I am away from church today, a rare space of rest from preaching and presiding. On such days I have more time to read and write. I am currently reading "East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity"" by Philippe Sands. It is a memoir and history of the origins of... Continue Reading →
โWater is lifeโ: Syilx Okanagan Nation declares watershed emergency
Reposted from Castanet Snowpack levels in the Okanagan and surrounding regions are catastrophically low this year, which has led to wide-ranging concerns over drought and the health of local watersheds. On Wednesday, the Syilx Okanagan Nation formally declared a watershed emergency across the Okanagan, Nicola, Similkameen, Kettle, Salmon and Bessette watersheds. The Nation says itโs... Continue Reading →
I haven’t done my own work on this yet – I am curious, and very hopeful
Christopher Lamb on CNN Pope Leo XIV says control of artificial intelligence must not remain in the hands โof a fewโ while warning that technology is fueling world conflicts, setting out his proposals in the first major theological document of his pontificate. These include protecting the distinctive โgrandeur of humanityโ amid rapidly changing technology and... Continue Reading →
Spirit Dancing, in Summerland
Notes by Ken Gray: I am Looking forward to Sundayโs Pentecost service shared between St. Stephenโs Anglican Church and Summerland United Church. We share costs and facilities between us at our historic 1910 location in downtown Summerland. Now a few years into a very special relationship between our congregations, we occasionally gather together for shared... Continue Reading →
Clarity on Cowichan, and the long road forward
The text below is a recent summary of a recent meeting concerning the relationship between fee-simple land ownership and BC DRIPA legislation. It was found on Facebook here. Written by Geoff Meggs "Anxiety about the threat to fee simple private property posed by Aboriginal rights is so deep in British Columbia that Green MLA Rob... Continue Reading →
Formation for Christians โ Wisdom from Joan Chittester
[Joan Chittester remains one of the most dynamic and insightful writers on faith and justice today] Today prophets of pietism tell us to "pray for peace" and "pray that God's will be done." And this is certainly important. But they do not demand that we ourselves do something to ensure either. Instead, the professional pietist... Continue Reading →
The legacy of Rachel Held Evans
A Memory from Jim Palmer on Facebook About eighteen years ago a young woman named Rachel Held Evans contacted me because she was beginning to see Christianity differently and wanted to write about it. She sent me her manuscript, and we worked on her book together. She published four books in total. I got to... Continue Reading →
Another well deserved prize for Maggie Helwig and her homeless community โ Encampment: Resistance, Grace, and an Unhoused Community
A video of her acceptance speech at the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing is here A transcript is below. (Check against delivery.) [Maggie Helwig] This is not my book. This book belongs to a community. I am cognizant that I am in the kind of room which I am not in very often, and... Continue Reading →
Finally, someone now says what I have been thinking
Calvin Sandborn Apr 25, 2026 Victoria Times Colonist - Thanks M for the suggestion A commentary by an Anglican, retired law professor, Kingโs Counsel and author of Becoming the Kind Father, a book about men and anger. He lives in Brentwood Bay near Victoria, BC โOpen the Fโ-nโ Strait, you crazy bastards, or youโll be... Continue Reading →
Such a good news story
Reposted from The Independent Sunday 19 April 2026 NPR (National Public Radio/US) received its largest-ever donation from a living donor this week when billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer gave $80 million to the media organization. Ballmer โ a former member of the NPR Foundation's board โ told the Wall Street Journal that she poured money into... Continue Reading →