of the day the Church was born – the day that the Holy Spirit was...
Helper Wanted
Missing Person? This week’s readings lead us into a focus we will have over the next 3 weeks on the person and work of the Holy Spirit,...
Live on Mission
Day 1: Read Luke 4:14-21 In this past Sunday’s message, we were reminded that one of the ways we grow is by “Living on Mission”. ...
How do I grow? Personal Practice
Friends, this week we will put the faith catalyst called “Personal Practice” into practice! Each of the five days is a prayer...
How do I grow? Serve Side-by-Side
Day 1: Gift Not Curse Read: Genesis 2:4-9, 15 and Rev. 21:1-5, 22:1-5 On a week where we will be wrestling with how serving God and...
Group Together
This week we’re exploring the faith catalyst that we call, “Group Together”. And the goal from this Sunday’s teaching and our daily...
How do I grow? Celebrate Weekly!
How do I grow? It’s a question we are exploring these next 8 weeks. How do I grow in my faith? We were reminded in the message this last...
Faith is About Everyday Life
A few years ago I decided to do a “Whole 30”. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is essentially a clean-eating plan...
Expect the Mess
DAY 1 Read Ephesians 4:1-6 No matter how many times I have read this passage, it always amazes me that the writer, Paul, was writing a...
We’re Better Together
We’re better together. If you didn’t hear this past Sunday’s teaching – you can catch it HERE, by the way – this is what it was...
If we ever needed a reset…
I don’t know about you, but in my life September often functions like a Reset. It’s a chance to start new things, stop some things and...
The Reminder
Here we are – on the cusp of a new school year. And whether you are going back to school, or you have a kid going back to school or not,...
no one said it was easy
One of the most disturbing & comforting things Jesus said to his disciples – which John, one of them wrote down – was this: “In...
The Suffering Christ
Hey friends, this week we are wrapping up our reading on 1 Peter. I just thought it’s helpful to remember that Peter’s letter was...
Building Upside Down
Day 1: Built into the New Temple Read 1 Peter 2:1-8 Peter is aware that his readers are going through great hardships – poverty,...
Scattered but Chosen (1 Peter Chapter 1)
It’s the start of August, so we begin the month by diving into a letter in the New Testament called 1 Peter. I Peter is interesting...
Surrender
This week’s daily readings will take us to the end of the book of James. And this past Sunday, we also wrapped up our teaching series...
“Faith” is an action word
This week’s daily readings continue to work through the book of James. During the weekly gathering on Sunday, Jeff Brodie (Lead Pastor at...
Closing the Gap
Over the month of July we have the delightful treat of being taught by Jeff Brodie, the lead Pastor of Connexus Church – a multi-site...
The City of God and God’s People
Beginning in chapter 11 of the the book of Hebrews, the writer introduced the idea of the city to engage the reader’s imagination of...
Resilient Work
If you’ve been tracking through the thick theology and reasoning of Hebrews up to this point, well done! But keep cutting, because we...
Resilient Relationships
In a series on resilience, there couldn’t be a better guide than the book of Hebrews. So much of the book is about perseverance. To use...
Someone New
Who doesn’t like new things?!? I know I do. I love the way new cars smell. I love the first time I wear a new outfit. I love breaking...
Die Now, Live Later
This week we are coming to the end of book of Matthew. We have been exploring Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed and Saving One. We have...
Are you ready?
The meaning of Jesus’ words in these chapters have been hotly debated in different Christian circles over the centuries. And I’m sure...
It’s gonna get ugly
4 Kings, 1 Throne. It’s gonna get ugly! In Matthew’s account of Jesus the Revolutionary, his primary preoccupation is with Jesus’...
Beautiful and Broken
I was making one of my favourite salads for dinner last night – it has cucumber and radish and avocado and basil (let me know if you want...
Jesus the Messiah
It’s the start of another week of The Daily Reading. We will be covering passages from Matthew chapter 14 to 17 this week. We usually...
Are You In?
In this week’s readings, we’ll be exploring various people or groups of people and how they responded to Jesus’...
I must confess…
The Revolution of Jesus. Let’s be honest. We love it. We don’t love it. Perhaps even what you’ve read so far in the book of Matthew,...
A Revolution of Dignity
Dignity is defined as: 1. the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect Or 2. a composed or serious manner or style. 3. a sense...
The Revolutionary King
This week’s Daily Reading has to do with clarifying the Jesus that you and I have been following. Whether you are on the fence about who...
Let the Revolution begin!
