Choosing hope

Today was tough. There were lots of things about our Monday meal drop in that were totally lovely- fun jamming sessions, an unforeseen and generous donation of clothing, lots of coffee and muffins, good chats, warm hugs, delicious potatoes, veggies, chicken and fruit salad, cohesive teamwork (and a couple of dance parties) in the kitchen,…

An advent re-post

Last year I did a lot of thinking about Advent and Christmas, and wrote a post about it. These thoughts still pretty much sum up how I feel about December, so I thought I’d post it again:   I accidentally went to the Dufferin Mall on Black Friday. I should say, I went to the…

Experiences of redemption and gezelligheid

November has been a very full month so far! I am part of a team of that worked together over the last few months to plan a conference for young women in ministry, which we called “Junia’s Daughters” (Junia is mentioned in Romans 16:7, as being “outstanding among the apostles”. Her name was mistranslated “Junias”-…

Home is where the heart is

Erinn and I have noticed a distinct increase in concerns surrounding housing recently. A couple of people are fearing eviction because of bed bugs. Others are hoping for a more stable living situation, or just any living situation for a few months over the winter. The changing of the seasons is definitely contributing to the…

A Future Not Our Own

The following reflection is from Oscar Romero, an archbishop from El Salvador who was assassinated on this day, in 1980, for speaking out against the repression of Salvadorans by their government. I read it this morning before heading off to The Dale, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. May it be an…

Despite what you can see

If you read Erinn’s blog (erinnoxford.wordpress.com), you’ll know that this was a bit of a rough week for us at The Dale, and it seems to have been a particularly tough one for other communities and individuals too. Lots of inner pain and tensions bubbling over, turning into outward conflicts. Many factors and influences contributing…