Who Are You?

The ocean has always been a powerful symbol or metaphor for God for me. It’s the place that I connect with God most easily. Which is a bit surprising, because I didn’t grow up anywhere near the ocean… but the ocean means home. Whether it’s a warm summer day and the waves gently kiss the…

Families and How to Survive Them

Love. Hate. Alcoholism. Abuse. Neglect. Persistence. Poverty. The Glass Castle has it all… But ultimately, I think it is a story about redemption. The Glass Castle, which is based on a true story, was written by Jeannette Walls, one of the central characters, and her family. The movie opens with Jeanette, living a glamourous life…

Courage to Stand Alone/Courage to Live in Community 

Bank of Dave is a 2023 British biographical comedy-drama film that tells the true-ish story of Dave Fishwick, a self-made millionaire from Burnley, England. Frustrated by the traditional banking system’s refusal to lend to local businesses, Dave decides to set up his own bank, with the goal of helping his community. Despite facing numerous challenges,…

Hear and Listen

Have you ever been a stranger? Started a new job? Joined a new family? Perhaps the first time you met your in-laws? What was that like? How did you feel? Disorienting? You didn’t know the ‘rules or norms’ for behaviour. The inside jokes. What about travelling alone to a foreign country? Where you didn’t speak…

Trickery and Truth

Trickery, bribery, lies… the Bible has it all! You probably expected me to say that the movie had it all! 😉 And it does! One of the questions that rolled around in my head and heart this week was: Does the ends justify the means? Normally my answer would be no… but after I watched…

The Beauty in Persistence

Folk artist Maud Lewis likely never imagined from her tiny house in Marshalltown, NS, that her life would be depicted in a film. Maud Lewis was born in 1903 in South Ohio, NS, not far from Yarmouth. She married her husband, Everett, in 1938 and the two lived without electricity or running water in a…

Twenty Years

Last month I received a letter from the Moderator congratulating me on 20 years of ordained ministry. I was a bit surprised to discover how touched I was. Even though I know it was a form letter AND I received it it both official languages, the words still stirred my heart, especially the ones of…

Perichoresis – The Divine Dance

It’s Trinity Sunday… the day when we celebrate God who has been traditionally known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And this reflection is less about the readings… and more about the idea of concept of the Trinity. Have you ever heard of the word perichoresis. It means the relationship between the three persons, or…