On the one hand, there is this great need—so many heartbreaking situations and so many lonely people. On the other hand, according to a 2019 Angus Reid poll, (A Portrait of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Canada today - Angus Reid Institute), 71 percent of Canadians are introverts, meaning most of us find it difficult to reach out to other people. That’s a tall hurdle, but let’s break it down a bit.

Dustin Burlet’s feature article (starting page 6) draws some interesting parallels between the Noah’s flood and the advent of Christ, asserting that both are acts of divine deliverance.

The news we are reading and seeing has many of us sad, disturbed, and praying for peace. The conflict that has developed in Israel is concerning. The headlines are relentless and horrific. A brutal attack, followed by retaliation and now a humanitarian crisis. As this story unfolds, we hope that the narrative will shift to resolution and peace. That lives can be spared.

In Joshua Coutts’s article, “Good news in a secular age,” he points out how Christians behaving badly is an obstacle, even for Christians themselves, to believe in the good news of the gospel. This is not a new problem.

You may find some aspects of this issue of The Messenger ironic. There are a lot of pictures in this issue of great worship, laughter, hilarious games, meaningful conversations, prayer times and messages and presentations. But you will see that while we celebrate so much that is great, we’re also concerned.

Anabaptists had their challenges with peculiar and dangerous interpretations, but they agreed that all believers had the privilege of reading Scripture, and the safeguard against heresy (and silliness) would be the believing community who discussed and interpreted the Bible together. But that’s history.

With the breakthrough in AI technology that came through ChatGPT, people have been asking it to respond to all sorts of queries. Out of curiosity, I asked it to write an editorial on Christian suffering.

Trudy wasn’t hired as a cross-cultural trainer to explain work orders and million-dollar test equipment to people who don’t understand English, but she’s good at it. It cuts into her own productivity, but she is endlessly patient—well, nearly.

Because of our modern understanding of genetics and heredity, it may be difficult to reconcile the idea that Jesus may not have been genetically a descendant (or “son”) of David at all.

I’m ashamed to admit it but even after decades of being stretched, I’m often caught off guard when I find out there are Christians in this or that place, or that a form of Christianity I assumed to be an empty shell of religion is filled with believers who have a deep and vibrant faith in Christ Jesus and are living it out among their neighbours.

In the next ten years, 21 missionary units will reach retirement age (or have already). Yet, in the last ten years, 18 missionary units have been accepted by the BOM. According to these numbers, recruitment will not keep pace with existing personnel, let alone allow for expansion.

Before we’ve even learned to walk, we humans begin fighting for freedom; first, in play but then more seriously as we object to authority, consequences, expectations, guilt, pain, doubt, anxiety, and death—the freedom wish list is very long.