Canada

Hundreds of protestors gathered at the steps of the Colorado State Capitol to protest Columbus Day and called to abolish the holiday. The protest was about the historical conquest of North America by Europeans, and to call attention to the losses suffered by the Native American peoples and their cultures.

Lent comes to us providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.  - Pope Francis 

For the past four months, the Office of Social Justice has published a blog entitled, “The Chipping Away of U.S. Legal Immigration,” an exhaustive list of policy changes and events that happened each month regarding the U.S. immigration system. Though necessary to stay informed, reading these blogs often leaves me feeling tired and hopeless. My job is to equip churches and church members to advocate for just systems that will contribute to human flourishing.

On February 22, 2018, Ontario’s Provincial Anti-Human Trafficking Coordination Office launched its first Human Trafficking Awareness Day. And this year – in 2020 – there is advocacy to recognize this day nationally. At Restorations Second Stage Homes, we use the opportunity to highlight a variety of other awareness days throughout the year to address issues or topics that intersect with human trafficking.

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.  - Martin Luther 

My friend Bush is a kind man with intense focus, only broken by the odd joke and corresponding side laugh. He is Indigenous, a survivor of residential schools, and has a history of homelessness. I first met Bush and his partner at a permanent supportive housing apartment where I was working night-shift. His intense focus made interactions awkward at times, only because I was an awkward young punk to begin with. He later joined a bible study I was hosting. This gave us lots to talk about as he was serious about his faith in God. 

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. - 1 John 4:7 

"Don't be discouraged today.  You can leave your 'what-ifs' and 'if-onlys' in the hands of the One who loves you and rules all things." - Paul Tripp

The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference - Elie Wiesel

I heard this quote a few years ago and kept it in my back pocket. It rears its ugly head often; in my life, in relationships, in the news about ignored human rights/ land rights/ what else rights, another murdered Indigenous girl, more newcomers struggling to resettle because of a lack of resources, oh, the list goes on. It’s been so in my face lately. Allow me to share an anecdote.