A Poem on Hope It is hard to have hope. It is harder as you grow old, for hope must not depend on feeling good and there’s the dream of loneliness at absolute midnight. You also have withdrawn belief in the present reality of the future, which surely will surprise us, and hope is harder... Continue Reading →
Chef Ned Bell (left) and Farmer Thomas Tumbach started the Summerland Sauce Project to turn veggies into help - Photo: Summerland Sauce Project Casey Richardson - Aug 29, 2026 / From Castanet A project that bought crops from Okanagan farmers impacted by the Bald Range wildfire and turned them into seasonal sauces and preserves raised... Continue Reading →
by James Adair, BROADVIEW, Aug. 6, 2026 [I find the concepts below compelling. As churches often claim they are cocunter-cultural to my eye they simply mirror the capitalist culture that surrounds and feeds them . How often have I preached on the Parable of the shrewd Manager trying to avoid praising the servant who took... Continue Reading →
Photo by K K on Unsplash Thoughts from Eileen Workman Trump seems entirely incapable of getting out of his own way. I say this because, as I’ve observed: Mr. “Art of the Deal” seems unable to make any sustainable deals that actually help the American People. His fallback is always to use force, punishment, shaming,... Continue Reading →
On December 13 1776, in the dark days of the US War of Independence, Thomas Paine wrote a little book called “The Crisis”. He began with these words - “THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country;... Continue Reading →
Alongside Hope executive director Will Postma (fourth from left) visits a rural community in Cuba in 2018 By Matthew Puddister - Published August 5, 2026 - Reposted from the Anglican Journal Everyday life for the average Cuban today starts without electricity, Jose “Pepe” Bringas, general coordinator of the Episcopal Church of Cuba’s Integral-Missionary Development Program... Continue Reading →
[Some differences between my experiences (and my spelling) with those of Anne Lamott. Still, great words here.] [Anne Lamott] August, ugh, not my favorite month. If I were God’s West Coast representative, I would not have scheduled it, and gone directly from the heat blasts of July—which we would endure with only once or twice... Continue Reading →
The Politics of Isolation CHARLIE ANGUS / THE RESISTANCE / Substack / JUL 31 There have been countless books written about the political crisis of our time, but one small book stands out. Hyperpolitics, by Belgian historian Anton Jäger, puts forward the thesis that the dramatic failure of left and centrist politics is rooted in... Continue Reading →
From Victoria Buzz by Mike Kelly It turns out horse manure can be worth $1,800—you just need a canvas, some charcoal and the right subject. A portrait of US President Donald Trump created partly with horse manure was quickly snapped up at the Sooke Fine Arts Show, selling on Saturday, July 25, the exhibition’s first... Continue Reading →
So now we know, at least according to pollster Angus Reid, that 63% of Canadians support a pipeline from Alberta to B.C. and that economic arguments prove most persuasive. There are some opponents to fossil fuel expansion who say that Canada should be more concerned about the environment. New data from the non-profit Angus Reid... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 