An urgent search for water in Mozambique
Six men grasp the long metal handle of the drill and walk slowly in a circle. They lean into the task, using body weight to drive the shaft of the drill into the dry soil of Mozambique’s Caia District. They have hand-drilled some five metres down and have farther to go, possibly four metres or…
The practical side of discernment
“Discernment” has been a much-used word and concept in interpreting the Bible over the past number of years. Mainly we have defined it as a working tool to determine what God in the person of Jesus would have us do about difficult issues facing us in the 21st century. There is no doubt that we,…
Mennonite me
My grandmother’s church is, like all Old Order Mennonite churches, plain. The white walls are bare. There are no stained-glass windows, no gilded altars and no images of saints or martyrs. Pews of hard, blonde oak sit in tight rows on worn linoleum. Today, the small chapel is filled with people. Women, unadorned, wearing simple,…
Readers write: April 27, 2015 issue
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Bible’s answers were ‘cut and dried’? While I haven’t got any answers, I have been reading with interest the articles and letters about sexuality issues in Canadian Mennonite. All seem to be written with a biblical base by Spirit-led Christians but with widely differing and sometimes polar oppo-site points…
A unique synergy
“Yep, I have to get an annual membership.” That customer comment reflects growing excitement over CommonWord, the new resource venture of Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), launched in January. While retail bookstores and service ministries within the wider church have experienced stress over the last decade, MC Canada’s online Resource Centre garnered…
What kind of God do you believe in?
On a lovely summer day while walking down the street, a young woman approached me and politely asked if she could show me a magic trick. Given a host of cues, I assumed she would lead into a conversation on Christian faith. Sure enough, after the magic trick with cards had been successfully, if a…
Developing our generosity skills
An early sign of spring in southern Ontario is seeing sports teams move their practices outside. The sight of children and youth in colourful uniforms on the soccer pitch is a sure sign that May is here. I am actively involved in our local soccer club and both my children have played for years. I…
Moving thinward (Pt. 3)
One of the many fascinating events to occur in the Book of Exodus is God “leaving” the mountain of God (Mount Sinai) to travel with the Hebrews to the Promised Land in a portable sanctuary called the tabernacle. Yahweh tells Moses: “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live…
God is at work in the church in China
“This is about what God’s doing,” said George Veith. “We want all the glory to go to God.” He was referring, during a series of four presentations hosted by Rosthern Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church Canada on April 10 and 11, to the vibrancy which he and his wife Tobia have witnessed in the Chinese…
