Called to deep hope
Mary Magdalene couldn’t have known the end of the story—how things would turn out. How could she? She, and the rest of the disciples, were no different from the rest of us. The future is cloudy at best. We don’t know what the next day will hold. Back then, no one saw the resurrection coming.…
Divine mandate to heal and reconcile
I am a Palestinian Christian—a Christian whose roots run deep in the Holy Land. My story is one of resilience and seeking peace in a land torn by ongoing conflict. However, this journey wasn’t easy. It began as a law student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict confronted…
A pastor’s holy moments
We expect a lot from our pastors, especially the part-time ones who are forced to be bi-vocational. They speak candidly about their roles and their congregation’s expectations in this issue beginning on page 4, as interviewed by our Saskatchewan correspondent, Donna Schulz. Are we getting enough bang for our buck, to use a cliché? Yes,…
Losing freedom?
I’m writing this on Jan. 18 and I’m wondering how tone deaf my article will seem by the time you read it. I have no idea what the world will be like in a few days, let alone a few weeks. Who knows what catastrophic event or pivotal moment in history will have occurred between…
A defining moment revisited
In the summer of 2003, as I pondered how to say farewell to a 24-year career as editor of Canadian Mennonite and its predecessor, Mennonite Reporter, a friend suggested I reflect back on some defining moments. I could think of many such moments, but the one that loomed the largest was what happened in 1997.…
The snowball effect
The snowball effect refers to a situation in which something starts off small or insignificant and increases in size or importance at an accelerating rate. Like when you roll a small snowball through wet snow and it accumulates more and more snow until it becomes so large and heavy that you can’t move it anymore.…
Peace and popularity
I thank God for moments when people share their hearts. In the pages that follow, you may find such moments: committed volunteers in a basement archive, an inspired welder, a new twist on quilting, a gathering that puts the cross in cross-cultural, and insight from King Hezekiah on mid-grade worship services. In addition, Jonathan Neufeld…
Are you okay with okay?
It’s been a while since you dared listen to the whispers of your innermost being, calling you to discover who you truly, fully are. That inner voice suggesting there is a power at work within you capable of doing far greater things than you could ever hope for or imagine. But hope is a dangerous…
Preserving the voices of the past
“This is our collective memory,” says Conrad Stoesz, gesturing to a long hallway filled with row upon row of shelves, packed with files and boxes. Stoesz is the archivist at the Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA), located on the campus of Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg. The “collective memory” stored in this archive is made…
Readers write: May 11, 2020 issue
Don’t confuse a thrift-store receipt with a charitable receipt Re: “Thrift shopper, peacebuilder,” March 30, page 11. This column raises a number of concerns in regards to how some may view donations/tithing, corporations/brands, and the mission of thrift stores: A purchase at a thrift store should not be considered a donation or part of one’s…
