How I almost bought a Tesla
I came closer than I’d like to admit. Three weeks before a family road trip to Ontario, our ex-Hutterite mechanic gave our 2004 Jetta wagon the death sentence. The ensuing car search turned into a troubling family crash course in the psychology of real-life environmental ethics. A used Prius—Toyota’s time-tested hybrid—was the obvious option: durable,…
Commerce, church and belonging
I was delivering a sermon on the story of Zacchaeus last October when I realized that when I talked about Zacchaeus, I was actually thinking about, and picturing, my father. Though not short in stature, my father, like Zacchaeus, was a man whose occupation was often controversial in his community. My father, Milo Shantz, who…
Readers write: May 19, 2023 issue
Perfection In response to various recent articles and letters about banning and cancel culture: Most of what I’ve seen, heard or read about cancel culture appears to define it as the denigration of those whose actions or ideas may fall short of perfection, by those who believe they have attained it. —John Hildebrand, Mississauga, Ont.…
Time to be a champion
These days I’ve been thinking about youth and the church. Connecting youth to the church is a passion of mine, and I’m fortunate that the wonderful people of Saskatchewan see fit to pay me to do this work. I am also fortunate to have had a number of people invest significant time encouraging me to…
Mennonite Men of Canada
By 1961, men’s groups in General Conference churches had proliferated to the point where a national organization, “Mennonite Men of Canada,” was formed. Here, in 1962, are executive members Henry M. Dick (Calgary), Carl Ens (Saskatoon) and Ted Friesen (Altona, Manitoba). Men’s groups met for fellowship, service projects and to run boys’ clubs. They served…
Standing ready for the end
Recently, another of my old aunts died. Aunt Anne was my dad’s sister. The Olfert family was a large one, with six boys and six girls. Three sisters and a brother remain. Aunt Anne was a grand old lady, who carried the family trait of great determination. Her life was often not easy. A long-time…
Everything is connected
This column is going to attempt two tasks, because, well, everything is connected! As usual, I may be trying to do too much—let’s see! First of all, May is mental health month. Several years ago, I wrote about my own mental health struggles. Of all the columns I have written, it was the scariest of…
Paths of kindness and truth
I grew up believing that God’s will was specific. God had a plan for my life and I was either living faithfully along that path or veering from it. It wasn’t necessarily defiant disobedience that caused one to fall off the path. I feared that even a faithful attempt to follow God could result in…
Ernie Regehr presents analysis of Ukraine war
Ernie Regehr—a prominent Canadian voice on disarmament and peacebuilding for over 40 years—shared his unique analysis of the Ukraine conflict at Grace Mennonite Church in St. Catharines, Ontario on May 6. Regehr co-founded Project Peacemakers in 1976 and currently serves as a research fellow at Conrad Grebel University College. He was named an Officer of…
