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 thereโs 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 You also have withdrawn belief in the present reality of the future, which surely will surprise us, and hope is harder...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 →
โWalking into a living universeโ
A reflection from the late John OโDonohue For the First Day of the Season of Creation 2026 Also our first experience of the Feast Day of Creation in the calendar of the Christian Church Listen to Johnโs beautiful reflection here https://vimeo.com/203378234?fl=pl&fe=cm Video transcript: I'm John O'Donohue. I'm a writer. I live here in the west... Continue Reading →
What is “enough” anyway? What would a โdegrowth churchโ look like?
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 →
โThe roots of true community are fireproofโ — A Wildfire Worship Experience — Sunday August 16, 2026
An archival shot from Cartwright Mountain, an area likely destroyed by the Bald Range wildfire. Resources and thoughts assembled by me, the Very Rev. Ken Gray, all in light of the Bald Range Wildfire in and around Summerland, BC as we and over 20,000 others are evacuated from our homes and community for an indefinite... Continue Reading →
A day-5 evacuation story
Image: Hope, Susan Norie From Facebook [Ken Gray - I don't know Banu Tรผlรผmen's but they tell a beautiful story admist so much uncertainty.] I don't quite know how to describe these past five days. There are stories everywhere. Some heartbreaking. Some heroic. Stories of loss and uncertainty, but also extraordinary stories of kindness, generosity... Continue Reading →
Picture this — Wildfire
These images were created prior to our evacuation from Summerland late Friday night. Given our hurried packing there was no time to take shots of the fire itself though we did witness the Cartwright Mountain Ridge (our dog walking area) fully aflame. Many such images are sprinkled throughout social and news media. Our evacuation story... Continue Reading →
The lazy (hazy) days of summer
With thanks to Tzeporah Berman who writes: Yes I do grieve for the carefree summers of the past.This piece by Rebecca Solnit is exactly how I have been feeling this summer as I watched in horror as the numbers of the dead due to heatwaves in Europe have climbed and feared for my son who... Continue Reading →
โItโs about dignityโ: Anglicans call for relief as U.S. blockade strangles Cuba
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 โPepeโ Bringas, general coordinator of the Episcopal Church of Cubaโs Integral-Missionary Development Program... Continue Reading →
One wildfire evacuation story
An image of our condominium behind an approaching helicopter captured Saturday, August 9. We live in the left unit in the building on the right, top two floors. So far, our home is safe, but I suspect very smelly and smoky. From CBC News. So much for the lazy, now hazy days of summer in... Continue Reading →
Love changes everything
Read this poem as you will. God's love? Our love? Simply, love. I imagine the poem below as a modern day Beatitudes, a collection of sayings that birth images of blessing and peace we receive in amidst chaos of "today." There is so much we can receive through our senses, through the very physicality of... Continue Reading →