From Facebook Every night, a history professor in Maine writes a newsletter explaining American politics. Over 2.6 million people read it daily. For many, her words feel like rescue from chaos. Midcoastal Maine, sometime after dark. Heather Cox Richardson sits at her desk near the ocean. Outside, America is screaming. Breaking news alerts flood phones... Continue Reading →
[Ken Gray] So here’s an idea. Let’s invite Anne Lamott up to Vancouver to visit with supportive and faithful Canadians. What a great event that would be. My secret agenda would be to welcome her here for an extended period of time; maybe she’d stay . . . So often I find myself drawn to... Continue Reading →
A few days late, but a great history from Matthew Larkin, with thanks And today, I’m thinking of this guy, who died 150 years ago this date (January 22). John Bacchus Dykes: priest, organist, composer, tractarian: a composer of well over 250 hymn tunes, and an avid and determined ritualist who stood tall against his... Continue Reading →
[Ken Gray] The Rev. Chris Parsons (Executive Archdeacon of the Anglican Diocese of Kootenay) and I have been clergy colleagues for many years, now in the Diocese of Kootenay, and previously in the Diocese of Islands and Inlets (BC). We each know the peaks and troughs of working in ordained leadership, especially within the Anglican... Continue Reading →
A few days old but Too good not to share. [Anne Lamott on Facebook] We are not crazy. Things really are catastrophically bad. Jesus lies down daily with a cool compress on His head. My friends and I await the rain of frogs. Of course we experience hopelessness in the face of the murder in... Continue Reading →
The Guardian, Jan 14, 2026 [The Guardian/Reuters] US civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin, arrested at age 15 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks’s similar but more famous act of defiance, died on Tuesday at age 86. Although she remained a largely... Continue Reading →
And other short stories about leaders who lie Graphic assembled in Canva. Photos L-R: Karoline Leavitt (Bruce Chaff CC 4.0), Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Stephen Miller (all public domain) Story by Bri-anne Swan on Substack and the Wilderness Times - Jan 11, 2026 [Bri-anne Swan] It’s difficult to escape the fatigue that sets... Continue Reading →
Excellent thoughts from Bob Rae on substack - Jan 10, 2026 Dedicated to those who are continuing the fight against tyranny around the world, and those who have died in the struggle [Bob Rae] The French philosopher Blaise Pascal is famous for his sharp aphorisms. One of my favourites is this: “Justice without force is... Continue Reading →
Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for the Penticton Herald [Keith Lacey] Several of the region’s most accomplished jazz musicians have once again teamed up to release a new recording featuring their favourite vocal jazz compositions. The Crawford/Crossley Group has been performing and recording together since 2015. At the heart of the ensemble’s work are... Continue Reading →
A reflection from December 16, 2019 by John Rutter [Ken Gray] It is now ten years since the death of Sir David Wilcocks, organist, conductor, composer/arranger, and college administrator. One of my great pleasures as a student at the Royal College of Music from 1977-1979 was singing in the RCM chorus which Sir David conducted ... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 