Will it matter a hundred years from now? This is a question I have come to ask myself when I’m tied up in knots about a family or work situation. I find it to be especially helpful when I’m stuck on my perspective and having difficulty being open to others’ perspectives.
With a Canadian average life expectancy of about 80.7 years, many of us are—or will be—classified as “seniors” for the last third of our lifespan. Researchers on aging now claim people in North America live through more life stages as seniors than they experienced in the first third of their lives!
Mennonites can serve Jesus Christ . . . or Stephen Harper
Spring is here! And with it come various chores around the yard and garden: cleaning out the withered growth left after the snow melted, digging the moist earth to let in air and water so new growth can happen, and pulling out those ever-present weeds. I’m always amazed at how those pesky dandelions can take root and appear in full bloom before you know it.
I was asked to preach on Earth Day. If I was a typical Mennonite minister, I would start with a few statistics, cite high levels of consumption, touch on some exotic form of injustice that doesn’t implicate us too directly. I’d gently exhort that we’re called to care for creation, be good stewards and drink fair-trade coffee, and then I’d offer a rote prayer for courage and wisdom.
I was engaged for four months before the big day. Engagement is an interval in time determined by things that are no longer and things that are not yet. The engaged are not really single, but not yet spouse. My experience of engagement was of a time in between. It involved longing (hey, I’m a guy and I was longing). It involved work (and a wedding takes a lot of it . . .
So what does it mean to be the church in one place for 75 years? Actually we’re the church in many places, yet we are all under one umbrella. Sometimes we call Mennonite Church British Columbia a conference, sometimes an area church, sometimes even a denomination, but how about a network?
‘African’ titles misleading
“How can so much evil and suffering exist in a world created by an all loving, all knowing, all-powerful God?”
'On this Mother’s Day, is it too much of a stretch for us to remember and give thanks for the wombs that gave us birth? What is more basic—more primal—to mothering than the strong, tough, marvellous shelters of muscle and blood that held us in our beginning days?' (Image by Pexels/Pixabay)
Recently, I watched a young mother and her family seated nearby in an airport restaurant. The mother was calmly multi-tasking: feeding her son small bites of food, wiping her daughter’s face and carrying on a conversation with her husband. Just before the kids ran off to play at the toy structure, they raised their faces for Mommy kisses.
Generosity doesn’t just happen. It can be learned.
ZenithOptimedia projects that advertisers in Canada will spend $11.3 billion in 2012, hoping that consumers will learn to spend money on their products. Rather than just succumbing to this tide, why not commit to engaging with at least one generosity resource this year?
Occasionally, because of my background in dramatic arts and pastoral ministry, I have been asked how well worship and drama mix. The query often assumes a disconnect between the two, or, at best, a sense that if the “dramatic element” is missing, it can simply be added to an existent worship outline with a skit, reading or other piece.
Aid funding redirected to international trade
The gospel is good news. It is not therapy, opium or merely a good idea among many good ideas. The gospel is a journey into a foreign land. It is power. It is surprise.
I have a hard time not thinking of myself as a Mennonite. I grew up in a Mennonite community, attended a Mennonite seminary and have worshipped predominantly in Mennonite churches. Yet it’s now been almost five years that my family and I have been camped out in evangelical territory.
Recently there has been more sharing via Facebook by people who grew up at Morrison Academy in Taiwan. This has brought back to life a number of memories. One of these was a picture of me and some friends at a Boy’s Brigade event in our school gym. Like the well-known Boy Scout motto, we were often reminded to “Be prepared,” including in our Bible lessons.
Pointless to teach anything other than Jesus and him crucified
Re: “No religion superior to another,” March 19, page 36.
“You can’t be serious. Pork! Pork is what you eat for breakfast, not fish, not lobster and definitely not sushi! What is this world coming to? Fish for breakfast? This is an outrage! Bacon, ham, sausage, eggs: these are proper breakfast foods. Everybody knows this!”
We are nearing the end of another Canadian winter and looking forward to a change of seasons. Some of you may already be making plans for your summer vacation. Some may have plans for renovation projects, while others are planning time to relax by the lake or in the backyard.
When my dad died, I worked with family members to prepare a eulogy. I gave the first draft to my husband, and asked for feedback.
Over the years, the Faith and Life Committee of Mennonite Church Canada has often heard questions about the place of Scripture in our lives:
‘Regular guys’ who went off to war
Ev Buhr, left, Kim Epp and Irene Baergen—members of the Women in Mission group at Edmonton’s First Mennonite Church—participate in a Lenten program at the city’s St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital.
It’s time to throw down the gauntlet and say, “Wake up, women!” Our mothers and grandmothers left us a wonderful legacy of working together, and we need to pick up the slack in our own generation by participating in the work of Mennonite Women Canada (MW Canada).
I can read newspapers from different parts of the world every day on my smartphone! I jump from city to city with a few taps to find out what’s moving and shaking, what’s being interpreted and what’s making headlines.
I know how to make biscotti. I follow a recipe and it turns out fine. I like to add extra cranberries or raisins to make it chewy and give it a little tang. This is something I can make with confidence.
