The Blog
Encouragement, practical faith, and the story behind what God is doing in Hamilton.
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Advent Reading Plan: 25 Days to Christmas Through the Bible
Five minutes a day from December 1 to Christmas morning. Follow God's promise from the garden in Genesis, through the prophets, to a manger in Bethlehem, and arrive at Christmas knowing why it matters. With a one-verse version for families with little ones.
Said yes? Start here
Baptism, prayer, the Bible, finding a church, and the weeks after the yes.
How to Tell Your Family You've Become a Christian
You said yes to Jesus. Now there's a dinner table to face. How to tell the people closest to you, what to say and not say, what to do if they laugh or get angry, and the promise Jesus made to people in exactly your position.
Doubt Doesn't Disqualify You: Honest Faith When You're Not Sure
You said yes to Jesus, and now a voice says: what if none of it is true? Here's why doubt is normal, the doubters Jesus kept close, and what to actually do with your questions.
How to Find a Church in Hamilton (and What to Look For)
A church isn't a building you attend; it's a family who notices when you're missing. Here's how to find one in Hamilton, what matters and what doesn't, what your first Sunday will be like, and the churches that stood with Jesus Festival 2026.
What to Do When You Feel Far From God
The festival high fades. Prayers feel like they hit the ceiling. You wonder if you did something wrong, or if any of it was real. Here's what's going on, what Scripture says about dry seasons, and the way back.
How to Start Reading the Bible (Where to Begin, and a Simple 7-Day Plan)
It's 66 books, written over 1,500 years, and most people who try to read it cover to cover stall somewhere in Leviticus. Here's a better way in: where to start, how to read it, and a plan for your first week.
How to Get Baptized: What the Bible Says, What Happens, and How to Take the Step
More than 50 people were baptised at Jesus Festival 2026, many of them the same weekend they met Jesus. If you're wondering whether that step is for you, here's what baptism is, what it isn't, and how to go about it.
How to Pray When You Don't Know What to Say
You don't need the right words, a quiet room or a religious voice. Here's how to start talking to God today, what Jesus said about prayer, and what to do when it feels like nothing is happening.
What Happens After You Say Yes to Jesus
Nobody hands you a manual the moment you believe. Here's an honest, gentle guide to the first weeks of following Jesus — what changes, what doesn't, and what to do next.
The mission & partnership
The vision, the impact so far, and how to stand in it.
The Harvest Isn't Finished: What God Is Doing From Hamilton to the Nations
A park full of worship. Names written in heaven. Weekly teams on the streets, city groups across the map, and a culture brand on the way. Here's the impact so far, and the open door to partner in what comes next.
Plunder Hell, Populate Heaven: An Invitation to Partner in the Harvest
Jesus didn't build His church to hide behind walls. Here's the vision Daniel & Katie Ziedins are carrying with e3 Canada and I Am Second, what Scripture says about the people who send, and how you can stand in it with them.
Festival guides & reports
The 2026 harvest report and every guide to the weekend at Gage Park.
Jesus Festival Hamilton 2026: Thank You—and All Glory to God
Jesus Festival Hamilton 2026 has ended. Read the early report of 70+ salvations, 50+ baptisms, 3,000+ hot dogs and drinks shared, a record turnout, heartfelt thanks and practical ways to keep the fire burning.
Jesus Festival Starts Tomorrow: Your Final Gage Park Checklist
Jesus Festival Hamilton starts Friday, September 4 at Gage Park. Get the final times, live weather, packing list, Main and Ottawa detour, offline app and five-minute before-you-go plan.
Jesus Festival Saturday Is Now 10 AM–7 PM: Updated Stage Schedule
Jesus Festival Family Festival Day has been extended by one hour. See the September 5, 2026 stage schedule from 11 AM–7 PM, artist times, speakers and planning notes.
The Light Hunt: a Free Scavenger Hunt Hidden Inside Jesus Festival
Twelve QR codes are hidden around Gage Park at Jesus Festival Hamilton — each one carries Scripture, lights a lamp on your phone, and unlocks shareable badges. Here's how to play.
