New Opportunities

Most of the people that I love would tell you that I’m a person of ritual, formality, and precise repetition. I love patterns! I get up at pretty much the same time each day; I listen to the same albums when I go to the gym (and yes, I recognize that calling them “albums” places me in a particular generation); and I love to cook the same foods, over and over. Sometimes that desire for reiteration causes tension in my relationships; that said, usually people are grateful for the faithfulness that, in my attention to detail, I often evince.

God of all, we pray for poll workers, county clerks, and election officials. We pray that you will be with them as they raise their hand and pledge to honor the constitution. Give them a peace that reflects your Spirit within them. Grant them, dear Father, the integrity and honesty that comes from a desire to be fair and impartial as they assist fellow neighbors and citizens in this expression of freedom we hold dear. Bless them with health and rest so that they can carry out their duties with clear thinking, accuracy, and attention to detail.

The Climate Witness Project is blessed to have a great group of regional organizers across North America, working to mobilize people of faith and churches to live into our moral call and duty to care for creation. As we kick off the fall season, we asked each of them to recommend favorite books or current resources they are reading around the climate crisis. Here’s what they said:

I’m going to turn forty in early September, just after Labour Day. Because I’m a person with multiple disabilities, getting to forty is important for me! I sometimes find that people with temporarily able bodies, even some that I love, make a big deal out of aging. I’m told, “You’re going to find that things slow down. You’ll be less able to do things for yourself.” This might come as a surprise, but I’ve always had to navigate doing things for myself in ways different from most folks, and most of the time I don’t feel like I’m slowing down!

In one of my recent blogs in 2023, I shared about an elderly lady who my wife met. The greatest question was who is my neighbour? What are the expectations of the neighbours? As a Christian the body of Christ is meant to be neighbours.  The story in Luke 10:25-37, the response of the Levite, Priest and Samaritan to the stranger who was robbed and hurt affirms who the true neighbour among the three who passed by. 

Sometimes I travel solo and when I do, it allows me to people-watch and be more perceptive of situations around me. One such time was a trip to California this past May.

Recently I visited Joseph Bya and his wife Sana in their home in Cornwall, Ontario. Sitting in their bright, comfortable kitchen, we reminisced about the day, 8 years earlier, when we first met in person. We met at the Ottawa airport on May 26, 2016. I was there with my husband, George, and a group of people from our refugee committee. We were excited, but also a bit apprehensive. As we watched the escalator for signs of Joseph and his family, we wondered if they would be exhausted from their long journey.

South Africa has always held a special place in my heart. I have long appreciated Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, which is a cherished book on my shelf. How could one not be moved by the journey of a leader who endured 27 years in prison, ultimately chose not to be violent, and emerged as the liberator of his people? 

Many congregants love their church, love their church community, and love how the community loves their church. Members may be proud of their outreach programs, their community garden, increasing church numbers, or their amazing praise teams. Some may have been members of their church for decades, while others may have only recently joined a church where they finally feel they belong. Many know when a new member has been born into their church or when a member passes on to be with our Saviour, Jesus.

He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?   (Micah 6.8)