When historians tell of our ancestors’ arrival from Russia, they also never fail to mention two other creatures: ravenous crop-destroying grasshoppers, and hordes of bloodthirsty mosquitoes. These insects added insult to injury during years of drought, poor crops, and other struggles. It seems that life for our newly-Canadian forebears could be a hungry, itchy one. Being a people of the land was not always an easy task.

The ice-covered branches of the lilac trees outside my window look like shimmering glass against the vibrant blue sky.

At the beginning of this third millennium, humanity confronts serious ecological problems that threaten human life and all of creation.

Why should I care for the environment? We know it’s probably the right thing to do, but what’s a Christ-centred perspective?

Many years ago, when the earth was younger than it is today, there was a beautiful garden full of trees producing edible fruits and nuts in what is now the man-made desert of Iraq.