Martin Elfert

The Rev. Martin Elfert is an immigrant to the Christian faith. After the birth of his first child, he began to wonder about the ways in which the Divine was at work in the world. Shortly thereafter, he joined Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, BC, where he and his new son were baptized at the Easter Vigil in 2005 and where the community encouraged him to seek ordination.

All Stories by Martin Elfert

Father Knows Best: Celebrating one year!

By Martin Elfert — October 22, 2013
FKB is only as good as the questions that folks send in, and I’m grateful to everyone who shares their curiosity and their vulnerability and their passion with us.

Father Knows Best: Why should I forgive someone who has stolen from me?

By Martin Elfert — October 15, 2013
Naming, releasing and reconciling. These are the elements out of which forgiveness is built.

Father Knows Best: Should couples have separate finances?

By Martin Elfert — October 1, 2013
Especially in marriages in which one partner is better at math or is better at resisting impulsive shopping sprees than the other, life may be a whole lot happier and more stable if they choose to keep some things separate.

Father Knows Best: I will stay true when I’m married

By Martin Elfert — September 24, 2013
Getting married right now isn’t going to solve any of your problems — it’s just going to make new ones for you.

Father Knows Best: Who gets to decide a disabled child’s worth?

By Martin Elfert — September 17, 2013
If we truly believe scripture’s claim that human beings are made in God’s image, then the question of who decides the worth of a special needs person is already answered: just like you and me, those with special needs are God’s beloved children

Father Knows Best: School is starting. Am I going to be OK?

By Martin Elfert — September 10, 2013
Do you have a question about life, love, or faith? Fill out the form below, submit it online or email it to [email protected]. Hey Readers! How much can I bend the rules of the advic...

Father Knows Best: How do we tell our parents we’re having a baby?

By Martin Elfert — September 3, 2013
Parenthood is a vocation. Like other vocations, it is something that God calls us to enter into seriously and reverently.

Father Knows Best: When I pray, I feel nothing

By Martin Elfert — August 27, 2013
Prayer has a whole lot in common with hearing.

Father Knows Best: What if I’m attracted to other women?

By Martin Elfert — August 20, 2013
Setting aside the somewhat creepy name with which you’ve chosen to sign your letter, I don’t think that you have a problem.

Father Knows Best: What does it mean to listen to the Holy Spirit?

By Martin Elfert — August 14, 2013
The Holy Spirit is the tug on your heart which invites you to visit a grieving relative, to talk to a lonely person at the bus stop, to bring dinner to a neighbor who has broken her ankle, to choose a career which doesn’t make a whole lot of money but which adds to the sum of love in the world, to work with others to build justice.

Father Knows Best: What does it mean to listen to the Holy Spirit?

By Martin Elfert — August 14, 2013
As a writer, I work with the Holy Spirit. As a citizen, I work with the Holy Spirit. As a father and a husband and a friend, I work with the Holy Spirit.

Father Knows Best: Is she “the One”?

By Martin Elfert — August 7, 2013
Instead of asking if your beloved is the One, let’s ask if making the promises of marriage to her and with her is a good idea.

Father Knows Best: My marriage makes me want to die

By Martin Elfert — July 31, 2013
There is a name for the kind of jerkitude that your husband and his jerk parents are engaging in. It’s called emotional abuse. And you have a right to insist that it stops.

Father Knows Best: One-sentence answers

By Martin Elfert — July 24, 2013
This week, I present Father Knows Best’s Annual One-Sentence Answers to Your Questions.

Father Knows Best: How do I know how much and when to give?

By Martin Elfert — July 16, 2013
"For better or for worse, money is one of the major ways that we assign importance in our society..."
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