Once again Kathie and I have returned home, at last. We have had other grueling travel adventures throughout 2024; and many more will likely occur. For now, however, we are home! Pardon the cliché, but there really is no place like home. Dorothy said it best, with other poets and prophets before her; there’s nothing... Continue Reading →
Faith, politics, and compassion — Jimmy Carter remembered
Reprint from Mitchell Atencio at SOJO.NET [Mitchell Atencio to end] "Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. President, died on Sunday at the age of 100. Carter was a prominent advocate of faith and justice, regularly acting from his Baptist faith throughout his career as a politician and a humanitarian. “Jimmy Carter’s importance to faith and public life was... Continue Reading →
The Great Lillian Hall, and Jessica Lange
Photo: HBO For my theatre friends and colleaguesReprinted from The Washington Post article by Naveen KumarA "Russian doll of a role" This sounds soooooh good – Watch party anyone? [Kaveen Kumar to end] “It may surprise you to learn that Jessica Lange, whose work onstage and screen spans nearly 40 years, had never done Chekhov.... Continue Reading →
Read this: Murray Sinclair on democracy
Tis the season for books, for my comments and recommendations for you, loyal readers of books I have read in the past year, and my own suggestion of titles for the year to come. Now half way through Who We Are: Four Questions For a Life and a Nation by Murray Sinclair I want to... Continue Reading →
Timely Wisdom for a Complicated World
Timely and prescient thoughts from American writer Parker Palmer By accident of birth, the Christmas story has been a staple of my life for 85 years. As a kid, it was all about the glitter and gifts, of course. Today, the story compels me to question my courage and my resolve… It asks me to... Continue Reading →
Time for some Christmas music
Enough politics (for now). No more Juno dog blogs (until the new year). It’s time for some Christmas music, in particular, The 2024 St. Olaf Christmas Festival, "Our Hope for Years to Come." A compilation of this year’s three performances is now available for on-demand viewing throughout the holiday season here. A tradition since 1912,... Continue Reading →
Advent and Christmas in a time of war
How can Advent and Christmas be contemplated in a time of war, asks Richard Sewell, Dean of St. George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem [Reprinted from the Church Times UK and St. George’s College, Jerusalem] THE ancient city of Jerusalem is bordered by two valleys: Gehenna and Kidron. The latter is also known as the Jehosophat Valley in... Continue Reading →
The Muppet Christmas Carol — A Radical Christian Classic
Reprinted from Why ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ Is a Radical Christian ClassicBy Mitchell Atencio - sojo.net - Dec 12, 2022 [Ken Gray] Coming off our recent radio-play production of A Christmas Carol, I decided it was time to watch the Muppet’ 1992 adaptation of the classic Dickens tale. Upon release, the film was variously reviled... Continue Reading →
Keeping the fire alive
A sermon on the Third Sunday of Advent,Sunday, December 15th, 2024for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland BCThe Very Rev. Ken Gray I wonder if you have a personal hero? Your hero could be in the realm of sports, or music, someone in the church, or even a politician. For Blue Jays fans, it’s Canadian-Dominican... Continue Reading →
All will be well
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland Anglican ChurchSunday, November 17th 2024The Very Rev. Ken Gray During the 1970s while a student at the University of Calgary my friend, Rod, was a men’s residence supervisor. In those days, bomb threats were common on Canadian university campuses. One day Rod received a call advising... Continue Reading →