When we are fearful
By Deanna Cook Saturday evening I was blessed to have supper at my friends’ home. They welcomed me into their home, broadening my world. We sat on the floor on pillows and blankets. We started with cold water infused with orange blossoms. The Persian dishes were lovingly prepared- all new dishes to my palate. Bademjan- an eggplant and tomato stew cooked with turmeric and paired with rice. Baghali Polo, seasoned with dill and saffron, was a rice and lamb centerpiece. Two salads were served: Salad Olvie and Salad Shirazi. “What is your favourite dish?” was asked often but how could…
Read MoreWhat Do You See?
By Alicia Krogsgaard Close your eyes. What vision of God does your mind portray? Do you see an old man, white hair and beard, somewhat clueless, stooping over the world, looking down? Do you see a stark white spirit holding a lightning rod, ready to throw it at those of us who are messing up? Do you see a frumpy old Santa figure listening to all your wants as you sit on his knee? Do you see the kind face of your earthly father? Or perhaps a stern, you-better-straighten-up face stares at you? When you envision God, what do you…
Read MoreHold the Bowl
By Mary Muirhead I don’t remember hearing the ambulance arrive; I had heard my daughter phone, but the next thing I remember, through the fog, was somebody yelling, “Mary, hold your arm straight!” As it turned out I was attempting to guide the stretcher around to the side door, but I don’t remember. Apparently, I continued to ‘assist’, and furthermore looked as if I might be sick. So the attendant grabbed a bowl which he gave me and told me to hold. I held on for dear life; I didn’t even want to surrender it when it was pried out…
Read MoreStill, My Soul Be Still
At Sister Triangle’s 2017 Ladies Retreat, We asked many of our retreat attendees to speak for a few minutes about a worship song or hymn that was special to them and then we’d sing it together. What a beautiful time of sharing it was! So over the next year, we will be sharing these songs and their special meanings with you! We hope you find encouragement from the songs and the words shared! – Andrea Muirhead This song became dear to me a few years ago and will always be one of my favourites. We were going through sorrow. Within…
Read MoreI Can Endure
By Deanna Cook To kick off our basketball tournament, we have a pep rally to celebrate our players. A tradition is the All-Stars game. But this year, instead of just watching our senior basketball players, the players had to pick a partner from the crowd. And, as we are a K-12 school, their partner had to be in grades 1, 2, or 3. The 10-minute game was the highlight of the entire pep rally. Instead of just watching over-confident adolescent boys show off, we got to see older students helping younger students. They would pass the ball to their much…
Read MoreSeeing the Unseen
By Andrea Muirhead It’s cold. Its -35 degrees Celsius, as I drive down the highway. It’s been a long winter and it’s far from over. People around me are feeling the winter “blues.” I am too. But today the sun is shining brightly, so brightly that I need to wear my sunglasses. I remember as a kid driving places with my dad and being amazed at the animals we would see from the car. One day, I asked him how he could see those totally camouflaged animals in the field. His reply was that he had trained his eyes…
Read MoreBe Still…
By Laurie Fisher Lately these two little words have come into my consciousness a lot…and I don’t think I’m being necessarily exhorted to closet myself in a serene setting to contemplate the bigness of God. I think God is saying, “Back off. Hush. Pray. Watch. Be STILL.” I look at Ephesians 6:10-20 and see what I’m supposed to do. Three times it says, “stand firm” (be still?) Twice it says “pray” (although one of those times it says “at all times” and “with perseverance” so it’s really said more than twice) . And one of my personal favourites is Exodus…
Read MoreThe Thorn in My Thighs
THUNDER THIGHS WIDE LOAD BIG MOMMA FATSO Echoes of the voices of my youth. And then the less offensive, but just as hurtful: So-and-so said this diet worked for her. Have you tried walking? Boys won’t like you unless you lose weight. For as long as I can remember, my weight had been the paramount issue in my life. Years ago I wrote a blog about how “if only” wiped out all the good in my life. “You are so talented, if only you weren’t overweight.” “You are so smart, if only you weren’t so heavy. “You are such a…
Read MoreGoing On Ahead.
By Sara Pippus Once in a while, writing is very hard. I know how it feels in my head but getting it out in a way that means something to someone else becomes considerably more difficult the more personal it is. I will admit openly that I am stunted when it comes to being vulnerable and bearing my heart to anyone who is not close and trusted. I have been putting off sharing these ideas and my jumbled bits of learning. But the more I searched for answers over the past year, the more I came up short. We are…
Read MoreNew Perspective
Foreword by Sheena Koops My 14 year old daughter, Arwen, and I are sitting in a giant circle, two rows deep, with large board-room-style wooden desks and plush, rolling chairs. We have joined many others, women and men, to consider this year’s Treaty Four Gathering theme, “Empowering Women” and to consider the legacy of Canada’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It is a Monday night in September. Kete-ayah Alma Poitras has invited any who wish to smudge as we begin our gathering. Smudging is a practice, a quiet moment of prayer and cleansing. I join the line to…
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