So hereโs the good news. Great effort and tremendous expense are not required to create beautiful photographic images. A high school friend has just returned from a majestic trip to Iceland. I would love to follow in his steps but circumstance and funds do not presently allow for such travel. A professional friend from Kamloops... Continue Reading →
Bott, (not bot), on AI in church settings
With thanks to former Moderator of the United Church of Canada, Richard Bott I find his draft policy on Faith Formation and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence well informed and compelling. AI is here to stay; the genie is out of the bottle. For myself, I try to limit use of AI for many of... Continue Reading →
Naming what is important
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, SummerlandSunday, October 18th, 2026 | The Twenty-First Sunday after PentecostThe Very Rev. Ken Gray Names are important. I like to be called by my name and I expect you do also. I have no idea why I am named Kenneth John. Kenneth Reid lived across the street... Continue Reading →
I would vote for this guy if I could
From the National Observer, October 13, 2026, as told to Patrician Lane [Ken Gray] I grew up in Oak Bay and still visit often. I wish I still did live there so I could vote for Sam Holland, for many reasons. but I can't. Here in the South Okanagan we could sure use this kind... Continue Reading →
Jesse Zink is right this time
Photo by Ali Kazal on Unsplash Jesse Zink on Substack - Oct 12, 2026 [Ken Gray - I think Jesse Zink is spot on. Our Prime Minister's reversal on climate matters is distressing and foolish. In his strategy to appease Alberta he has largely abandoned any real progress towards sustainable energy. With his appeal to... Continue Reading →
The justification for technique โ Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams (1902โ1984) was a renowned American artist and one of the most influential landscape photographers of the 20th century. He is best remembered for his stunning, high-contrast black-and-white images of the American West, particularly the wilderness of Yosemite National Park. Adams was a master of technical precision. In 1932, he helped form Group f.64,... Continue Reading →
A warning from an American friend
When the Christian Right comes to Canada - Itโs been there all along Kristin Du Mez on Substack - Oct 04, 2026 The Globe and Mail broke this story recently, and itโs been all over my Canadian friendsโ social media feeds: the report of US Trump supporters working with the Alberta separatist movement to build... Continue Reading →
Our children and our children’s children — Gifts abundant?
The newest member of the TakeNote team This piece by the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is part of Sustainable Faith: An Interfaith Season of Creation, a series from Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) in which leaders from across Massachusetts' religious and ethical traditions write, in the first person, about how their faith connects with... Continue Reading →
Wendell Berryโs shocking questionnaire โ An Ecojustice challenge
Many thanks to Lay Minister, Mandy Bath of St. Markโs Anglican Church, Kaslo BC for sharing her sermon from Sept 209, 2026 We start with a Questionnaire by Wendell Berry: How much poison are you willing to eat for the success of the free market and global trade? Please name your preferred poisons. For the... Continue Reading →
And in the end, martyrdom, and justice for the oppressed
With thanks to Fr. Michael Lapsley, himself no stranger to violence and suffering, who shared Dorothyโs story this past week on Facebook. I have never heard this story, but others have. She deserveS beatification if not sainthood. Such an inspiration to us all. KJG When the gunmen asked the 73-year-old nun if she was carrying... Continue Reading →