Summer is coming, and for some that means setting aside more time to catch up on reading. And what better to read than fiction? Here are three novels I’ve read in the past few weeks that I recommend. What is most effective is how Hannah helps readers experience what it must have been like to face hunger and cold and watch Jewish neighbors be hauled away. The Nightingale (2015) by Kristin Hannah tells the story of two sisters in France just before and during the Nazi occupation of France in World War II. Hannah draws her characters well and explores […]

Doing more than just assisting By Charles Kwuelum Martina Talatu Garba was looking forward to becoming a mother, in a culture that highly values having children. Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed when she died at childbirth due to complications from malaria and a lack of adequate medical care. Since Refawa, her hometown in Nigeria, lacks a primary healthcare facility and is 15 miles away from the nearest public hospital, many women, newborn babies and children do not have access to skilled care and life-saving medicines. About 303,000 women worldwide die annually during childbirth, as a result of health conditions that […]

It’s official: I’m a sucker. I convinced myself that, after watching the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it would be an above-average comic-book-themed movie. I didn’t think it would be a film classic like Citizen Kane, but I thought perhaps it could be the Citizen Kane of movies based on Marvel Comics. It could also just be good-guy-fights-bad-guy , things explode, good guy wins. And I’ll be a sucker again. After all, the first Guardians of the Galaxy showed promise in establishing a hodgepodge of outcasts who band together, earn each other’s trust, and form a semblance […]

Riding the bus as spiritual discipline by Esther Epp-Tiessen I have always struggled with the traditional spiritual disciplines – contemplative prayer, disciplined scripture reading, meditation, fasting. I have tried them all many times, and fallen away every time. I have often felt like a failure. But I’ve come to realize that there are many more spiritual disciplines than the traditional ones. And for me, personally, what has become an important way of encountering the Spirit is through the very mundane act of riding the bus to work. Initially, my commitment to riding the bus was about reducing my carbon footprint. […]

Discovering More about Native Life: Christian’s Hope Another Way for week of May 19, 2017 Although I grew up in the 50s, I didn’t grow up playing cowboys and Indians. This was because: We weren’t allowed any games that simulated shooting. My dad hated any play that had to do with guns. We didn’t have a TV so we didn’t know the “TV cowboy” genre. I had two older sisters and one baby brother so our games involved playing “house,” school, or church with poor Terry as our “baby.” I do remember making bows and arrows out of branches and […]

Advocating together Cherelle M. Dessus “Black, White, Spanish. Doesn’t matter who you are, you’ll feel like you’re part of a family,” a church member said. Lee Heights is located in an urban area and the church aims to serve their community. Many times, they walk through the neighborhood to talk and pray with people. Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) helps the congregation connect these local concerns with federal policies. EAD is a national gathering held annually in Washington, D.C. The conference is organized by Christian organizations working in Washington, including the Mennonite Central Committee’s U.S. Washington Office. This year’s conference focused […]

The most talked about TV show on Netflix over the last few weeks has been 13 Reasons Why, the 13-episode series adapted from Jay Asher’s young adult novel of the same name. If you’ve missed the buzz, the show is about a teenage girl’s suicide, as well as the tapes she leaves behind to pinpoint the people and actions that led to her death. The tale plays out a bit like a murder mystery where you know the ending—Hannah Baker’s suicide—but don’t know how she got there. Most of the talk has centered around the effects watching the show might […]

As filmgoers await Christopher Nolan’s probable blockbuster Dunkirk, coming in July, here is a quiet, humorous British drama that approaches the massive 1940 military evacuation from a very different angle, one focusing on the role of women in Great Britain during World War II. Most impressive was the subtle way Their Finest offers a look at how the role of women in the workforce changed during World War II. Their Finest also draws attention to the role of women in filmmaking. Despite all the advances in gender equality (and far too much remains to be done), women have had a […]

Peace on Earth, peace with Earth Tammy Alexander, Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office An estimated 200,000 people participated in the People’s Climate March on April 29 in Washington, D.C., and thousands more participated in more than 300 sister marches around the country. Coming from various walks of life and marching for different reasons, everyone shared a concern for protecting the Earth and those who live on it. In the “Keepers of faith” section of the march in D.C. there were individuals and groups from many different faith traditions, including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Unitarian. Christian groups included Mennonites, […]

Peacemaking: Learning about a new culture By Donna Schulz The best way to learn about a new culture is to experience it first-hand. Grade 10 students at Rosthern Junior College (RJC) recently had the opportunity to learn a little about Middle Eastern culture when two Syrian couples shared with the students about their culture and their Islamic faith. Dana Krushel and Evangeline Patkau of Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan’s migration and resettlement program, facilitated the April 5, 2017, culture-sharing workshop, entitled “Encountering new Canadians.” With the help of an interpreter, Mohamad Au Ibrahim and Mariam Al Mahmoud, and Yusuf Mlahefje and […]