I wish I had written this. Like the young lady who wrote this article, I wish to portray to people that Mennonites are "quite dreadfully ordinary." I am a more or less normal Canadian guy who became a Mennonite 40 years ago because I believed the Mennonite faith to be the most authentic expression of … Continue reading Yes, I’m Mennonite, and Why That’s Not the Point
Going paperless
In school we learned poems about log drives in Quebec. Loggers worked all winter in the forests and in the spring the logs were floated down the rivers to the paper mills. That is history, nothing but folklore anymore. There are still lumber mills; there are mills producing tissue paper, computer paper, glossy magazine paper, … Continue reading Going paperless
Meeting God in His Word
I grew up in a home where the Bible was read every day and we attended the Anglican Church every Sunday. I became a member of that church when I was 11; a few years later I became an altar boy and continued faithfully until I moved away from home to attend university. There was … Continue reading Meeting God in His Word
Poverty + Prejudice ≠ Hopelessness
Some years ago I read an article in Ebony magazine written by a man who had grown up in one of the worst black tenement ghettos in Chicago. Drug dealing, crime and violence were the everyday reality and the police felt the area was too dangerous to send in individual officers to patrol. Like almost … Continue reading Poverty + Prejudice ≠ Hopelessness
Now available from Amazon
Many years ago, Andrew Ratcliffe had a dream that helped him find his bearings in living as a Christian. He wanted to share this dream with others; the manuscript travelled from hand to hand and wound up on this side of the water in the hands of my wife. Chris has spent months editing and … Continue reading Now available from Amazon
I’m back
Thank you to all those who kept checking this blog over the past two weeks, looking for some sign of life. I did give some small signs that I was sill around, but not as much as I wished to do. In the beginning I was bogged down with fiscal year end catch up work … Continue reading I’m back
Our cats in winter
It is cold here, many mornings the wind chill has been -40° or worse. School has been cancelled numerous times as school buses do not go out when it gets that cold. Monday the temperature got up to -18° (that's 0° Fahrenheit) and it felt positively mild! Our two cats don't like this weather any … Continue reading Our cats in winter
Uncovering the well
When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, she was succeeded by James Stuart, already King James VI of Scotland. He became King James I of England, uniting the kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland under his authority. James was a blend of imperious authority and humility. Tradition says that he told his portrait painter: “Paint … Continue reading Uncovering the well
Morning Coffee 2/8/19 “Even Till The End Of The Age!” (Poem)
Even when government rises against government. He is with you.
Even when there are wars and rumors of wars, He is with you.
Even when the elect are fooled and turn away in there blindness.
Even then God will not abandon those who truly seek is guidance.
Even as heaven and earth pass away and the mountains turn to dust. He is with you.
Even when they put you on trial because of His name, He is with you.
His thoughts of you existed before the foundations of the world.
He is faithful and will complete the work He started in you.
Be still and know that He alone is God, And He will not abandon you.
He will present you faultless in the presence of His Glory.
He will wipe away every tear and all sorrows will fade.
Your steps are ordered of the Lord. He guide you.
Do…
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How to choose a religion
“Fightin’ is no way to make converts; the true way is to win them. You may stop a man’s mouth Sam,” says he, “by a crammin’ a book down his throat, but you won’t convince him. It’s a fine thing to write a book all covered over with Latin, and Greek, and Hebrew, like a … Continue reading How to choose a religion
Flatlander Faith 