Readers write: January 18, 2016 issue
Are dreams and visions welcome in the Mennonite church? Re: “Retreat sparks women’s spiritual gifts,” Nov. 23, 2015, page 17. I saw the advertisements for the Mennonite women’s retreat at Camp Squeah last fall event and initially got excited about the topic, “Igniting our spiritual gifts.” After some thought, however, I decided not to go…
The new face of mission
When I was a kid, I took great pride in taking the dimes that I earned from my paper route and placing them in the dime cards that we received from our denominational mission agency to support overseas mission. Mom took notice of my interest and told me more than once that she was praying…
When everything shakes
Just before midnight on Dec. 29, with our little ones nestled snug in their beds, the earth shook. While earthquakes happen all the time—there were more than 40 in Canada in the past 30 days—this was the first we really felt while living in British Columbia. Our house popped as if one mighty gust had…
My resolution for 2016
I’ve written before about not driving to church and what this might mean for how we worship: planning a longer bike ride or walk each Sunday morning, trying out the church in our neighbourhood (even if it’s not Mennonite!). These are good ideas. But it’s time to go farther, which is why, this month, my…
Will Mennonites join climate battle?
Climate is back on the global agenda, but still not squarely on the Mennonite agenda. Following a period of major global attention that peaked around 2007—with heads of state, celebrities and filmmakers backing the cause—the climate struggle bottomed out at the 2009 Copenhagen conference, which was clouded with pessimism and excuses. Now, the pendulum of…
Imagining open spaces in the midst of transitions
The illustration in the children’s story book showed a wagon with three flower pots. My three-year old grandson counted four. I asked him to count them again. “I don’t need to, Grandma,” he said. “I know there’s space in the wagon for four.” I wonder what story he would have imagined if I had pursued…
Film-maker Allan Kroeker
Do you enjoy the TV show Star Trek? If so, thank Allan Kroeker, who directed 39 episodes between 1996 and 2005. Kroeker continues to direct and this year is working on two projects. Kroeker began producing for Mennonite Brethren Communications in 1976, Mennonite Central Committee, and MBMSI. Kroeker grew up in Winnipeg, Man., and credits…
New Year’s resolutions
About a week after New Year’s Day 2014, my friend Keith asked me what resolutions I’d made. Keith is an insightful, non-conformist “Red Letter Christian” in his mid twenties. I looked at him suspiciously, assuming he’d look down on this mainstream practice. Most non-conformists I know roll their eyes at the passé ritual of setting…
Readers write: January 4, 2016 issue
Lolita fashion article ‘marks a significant shift’ in church discussions Re: “Solace in a subculture,” Nov. 9, 2015, page 28. I want to express appreciation for Katrina Brooks’s article. Not only did it educate me in a cultural expression I was unaware of, but in so doing allowed me to approach the realities of gender,…
Blessed interviews
Interviewing guests for more than 100 episodes of Mennonite Church Canada’s radio podcast, Church Matters, has blessed me with the opportunity to learn and grow from the stories of others. Anostocio (a pseudonym), a Mennonite pastor, teacher and Colombian refugee, described the painful picture of life in Colombia: hungry children, victims of warfare with lost limbs,…
