Len Bechtel
Categories: OpinionLen Bechtel, front, is pictured with a portable saw he and other conscientious objectors (COs) designed near Vancouver during the Second World War. As oil supplies dwindled due to the war, this group of workers with mechanical aptitude in the…
Learn, love, advocate
Categories: OpinionI was in Whistler, B.C., last week with my husband and kids, and we joined a Black Lives Matter protest in the village. My eight-year-old reminded us that we used to do this often when we lived in Manila in…
Disillusionment and hope
Categories: OpinionWhen I preach I often reference verses in the Bible that talk about God’s intention that all nations, languages and tribes are called to worship God through Jesus. The Book of Acts is the story of the Jewish disciples relying…
Rushi’s radiant smile
Categories: OpinionI was 7 when Rushi (a pseudonym) and his family moved into our neighbourhood. They were the first people of colour to move into the community, and nobody rolled out the welcome mat for them. As children, we picked up…
Walking together at a distance
Categories: OpinionFollowing current physical-distance guidelines, the fifth annual Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation was held in various parts of British Columbia over the final weekend of May. Although we walked apart, we did so in solidarity with our First Nations…
Readers write: June 8, 2020 issue
Categories: Opinion‘Expect the unexpected’ When asked a few months ago what advice they would give about aging, a group of seniors responded, “Expect the unexpected.” That advice is relevant to all of us this spring! In later life it becomes increasingly…
Make room and time for the Holy Spirit
Categories: OpinionAs we emerge from our cocoons of self-isolation, what revelations will inform us as we move through the stages of our collective pandemic response? This pandemic time has had far-reaching impacts. Employment issues, health issues and isolation issues have all…
George Brunk
Categories: OpinionIn 2001, evangelist George Brunk II, left, reflected on his 65-year-long ministry. Brunk’s style of revival meetings disrupted Mennonite communities. In a public talk at Conrad Grebel College he recalled, “At a time when Mennonite preachers stood still behind the…
Memories of Pa
Categories: OpinionJune is the month when we honour fathers. My pa was George, born in 1921, died in ’94. Pa loomed large. I spent childhood years believing that I was a disappointment to him. The areas of his life where he…
What kind of father?
Categories: OpinionProbably no father should risk writing a Father’s Day column. Obviously, one’s family is the first to say “Dad’s not perfect.” I hope I’ve been good enough. Parenting is a lesson in grace. That fathers receive relatively less attention than…
An intentionally inconsistent cat
Categories: OpinionI’m reading through the Chronicles of Narnia with my girls at bedtime. We recently finished Prince Caspian and then watched the movie. Narnia has definitely influenced my Scripture reading lately. Prince Caspian had been my least favourite of the series.…
Readers write: May 25, 2020 issue
Categories: OpinionCM writers are fitting followers of innovators in religious toleration Re: “Out of holy weakness, mysterious power arises,” March 2, page 4, and “Making things right,” March 2, page 10. These recent articles in Canadian Mennonite demonstrate the reality of…
A column about plague columns
Categories: OpinionIf you’ve travelled in central or eastern Europe, you may have come across a plague column holding a prominent place in a town square. Plague columns were constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries as a display of public faith…
J.J. Thiessen
Categories: OpinionJ.J. Thiessen of Saskatoon served in many leadership roles at the congregational, provincial, national, and binational levels most of his adult life. He is quoted in A Leader for his Times: “What is the chief need of present day humanity?…
Sunday morning on Zoom
Categories: OpinionChurch is about to start and the Zoom link doesn’t work! For some reason it keeps sending me to a YouTube video of “Seek Ye First,” and I can’t find my church! I quickly text my pastor husband, who not…
Too much news?
Categories: OpinionThese are days of information overload. There is so much news to follow! Local, regional, national, international, from this part of the country and from that part of the world. It is hard to cope with how much news there…
Embrace the paradox
Categories: OpinionIn 1993, my friend Myron Penner introduced me to Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. I haven’t been the same since. Kierkegaard enlightened me to the power of paradox. At that time I was ready to walk away from Christianity. It had…
My CERB story
Categories: Web First – OpinionDoes the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) mean the federal government is paying people to not work during the COVID-19 pandemic? Does this prove that a universal basic income would cause a mass exodus from workplaces and weaken our economy?…
Readers write: May 11, 2020 issue
Categories: OpinionDon’t confuse a thrift-store receipt with a charitable receipt Re: “Thrift shopper, peacebuilder,” March 30, page 11. This column raises a number of concerns in regards to how some may view donations/tithing, corporations/brands, and the mission of thrift stores: A…
The presence of Christ
Categories: OpinionAlthough our world is facing the challenge of COVID-19, I am so glad for the parts of life that remain unchanged. Every day brings press conferences with appalling numbers of the losses we endure, talk of restrictions and life that…
Opinion/columns
