It’s Hard to Watch the Birds – poem by Jonathan Tysick
It’s Hard to Watch the Birds
By: Jonathan Tysick
It’s hard to watch the birds with the people all around
Chronically poor, colourfully rich, comfortably middle class
Scraping, scrounging, trusting in this bloated, aching town
Suits strut under skyscrapers casting shadows on the ground
Rags shrink on sidewalks as the crowds hustle past
It’s hard to watch the birds with the people all around
Rent, inflation, bills on their face creates a frown
They weep, they laugh, they curse, they dance,
they frolic in the grass
Scraping, scrounging, trusting in this bloated, aching town
“When I was your age we bought a house that we found
You couldn’t do that these days, it’s quite the contrast”
It’s hard to watch the birds with the people all around
“No vacancy” signs on shelters but tents and tarps abound
Choose one of the following: food, rent or gas
Scraping, scrounging, trusting in this bloated, aching town
“A change is proposed for this site”: another condo compound
“A change is proclaimed for this world”: the first shall be last!
It’s hard to watch the birds with the people all around
Scraping, scrounging, trusting in this bloated, aching, town
Paul Zizka’s “Aloft: Canadian Rockies Aerial Photographs” – review by Ron Dart
Ron Dart Paul Zizka, Aloft: Canadian Rockies Aerial Photographs (RMB, 2021). There are photographic books on the Canadian Rockies worthy of a few scans and there are superb books on the Canadian Rockies—such is Aloft. The title and subtitle offer the curious the...
Boaz’s Feet and Ultimate Reconciliation – Scott Klaudt
One thing I have found in a life of discovery is once you see something you can’t unsee it. It can be something you weren’t supposed to see but can’t get it out of your mind. Or something you weren’t really looking for, but it was “awakened” in you. Two of those...
A Handful of Reasons to Join a Church [despite the exodus] – Sharad Yadav
S harad Yadav is Lead Pastor of Bread & Wine church in Portland, OR. As I try to remember why the hell I do this for a living, here is a handful of reasons, dear friends, to consider joining a church: 1. To join a church is to commit to a social circle you do not...
Good News! Ron Dart’s “The Beatitudes: When Mountain Meets Valley” is back in print
The contemplative tradition within the West tends to define the spiritual journey in three phases: purgative, illuminative, and unitive. This classification tends to ignore the fact that the contemplative journey has substantial political, social, and economic...
Stephen Hui’s “Destination Hikes” – Review by Ron Dart
Review of Stephen Hui, Destination Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia (Greystone Books: Vancouver, 2021). Foreword by Cecilia Point I have before me a few first edition books (collector’s items I assume) that were pioneering guide books in their day:...
Josh McDowell Steps Back and Walks Back Racial Statements
Wayne Northey's response to Michael Gryboski's article: https://www.christianpost.com/news/josh-mcdowell-steps-back-from-ministry-over-racial-remarks.html 82 years and 150 books in, Christian “intellectual” McDowell has finally learned something about Black...
Because of Love – Stacey Chomiak (at the Bridge)
Stacey Chomiak spoke at the Bridge Church, Abbotsford, BC on Oct. 3, 2021on her journey as a gay Christian. The event marked the Bridge's "coming out" service as an inclusive, welcoming, and affirming community of people who aspire to live out...
When the Sh*t Stink Lingers – Felicia Murrell
At some point in my life, I came to the realization that I don’t like being around people who once made me feel like sh*t. Even if I was the one creating the narrative about what I thought they thought about me. It doesn’t make being around these people any easier....
Assaulted and Blamed … at Bible College – Wayne Northey
The article highlighted below begins with Megan Wohlers telling her story of abuse, and ends with these understated words from her: And that’s not how Jesus would have acted. Esther, my partner, works with MCCBC End Abuse in support of women in abusive relationships....
Erasmus in Review: Two Works – Ron Dart
Robert D. Sider (edited), Erasmus on the New Testament, (University of Toronto Press: Toronto, 2020). Mark Vessey (edited), Erasmus on Literature: His Ratio or “System” of 1518/1519, (University of Toronto Press: Toronto, 2021). Erasmus was too good a humanist to live...