Ash Wednesday is one of my favourite times of the liturgical year. Sure, Christmas is fun; and Christianity is anchored in the Easter Festival. We enjoy communion with Christ through the gift of the Holy Spirit celebrated at Pentecost. But despite the richness of all these great festivals, I still find Ash Wednesday profound and... Continue Reading →
Down from the mountain-top
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BC // Sunday last before Lent , March 2, 2025 // The Very Rev. Ken Gray My long time organist friend, Curt, grew up in a very conservative evangelical family in Vanderhoof BC. Following high school he attended college at Prairie Bible Institute (PBI)... Continue Reading →
The truth gets uglier, day by day
UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL IMAGES AND A VIDEO "Trump and Vance have revealed to Americans and to Americaโs allies their alignment with Russia, and their animosity toward Ukraine in general and its president in particular. The truth is ugly, but itโs necessary to face it." -- David Frum, The Atlantic, Friday, February 28, 2025 And one... Continue Reading →
Checkup, on Cross Country Checkup
Howls of protest surged online as the CBC News special 51st State: A Cross Border Conversation was announced and broadcast on multiple platforms across the U.S. and Canada this past Sunday. This was an international co-production between CBC Radio Cross Country Checkup with Ian Hanomansing and The Middle with Jeremy Hobson. Both hosts took calls from Canadians and Americans.... Continue Reading →
Trump is rapidly gaining a personal monopoly on the use of force
[Ken Gray] On this my 67th birthday I wanted to write something myself about the state of the world, of North America, and of Canada. A few ideas are in development, but for now, the words below published by Robert Reich today are best shared here. They answer a question many Canadians and Americans ask... Continue Reading →
Why should we love our enemies? Because God loves them.
Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, February 23, 2025Delivered by the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas at St. Johnโs Episcopal Church, Ashfield, MA Reposted from Margaret's Blog siteGenesis 45:3-11, 15Psalm 37:1-12, 41-421 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50Luke 6:27-38 The moral witness of a loving heart โLove your enemiesโ (Luke 6:27). Thatโs got to be one of... Continue Reading →
Trump is serious about annexation of Canada โ Just watch Ukraine
In facing an imperialist neighbour, Ukraine offers a cautionary tale for Canada โ Lloyd Axworthy, in the Globe and Mail, February 19, 2025 Lloyd Axworthy is a former foreign minister and current chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council. He recently authored his memoir: Lloyd Axworthy: My Life in Politics. Canadians now face a... Continue Reading →
Resist. Resist. Resist.
MuskRat OR Muscovites OR Muskatel โ 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 โ 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 →
Senior, yes; Elder, no โ Chief Clarence Louie on life after 65
Thanks Victoria Laine for sharing a record of this talk. I knew about it; got lazy; and didnโt go. Shame on me. Limlempt Clarence Louie, one of Canadaโs most respected First Nations chiefs, recently told a Penticton audience made up of mostly of seniors that growing old is admired and worshiped in his culture. A... Continue Reading →