micahemerson.ca

All things good, beautiful and true.

  • Built. Joined. Filled.

    Becoming a People Who Carry the Wisdom of God

    19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

    3 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you. 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. 4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5 This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

    8 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13 So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.

    Ephesians 2v19–3v13

    There’s a truth woven through the New Testament that we often miss because it feels too ordinary, too gritty, too human to be spiritual: God forms us into the image of Jesus through community.

    Ephesians 2–3 pulls back the veil and shows us that community is not just a good idea or a spiritual add-on; it is central to God’s redemptive mission.

    God is gathering a people.
    Not a crowd.
    Not an audience.
    A people built on Christ, joined in Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ.

    And through this unlikely community, God intends to display His wisdom
    —to the world,
    —to the heavenlies,
    —and even to the forces opposed to Him.

    This is not theoretical.
    It’s deeply practical.
    And it’s meant to reshape our lives.

    Let’s walk slowly with Paul through this text.

    1. The Mystery of God’s Plan

    Ephesians 3:1–6

    Paul calls the gospel a mystery—not because it is unsolvable, but because it was hidden for ages and then revealed in Jesus.

    The mystery is this:

    In Christ, all people become fellow heirs, members of one body, and sharers in the same promises.
    (Ephesians 3:6)

    Think about that.
    A new humanity.
    A reconciled family.
    Enemies becoming siblings.
    Strangers becoming kin.

    This was always the plan.
    Before creation.
    Before history.
    Before your story or mine began.

    The gospel isn’t just the forgiveness of sins—
    It is the merging of lives into a new, shared way of being human.

    This mystery is beautiful.
    And it is disruptive.
    Because unity requires surrender.

    2. The Purpose of the Church

    Ephesians 3:7–13

    Paul then tells us why God is forming this new humanity.

    “So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.”
    (Ephesians 3:10)

    The church becomes the stage on which God displays His wisdom.
    Not in our perfection, but in our perseverance in love, in our commitment to one another, in our shared life shaped by Jesus.

    In other words:
    Our unity is spiritual warfare.
    Our love becomes a witness.
    Our community becomes a signpost.

    The world is watching to see if the way of Jesus actually works. Heaven is watching with awe. Hell is watching with dread.

    And we, simple disciples, learning to follow Jesus together, become the evidence.

    3. The Process of Formation

    Ephesians 2:19–22

    Paul gives us three images—slow, organic, earthy images of formation.

    A. Built on Christ

    “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself the cornerstone.”

    Jesus is the reference point, the alignment stone, the ground we build on. Everything else: our politics, preferences, personality, culture, is shifting sand.

    In the way of Jesus, we always begin here: Jesus at the center. Jesus is the foundation. Jesus is the one we imitate.

    B. Joined Together in Christ

    “In Him the whole structure is being joined together…”

    Spiritual formation happens in relationships:
    real ones, honest ones, imperfect ones.

    Community is beautiful during the honeymoon season. But the real formation begins when it gets uncomfortable: differences surface, preferences collide, wounds get revealed, and expectations clash.

    This is where many people leave. But this is exactly where Jesus begins to do His deepest work.

    In the way of Jesus, we don’t run from tension; we bring it into His presence. We practice humility, confession, forgiveness, and mutual submission. And slowly, without us even noticing, He knits us together.

    C. Filled With the Spirit

    “…being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

    The end goal is not just community. It is presence.

    A people saturated with the Spirit. A church animated by love, peace, holiness, generosity, and power. A community where God feels at home.

    This is what the Spirit loves to do: take ordinary people, place them in community, and fill that community with the very life of God.

    Becoming an Unlikely, Spirit-Filled Community

    Ephesians tells us something we must not forget:

    God’s purpose for the church is to take diverse people and create an unlikely community that displays His wisdom to the world, heaven, and hell.

    To live into this vision, we need to become people who:

    1. Remember our foundation

    Everything begins and ends with Jesus. We root our lives in His teaching, His presence, and His way.

    2. Stay when the relationship gets uncomfortable

    Formation requires stability. Belonging grows through perseverance. Love matures through conflict.

    3. Surrender to the Spirit’s forming work

    We cannot manufacture unity. We cannot force transformation. But we can present ourselves to God with open hands and open hearts. And when we do…

    He builds.
    He joins.
    He fills.