Over the next several weeks we’ll be navigating through a Sunday series called Revolution! And we’ll be tackling some pretty big...
Unbelievable: The Unfinished Story
Day 1: Read Acts 21-22:29 Today, we enter Holy Week – the final week of Lent, leading us up to Good Friday and ultimately, Resurrection...
Unbelievable: The Call
Well, here we are. Less than 2 weeks before Easter. It’s coming, friends. Can you feel it? In the season of lent, the 40 days before...
Unbelievable: The Church Scattered
Last week, Pastor Tony led us through a reflection from chapter 1 to 7 of Acts. The first 7 chapters are a beautiful picture of the church...
Unbelievable Acts
UN-Believable. And that’s the truth. As we begin our Sunday series by this title over the month of March, we’re being let in on one...
Love flows in, Love flows out
We have just come to the end of an 8-week reflection on the love of God. But this is not the end of the journey. If you’re like me, over...
His Love Endures Forever
Have you ever read the Jesus Storybook Bible? Here at the Well we gift it to our kindergarten kids – if you don’t have one you...
Love Keeps No Record of Wrong
Let’s begin a fresh week of daily reading! We follow up with Pastor’s Vijay’s sermon from this Sunday with 5 days of confession. I...
Love Rejoices with the Truth
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul gives us one of the most beautiful and comprehensive pictures of what LOVE really is, and why LOVE is...
Love is Greater than Anger
This past week’s message took a close look at the issue of anger; specifically, how one of the definitions of love that Paul describes in...
Love is Patient. Love is Kind.
Day 1: Why is love so hard? Watch: Read: Hosea 11:1-4 Over the course of this week I felt the Lord leading us to lean into the book of...
Love is Greater Than Pride
This week in the Daily Reading, we look at how love casts out pride. Pastor Vijay in his message on Sunday (17th) reminds us that while...
Love is Greater Than…
If you joined us for church yesterday, then you know that this winter, we’re journeying through an 8 week Sunday series that we’re...
The Wonder of Reconciliation
As we’ve been journeying through our Advent sermon series on Wonder, we’ve been exploring themes of the Christmas season that are...
The Wonder of Giving
Christmas. It’s a season of giving, isn’t it? A time when we remember and celebrate God’s greatest gift given to the world, Christ...
The Wonder of Slowing
Probably one of the more astonishing things I’ve encountered over the past 9 months of the covid crisis is the difficulty…lets say near...
Hope in the Dark – All Things New
DAY 1: A New Heaven and New Earth… Take a moment in silence and stillness. Then read Revelation 21:1-8. If you’ve been tracking...
Hope in the Dark – Final Judgements
Hello church! Welcome to the second last week of our readings through Revelation. I’m not going to lie to you – we are going to...
Hope in the Dark – The Last Plagues
Day 1 – The Lamb and The Beast Read Revelation 15:1-4 1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with...
Hope in the dark – can you read the signs?
As we begin this week’s readings, we need to remember that the book of Revelation is a big picture – a grand vision vision – so we...
Sounding the Alarm
Well, if you thought last week’s readings were a little crazy, get ready for a second helping of nuts! Some of the most difficult and...
Hope for the suffering
So now we come to the crazy stuff in Revelation. These chapters contain maybe the most well-known apocalyptic images even for those who are...
Attention and Participation – Week 3
We are in week three of the Hope in the Dark series. This past Sunday, Pastor Vijay led us into a closer look at power. We have come to...
I See You – Week 2
In the first week of our new sermon series “Apocalypse: Hope in the Dark” we studied the first chapter of Revelation and had our hearts...
Hope in the Dark – Week 1
This week we kicked off a series called “Hope in the Dark” – you can catch it here if you missed it. The fact is, we are a community...
Building a Trellis (Rule of life) – Week 4: Work
This last message in the Reconnect series explored the bucket in our Rule of Life we call “Work”. As a reminder, this bucket of Work is...
Building a Trellis (Rule of Life) – Week 3: Relationships
This past week’s message unpacked the third bucket in our Rule of Life: Relationships. We need a trellis, a plan for relationships for...
Building a Trellis (Rule of Life) – Week 2: Prayer
This past week Sunday’s message continued on a series we have started called Reconnect. Our goal for this September is to (re)discover...
Building a Trellis (Rule of Life) – Week 1: Rest
The following blog is meant to be worked through over a few days, or at a time when you have at least an hour to yourself. Feel free to...
