LC†U = Lutherans Connect and You!

Diane interviews Danika - a young Canadian social activist to watch out for!

"I believe it was around the time that I turned 14 that I realized I wanted to go into politics. I had attended a youth forum where we were taught about tons of global issues and concerns in our own rural communities here in BC. Before this I had known about some issues and had always been involved, but getting all the information and feeling that I could make a difference is what really got me started. In school I joined the Social Justice Class and had a teacher whom I consider an amazing mentor and educator. We discussed politics a lot and that's when I realized that I was interested in government. I also am quite indecisive and could never choose one topic to pursue like environment, child trafficking, or social programs. I finally figured out that through politics I could touch all of these and more. That's when I truly decided that I was going to try to dedicate my life to it. This spring it seemed this dream could come true. I saw a poster in my school advertising the “Forum for Young Canadians.” My school and my principal urged me to apply." Read more about Danika here.

Marsha on new life at Easter

"What I experienced this year, more than in any Easter past, was a feeling of rejuvenation, a personal kind of resurrection. As I sat there during the most celebratory Sunday service of the year, I felt refreshed and uplifted. Strengthened for my journey back into the world, my fight against my own personal demons." Read more.

Diane on the Bella Bella Heiltsuk First Nations Youth hunger strike against the Enbridge Pipeline!

"Like many of the largest world religions, “fasting” is a long held spiritual practice in Christianity especially during Holy Week.  So it seemed quite timely as a practicing Christian heading into “Holy Week,” that I received an email in my inbox less than 2 days ago inviting people to participate in solidarity with the Bella Bella Community Centre’s 48-hour hunger strike to protest the Enbridge Pipeline development starting at 4:00 p.m. April 01 – April 03 2012." Read more.

 You can also find out more by going here (pacificwild.org conservation site) and here (Northwest coast energy news).

Featured Video! Bella Bella Youth Hunger Strikers

LC† Seeking Sacred Space in Lent!

The newest devotional project is now done.  It started on Ash Wednesday, and went for forty days of reflection and ended on Palm Sunday. Many thanks to all who participated!

Diane on an Polly Higgins:
a legal pioneer for the rights of the planet earth.

"At first I was not sure I was listening to a Lawyer or a theologian. By the end of Ms. Polly Higgins presentation on “Eradicating Ecoside,” I was convinced she is both. A lawyer from the U.K., she began her talk on “Eradicating Ecoside,” by challenging us to reshape our relationship with the earth and environment from one of use of commodities for the denigration and extraction of resources to one of care of and stewardship. She coined this latter relationship one of “Service Leadership.” Read more.

Marsha on looking for change in Lent

"Here we are again, at Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Forty days and nights - excluding Saturdays - when we prepare for the holiest of holies - Easter. Christians around the world mark Lent in different ways. Some of my RC friends are giving up meat on Fridays. Some give up chocolate. Others of us try to find a meaningful Lenten discipline - with varying degrees of success." Read more.

Ryan on Creating

"I just read something that resonated with me. From an unlikely source at best. This was it: "You should make something. You should bring something into the world that wasn't here before. It doesn't matter what it is. It doesn't matter if it's a table or a film or gardening — everyone should create. You should do something, then sit back and say, "I did that."" Read more.

Marsha on child poverty in Canada

"The improvements in the plight of impoverished children in Bangladesh are in sharp contrast to what has been happening in both Canada and the USA. The same edition of the New York Times tells the sad story of the death of the American Dream, at least as it applies to children of poverty. In the USA – and in Canada – it is becoming increasingly difficult for children born into poverty to move out of poverty as adults. In its analysis of child poverty in Canada, the Conference Board of Canada reports that, in Canada, “1 in 7 children lives in poverty”; that same analysis (as of September 2011) places Canada in 13th place out of 17 peer countries when it comes to income inequality (the USA ranked 17th). For those of you who are better to understand letter grades, Canada received a “C” (and has done so since the 1980s) and the USA a “D”." Read more.

Marsha 'imagines' a better world -
for humans and their animals!

"I cringed when I opened up today's issue of the Winnipeg Free Press and saw a picture of a bulldog having his feet attended to by one of the veterinarians at the Winnipeg Humane Society. Distressed by the accompanying headline (which hinted that the dogs' fate was unknown) - that spoke of some seventy-odd dogs being seized from a puppy mill - I immediately went in search of the related article. I was distressed to read that these poor canines had been held in such dire conditions, relieved that none of them had to be euthanized. Read more.

Ryan on the mental solitude of the dog walk

"Every night I walk Hank, our adorable/mischievous Welsh Terrier. (You can tell he's Welsh by his accent.) Rain, sleet, snowstorm and mild weather alike -- we walk. Not far or too long. Typically about 15 minutes in the area with an added casual drop-by at the dog park, which usually has a few of Hank's buddies out on their daily jaunt. Occasionally after a long day at work, after the couch absorbs my being, it's no easy task to get up, toss on the appropriate clothing and head outside. But each time I do, I'm thankful for that walk." Read more.

Marsha on transitions and the 'still, small voice'

"This got me to wondering about how we actually mark transitions in our lives. In Advent, we light candles, put up strings of lights. In January, we make new year’s resolutions. Maybe we do the same thing for the lunar year-end. But I guess I’m wondering what makes transitions meaningful. How often transitions go unobserved. Whether transitions are of our own construct or if there is an unseen hand that sometimes introduces transitions in our lives." Read more.

Ryan on cities and small towns

"I was raised in a small town. Small. As in, if you asked me where I was raised, you more than likely wouldn't have heard of it. And that's cool with me. " Read more.

Marsha on the 'decade of disgrace'

"January 11, 2012, marks the tenth anniversary of the infamous prison at Guantanamo Bay (a.k.a. Gitmo). The prison at Gitmo was set up as a part of the knee-jerk reaction to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. A keystone in the ill-conceived and ill-fated War on Terror. In reality, Gitmo was and continues to be a keystone in the politics of fear that have sapped the USA and its allies of both political and economic capital in the intervening years. Today marks a decade of disgrace." Read more.

Under construction - for a new LC†!

For the next months, Lutherans Connect (the website) will be under construction, building a brand new website to help make it easier for us all to truly connect and share with each other. We love this site, but it's bones have been around for 7 years now - and its newer life for three. We all need a pick-me-up every now and then!

We hope to be up and running in our new incarnation by Lent, but Easter at the latest. In the meantime, continue to check here for News and Events, for all our most recent blog and feature activity on the About page, and for our regular bloggers, who will continue throughout this time (and later) to offer you their great perspectives and stories. Also, Waterloo Campus Ministry folks - check out the News and Links page for your stuff too!