Gimme, gimme never gets!
My son takes after his father. He’s a picky eater. It’s no surprise that our family isn’t very adventurous when it comes to menus and cultural cuisine.
Lost and found
2013 marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation of 1763, a foundational but forgotten “scroll” for Canada. Steve Heinrichs, Mennonite Church Canada’s director of indigenous relations, plays with the Josiah story in II Kings 22 to ponder what could happen if we remembered the covenants of this land. At 38 years of age, she’s…
Readers write
Portrayal of Old Colony Mennonites called ‘irresponsible and unethical’
Steve Jobs: Prophet of a new religion
The new movie about Steve Jobs is short on anything explicitly religious. Like its main character, however, it’s got a thread of transcendence running through it. The truth about Jobs and religion may be that, in this arena as in others, he was ahead of the cutting edge. The film isn’t making the purists happy,…
Revisiting the legacy of John Howard Yoder
Time has its way. As does the Spirit. The accelerating interest in and widespread appreciation for John Howard Yoder’s theological work has also provoked renewed calls for the Mennonite church, including Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), to revisit unfinished business with his legacy. Last year, in February and March of 2012, AMBS faculty did significant…
‘Torn from home’ hits close to home
I have always appreciated hearing stories of refugees to Canada, so I eagerly joined our St. Jacobs Mennonite Church seniors group on its trip to Doon Pioneer Village and the Waterloo Region Museum, with its special summer exhibit, “Torn from home: My life as a refugee.” I entered the exhibit interested to learn more and…
Boxing up the Old Colony Mennonites
In his July 8, 2013 editorial, Dick Benner considers “the trouble with labels.” He says that in our pluralistic society we tend to put people into boxes with a smug “now we know who you are.” This stereotyping, he says, “de-humanizes,” divides and tends to “self-righteousness.” I found it deeply ironic that the very same…
Walking humbly
The quest for truth and reconciliation is a high and holy one that inspires us even with its flaws and imperfections. Those who have observed and participated in the first nations’ Truth and Reconciliation events across Canada have found it to be a sacred experience. For many years I have wondered whether the Mennonite church…
A call for support as I parent
Right now, my family and I are living in mild chaos. Boxes are stacked against the walls, bookshelves are empty, the give-away piles mount and to-do lists abound. We’re moving from Winnipeg to Vancouver, so my partner Glenn can study at the Vancouver School of Theology. I know moving is a significant event, but I…
Becoming Onesimus
I just turned 41. Finding new aches that never used to be there. Peculiar. Discovering a nap is disturbingly easy to slip into. Odd. Found some hair growing on my ear. Just plain weird. My belly is officially a well-insulated one-pack even though I don’t eat near what I used to. Depressing. Where are marks…