    A Closing Invitation

    Take a moment to breathe.

    Where is the Spirit inviting you today?

    • To anchor your life more deeply in Jesus?
    • To stay engaged instead of withdrawing?
    • To surrender a preference, a frustration, or a point of pride?
    • To open yourself again to being formed through community?

    Let this be our prayer:

    Jesus, build us on You.
    Join us to one another.
    Fill us with Your Spirit.
    Make us a community that displays Your wisdom to the world,
    and a home where You delight to dwell.
    Amen.

  • fracture

    In mid-November, 2025, I broke my left foot. I don’t suggest it.

    I felt the crack before I heard it break
    like something holy giving way.
    Bone surrendering to the pressure,
    the same way people break on the inside
    When they pretend they’re okay.

    They say healing starts with silence,
    But mine started with a bang
    a sharp reminder I’m not stronger
    than the weight of broken pain.

    But the truth is in the fracture
    in the splintered, jagged line.
    Sometimes things must fall apart
    before they can realign.

    So I’ll wear this break like a witness,
    let the ache do what it must.
    ’Cause every bone that learns to mend
    teaches the spirit how to trust.

    And when the boot came off,
    and I stood up straight again,
    I’ll remember:
    even shattered things
    can find their strength
    and live.

  • Awakening

    Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.

    – Ephesians 5:14

    Preamble: Recently, God called my family and I into a season of transition. A season culminating in our departure from Crosspoint Church, the local church where we served for over a decade. Then, the Lord led us join an amazing community of Jesus followers at Beulah Alliance Church. We said yes to being a part of new work of God in the southeast of Edmonton. The following story comes from the early days of this movement.

    We walked out my friends back door and up a grassy berm along the Whitemud. The highway was like a rushing river with thousands of people passing by everyday. Neighbours walked their dogs down a narrow path. From the high ground we walked, talked and looked to the south. Mill Woods, a city within a city. A hundred thousand people and forty-two language groups. Single family homes lined the parameter, with affordable housing the further you moved into Millbourne Center. The middle of Mill Woods is alive with activity. From the local grocery store, grade school, Mosque and Gurdwara. Newcomers from around the world live, worship, work, learn and play.

    We headed south and prayed. As we went, there was an apple tree. It’s branches hung low, heavy with fruit. Many of the apples dotted the grass below. It was clear that this tree was ready for the picking. The Spirit stirred within me, in the same way, Mill Woods continues and is increasingly ready for the Gospel.

    A hundred years ago passionate followers of Jesus packed up their lives and crossed oceans to reach the nations. Today, many people from the nations have immigrated to North America. They are right here in our backyard, our neighbors and co-workers. These people come from groups and places where they rarely hear the name of Jesus. They almost never hear the Gospel.

    In Mill Woods, the nations are on our doorstep. Let’s ask ourselves some guiding questions. How will they call on Him who they have not believed? How will they know what they have not heard? And how will they hear if we do not tell them?

    Here is what we know do know: Jesus sought out and sat with lost people. He entered there towns, their houses and their worlds. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The marginalized and searching. The disillusioned and poor. The ones who had messed up and those who were desperate for hope, peace, purpose and meaning.

    A hundred years ago, Beulah Alliance Church has been focused on reaching people far from God. Today, in this new expression, that continues to be true. I believe that God has prepared Mill Woods to hear the good news of Jesus. He has organized the time, place and a people for this work. And he has laid the groundwork. softened hearts and prepared Mill Woods to be Awakened to King Jesus and new life.

    I believe God is calling us to the lost and the least in southeast Edmonton. We are waking up to Jesus, being renewed and revived to new life. Now, we are praying and preparing for what God is doing next in Mill Woods.

    To learn more about what God is doing in Mill Woods visit beulah.ca/millwoods

  • Yellowknife

    Part 1

    I walked
    to the end of time.
    To the very edge
    of the earth.
    ‘Til my feet
    bled in the soil.

    I went
    into the wild,
    where the sun never sleeps,
    and the moss becomes your bed

    I came
    to listen.
    To hear the song
    creatures have been singing
    since before we had words.

    And I found you
    in the dirt and silence,
    as surely as you were
    in the dust
    and the noise.

