‘Stella makes a difference’
I have a friend named Stella (a pseudonym), who will soon be 89 years old. She recently informed me that she had just taken delivery of a new car. I quizzed her about the new car. “There’s no gear shift, just a thing you turn!” she said. “And there’s a button to start it! I…
Modelling another way to healing
The past month has been indescribably hard for many here in Saskatchewan. I refer, of course, to the savage happenings on James Smith Cree Nation, and also touching nearby Weldon, which involved the violent deaths of 12 people and injury to another 18. In this very sad story, a lesson has been about the vibrancy…
A tale of two clans
This summer, I attended two family reunions separated by one week. The Olferts, my paternal family, gathered at Pike Lake for several days, while the Warkentins, the maternal side, met a week later at Shekinah, a church camp near my home. Both families, the offspring of my grandparents on both sides, typically meet every three…
An undefended spirit
Bought tires for my pickup and determined to install them myself. I no longer have the specific equipment, so tire work involves scrabbling on a concrete floor with hammer and pry bars. The first wheel went well. In short order, the old tire was stripped off, the new one levered on and inflated. The only…
‘The George and Helens’
A busy weekend at the end of May resulted in some reflections on family. In this case, the family referenced is “the George and Helens” (the Olferts that include my siblings and me, and all those attached). The weekend began with a family wedding, where a nephew was the groom. After the ceremony, we gathered on…
The church and mental illness
I have lived with depression for most of my adult life. When I began my role as a minister, I realized that, while I could mostly hold my depression at bay while I carried out my daily responsibilities, it was usually in the tiredness of my time at home that my depression would find its…
‘A striking lesson in hope’
I continue to wander roads surrounding Laird, Sask., with my faithful hound, Bran. These spring days, as the snow slowly recedes, I have discovered a bonanza. Cans and bottles wait to be scooped up! I expect the dollar value of my recent retrievals possibly lies somewhere north of $2! Added to that, the prayers, sermons…
‘Make your tents large’
In my federal voting life, I have voted only for the Liberal party. When I suggested that as the opening sentence for my next Canadian Mennonite column, my two eldest granddaughters, 17 and 20, immediately began guessing at the percentage of readership that would immediately condemn me to the lake of fire. As I look…
Unexpected sparkles
A friend called last week. Tony (a pseudonym) had undergone surgery in a Saskatoon hospital, had recuperated for a number of days, and was needing a ride home to Prince Albert, Sask. I’ve known Tony for 25 years. He was one of two core members in what was, I believe, the first Circle of Support…
The ‘chicken whisperer’
Genesis 1 describes God’s creation activity as, among other things, blessing the male/female that God had created, and commanding them to rule over every living creature that moves on the ground. Meanwhile, Indigenous spirituality offers stories of hunters extending thanks to the fallen creature that gave up its life so the hunter’s community might have…
