VIGIL IN A SMALL TOWN, by Betty-Ann Xenis, Summerland, BC The second time we met, it was windy and our candles kept blowing out. It seemed symbolic somehow. Candles, a light in the darkness, being blown out by a force beyond our control. We finally stopped trying to relight them but just stood in the... Continue Reading →
Success, learning opportunities, and Teflon-coated pans — A scouting leadership story
[Ken Gray] The Rev. Chris Parsons (Executive Archdeacon of the Anglican Diocese of Kootenay) and I have been clergy colleagues for many years, now in the Diocese of Kootenay, and previously in the Diocese of Islands and Inlets (BC). We each know the peaks and troughs of working in ordained leadership, especially within the Anglican... Continue Reading →
On closer inspection
Another story in the series Stories from Somewhere, by me, Ken Gray Case #1993-642 The blaring ghetto blaster is getting on Janet’s nerves. Joni Mitchell, whose music is a favourite around the police station, seems to be playing on an endless loop. Detachment Sergeant, Duncan Jaimeson, loves his 60s and 70s folk tunes – Joan... Continue Reading →
Skate Kamloops a huge success
They pulled it off. For the last ten years, Kamloops residents Nancy Bepple, James Gordon, and Steve Gainey, formed and managed Kamloops outdoor Skating Association. Amidst other projects, their goal was to bring an outdoor skating rink to downtown Kamloops. They attended budget meetings; they hosted ball hockey tournaments; they fundraised to help pay for... Continue Reading →
A Hymn of Praise — For E-Bikes
By Bill McKibben — This article appears in the January/February 2026 issue of Sojourners Magazine — Subscribe A no sweat, no hills, planet-loving bicycle seems pretty heavenly to me. THERE ARE A few things that seem like magic to me. One is ice—when water freezes, suddenly you can glide across the surface of the earth.... Continue Reading →
A new take on Chaos and Craziness by Anne Lamott
A few days old but Too good not to share. [Anne Lamott on Facebook] We are not crazy. Things really are catastrophically bad. Jesus lies down daily with a cool compress on His head. My friends and I await the rain of frogs. Of course we experience hopelessness in the face of the murder in... Continue Reading →
Gone Fishin’
Chapter ten in the series Stories from Somewhere, by me, Ken Gray “Mayday*Mayday*Mayday.” My shouted distress call must have looked silly. There I was, standing in a wobbly west coast dory, shouting into a bank of dense fog that had quickly appeared out of nowhere, covering us in our little skiff. Close to the shore... Continue Reading →
I’ll be seeing you
AKA Confessions of a Kindle addict A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland on Sunday, January 18, 2005 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray There are all sorts of ethical concerns surrounding the owner of Amazon, US tech billionaire Jeff Bezos. That admitted and underlined, the Amazon process of book purchase and delivery... Continue Reading →
Wisdom from the Episcopal Bishop of Minnesota — Heartbreak and response
The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Episcopal (Anglican) Bishop of Minnesota. At one point in the grand Holy Spirit riff that is the Book of Acts, after Paul and Silas have whirled through town on one of their preaching tours, some local Christians are brought in front of the Roman authorities. The case against them is... Continue Reading →
“Put your affairs in order” — Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Verified via multiple sources, KJG Rob Hirschfield, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, has asked his clergy “to get their affairs in order, to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers... Continue Reading →