Truth, relationships and reconciliation Written by Adam KlineIn 2022, I travelled to Balcarres, Saskatchewan with my denomination’s intercultural ministry team to meet members of the Loka Koa Mission. Loka Koa is a small group of YWAM missionaries from Samoa who seek to honour Creator by helping to
How haiku writing can enliven Scripture meditationWritten by Bonnie Beldan-ThomsonAt one point, every Bible passage I read seemed like a paraphrase of something I’d read before. Perhaps you can relate to this feeling. We can become so used to stories in the Bible that they seem rote.One antidote to
God’s presence in both grief and hopeWritten by Alexandra Christine*Trigger warning: This article describes pregnancy loss. Please take care of yourself while reading or come back to this article when you are in a different mental space.After Embree died, I wanted to join him.[1] I wanted to go to h
Welcoming and accommodating employees with disabilitiesWritten by Sammy KyeremeThe Raw Carrot, a soup social enterprise with four locations in southern Ontario, focuses on hiring workers with disabilities and mental illness and surrounding them with volunteer support. They aim to alleviate the finan
Anticipating a future without mental illness Written by Kaitlin DendekkerI have never known a life without darkness. For almost two-thirds of my life, I have struggled with mental illness. My journey has often looked like one step forward; three steps back. And back. And back.Yet through it all, I h
Hope Chapel reinvigorated through community initiatives like offering weekday snacks to studentsWritten by Jane PeckIt’s not quite 7:00 a.m. on a Wednesday, but already I am snapping on the lights and plugging in the five 100-cup hot water urns needed to make 100 litres of hot chocolate. I then head
The Gospel of Mark invites us into a new storyWritten by Caleb Unrau Whenever I choose a movie, I tend to pick ones with sudden endings. I appreciate films that don’t tie up every loose end but instead leave some of them there as invitations to the audience to discover for themselves what
An unexpected path to clarityWritten by Bethany MartellMy little boy is a little over one year old. Most of the time, he is good natured and happy. But try to pin him down and force anything on him (especially, heaven forbid, boots!) and the back arches, the head flies back, and the world abruptly c
The good, the bad, and the beautiful in antagonist storylinesWritten by Abby CionaWhen you think of a villain, do you think of a figure cloaked in black, lurking in shadows and plotting revenge? A manipulative, cruel magician who profits off others’ misfortunes? A cruel jealous queen willing to do a
What a day of rest looks like for a working family with young kidsWritten by Jeff HawkerIn recent years I’ve been seeing a resurgence in teaching and practising about the Sabbath in some Christian circles after some decades of less attention. I’m grateful to the lead pastor of my church for teaching
Embracing the unknown and finding hopeWritten by Mikayla Nembhard Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a heads-up before our lives take a sudden twist? Like having a little roller-coaster operator in our heads warning us to buckle up and keep our hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times because this
Written by Jared Vander MeulenLeah Sharibu was 14 the day that her life was uprooted.It was a normal day at her school, Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi, Nigeria. Life was full of optimism.But on the evening of February 18, 2018, that optimism was shattered. The school was attack
Amid growing concern over the harms of online culture, we can forget there are lifegiving aspects too Written by Abby CionaI had probably walked this path a hundred times to and from university classes, rain and shine, snow and ice, but this was the first time I stopped at the rock-covered in l
How we can support the vulnerable amid Canada’s changing laws about assisted dyingWritten by Elizabeth DuarteThis doctor was my last hope.A week before, I’d been turned out of an emergency room with a heart rate jumping like a ping pong ball and my skin covered with rashes. A nurse saw my tears and
Collective faith strengthens our faltering stepsWritten by Taeryn Novak“… The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters …”The night was clear and dark and cold. I sat wrapped in a wool sweater, wood and
Churches offering sanctuary to the hurting and lonely should take note of Taylor Swift’s resonanceWritten by Adam Kline It’s a strange and impressive achievement, Taylor Swift’s sustained stardom. Her notoriety and fandom have crossed generations. Millennials remember the earlier albums that brought
Written by Stephanie MassicotteI met her at university. Since we were both in wheelchairs, we started off by joking about getting stuck in snowbanks on campus and laughing about automatic doors that don’t open. You know, daily wheelchair-related struggles. One day after class, as we talked about our
A Thunder Bay potter’s creations replace her church’s single-use plastic communion cupsWritten by Marianne Jones“I was constantly making things as a child. I was the little girl who couldn’t stop cutting paper,” Liz Straiton reminisces. “I always did well in art classes at school, and later took fin
Home on Native Land is a free 10-part course that welcomes participants into an engaging and laughter-filled conversation about Indigenous justice in Canada.“We recognized that there was a real hunger in the national psyche to do something in order to reconcile and be involved in Indigenous issues,”
The Blanket Exercise is a powerful tool for strengthening Indigenous-Settler relationshipsWritten by Adam KlineThere is an apathy in our hearts, oftentimes, an indifference to those with another path or perspective. We don’t necessarily wish our neighbour ill, but we don’t care enough to stand along
Survey shows young Christians want to see churches get more involved in creation careWritten by Abby CionaToday’s young adults have grown up with environmental concerns at the forefront. We are more globalized and connected than ever before, making us in tune with the ripple effects of world events,
Letting go of expectations amid complex griefWritten by Cindy PalinThis article contains descriptions of suicidal thoughts. Reader discretion is advised.During a training session for hospice volunteers, the presenter wisely told the group that not everyone attending would decide to follow through. “
Sorrow is an expression of appreciation for God’s good, but temporary giftsWritten by Axel Schoeber“When did Marcus die in that accident?” Sheila asked.“Four months ago,” I replied. We were speaking of a congregation member, who I’ll call Maggie, who had recently become a single mother after the dea
Written by Joshua BelterWhile it is impossible to fathom what heaven on Earth will be like, many of our perceptions regarding heaven lack imagination. The typical image we envision tends to be a large crowd of people all uniformly dressed, standing in some ephemeral white space (usually resembling c
