With thanks to former Moderator of the United Church of Canada, Richard Bott I find his draft policy on Faith Formation and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence well informed and compelling. AI is here to stay; the genie is out of the bottle. For myself, I try to limit use of AI for many of... Continue Reading →
WARNING: This is a SPLASH page โ There is no new content here
The data below shows the ten most popular blogs at takenote.ca during the week ending Friday October 9. 77ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Hey there, Jackย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย A grandfather greets his newborn grandson 69ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย I always wondered why Radar left M*A*S*H before the show ended โ Now I knowย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย One of our most viewed blogs. Who knew what we... Continue Reading →
Preaching, preachers, and privilege
I have always loved preaching, both as a listener and a presenter. As a young adult I read books by British preachers Martyn Lloyd Jones and John Stott, both in the evangelical tradition, with great interest. As a music student in London I attended All Souls, Langham place, the flagship of British Evangelicalism in the... Continue Reading →
“Discipline and constant work are the whetstones upon which the dull knife of talent is honed” โ Stephen King, on writing
[KJG - I have never read a Stephen King novel. Volunteering at a church book sale however, I see that many, many readers have enjoyed his suspenseful, narrative horror. I did enjoy the movie โStand by Me,โ that was based on his novella, โThe Body.โ Very much. And for the record, the adjurement towards hard... Continue Reading →
And now, for something completely different โ at least theoretically
Parizo Burke on Facebook Band Director Jokes A C, an E-flat, and a G go into a bar. The bartender says: "Sorry, but we don't serve minors." So, the E-flat leaves, and the C and the G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and the G is... Continue Reading →
“You must go at your life with a broadax” — Remembering Annie Dillard
Daniel Lewis, Sept. 16, 2026 The New York Times Annie Dillard, who as a young American writer walked into the woods and came out with a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the wonders and horrors of creation, the modern classic โPilgrim at Tinker Creek,โ died on Tuesday at her home in South Wellfleet, Mass. She was... Continue Reading →
RIP Wendell Berry
A Poem on Hope It is hard to have hope. It is harder as you grow old, for hope must not depend on feeling good and thereโs the dream of loneliness at absolute midnight. You also have withdrawn belief in the present reality of the future, which surely will surprise us, and hope is harder... Continue Reading →
โWalking into a living universeโ
A reflection from the late John OโDonohue For the First Day of the Season of Creation 2026 Also our first experience of the Feast Day of Creation in the calendar of the Christian Church Listen to Johnโs beautiful reflection here https://vimeo.com/203378234?fl=pl&fe=cm Video transcript: I'm John O'Donohue. I'm a writer. I live here in the west... Continue Reading →
What is “enough” anyway? What would a โdegrowth churchโ look like?
by James Adair, BROADVIEW, Aug. 6, 2026 [I find the concepts below compelling. As churches often claim they are cocunter-cultural to my eye they simply mirror the capitalist culture that surrounds and feeds them . How often have I preached on the Parable of the shrewd Manager trying to avoid praising the servant who took... Continue Reading →
Preserving our memories — A Summerland legacy project
From Paws n Tails Photography, Summerland BC Iโve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to do with my photography after everything that has happened here. I had planned an August opening special to introduce Paws N Tails Photography to Summerland. But after the fire, that just didnโt feel right anymore. We are so... Continue Reading →