My wife and I once took a whale watch cruise from a little town in Massachusetts. To find the whales we had to go out on the Atlantic until even the skyline of Boston disappeared from view. There was no wind that day, the ocean was as smooth and flat as a prairie field, only … Continue reading Unstable as water
peace
The power of turning the other cheekl
I had devotions at our school this morning. Part of what I told the chlidren and their teachers was the following story from the life of Albert Tait. Albert Tait lived on a Saulteaux Indian Reservation in North-Western Ontario. The Saulteaux (pronounced Soto) are one of the most widespread First Nations groups in Canada, called … Continue reading The power of turning the other cheekl
Seek peace, find happiness
And it did for one wild moment cross my mind that, perhaps those might not be the very best judges of the relation of religion to happiness who, by their own account, had neither one nor the other. -G. K. Chesterton
Submission = Freedom
I realize this is a counter-cultural statement in the present day and age where liberty is prized above all other virtues. But are people more free today than they were in ages past? Consider the example of a shepherd and his flock. The shepherd watches over the needs of the flock, guards them from enemies, … Continue reading Submission = Freedom
The way of peace
Forty-five years ago I was picking up my mail in a village post office when I heard two older men reminiscing about the war. Somehow the subject of Mennonites came up. “Mennonites!” one of them said angrily, “They should all be lined up against a wall and shot!” The other agreed. This was at a … Continue reading The way of peace
Revival and communion
Holy Communion in the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite is not a matter of routinely gathering at fixed intervals to partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine in remembrance of our Lord. We believe that the peace and unity symbolized by this service must be fully authentic. To this end, we … Continue reading Revival and communion
JOY
Joy is the second quality listed as part of the fruit of the Spirit. If I am a Christian, yet find that joy is lacking in my life, it cannot be the fault of the giver. God’s gifts to His children are given liberally. Therefore, if there is a lack of joy in my life, … Continue reading JOY
Steel-toed slippers
Non-resistance is one of the prime identification marks of a true Anabaptist. Many folks take this to mean that we believe it is wrong to put on a uniform and take up arms to defend our country. What it really means is that we believe in wearing figurative steel-toed slippers so that it never feels … Continue reading Steel-toed slippers
A peaceful farmer
This is a story I heard many years ago. It was told as an actual happening, I think the location may have been in Ontario and the time at least 100 years ago. A Mennonite farmer, we'll call him Samuel, one day noticed a large quantity of grain was missing from one of his bins. … Continue reading A peaceful farmer
Is friendliness next to godliness?
Paddy Davis was a lonely old man, a widower whose only son was divorced, depriving Paddy of any contact with his grandchildren. We could often hear him out in his backyard in the early morning singing the old, familiar hymns. He had once been a song leader in his church and still had a good … Continue reading Is friendliness next to godliness?
Flatlander Faith 