This year, Mennonites all across Canada can be split into those who found a copy of the new Mennonite hymnal under their Christmas tree and those who found a copy of Andrew Unger’s new novel, Once Removed.* It’s a shame, really, that these two books came out in the same year, competing as they were … More A Mennonite Guide to Historical Preservation
Of all the Christmas hymns in all the hymn books in all the Mennonite homes and Churches, our favorite by far is that one about a rose. (When I say “our,” I do not, of course mean to speak for all Mennonites. There will be one or two Mennonites who dispute this generalization. In fact, … More Lo, How a Menno is Singing
A couple of years ago, the city of Toronto adopted the nickname “The Six.” Not officially, of course. It’s a nickname. Nicknames are unofficial things. Lots of people speculate about its origin and meaning. Some say “The Six” represents the convergence of two area codes (416 and 647). Others claim it’s about the six boroughs … More Life in the #6ix-oh-#6ix
In 1967, my paternal grandparents got on a plane and crossed the Atlantic. By all accounts, this was not an easy feat for my grandfather. He stepped aboard that flying machine, compelled to face his terror, only by the irresistible lure of a Mennonite World Conference in Amsterdam. And, of course, a tour of the … More The Mennonite Mile-High Club
I wrote this back in 2015 in response to the launch of a new hymnal project. Since then, we’ve established a hymn-loving committee to consider all that needs to be considered in the update of a hymnal. I can only hope that they take my input into the process seriously. The powers that be within … More Top 6 Hymns that could be Drinking Songs
If you have been reading my blog for awhile or have found another way to become educated in the basics of 21st-century Mennonite life, you should understand by now that Mennonites are not now (and never have been) contained to farms, farmers’ markets or quilting bees. I know this can be an uncomfortable thought. Look … More Approved Mennonite Careers
Post first published in December 2014, appearing here with minor edits. We arrived at my Oma’s house somewhere close to noon. She would greet us smilingly at the door, with scents of roasting turkey mingling with the baking ammonia from her cookies and the slightest hint of a gas leak that always met us at … More A Child’s Christmas in Mennoland Pt 2
Christmas began with singing in those days. I don’t mean Christmas Day; I mean the Christmas season. It began before the snow fell and before the decorations went up in the malls and department stores. Sometimes it even began before Halloween. It began on the day when the music teacher would take out some fresh … More A Cordial for the Choristers
This was the first blog post I wrote to get any attention beyond my close friends and immediate family. It was re-posted onto Mennonite World News and was one of its most seen posts for awhile, outstripping those earnest theological ponderings it usually posts by a fair measure. Its popularity surprised me until it occurred … More Top Ten Ways Mennonites are like Hipsters