Free Things to Do in Hamilton in September 2026
A practical, date-checked guide to free Hamilton events in September 2026—including Jesus Festival, Supercrawl, Open Streets and a great day at Gage Park.
The Complete Gage Park Festival Guide for Jesus Festival 2026
Plan your Jesus Festival Hamilton weekend at Gage Park: where to enter, when to arrive, parking and HSR options, what to pack, family tips and the full September 4–5 schedule.
Bringing the Kids: A Parent's Survival Guide
A free outdoor festival with thousands of people and a toddler who has opinions. What to pack, where to sit, what to do when someone wanders off — and why it's worth the effort.
If You've Never Been to Anything Like This Before
Someone invited you to Jesus Festival and you said yes before you thought it through. Here's honestly what happens, what nobody will ask of you, and why you're more welcome than you think.
Everyday faith
Loving your city, reaching the people closest to you, and faith at work.
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? A Biblical, Balanced Answer
Every October the same debate. Some Christians skip it entirely, some hand out full-size chocolate bars, and both sincerely want to honour God. Here's what Scripture actually says, the three common positions, and a way to use the one night your whole street knocks on your door.
The Real Christmas Story: What Actually Happened in Bethlehem
Under the lights, the songs and the shopping is a story most people half-know. Here's what Matthew and Luke actually record about the first Christmas, what tradition added later, and why a baby in a feeding trough is the most important thing that ever happened.
How to Help Someone Who Is Homeless (Without Making It Worse)
You pass the same person every day and don't know whether to stop, what to say, or whether a few dollars helps or hurts. Here's what twelve years of weekly street outreach in Hamilton has taught us, and how to start.
Why Christians Sing: What Worship Is (and How to Join In When You Don't Feel It)
Friday night at Jesus Festival was three hours of singing in a public park. If you stood at the back wondering what everyone was doing, or whether you were allowed to join in, this is for you.
Family Devotions in Ten Minutes: How to Read the Bible With Your Kids
You brought the kids to the Kids Zone, and now you'd like Jesus to be part of Tuesday too. Here's a ten-minute shape that survives real family life, what to read at each age, and what to do when it goes sideways (it will).
What to Say to Someone Who Is Grieving (and What Not To)
A friend's mother dies, a coworker loses a baby, a neighbour's husband doesn't come home. You want to help and you're terrified of saying the wrong thing. Here's what helps, what hurts, and how Jesus did it.
How to Forgive Someone Who Hurt You (Even If They Never Say Sorry)
It's the hardest thing Jesus asked of us, and the thing He talked about most often. What forgiveness is and isn't, why it's for you too, and a practical way to do it when the other person will never apologise.
How to Pray for a City (When It Feels Too Big)
Praying for a whole city sounds enormous and vague. Scripture makes it surprisingly concrete — five biblical patterns for praying over the streets you actually live on.
What You Wear Can Start the Conversation
Most Gospel conversations don't start with a sermon — they start with a question. On faith-worn-out-loud, the new Kingdom Shop, and the official Jesus Festival collection.
Why We Give a Whole City a Free Festival
No tickets, no barriers, no one turned away. The story behind why Jesus Festival Hamilton is completely free — and what that decision has cost and produced.
You Already Know Your Mission Field
Most of us are waiting for a calling to somewhere far away. Meanwhile God has already placed about a dozen people around you. Here's how to actually reach them.
How to Actually Love a City
Loving your city sounds noble and vague. Here's what it looks like in practice — small, repeatable, unglamorous things that genuinely change a neighbourhood.
Your Job Is Not a Distraction From Your Calling
Most Christians spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else — and quietly assume it's spiritually neutral territory. It isn't.
The Most Underrated Thing You Can Do This Year
Not a program. Not a platform. Just one honest invitation to one person — and why it's still how almost everyone finds their way in.
The story continues
Read the 2026 harvest report, celebrate every person who made it possible and find a practical next step after Gage Park.
See the 2026 recap and next steps →