    Oh great Shield
    you sleeping giant.
    You footstool of heaven.
    Granite Goliath
    with your back to the stars.

    I went to the edge of creation.
    Just to see you
    at the center
    of it all.

  • New Ground

    A Ministry Update in the Life of the Emersons

    Change is a constant part of life.

    Now, I am not the kind of person to bounce around. I shirk at the thought of ladder climbing and platform building (it’s ironic, I know). My primary ministry motivator has always been pleasing God and loving people. So, when God leads our family somewhere, we set up to stay. I plan to stay until closing time. The last to leave. So, I set up shop and buy my funeral plot.

    But life is full of change. We follow where the Lord leads, lay our best plans and see what happens. Then, we try to hold them loosely and surrender them if Jesus leads us somewhere else. It’s easier said than done.

    A couple years ago we started to notice a shifting in our hearts. We didn’t think it meant we were going anywhere, but we were expecting change. We didn’t feel released, nor did we desire to do something different, but our eyes were wider and more aware to something bigger than ourselves and our day to day lives.

    So, after a challenging season, hard decisions, bittersweet goodbyes, some retrospect and the words of a new friend – we could finally see what the Lord had been doing.

    He was disrupting the ground, where He called us to and that we had so firmly planted ourselves in. He was disturbing the roots that we had set so deep down. Shaking and moving the things we dearly loved. Preparing us for what was next. Whatever that was.

    At the same time, unbeknownst to us, He was preparing new ground. A new place to set down roots and fall in love with new people. And to be part of a new thing He was doing in a place of need and opportunity.

    So, this summer, as a family we made a difficult decision, and I resigned my position as Assistant Pastor at the Crosspoint Church after over a decade of precious memories and meaningful ministry. They were some of the best years of our lives.

    And now, in the time in between, we prepare for what’s next. Reaching the lost and the least in the Southeast of Edmonton. Joining an brilliant team of Jesus followers. Serving the amazing people of Beulah Alliance Church and loving our neighbours in the Millwoods area.

    I believe that the Lord is increasing our faith, and calling us to a harvest in Southeast Edmonton. He is awakening the spiritually dead, walking among the living, to life in Christ through the good news of Jesus, and we can’t wait to see what God will do.

    Over the next year we will be preparing a peculiar people, called to this particular work, for this specific time. A community we already believe God has gone ahead of us to prepare to reach lost people he loves. If that’s you, I would love to chat.

    What is the Lord inviting you into? Would you join Him in his redemptive mission in the world, right here in Edmonton?

  • When the Journey is too much

    A reflection on despair and the God who meets us there

    “The journey is too much for you.” — 1 Kings 19:7

    Have you ever wanted to give up?

    Elijah did.

    After one of the greatest spiritual victories in the Bible, calling down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel, Elijah found himself under a broom tree in the wilderness, exhausted and praying to die. It’s a sobering turn. Just one chapter earlier he was bold, confident, and victorious. Now, he’s alone, afraid, and undone.

    And maybe, if we’re honest, we can relate.

    Real People, Real Pain

    Elijah isn’t a Bible character out of reach. He’s a real person with real problems. Just like us. Despite his faithfulness and bold obedience, Elijah found himself in a dark place. He believed he had failed. That the mission was over. That he was all alone.

    But what happens next is deeply human—and deeply divine.

    God meets him there.

    Not with shame. Not with punishment. But with presence, provision, and a plan.

    God meets us in three movements:

    God Revives You

    Before Elijah could get back on his feet, God sent an angel to minister to his body. Not his spirit. His body. The angel didn’t preach. He brought food and water. Twice. Elijah was exhausted, and God knew it.

    Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap and have a snack. Our bodies and souls are deeply connected, and when one is suffering, the other often follows.

    We live in a culture that divides the spiritual from the physical. But Scripture doesn’t. A.B. Simpson once wrote,

    “The Redeemer appears among men with both hands stretched out to our misery and need.”

    Jesus Himself felt hunger. He needed rest. And He shows us that being human means honoring both body and soul.

    If you’re in despair, start here: rest. Eat well. Be gracious and kind to yourself. Step outside. Care for your physical self as an act of faith. And maybe, you just might meet God in your next nap.

