Ideas for Action

Looking for summer beach reads? The staff of the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue and the Office of Social Justice have done the searching for you.

The Declaration is a clear pathway to never again: we must never again allow a forced relocation, never again allow residential schools, and never again allow the patronizing postures that shaped colonial relationships and their ongoing legacy.

I am so honored to be speaking here today as an ally who stands in solidarity with refugees and immigrants of any status. Especially in this political climate, it is so important for us all to open our ears and our hearts to listen to the stories and experiences of those new to our country. Even if they do not reflect our own stories, it is imperative to recognize that we are a part of their lives and they of ours.

When I began working as the Policy Analyst and Advocacy fellow in August, advocacy was a new practice for me. It seemed daunting. But I've learned that advocacy is something that almost everyone can participate in -- it’s accessible and simple.

Unless you’ve been on a media fast for the last 6 months, chances are you have heard something about the Paris climate talks.You may have thought that the adoption of the Paris Agreement last year by all attending 196 nations of the world was the finish line; that the work of reaching a global consensus on climate change and a shared path forward had been accomplished. Well, yes and no...

From 2006 – 2010, the country of Syria suffered the most severe drought ever recorded. Climatologists maintain that this drought was exacerbated by climate change: crops and animals died, and an estimated 1.5 million Syrian farmers were displaced. Food insecurity, economic depression, and social instability contributed sparks to the explosion of chaos now infecting the entire Middle East.

Okay, so, I’m wrong a lot. I should start there. It’s true. And I know it. And when I forget it, I am reminded, often. I am also kind of young, and pretty new at my job.

However, that is not what I want to talk about today. I don’t want to talk about being right or wrong. I want to talk about being simplistic and reductionist. Because it drives me crazy. 

This past year, as new parents, my spouse and I have been figuring out how to raise our family and also find time to continue serving God. In our church, we have been learning about being a family on mission. As parents, it can get complicated choosing between spending time with our family or serving God; or trying to find the time for both our family and serving God, while keeping the two separate. But God has designed us to be a family that is on mission together for him and with him.

Let’s practice a new heart examination for Jesus before Easter by becoming self-aware and then starting a new habit that may help build the bridge toward racial reconciliation for Christ.

I think about money a lot. I think about it in a way that I’m told was passed on to me through my Dutch heritage: namely, I think about how to spend the smallest amount possible. Last night, for example, I couldn’t fall asleep so I was doing math in my head to figure out if I would have paid less if I had bought my dishwasher detergent on Amazon in bulk rather than at Target with a coupon. It’s a sickness, really.