Unveiling secrets
One day my normally cheerful, no-nonsense coworker surprised, or I should say shocked, me. She suddenly and briefly opened the door to her past, a dangerous time of war and famine. “Those days were horrible,” she said fiercely in a low voice. “Things were so bad, they ate people. We never speak of them.” Just…
Giving as protest
Does the headline for this article pique your curiosity or does it irritate you? The word “protest” often evokes strong positive or negative emotions. Like it or not, we seem to be in a time marked by protests of one kind or another. Beyond giving as duty, the Bible offers us an array of metaphors…
Coaldale Nurses
This photo of six nurses from Coaldale, Alta., and the surrounding area was taken in the 1950s. Pictured from left to right: M. Willms, H. Toews, M. Dick and H. Reimer of Coaldale, with M. Janzen of Pincher Creek and M. Dyck of Grassy Lake. Can anyone provide first names of the people pictured? The…
Wisdom, where art thou? (Pt. 6)
Fourteen years ago, I asked my handy friend, Carm, if I could hire him to do a flooring renovation. He said, “No. But I’ll teach you how to do it for free.” I laughed. The idea was absurd. The only tools I owned at the time were books and guitars. The extent of my…
Readers write: March 13, 2017 issue
A holy challenge to become living bodies of Christ Re: “A year of re-visioning” editorial, Jan. 2, page 2. Thank you for challenging Mennonite Church Canada to give priority to re-visioning over re-structuring. You may be correct in suggesting that we are in danger of perishing for lack of vision (Proverbs 29:18). On the bright…
A leadership lens on I Corinthians 13
What would the Apostle Paul say to leaders today? This was the question posed to participants at the recent Values-based Leadership Program that I attended. I offer one perspective of what Paul might be saying: 1. If I have the gift of wisdom and the ability to shape my words in eloquent sentences, but have…
What music rankles you?
Do you ever have a Sunday when the church music stinks? In your opinion, at least? Well, that’s the way it should be from time to time. Even though I love singing old hymns, there have been Sundays when I’ve prayed to God that the friend I invited will come next week instead. I’m afraid…
Sharing food with my two families
One of the privileges of living and travelling overseas is that you get to become a part of many different families. I’ve been fortunate to spend significant amounts of time with families in Australia, the Netherlands and Germany, just to name a few. But one of the most special families I have had the honour…
Upside-Down Company Platter
In her story about hospitality, “Sharing food with my two families,” Natasha Krahn describes being served a traditional Palestinian dish turned upside down on a large platter. Here is the recipe as found in the Extending the Table cookbook. In large, heavy saucepan, heat: 1-2 tablespoons / 15-30 ml oil (preferably olive) Add and fry…
Bethesda Home
Staff outside the Bethesda Home in 1965 in Campden, Ont. Bethesda, the first Mennonite mental health facility in North America, was begun in the early 1930s by Henry and Maria Wiebe to serve the Russian Mennonite immigrant community. The Wiebes had gained their experience working at Bethania in Russia, the first Mennonite mental health hospital…