    God Pursues You

    Elijah traveled to Mount Horeb—the mountain of God. He found a cave. And in that cave, God asked a question:
    “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

    It wasn’t because God didn’t know. It was because Elijah needed to say it out loud. Twice Elijah spills his soul: “I’ve done everything right, but I’m washed up, alone. and they’re trying to kill me.”

    And God listens.

    No lecture. No rebuke. Just presence.

    Then something unexpected happens. A windstorm breaks the mountain. Then an earthquake. Then fire. But God wasn’t in any of it.

    Then—a whisper.

    And in that whisper, Elijah knew: God is with me.

    The God of the universe met Elijah in his pain and listened. He enters the mouth of the cave. He sits in the pit with us. And He gently whispers.

    Where do you need to hear God’s whisper?

    God Restores You

    After all this, after food, sleep, travel, and whispers, God gives Elijah a renewed purpose. He sends him back, not because Elijah was strong enough, but because God had gone before him.

    He wasn’t alone after all. There were 7,000 others still faithful in Israel. God had already lined up the next leaders—Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. Elijah thought everything was lost. God knew everything was in place.

    Here’s the truth: your despair doesn’t disqualify you. It’s not the end of your story. The journey is too much for you—but it’s not too much for God.

    You were never meant to carry it alone.

    The Meeting That Changes Everything

    Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, once wrote:

    “Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure…or for power…but a quest for meaning… we give our suffering meaning in how we respond to it.”

    What if the meaning of your suffering isn’t in trying harder, but in meeting the God who enters it with you? Who suffers with you and for you?

    Elijah’s story tells us this: God revives us, pursues us, and restores us. He meets us in our deepest pain not with platitudes but with presence. Not with shame but with sustenance. Not with distance or shame, but with a whisper.

    So—have you ever wanted to give up?

    God will meet you in your despair.

    A blessing for the weary:

    May the God who made you—body and soul—revive your strength.
    May He meet you in the stillness and whisper your name.
    And may He restore you to walk with Him once more.

    Meet with God in your pain with this practice.

  • Jordan


    I touched the water,
    cool and restless beneath my hand.


    Wading the eastern shore,
    I felt the current resist me,
    but You called me upstream,
    into waters I feared to cross.

    You carved a path where none had been,
    turned depths into dry ground.
    I removed my sandals,
    laid down what I once carried.
    I stepped in.


    The river rose.
    And I did not drown,
    I am new,
    swept into another land.

    You touched the water,
    and the river caught fire.

  • Harvest

    Jesus invites all His followers to join in his redemptive mission in the world. So what is God’s mission, and how do we participate in it?

    The Mission Starts With Jesus

    35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

    Matthew 9v35-38

    Matthew 9 gives us a window into Jesus’ heart and ministry. He went from village to village, teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and affliction. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion—they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

    This moment gives us a glimpse of the mission: to bring the good news to those desperate for hope. But it’s not just about telling people something—it’s about showing them. As John Wimber once said, “The kingdom is about doing just as much as teaching.”

    But before we dig deep, let’s define terms.

    Gospel, Kingdom, Mission: What Are We Really Talking About?

    Let’s clarify the language:

    • Gospel: The good news that Jesus has come, and through faith in Him, we can enter His Kingdom here and now.
    • Kingdom: God’s rule breaking into the world—where healing, restoration, and peace replace brokenness and chaos.
    • Mission: God’s ongoing work to redeem, reconcile, and renew all creation—and our invitation to join Him in it.

    Being on mission means we live as people of the Kingdom, proclaiming and demonstrating the good news in everyday life—whether it’s in the grocery store, a school hallway, or over coffee with a neighbor. This is how Jesus approaches mission.

    Jesus’ Method: Proclaim AND Demonstrate

    Jesus didn’t just preach about the Kingdom; He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and cast out demons. He made the Kingdom tangible. It was something you could see, hear, and even taste.

    As believers, our calling is to follow His lead. That means Gospel Proclamation—speaking the hope of Jesus—and Gospel Demonstration—embodying that hope through love, service, and healing. It’s the marriage of word and deed that brings the Kingdom to life around us. But how does this scale? How does it become a movement that reaches the world?