GTK Christine Caine
We spent this past Sunday hearing about Christine Caine’s life and the work she does to abolish slavery. To find out more about A21...
GTK John M. Perkins
This past Sunday we took a close look at the transforming work of Jesus in the life of John M. Perkins – someone who’s faith...
A personal encounter with Jesus (DO try this at home!) – Jenn Krishnan
In the teaching from this past weekend’s service we discovered that we are each invited to personally encounter Jesus, to experience...
Markers and Milestones
We are nearing the end of our reading of the book of Deuteronomy together. What a journey the Israelites have been on! If you haven’t...
Set Apart
I often joke that I get the worst passages to blog about…except that I’m not joking. I FOR SURE get the worst passages (Deuteronomy...
Painting a Picture of God
As Moses continues to lay down laws for the people of Israel, he’s painting a picture. These aren’t simply rules for them to obey. ...
Generous Leadership
Day 1: Deuteronomy 16:18 – 17:7 Why does God call the leaders of Israel to the standards we read about in our passage today? Because...
Open Hands
News Flash: Quarantine has brought up a whole lot of things about myself I had forgotten…or maybe had just been ignoring. Has this...
Generosity Begins with Gratitude
Watch the video summary of Deuteronomy Day 1: Deuteronomy 4:1-14 God is like no other. He is different than the other gods. Verse 7 says...
Deuteronomy: A Journey in Generosity
Over the next month on Sundays, we’re embarking on a community journey into GENEROSITY. We’ll be exploring various layers around what...
From Suffering to Glory
Hey Church! This past Sunday, we reflected together on all that God has been teaching us through the book of Luke and the History Maker...
The Future is NOW
This past Sunday’s sermon unpacked the way that Jesus thought about and taught about “eternal life”. Though we often think of those...
What you need for your next road trip!
As we dive into these chapters that Luke recorded about Jesus’ life and ministry leading up to his arrival in Jerusalem you may find...
My Kingdom is Not of this World
“My kingdom is not of this world.” – Jesus As we continue our journey through the History Maker teaching series through...
Expectation vs. Reality
This week’s section of the Gospel of Luke takes us through Jesus ministry throughout the region of Galilee. It is in this section...
Good News, right? Maybe…
We’re reading through the book of Luke as our guide to the History Maker series – how Jesus’ story has changed ours. The...
An Unlikely Entrance
Over the next several weeks, we’re journeying through a Sunday sermon series, called History Maker. So, in both our Sunday sermons and...
Reflecting on the Resurrection
Friends, even though this was one of the most unusual ways we’ve ever had to celebrate Easter weekend, the miracle of Jesus’...
Slowly learning to know God
If you have been reading through the book of Exodus, you may have found it much easier to read the first half of the book rather than the...
The Tabernacle
Hey Church! As we journey through the season of Lent, our Community Bible Reading and Weekly Blog will take us through the book of Exodus....
Oh How He Loves Us
As we journey through the season of Lent, our Community Bible Reading and Weekly Blog will take us through the book of Exodus. This...
What We Need
Perhaps if you are anything like me it is at this point in our reading of the book of Exodus you begin to feel extremely annoyed with the...
The Plagues
As we journey through the season of Lent, our Community Bible Reading and Weekly Blog will take us through the book of Exodus. This...
Lent: Charleton Heston, The Bible, and the Next 40 Days
As we journey through the season of Lent, our Community Bible Reading and Weekly Blog will take us through the book of Exodus. This...
It’s Global Week!
I’ve been fortunate to travel a bit in my life. Growing up it was limited to mainly road trips – a borrowed trailer in Florida at...
The Lord is my Shepherd
Psalm 23 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,...
When the Night is Long
One of the things we have heard repeated through this “I’m Not OK” series is that much of the time, our deepest struggles – whether...
Working through the Hurt of Abuse
Perhaps the greatest injustice we can experience in life is abuse. To be treated cruelly – physically, emotionally, sexually –...
Going there with God: Grief
During our annual week of prayer this year, we held a night dedicated wholly to praying for healing: physical, mental, emotional,...
The Addict’s Prayer
This past week’s message talked about the fact that we all battle addiction in some shape or form – patterns of behavior, speech and...
Permission, Direction, Communion
I’m not ok. It’s a phrase we hear all to often these days, as mental health issues continue to be on the rise. Our world is...
Less is More…
Daily Readings Day 1: Psalm 63 Day 2: Psalm 63 Day 3: Psalm 63 Day 4: Psalm 63 Day 5: Psalm 63 For the last ten years at Upper Room, we...