MuskRat OR Muscovites OR Muskatel — You choose Resist. Resist. Resist. Let me count the ways. Letters to the editor of papers of record (if any are left); social media engagement, bot or not; join the queue for radio call-in shows; march in local protest rallies which are growing in number and size throughout the... Continue Reading →
We should always be friends — Wab Kinew to Donald Trump and all Americans
I like Wab Kinew, a lot. If we moved in the same circles I think we could easily be friends. Wabanakwut, the 25th Premier of Manitoba has been an author, musician, broadcaster and university administrator. He is best known as a host of programming on CBC Radio and CBC Television. Kinew is Canada's first provincial... Continue Reading →
An activist’s prayer
With thanks to the Rev. McAllister, the following: Thicken my love.Widen my heart.Sharpen my analysis.Enliven my praxis.Embolden my voice.Deepen my rest.Lighten my heaviness.Toughen my skin.Soften my spirit.Strengthen my friendships.Lengthen my endurance.Weaken my ego.Awaken my soul.Refreshen my vision.Hearken to my weary voice, O God,as we are co-conspiratorsin the struggle for a new world.Amen -- Terrance Hawkins... Continue Reading →
Canada, the 51st state? “Over our dead bodies,” say Indigenous leaders
Brandi Morin, Ricochet Media Indigenous leaders across Canada are responding sternly to President Donald Trump’s controversial suggestion that Canada should become “our cherished 51st state,” emphasizing that any such discussion must recognize Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights. Dr. Wilton Littlechild, a prominent Cree lawyer from Maskwacis, Alberta who helped draft the UN Declaration on the... Continue Reading →
Are you saved?
A sermon for the parish of St. Saviour, Penticton BCSunday, February 9th 2025 / Fifth Sunday after the EpiphanyThe Very Rev. Ken Gray “Are you saved brother?” I used to hear this question a lot some years ago. It was spiritual lingua franca when I was coming into adulthood in the 1970s. Christians, especially evangelicals,... Continue Reading →
Enter the poet: HOPE
Every activist needs a poet. Very few are poets; certainly I’m not; I don’t sit still long enough; my powers of observation are limited. Like chess, I find poetry overly demanding of my short social media-distracted attention span. To engage poetry I must concentrate: Read the text out loud, several times if necessary; savour the... Continue Reading →
Jane helped build this house — Alternatives to Anger 001
This blog is the first of a series suggesting how we can all do good things during this crazy time in our communities. Watch this space. My new friend, Jane, helped build a house, an “Earthship” in Zuni, New Mexico by connecting with Earthship Biotecture, an agency she discovered in 2015. Earthship is a sustainable... Continue Reading →
Small, hard, and full of meanness
Mary Oliver in 2008, and for today Of The Empire We will be known as a culture that feared death and adored power, that tried to vanquish insecurity for the few and cared little for the penury of the many. We will be known as a culture that taught and rewarded the amassing of things,... Continue Reading →
Lovers in a dangerous time
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen SummerlandSunday, January 19, 2025Andrew Stephens-Rennie, Director of Missional Renewal, Anglican Diocese of Kootenay[Bold emphasis KJG] [Andrew Stephens-Rennie]Between the word that is spoken, the word that is heard, and the word that is lived, may your name be praised O God, our Strength and our Song. Amen. You... Continue Reading →
Jeff’s question
My colleague and friend, Jeff, recently emailed the following question to me: “Hi Ken -- just wondering how you're doing these days? So much terribly difficult stuff going on, all at once. We are struggling with it -- working a lot through the emotions, especially grief and frustration. Around here, most everyone is experiencing that.” ... Continue Reading →