Readers write: June 9, 2014
Pretty girls can be a distraction Re: “Getting back on track” by Aaron Epp, May 12, page 37. We need to read the Bible for personal nourishment, and to learn how to follow God in our daily walk. Pretty girls are often more of a distraction, if that is our sole motive. Hang in there,…
Nurturing the wildness
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed . . . it is the smallest of all the seeds, but grows into the greatest of shrubs” (Matthew 13:31-32). We Christians take heart from this parable, which suggests large growth from small beginnings. But the mustard shrub, while providing spice and some medicinal benefits, was,…
Be hospitable by faith, not by sight
Jesus told his disciples to make disciples. He was very clear. He promised his Spirit would enable us and would do the work of convicting and opening hearts and minds. Our part is quite simple. How well do you know your neighbours? Do you know the names of their kids or grandkids? What about their…
Equal opportunity
“Hey, Chink! Go back to China!” Derogatory as it was, this was the racial slur directed at one of my Vietnamese college parishioners in a gym recently. Racist remarks of this nature haven’t changed from the time when I was going to school. I immigrated to Edmonton from Hong Kong when I was 6, back…
Chastised by the chief
Over the past 20 years I have dedicated much effort to advancing the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the rest of us. I have lived in, worked with and written about various aboriginal communities. Currently, I work part-time for the Interchurch Council on Hydropower, which advocates for fair treatment of indigenous people affected by dams…
Readers write: May 26, 2014 issue
Reader responds to March 31 issue Thank you for Dick Benner’s insightful editorial, “Who are the millennials?” on page 2. It seems I am in the silent generation category, which suggests this letter shouldn’t be coming from me. And yet there have been a number of silent generation utterances that carried influence: Nelson Mandela; all…
Remembering Caleb
I recently began another journey through the Scriptures, which offered a fresh look at the story of Caleb. As a young man, he was one of the 12 Israelites sent to spy out Canaan prior to the Israelites’ attack. He was one of two who returned with a positive report and faith that God would…
The deadly sin of lust
A fragment of a remark from long ago comes back. The context was a Sunday school class. I was young, just 18, a summer visitor in that church. The others were well into middle-age. The content was Matthew 5:27-30, where Jesus reframes the prohibition against adultery, declaring, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust…
Cruciform directions
By nature, people “accumulate and build . . . and you get to a point at which you have too much. . . . Perhaps God is inviting the church in North America to a time of disencumberment.” (Willard Metzger, executive director, Mennonite Church Canada) Jesus wasn’t big into committees, but he did have a…
An ever-expanding circle
Twenty years ago, I read a word that transformed my understanding of the gospel. My mind was blown wide open by the use of two hyphens. “Atonement” suddenly became “at-one-ment.” Instantaneously I realized that being “in Christ” means living in a state of “at-one-ment” with all. One of the most common examples in the Bible…