    The Model: Discipleship in Action

    When Jesus saw the need, He didn’t just keep going. He turned to His disciples and said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

    And then—He sent them.

    Jesus’ model is simple:
    “I do, you watch. We talk. Then I send, you do. We talk again.”

    It’s discipleship in action. Jesus was never building a fan club—He was raising a movement of people empowered to live like Him and bring His Kingdom to the world.

    What About Today?

    The mission hasn’t changed.

    People in our communities are still spiritually exhausted and confused. They’re searching for healing, for truth, for something real. And like Jesus’ day, the need is right in our backyard.

    We don’t need to hop on a plane to live on mission. We just need to open our eyes to the fields around us. What we do need is something to change in us.

    The Heart: Compassion That Moves Us

    The final piece—perhaps the most vital—is Jesus’ heart.

    Verse 36 says, “He had compassion for them.” That Greek word implies a gut-wrenching, visceral response. Jesus was moved to act because their pain became His.

    And if we’re going to join Jesus in His mission, we need more than strategy—we need His heart. Without compassion, our plans stall. But when our hearts break for what breaks His, we become unstoppable in love.

    So, What Now?

    Maybe you’re reading this and realizing your heart has grown cold or apathetic. That’s okay. The good news? It’s never too late to be rekindled.

    Start with this prayer:
    “Lord, send out laborers into your harvest—and make me one of them.”

    Then, take a practical step. Write down the names of three people in your life who don’t yet know Jesus. Start praying for them every day—by name, by situation, by heart.

    Let God soften your heart again. Let Him move you with compassion. Let His mission become yours.

    You Are Sent

    You are the people of God, called by Him into His redemptive mission in the world.

    So step into the harvest.

    Let your words proclaim.
    Let your life demonstrate.
    Let your heart reflect His.

    The harvest is ready. Are you?

  • Lilac

    You arrived in a morning hush,

    silent and sure, while I still dreamed in shadow.

    I saw you flutter in the morning rain, then tilt your face to greet the sun.

    And I was suddenly moved

    memories budding bright and sudden

    Of springtime love: fragrant and honest, renewed each year, but lost in autumn and the snow.

    I once searched for you

    in sleepless nights, tossing in the cold.

    But now I see, you were always there, just outside the garden, waiting gently with me, like flowers before they bloom.

  • Embrace These Things

    Your house is on fire.

    Smoke billows through the hallways and assaults your senses. As you and your loved ones run to safety, what do you grab? Can you manage to hold on to anything? Is it safe to cling to any thing so closely? You make a split second decision, and with super-human strength, carry your loved ones out onto the front lawn. You cling to each-other as you watch it all burn down.

    The truth is, our lives will face calamity. Things will catch fire. What do we hold on to? What will we embrace? In the life of a disciple, what do we really need.

    In the Gospel of Luke , Jesus sends out the twelve and instructs them to:

    “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.  If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”  Luke 9v3-5

    Why does Jesus do this? Why does being one of Jesus’ sent ones seem like the life of a vagabond? Isn’t it important to have a walking stick, a bag with some snacks, a extra shirt and some emergency cash? It’s like Jesus is sending us to the world, wholly unprepared. 

    Maybe so, but wait, let’s back up a bit. When Jesus called the twelve together He gave:

    “power and authority to drive out all demons  and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9v1-2

    The truth is, at certain times in our journey, our lives are going to be on fire. The walls will be crumbling around us. Seasons of change, suffering and poverty will come and pass. People will not always welcome us with open arms and supply us with all that we need. We may not have shoes for the journey or bread for our bag. We may experience spiritual starvation. Dark nights of the soul in the valley. It’s not a matter of if it will happen, only when. These times will come. So, what will we cling to?

    Embrace these things:

    • Access.
    • Authority.
    • Power.
    • Purpose. 

    We may not have a staff, but we have power and authority given to us from and in Jesus’ name. We may not have bread, but we can cast out demons, cure disease and heal the sick because He gave. And now that we freely have received, we can freely give. We are sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God. It frees and sustains all who come into contact with it. The keys have been given to us, and that very access to our Lord Jesus will always be enough. Embrace this whole-heartedly. He gave us everything we need for the journey.

    Today’s disciple has everything they need. I believe that. Would you join me on the journey?