Best Practices

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Christian tourists travel to the Holy Land to see the holy sites and to touch the land where Christ was born, crucified, buried, and resurrected. For me, seeing the place where Jesus breathed, lived, and did ministry profoundly changed my life. My first book Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World had yet to be published but was at the printer. I had a heart for the world and wanted to address global poverty, and other issues of justice related to race and gender.

Sometimes I find myself singing a nursery rhyme I heard many years ago, The Reverse Kingdom. It has several stanzas, but the first two are the ones that stuck with me: 

Thank you for celebrating the OSJ’s offering Sunday with us this week.  Interim director Mark Stephenson offers his thoughts as we reflect together on working together as one body.

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Cor. 13:11)

On Nov.

It's Christmas time and everywhere I look there are reminders, that for many, the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour has become little more than a series of competitions that almost everyone is out to win. Competitions for the best gifts inclusive of gift wrapping, the best tree, and the best indoor and outdoor decorations. There are further competitions as to who has the best ugly sweater, throws the best parties, and cooks the best dinner.

With the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, a future of increasingly extreme weather appears to be a reality. And it is in communities that can least afford mitigation where the burden of climate change will fall the heaviest. That’s why Christians in North America need to hear the story of Hunting Park. 

Those of us who are Christians committed to ending the climate crisis receive solace from Isaiah 40:31. “Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.” 

The Hebrew word for “wait” in this passage is “Qavah” which means to wait actively with anticipation, watching with hope for God to act. 

Some years ago we lived in Mwanza, Tanzania.  It is a pleasant city: tropical, yet not humid, mostly clear skies, and on the shore of a beautiful lake.  The built-up “downtown” of shops was small (relative to the population of 1.5 million people) and while we did shop in the local markets on many occasions, we also frequented one store in particular.  This store usually stocked imported items from Nairobi or elsewhere in Kenya.  Most often we could find everything we needed, plus some oddities.  That’s where the chickens come into the story.  

Standing among the other dancers in the studio, I aligned my body in first position (heels together and toes pointed out.) Sternums lifted, lengthening through the back of our knees, we  spoke together: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” And then stretching one pointed toe to the right, lowering the heel, recentering weight between each foot, heels now shoulder-width apart in the second position of ballet, we continued: “and the second is like it.