Welcome
Welcome to my personal website. This site is meant to be an encouragement to you. My intent is to present biblical faith in a positive and authentic light, with the goal of strengthening your walk of faith.
I am the lead pastor of Village Green Community Church in London, Ontario, Canada. I am also a host of the podcast, Theology Jam, with Matthew Burkholder and author of The Trojan Horse of Leadership, and Touching God.
I also served as a professor of biblical studies for 27 years so my hope is that you will find something of value here.
Theology Jam Podcast
A podcast that looks at the contemporary faith issues facing the church. From deconstruction, sexuality, leadership dynamics, to doctrinal issues, the podcast investigates the current cultural landscape through the lens of Christian academia and theology.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other popular platforms.
Touching God: Discovering Prayer that moves the heart of God
Prayer is an important discipline, yet for many, it can be either confusing, intimidating, or not well understood. In Touching God: Discovering Prayer that Moves the Heart of God, you will discover a new dimension of prayer-one that will deepen not only this important spiritual discipline in your life, but also your relationship to God. This book will help transform your prayer life from spiritual duty, to one that will touch the very heart of God.
"Jon is the real thing. And his beautiful book on the power of prayer and relevancy of prayer to all of life's circumstances directs us to the realest thing of all: the God who loves us and desires relationship with us. Let's talk with him as we walk with him."
Carolyn Weber, New College Franklin
Available at Amazon.ca and other bookstores
The Trojan Horse of Leadership: Battling the Enemy We All Face.
The book explores how our strengths - the very characteristics that make us likeable, marketable, successful, and worth following - can actually contribute to sabotaging our life and leadership. Using the well-known story of the Trojan Horse as a backdrop, the book explores the character failings that can come from our best attributes.
You can check out the free preview chapters HERE.
Available at Amazon.ca and other book retailers.
Two Questions the Covid-19 Pandemic is Forcing Every Church Leader to Ask - Or Should be Asking!
The church has been my life for the better part of my professional career, and for the most part, its been incredibly rewarding. But this is the first time I've been torn by feelings of extreme joy by the church and feelings of extreme discouragement at exactly the same time. It's like I'm living in two totally different dimensions simultaneously.
Please Stop Embarrassing Jesus!
There's nothing like a pandemic to bring out the best and the worst in people. I can't say I'm surprised, these things have a way of showing people's true colours and where their confidence, or can I say, suspicions, lie.
What is disheartening is what I'm seeing and hearing from those who claim to be followers of Jesus, Worse yet, are those who hold leadership platforms who are using them in ways that is, at least in my mind, not only disheartening, but downright embarrassing.
The Peace You Need Right Now
This is my newest grandson, Noah. I already have scads of pictures of him even though he just turned two months old, but this one is my favourite.
For a time I couldn't figure out why it rose to the top, but after one gruelling day of trying to manage life in the midst of a pandemic it suddenly hit me.
