Helping people give money away over the past 15 years has been a tremendously rewarding part of my work at Mennonite Foundation of Canada.
Many of these generous people are from the “builder generation” (born in or before 1945). The builders I’ve spoken with give generously, value church institutions and trust the people who run them.
“I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).
So what does the Bible say about thin places?
Which spirit drives the gay marriage discussion?
Re: “A biblical and better way,” and “It felt like a big deal . . . it was so powerful,” Jan. 19, pages 4 and 13, respectively.
Most humans really do not like conflict. We often see it as the brokenness of a relationship. Especially as the church, we desire relationship, we desire wholeness. And conflict feels like it brings separation and pain, even death.
My life is great viewing. Tonight I watched my one-year-old meticulously pick through a small box of knick-knacks looking for something she could treasure. I wanted to interrupt, but then it just turned so gosh-darn cute and I watched in satisfied silence. Ah, joy.
I’m in the thick of it. I had my second child earlier this year and life is still in the process of reordering itself. The predictable schedule went out the window and is slowly settling back into something new and, well, busy. Finding time to keep up with everyday tasks—dishes, laundry, meal prep—is difficult. Babies change everything.
The Mennonite Women Manitoba working group is composed of Evelyn Friesen, left, Kathy Giesbrecht, Elsie Wiebe, Ruth Epp and Jolanda Friesen. Missing was Mary Anne Arndt.
There is so much to be done. Extra demands at home and at work. More time with the family. Keeping up with an exercise program. Planning the next holiday. Time out with friends. Involvement in our children’s school and extra-curricular activities, and many more. The demands of life draw us into a myriad of activities demanding our time and energy.
‘A biblical and better way’ is neither
Re: “A biblical and better way,” Jan. 19, page 4.
Summer is an exciting time, and one that most of us tend to look forward to. Warm temperatures, long weekends at the lake or on the porch, summer sports, and, for many in the younger generations, a break from school.
I mostly managed to ignore it the first time it came around. But now when I go to the movies, there are huge, impossible-to-miss posters blaring the news that a film has been made based on the book I tried to ignore. My entertainment dollars usually go toward activities that inspire and elevate humanity.
A number of people glanced over as they passed the elderly woman working in her front lawn. She had finished planting flowers in the garden and was now struggling to plant a sapling to replace a tree felled by a wind storm the previous summer.
“Can I help you?” offered a young man stopping in front of her house.
I’ve always been intrigued with “thin places” long before I ever heard the term “thin place.”
Conscience Canada offers ‘peace tax’ alternative to taxpayers
The Pharisees were Jesus’ nemesis, his constant sparring partners, fellow citizens who conspired eagerly against him. The Pharisees (spit) are the bad guys in the story even as it is told to children. “I don’t want to be a Pharisee” is still irritatingly hummed from one generation to the next.
As I scan the directory of pastors and congregations in our area church, I am inspired and immensely grateful. I know that very fine pastoral leadership is happening. I know that intense hours are being spent crafting biblically sound sermons. I know that lonely people are being visited, small people are being noticed and subdued voices are being heard.
When I first started hanging out with Mennonites in the 1990s, I noticed a lot of them talked more about the Sermon on the Mount than the cross. They seemed to have a different gospel than the one I was raised with. The gospel of my childhood was simple: Jesus died for my sins, and if I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Saviour I was saved from everlasting hellfire.
This past December I learned that many Catholic churches designate the Sunday following Christmas as “the feast of the Holy Family.” It’s a relatively new designation, officially adopted less than 100 years ago. The Scriptures that are read on this day remind us of the important role that family played in the life of Jesus.
The practice of regularly passing the collection plate in churches has only been around for about 100 years, and thankfully it replaced church revenue streams such as the annual pew rental auctions.
My recent project, a downloadable study booklet called “Come Lord Jesus, be our Host,” inspired me to dig more deeply into the table manners of Jesus. I’m not referring to how he placed his knife and fork, but the way he approached the table.
More support for Conscience Canada efforts needed
Re: “Fight, fight, fight the madness of war” letter, Dec. 15, 2014, page 13.
Gloria Laurence is dressed for ‘high tea’ at an MC B.C. Women’s Ministry retreat at Camp Squeah. (MC B.C. Women's Ministry photo)
A few years ago, when I prayed for a greater sense of social responsibility and deeper bonds with fellow Christians, I had no idea God would answer my prayer as creatively as he did.
If there was one book in 2014 that had me despairing and cursing, but fired up to hope, it was Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything (Knopf Canada). Klein is a journalist-activist who writes game-changers that dismantle the powerful myths of corporate culture.
Whom are you battling? Can you picture them or it? Everyone is at war, some on numerous fronts. “Be kind,” wrote Philo of Alexandria. “Everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.”
This is an important point. To remember that every irritating person is human like I am, confronted daily by battles, would certainly make the world a better place.
Twitter informed me this morning that Bethany College in Hepburn, Sask., is closing in 2015 after 87 years of teaching. Ron Toews, director of the Canadian Conference of MB Churches’ leadership development arm, says, “The closure of Bethany doesn’t change the reality that we need to continue walking alongside young women and men as they think about the foundation of their lives.
