A parting blessing
At my first Mennonite Church Alberta assembly as area church minister, one of my official tasks was to offer a prayer of release to Calgary Vietnamese Mennonite Church. It was one of two congregations that had withdrawn its membership from the area church in response to the Being a Faithful Church decision at MC Canada’s…
The power of imagination
When communicating about the ministries of Mennonite Church Canada Witness, my former colleague Al Rempel used to tell me, “Help your listeners imagine the work that is being done.” Imaginations are powerful, liberating gifts of God. Through our imaginations, God meets us. God helps us draw from current realities, Scripture and history to paint possibilities,…
A leadership lens on I Corinthians 13
What would the Apostle Paul say to leaders today? This was the question posed to participants at the recent Values-based Leadership Program that I attended. I offer one perspective of what Paul might be saying: 1. If I have the gift of wisdom and the ability to shape my words in eloquent sentences, but have…
‘The darkness of the womb’?
“[Y]ou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. . . . ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Oxford Dictionaries named “post-truth” as their Word of the…
Making the heart stronger
For once, I know what I’m giving up for Lent early this year: social media. I’m writing this column the Monday morning following the annual Saskatchewan Mennonite Youth Organization’s senior-high retreat, at which, due to a new location, youth had cell service for the first time in the event’s recent history. As the organizer, I…
Unexpected consequences
When we as a church agree to help those in need and place our trust in God, we should anticipate unexpected consequences. As we serve, we might make new friends, learn a new skill or enrich our spiritual lives. God has unexpectedly blessed us by arranging us into congregations, area churches, a national church, schools,…
All aboard for the future
The timing was tight. I had made it to the airport parking lot and was then shuttled to Terminal 1 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to catch my flight to Winnipeg for yet another round of meetings with executive staff and moderators from each of the five area churches and Mennonite Church Canada. Security went…
Hope across generations
“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40: 30-31). In my new role as moderator of Mennonite…
The new normal now
For the past two months I have been living with post-concussion syndrome after an incident that involved a bear, a rock and the rain. The prognosis for me is very good. Improvement has been steady and gradual—sometimes too gradual for my liking—but likely I will not sustain any long-term damage. While I am beginning to…
On being Martha
Hospitality makes my heart sing. Preparing a comfortable space, serving up new dishes, conversing with guests and attending to their individual needs: these are among my greatest joys. Maybe that’s why the story of sisters Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 has always troubled me. I confess that, as one who loves to host, it’s…
