Author: Emma Duncan

According to many sources, loneliness has become an epidemic in our society.  Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued an urgent advisory in 2023 declaring loneliness an epidemic in the United States.[1]  According to this advisory, loneliness is described as a state of mind: “a subjective distressing experience that results from perceived isolation or…

This is Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy from Ontario, who ran away from his Residential School – the Cecilia Jeffrey School – near Kenora at the age of 12 and subsequently died from hunger and exposure to the harsh weather. His death in 1966 sparked national attention and the first inquest into the treatment of…

Our problem is not so much finding the answer as it is facing the answer.   Michael Wood Daly As a lifelong reader and former librarian, I know that summer is often the time when many people prefer ‘beach reads’ aka books that are light and quick to read.  I do not fall into that…

I am always interested in Canadian content.  We are similar to the US in many ways, but there are also significant differences. I recently watched an interview in the Maple Spirit Pulse Series sponsored by the Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures (IRCSF).  The IRCSF is a Canadian, non-partisan organization specializing in social scientific…

Ministry is hard. But you already knew that! When this blog post becomes active, I will be on vacation with my family.  What a blessing it is to have this time away! In a society that values busyness and productivity, it is important for us as Christians to remember that our faith calls us to…

Today marks the 13th year anniversary of my ordination. And I would have totally forgotten about it if a friend didn’t send me a picture from that day.  The service was held at my home congregation, St. Andrew’s Brampton, and it was a very hot and humid day.  I remember being so nervous and excited. …

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! Psalm 84:1 Flourishing Congregations is a Canadian organization based out of Ambrose University in Calgary that supports pastors, denominational leaders, and lay leaders with Canadian data on Canadian congregations.  They are an interdisciplinary and ecumenical research centre.  If you have never heard of them, they…

A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him. Henri Nouwen I don’t know about you, but I am afraid of heights.  I am also afraid of flying.   And these fears – rational or irrational – have been with…

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12 The late Rev. Peter L. Steinke was a Lutheran pastor, writer, psychologist, educator, and author.  Much of his writing applied Murray Bowen’s family systems…

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2) Earlier this year, I finished a course called The Art of Transitional Ministry (Part 1)…