After one week evacuated from our home in Summerland, an exodus forced by the Bald Creek wildfire, one of the worst in the history of British Columbia, ย we join another 20,000 home and business owners hoping for an imminent and safe return to our homes and our little Town. A very small section of Summerland... 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 →
Jann Arden — Always surprises
Reposted from Facebook I am getting married in 12 days. There isnโt a single thing anyone could have ever said or done to have prepared me for the future I find myself standing in right now. It is as surreal and as deliciously whimsical as you might imagine. Change is the thing that makes us... Continue Reading →
“Courage is fear that has said its prayers” — More from Anne Lamott
[Some differences between my experiences (and my spelling) with those of Anne Lamott. Still, great words here.] [Anne Lamott] August, ugh, not my favorite month. If I were Godโs West Coast representative, I would not have scheduled it, and gone directly from the heat blasts of Julyโwhich we would endure with only once or twice... Continue Reading →
โI Deeply Believe Dogs Have Superpowers and Secretsโ
Prompted by a fierce attachment to his own pet, Paul Yoon wrote a harrowing yet hopeful novel, set during wartime, told from a canine perspective. By Pamela Newton, in the New York Times, Aug. 2, 2026 For visuals by Erik Tanner visit the link with the full article above. Oscar, a sweet, lumbering 70-pound lab... Continue Reading →
The Plight of the Pirate Pack โ Revisiting the Feeding of the Five Thousand
A Sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, Sunday, August 2nd, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray I donโt know if youโve heard the news, but thereโs trouble brewing at BC Ferries; and I donโt mean long lineups, service interruptions, or adverse weather cancellations. As former residents of Vancouver Island, Kathie and I... Continue Reading →
Ken, a Quaker? You can stop laughing now
Lynn Phillips [Ken Gray] A few days ago I expressed concern about the Church of my heritage and clerical vocation, The Anglican Church of Canada. I suggested that some days I think I should look around a bit; try a different denomination; explore different worship styles. I have always been curious about the Quakers. I... Continue Reading →
Snitch Mitch
A gallery of interpretations of the near-death life of the not-yet late (?) Senator Mitch McConnell If the Trump administration has inspired anything apart from racism, dishonesty, idiocy, cruelty, criminality, and violence, it has certainly pushed AI humorists to great creative heights. Spurred on by the question of the day: Is Mitch alive? Or dead?... Continue Reading →
Wisdom, about wisdom in the riper years of life
Podcast: Theologian Ronald Rolheiser talks about a spirituality for our wisdom years by John Dear, July 13, 2026 in the National Catholic Reporter On this week's episode of "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," I speak with writer and theologian Oblate Fr. Ronald Rolheiser about his latest book,Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years,... Continue Reading →
Pay attention! That’s all!
Original art on the Gray Family living room wall by Victoria artist Lisa Hebden 10 Quotes From Mary Oliver, the Patron Saint of Paying AttentionBy Jenna Barnett in Sojourners, Apr 14, 2025 I like to think of the late poet Mary Oliver as the patron saint of paying attention. She taught us to not take... Continue Reading →