I’ll admit it. I have a major crush on Pope Francis.
When I see him smiling on TV or on the cover of a magazine in the checkout line at the grocery store, I get the warm fuzzies. I follow him religiously on Twitter and have a Google news alert set up so I don’t miss a morsel of his latest awesomeness. The photo meme of…
Is ‘Just War’ doctrine another victim of the Syrian conflict?
Even as the world’s powers grasped for a last-minute resolution to the crisis in Syria, it remained an open question whether any amount of diplomacy could prevent the conflict from claiming at least one more victim: the classic Christian teaching known as the “just war” tradition. The central problem is not that the just war…
Miracles of love and care
No matter what language you speak, romantic love is one of the greatest gifts to give or receive. When it’s new, it’s fireworks, warm fuzzies, pure electricity! As you mature, that love encompasses honour, respect, devotion, unity and even mutual caregiving. Remember those vows which come straight from I Corinthians 13:4: “Love is patient; love…
How a bicycle can be a sacrament
I have what may appear to be an irrational aversion to cars. When you are desperate to find hope for the future, it’s easy to turn to something near at hand and obsess about it. I’m not saying I totally hate cars. I happen to co-own an old clunker camper van and find it terribly…
Our unchecked blind spot
The average Canadian child is among the most blessed, nurtured—and entitled—in the world. Imagine if such a child announced it has decided to leave the family because it just isn’t getting fed! Now, imagine the parental response. A child who would leave an otherwise nurturing family because it is “just not getting fed” would be…
Building on existing energy
With only 15 congregations, Mennonite Church Alberta is a small area church. What I find significant is that only 10 of our churches are of traditional European origin. We need to pay attention to this changing demographic. Last March at our annual general meeting, we received Calgary Chin Mennonite Church as a member into MC…
Readers write
Evil misdeeds, behaviour must be condemned for what they are
Sehnsucht joy
I had the good fortune of camping in Algonquin Park in northeastern Ontario a few weeks ago, a perfect place to observe the Perseid meteor shower that happens every August.
Healing the Mennonite class divide
The recent coverage of three issues raises the delicate question of how we mainstream Mennonites relate to our more traditional Anabaptist cousins, especially when their troubles surface.
Lament and let go
Recently I was asked to deliver a devotional at a seniors condominium complex. The suggested theme was, “How do we live with aging and illness and loss of abilities in light of the hope we have in heaven?” Good question, I thought. I immediately thought of a conversation I had with a family friend, a…
