Blogs

Fairness and Faith

Jennifer O'Farrell

Being faithful to God while living in a world of inequalities is what is required of us. Fairness and faith are linked together and not able to be separated from each other. That’s just how it is. Recall the words of Micah 6:8. “The Lord God has told us what is right and what is demanded—see that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God.”

A little bit Messy

Katie Munnik

Lucy Moore started what she called Messy Church near Portsmouth, England in 2004. It’s a great idea – gather a group of parents, kids and everyone else who wants to come along for some good old fashioned hands-on crafts, cooking, and worship.

Let us eat cake

Katie Munnik

We ate cake at church this Sunday. I think many churches did; it’s always nice to celebrate birthdays with cake, and this Sunday was Pentecost after all. But at my church, we also celebrated our saint’s day. So, as good Presbyterians, we baked and thought about history.

Illness and Angels

Patricia Schneider

I move to the side of the bed and place my feet under me. My knees collapse and I end up face down on the carpet. I crawl to the bathroom not five feet away and throw up in the toilet. Not a pretty picture.

When brains enter the sex debate

Katie Munnik

“Take a look around. The gender inequality that you see is in your mind. So are the cultural beliefs about gender.” Cordelia Fine

When Cordelia Fine’s book Delusions of Gender: The Real Science behind Sex Differences came out last fall, there was a lot of media flutter. And so there should have been. Fine’s is a necessary book.

Of Confusion and Patience

Patricia Schneider

I have two widowed close friends but the rest of my friends are couples. What is my new role with them or is that gone too? I understand being “widowed” but I don’t want to accept the term “widow”… There is no future in the term “widow” and I have to believe in a future.

Bullying and You

Jennifer O'Farrell

You probably know about Binky Barnes who is Arthur’s classmate in the Arthur cartoon TV show. He starts out early in the stories as part of a group (known as “The Tough Customers”) who bully others. But later, Arthur gets to know Binky and he becomes good friends with him.

On the SpongeBob SquarePants show, there’s Flatts the Flounder who really just wants to be a friend—but he always says that he wants to “kick SpongeBob’s butt” and scares SpongeBob into thinking that Flatts wants to hurt him. It takes some time but each one comes to a better understanding of the other.

Remembering to be bookish people

Katie Munnik

I had a beautiful moment this past week. I was talking with a family about an upcoming funeral, through ideas for hymns, scripture readings and the rest. Their elderly mother had died, and the three adult offspring and I were working together to compile a service that reflected her faith. One of them mentioned that their mother used to recite scripture with them at bedtime, and together they started to remember it aloud.

Barefoot Disciple

Katie Munnik

Last week, I mentioned Stephen Cherry’s book Barefoot Disciple, and I want to share a bit more about it this week. The book itself came into my hands quite serendipitously. I had read a blurb about it while preparing my Lenten reading list, and at that stage, had entered in on my Goodreads account as a book I wanted to read. Then, of course, I forgot about it.

Filling Time

Katie Munnik

Twice recently I’ve flubbed the question. On two separate occasions, interested, intelligent and childless friends have asked me how I fill my time with a two year old. As if it might be difficult. Or, perhaps more to the point, boring.

Standing Tall

Patricia Schneider

I look across the street and see my neighbour’s fir tree. It has been there for years guarding the front entry. The top is laden with cones … it has born much fruit. Its branches spread wide and it is a haven for the small birds that visit there. A terrible wind storm attacked the tree one day.