At Last an Understanding
Just as soldiers who went to fight did not hear of the Holocaust until after they returned, so we who were raised in Canada were never taught the story of residential schools.
Meditation
The Potter and the Clay
Have you ever played with clay? I have, and it’s hard and thick.
Prayers of the People
These are but a few of the prayers commissioners wrote at General Assembly for the Presbyterian Church.
Wholeness and Health
Neither option was a guarantee and either could prove life-threatening. As well, the two choices were mutually exclusive. Pursue the one and the other was no longer possible.
Living and Dying in Hope
I think about death a lot. I’ve possessed this mindset since I was handed the shocking news that I have ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). On that cold, clear winter’s day, like a shadowy acquaintance from a far-away land, death came calling.
Why Sponsor a Refugee?
For me it was simple; this was something that I could do that would be a part of bringing God’s blessing and mercy to a family that was in need of freedom.
When God Says ‘Not Yet’
We thought we had all the bases covered. But here we were, January 2014, with no minister and no prospective minister in sight. Didn’t God approve of our plans? What were we missing?
The Scandal of the Incarnation
I get in trouble every year for ruining Christmas.
The Wineglass
A job, or better, a ministry, an assured income, a home to live in; who could ask for anything more? Well, it turns out that a family setting up a home for the first time does demand a few things more.
Anchored in Hope
As a child growing up in England during the Second World War, I never once heard anyone comment that Britain could possibly suffer defeat.
The Kindness of Strangers
Last spring I walked a 100-kilometre pilgrimage called St. Cuthbert’s Way. It was a journey I undertook alone, on trails that were almost entirely bereft of travellers. It was quite an adventure
A Long Way to Go
After we said grace, Jack looked across the table at me and said: “You should know that I didn’t sign your call. I don’t believe that women should be ordained ministers.”
Why Christians Should Write
For years I never wrote anything longer than a grocery list. I’d given up journaling—as a mom of three boys, I thought sleep was a better use of any rare spare moments I might have.
The Crocheted Cross
I enjoy my life for the most part, am grateful for my health and family, but at that time I was feeling that I was on a treadmill going nowhere. Nothing significant seemed to be happening. I was 61 years old and wondering if I was on the right track.
Alive and Green
We started a garden with the minister’s blessings and two enthusiastic young women undaunted by criticism and jokes.
My Mountain
I had some changes to make in my garden and I needed to move two large granite stones. I didn’t want to tell my husband about my plan, since he would have decided to do the job and he is a heart patient. So I took it to the Lord.
What is it Like to be Ninety?
In many ways I don’t feel any differently than I have for years. But of course, that’s on the inside. The “outside” of me, now that’s a different picture entirely and has nothing to do with being 90 and everything to do with being old.
Christmas Alone
It was my first Christmas alone and my internal landscape was as bleak as leafless trees against a grey sky. There was no warmth or comfort that year.
On Boundaries
When we are empty, there is nothing to give. Sometimes, from that empty state, we give anyway. This can lead to renewed energy in the short term: It’s refreshing to take our eyes off ourselves. After all, isn’t our purpose to serve?
A Journey to Justice
The young people looked at me and asked, “Moksanim (pastor), what good is the gospel if all it offers is life after death and does nothing to help us with this life, here and now?” I had no answer for them.