From This Day in Historyโs Post Gary Burghoff stood on the M*A*S*H (henceforth MAS*H) set in October 1979, holding a teddy bear that had become as famous as he was, and told the producers he was done. Not for more money. Not for better storylines. He was leaving because playing Radar O'Reillyโthe role that made... Continue Reading →
Early Sunday morning
Another in a series of original short stories. Enjoy โBetween the vestibule and the altar,ย ย ย let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.โ (Book of Job) I wasnโt weeping, but I felt a little funny. There I was, dressed in Alb and Stole, standard clerical dress for ministers of many Christian denominations, on a... Continue Reading →
All in the family
A sermon for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, November 9th, 2025 for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland by the Very Rev. Ken Gray The original title of Norman Learโs 1971 TV sitcom All in the Family was Those Were the Days which ended up as the showโs theme song. I can imagine J D... Continue Reading →
A skeleton under the sun deck
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church in Penticton BC on Sunday November 2, 2025 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray My sermon title for today is โA skeleton under the sun deck.โ Itโs perfect for today, All Souls Day; it draws inspiration from All Saints Day which was yesterday; and it... Continue Reading →
Truth spoken here
I started piano lessons when in third grade at school; I was around eight years old at the time. I remember my first lesson. (For Victoria friends, my first teacher was Robin Wood โ I lasted about three lessons): Right hand only โ C D E - E F G - switch fingers 5/4 -... Continue Reading →
Itโs no laughing matter โ Or is it?
Years ago I suggested to a justice-seeking colleague that we should investigate the role of humour in our social and ecological justice advocacy. We can be awfully serious, I said. Off-putting even. She replied that the context โ human rights abuse; the climate crisis; avaricious market hegemony โ didnโt lend itself well to comedic treatment.... Continue Reading →
Toy story, by Juno
Noted dog-blogger Juno lives with the MaPaw and PaPaw in Summerland in the BC interior from where she publishes an extensive set of dog blogs dealing with, well, dogs and other creatures. I love my dog toys. Mapaw buys them for me on special occasions โ Christmas, birthdays, and every time she sees something colourful,... Continue Reading →
The plane truth โ with apologies to Herbert W. Armstrong
So many words come to mind when I think of Trumpโs acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar. The best is disgusting. The images in todayโs gallery below suggest others. Feel free to add your own in the comments. Frankly speaking, in so many ways, there are no adequate words. Letโs enjoy some music instead.... Continue Reading →
Memorizing a poem is like taking a work of art that you love and letting it live and bloom inside of you
Poems are part of me, when I can remember them. As I age I find it harder to remember texts whether longer or shorter. Some years ago I used to proclaim the Christmas Gospel (John 1:1-14) while processing through the church, reciting from memory. It was an excellent discipline with a particular dramatic effect. Canโt... Continue Reading →
The Gospel according to SportsNet
Anglicans and other mainline church preachers seek new ways to share the Gospel in uncertain times โMy word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.โ (ISA 55:11-12) In Christian circles historically, the Word of... Continue Reading →