The Olive Branch Markham • Audio Podcast

So, here’s the truth about transparency: If you won’t be transparent—authentic with others—you make friendship almost impossible. If you won’t be transparent and authentic with your spouse, your marriage won’t last. If you won’t be transparent and authentic with your children, you’ll lose your credibility. If you won’t be transparent and authentic with yourself, you’ll wreck your life. And what if...

One of Jesus’ most stunning comments was about leadership and true greatness. He said that leaders in His Kingdom – the most important ones – would be servants, first. That the greatest leaders would be the servants of all. He punctuated that by saying, "Even the Son of Man did not come to be served – but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many." But does this actually work in to...

We return to our series, “Walk the Line: Core Values to Live By” Pastor Ken Davis returns with Part II to our message series, "Walk the Line: Core Values to Live By" and he'll be talking about how absolutely central LOVE is, not only to our expression of faith to others, but what it reveals to ourselves about our own character. Text: Matthew 5-7, 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 4

he Beautiful Fear: Where Holiness Meets the Human Heart   This week: “The Life that Bows”   What does it really mean to live in the awe of God—not just on Sundays, but every day? This week, we’ll explore how reverence isn’t just a feeling; it’s a way of life. From our choices and character to our worship and purpose, true reverence shapes everything. Join us as we discover what it means to live wi...

This week: “When Awe Awakens”   What happens when you truly see God for who He is? In this opening message, we step into Isaiah’s vision and rediscover a holy God who is not only high and lifted up—but deeply personal. Awe isn’t a feeling—it’s a response to holiness. And when that awe awakens, it humbles us, heals us, and sends us with purpose.   Text: Isaiah 6:1–8; Hebrews 12:28–29; Proverbs 9:10

Fred Penney is a seasoned pastor with 38 years of ministry experience, including planting a new church congregation in Toronto. His educational journey has been extensive, with degrees and diplomas from several prestigious institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Memorial University of Newfoundland, a Diploma in Ministry from EPBC, a Master of Divinity from Wycliffe College, a Master of...

Jesus’ instructions for those who follow Him seem  very  strange sometimes. Before He returns to the Father, He tells His immediate followers to go everywhere and  make disciples . That is,  gather people together  and help people know what it means to follow Jesus, and then help them receive the life He promised. But then  baptize  them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and p...

Jesus told us to be IN the world but NOT be of it — that is, don't take on its value system. And that’s why Jesus came... God became one of us. He didn’t have to do that; He could’ve just said, "Figure it out on your own!" But, He didn’t.

The first narratives of history in Genesis tell us that God created everything we see. God is the ultimate Giver; we are the managers. But, if there is no accountability and we blow through our time and money thinking that if it comes to us then it must belong to us... Does it though?⁠

The Olive Branch welcomes Dr. Peter Chu to share God's Word with us. Pastor Ken first came to hear Dr. Peter at a Markham Prayer Breakfast meeting, he got to know him and knew that we would so enjoy hearing him too! He’ll be sharing with us thoughts about God’s unconditional and unfailing love.   Recording courtesy of our friends at  Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church https://www.youtube.com/@...

We live in a culture that seems obsessed with helping children be successful, competent, smart, and well-educated... and somehow miss⁠ the fact that it’s NOT this stuff that helps them make it, in the ultimate⁠ sense of the word. As parents, we need to know what that is!⁠

There are times when we need to see beyond what is possible, attainable, or even logical – and pursue a bigger plan that takes more love, more money, more grace and more insight than we have available. Jesus asks us to lean in!  

There’s a center line down most highways – to save lives and to stop unnecessary destruction. What the Bible says about life was breathed by the Creator and Giver of life. That’s where the authority comes from. There's a center line in our hearts, too – the one that tells us that we’re off track. Parents, particularly Mom’s, have a tough job teaching children where that center line is – and he...

Week 2 of Good News Give Back! We celebrate the stories of God working in and through our church to bless others in our community and in our world. This week we're going to be focusing on how we use our blessings that we have received from God to bless others around us.

Good News Give Back 2025, Week 1 What Does it Mean to be Blessed?    We often think of "blessing" as success, comfort, or material gain. The real question is ‘ What would it take for YOU to feel blessed?’  See, the truth of the idea of “Blessing” is not just a noun—it’s a verb, a calling. We’ll be talking about “What does it  TRULY  mean to be blessed?”

The guards around Jesus' tomb dozed off here and there, confident that nothing was going on in that grave. Dead people don’t usually create any problems. But no one had a clue that what was really going on there was about to change the world. Jesus' death and resurrection didn’t just split this planet's history. When we believe in Him, it splits our history too. From dead to ALIVE, FOR...

This Sunday’s message: “Determined to Stay the Course”   In the last weeks of His life,  Jesus made a choice  that looked like it would be a dream come true for Him and His disciples. It meant a total defeat of those who had opposed and hated Him. But just days into that choice, it appeared like He had made a terrible mistake.  Jesus  didn’t do what most people would’ve done. The message of Easter...

What makes the difference in  who we are  at the end of the day is something we don’t like very much. It’s called discipline. To keep it simple, discipline is doing something different than what we feel like doing... and it might be that simple thing that makes all of the difference.

Jesus' followers all started out with some variety of beliefs. The biggest test of their belief (and ours) is whether or not it moves us from the initial stages of belief in Who He is to the kind of faith where we the trust in His character. Trust is ultimately what helps us stay standing when we do not understand the circumstances we’re in — or where God is in the middle of it all.

The big surprise for us when it comes to looking at Jesus, Son of God,  I AM,  Saviour of the world, sent to  save everyone and everything  is how low key he is – and how  relational  he is. You’d think that if someone came to destroy evil and decimate the plans of the  Evil One  they’d be way more dramatic. After being born of a virgin and having to run for His life, Jesus lives a very non-descri...

Every one of us is building something with our lives: our faith, our families, our future. But, Jesus makes it clear that what truly matters is  the foundation  we build on. Storms will come, and when they do, they will reveal whether we have built on the solid rock of Christ or the shifting sands of this world. In this message we will explore what it means to  dig deep , build a faith that lasts,...

Today’s message: Home Again   Jesus taught that at the end of time, everyone will end up somewhere. Either with Him or without Him. And it's that simple. No one will be forced to take a gift they do not want. How that all works out is something only God knows, but Scripture makes it clear that Jesus is coming back for His own!  

Today’s message: Jesus’ Gathered People  Every gathering of people has power – good or bad. That’s what helps governments to represent the poor and the rich, the weak  and  the strong. That concept is not something we humans have devised on our own! It’s what God did with the nation of Israel and it’s what Jesus did with His people when He placed His mission of changing the world in their hands. L...

Today’s message: “Our Salvation is Secure” We make promises all the time. Sometimes we keep them, but often we don't. Right after our first ancestors turned away from the truth, God promised He would make a way back and crush the enemy... a nd He kept His promise!

Today’s message: “The Problem” The core reason that most people give for not believing or trusting in God is the suffering and evil they see on this planet. How does that happen in a world rich enough, but too selfish to solve the problem? Why do smart people destroy their own lives? And why can’t we... or why won’t we solve our own problems as humans? Because each and everyone of us is lost, and...