All good things...

The end of a thing is better than the beginning of it.

The goodness of finality

Ecclesiastes chapter 7 begins with some rather curious words of wisdom from Solomon:

“A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

Why is the house of mourning better than the house of feasting? Funerals afford us an opportunity to consider our own mortality, our own limitations, and our many weaknesses, which keeps us humble and dependent on God. It also allows us to take stock of our lives and see if we are indeed following and obeying Christ faithfully. The house of morning gives us a right perspective and a balanced and measured heart.

But why would the end of a thing be better than the beginning of a thing? Well, in keeping with the house of mourning, the end of our lives here on earth mark the beginning of our sinless existence with the Lord in heaven, which is only the pre-beginning to the eternal state, where Christ will fully redeem the creative order and raise us with imperishable and spiritual bodies.

In a practical sense, there are countless circumstances and realities where the ending is better than the beginning. Getting engaged is wonderful, but the ending of the engagement, which signals the formal union of a husband and wife, is much better. Clearing the ground to lay a foundation for a new house is exciting and hopeful, but moving into the house and filling those rooms with your family are much better. Beginning post-secondary education is a thrilling adventure, but completing your studies bring a joyful fulfillment.

And, as Solomon makes clear, whatever God has brought about, crooked or straight, all come from the Lord. The days of beginnings and the days of endings, the moments of joy and the seasons of despair – All of these come from the Lord. It is therefore foolish for people to persistently long for the good old days, or when things were easier, because first, we cannot change the past, and second, we cannot change God’s will and purposes. And, from a personal note, even though working two jobs and raising five children is exhausting – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – it is so much sweeter and richer than being a single, well-rested, young adult with more personal time and disposable income.

Counter-intuitive as Solomon’s words might seem, they are true and wise and worth serious consideration.

What a ride

I originally began my blog in 2013. Back then it was called “Unrestrained Fire”, and that title was taken from Jeremiah 20, where the prophet reasons as to why he should not remain silent regarding what the Lord has told him to say, declaring, “For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” – Jeremiah 20:8-9

That’s how I felt, sort of. I believed that between my experience in pastoral ministry, my knowledge of the Word of God and theology, and my desire to process what I was reading and studying, I had to get it out in some way. Thus, I began my blog.

I wrote regularly for about two years, then, in 2015, I stepped back for a while, mostly because we had just planted a church in Kingston, and also because we were expecting our third child. Then, in 2019, before “you-know-what”, I began posting again, but only for six months or so, until the COVD-era was in full swing. Between leading my church, caring for my family, and making sense of what was going on, I didn’t have time to write.

That was until 2021, when, after a year of serious reflection and analysis, I released a series in what COVID had truly revealed about our country, our churches, and our culture. I was once again posting regularly until we moved in 2023, when I took a brief break to get our lives settled in a new place.

Then in May 2023, just in time for “Pride Comes Before the Fall Month”, I rebranded my blog as The Maple Theonomist, with a hyper-focus on examining all matters of life and culture in Canada from a distinctly Biblical perspective. I recorded several interviews and released two Bible study series.

Also, since I first began my blog in 2013, I went from being an Associate Pastor at a church to Teaching Pastor at a church plant while working part-time at Costco, to working bi-vocationally with Liberty Coalition Canada, to teaching at a Classical Christian School, while also having four more children, travelling all across Canada with my political advocacy work, and co-hosting a podcast with decent listenership.

Has been an amazing journey, and it’s certainly not the one I anticipated when I was a 29-year-old young man who first began my blog.

All good things

At this point, between the brief study of Ecclesiastes and my personal historical outline, if you haven’t been able to see where all of this is going, let put a finer point on it:

It is time – after one-hundred and sixty-five posts, thirteen years, three churches, two cities, and one rebranding – to step off of my public platform and bring my blogging career to an end.

And it is time. My life looks VERY different than it did 13 years ago. I mean, it looks very different than it did 3 years ago. I am teaching full-time at our Classical Christian School as the grade 7/8 teacher, as well as teaching theology and rhetoric to highschoolers, and while overseeing our school’s academics and administration. I also work part-time at SportChek, which is a great mission field. I serve at my church in a few different ways. We have 5 children ages 2 to 13. I am also the vice president of our Electoral District Association for the Christian Heritage Party.

There are a lot of good things going on, and they all take up my time. There is also one thing all of these items share in common, concerning which my blogging is an outlier, and that is they are all hyper-focused on local matters – family, church, community. In light of where our country is headed, and in line with what I have been advocating for over the past 4 years, I believe it is most prudent for me to spend my time and energy on local efforts.

I am convinced that my greatest impact for the Kingdom of God, and the greatest deployment of my time and talents, is on those people in my immediate context. Yes, that means the full and final giving up of any public platform or ministry I may have had. But to be honest, I’m just a man who has been afforded a gracious gift from the Lord. I am nothing too special. My name won’t be written in any history books. I am not being falsely modest or self-deprecating; I am just being honest. In 100 years, almost no one will remember me or even know my name, and I am fine with that, so long as the fruit of my labours outlives me and makes real Kingdom impact in the world, and even more essential, that the Lord is pleased with my work such that I hear those sweet, sweet words, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Final words

So, with my last post on this platform, and with the wrapping up of my more public career, what should I say? How should I conclude? What words shall mark my farewell? I’ll give you three – a personal thought, a meaningful quote, and a passage of Scripture.

First, I can say unequivocally, without a shadow of doubt, that in all of my life, the Lord has never failed me. In the 26 years since He saved me from death and darkness, the Lord has never disappointed me. It has not always been easy and pain-free, but the Lord has always been faithful.

Second, my very favourite quote from Spurgeon. When I first read these words some 13 years ago, they stunned me. “He is eternally crowed with peerless majesty. Others grow weak with age, but He is forever a Priest like Melchizedek; others may come and go, but He remains as God upon His throne, world without end. We will behold Him tonight and adore Him. Angels are gazing on Him – His redeemed must not turn their eyes away from Him. Where else is there such a Beloved? Oh, for an hour’s fellowship with Him! Be gone, you intruding anxieties! Jesus draws me, and I run after Him.”

Third, this is one of my favourite portions of the Word of God, and it was written by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

To God alone be the glory!