It’s that time of year. When I get up early to go to the gym, and as I drive, I can see the lovely tangerine glow behind Mount Baker in the Cascade Mountains. The sun is starting to come up,…
The Bell: Beholden to the Beholder
Tag: the bell
The Bell: When did I become ‘a person of colour?’
Our lives are permeated by colour. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Snow is white. We could not imagine a world that is monochrome. Even people are described as colours as some of us may recall the nursery…
The Bell: Patrick Condon’s ‘Broken City’ offers a vision for the common good
Review of Broken City: Land Speculation, Inequality and Urban Crisis by Patrick M. Condon (UBC Press, 2024) What happens when urban land costs escalate so rapidly that the majority of the next generation is shut out from home ownership and…
The Bell: A rare form of resistance, served daily in Richmond
An act of resistance takes place every Monday morning in a small United Church in Richmond. There are no coloured posters or megaphones; rather the tools of this work are grocery bags, aprons and retired women – the latter being…
The Bell: Take time to learn from narratives other than our own
This holiday season afforded me a small reprieve from the fullness of everyday life to be with extended family – to rest, relax and spend some time engrossed in narratives other than my own. One story I’ve been looking forward…
The Bell: Bridging divides – practical steps for a more connected world
How do we as a society break free from the devastating practice of demonizing ‘those others’ that we can easily judge as wrong or even evil? Is it even possible to shift our tendency toward binary thinking that identifies people’s…
The Bell: An invitation written in the stars
The wonder and conviction that lead us to the King. Read Matthew 2:1-11 In the film Contact, there is an emotional scene where the astronomer Ellie Arroway, played by Jodie Foster, explains to her friend her decision to venture into…
The Bell: God and the mechanic
Many years ago, I developed an unhealthy bond with one of my favourite cars. It was a 25 year old BMW but I loved it immoderately! I always took it to a third generation local car repair shop called Tremblay’s…
The Bell: Is sex sacred? It all starts with how we value human dignity
The word sacred can sound a bit dusty and intimidating. Like an old cathedral with signs everywhere saying “do not touch” and “please be quiet.” We might call something sacred if it has been dedicated to a specific religious practice or…
The Bell: When our questions are the same; thoughts after MAiD conversations
Recently I was part of a team that put together a conference on MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying). Two ministers that I know approached me and the non-profit organization with which I work, to see if we might together plan…