Speaker: Jeff Jarvis Throughout history, religious beliefs have been a double-edged sword, offering solace and guidance while also igniting conflicts and division. They’ve inspired acts of compassion, charity, and unity, yet have also fueled wars, persecution, and discrimination. In this final week of our current series, “What Ends Wars”, we’re going to explore two ways of approaching one’s faith/beliefs.  The difference seems so subtle but the outcomes are often radically...

Speaker: Vince Klassen In recent weeks, we’ve delved into various scenarios shedding light on the What Ends Wars. From realizing that peace seldom emerges solely from victory to grappling with the internal battles we face. This week, we’re steering toward a slightly unconventional path. We’re set to scrutinize a deeply ingrained belief prevalent in our culture today, one that likely ignited more conflicts than we can fathom – be it in personal relationships, among colleagues and neighbours,...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis Watching the innocent casualties of war is hard. People being forced to flee with very few belongings, often grieving the loss of loved ones. The suffering is hard to imagine. It’s always comforting to see countries and organizations willing to help step in and offer support in times of crisis. There’s something that feels so right about those initiatives. The same applies to our everyday lives. We can see people who are struggling and then notice someone who stops and...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis & Vince Klassen If you think about the foes you’ll wage war against in your lifetime, none of them will likely be as powerful and potentially as immobilizing as the voice(s) within you. You’re likely well acquainted with this voice. Sometimes we refer to it as our “Dark Passenger”. It can remind you of the ways you’ve screwed up, of your shortcomings, it can make you second-guess your next steps and keep you locked in a holding pattern. This is likely why our...

Speaker: Vince Klassen After our discussion last week about how victory doesn’t necessarily lead to peace, we’ve been feeling somewhat disheartened. So, how do we actually foster peace? Our current cultural mindset heavily emphasizes victory – whether it’s a particular group, ideology, or even ourselves prevailing – as the path to peace. So, it’s clear that culture isn’t providing a satisfactory answer to that question. This week, we’re delving into the wisdom of one of our spiritual...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis Cathy and I have been married for over 33 years. You would think by now that we would never argue. Lol. There seems to be this subconscious moment, in the midst of our arguments, when I begin to imagine what it will feel like when I “win” the argument. When I hit that sweet spot and prove my point. Do you do this? I think to myself, “Maybe, Cathy will admit that she was wrong and I was right all along – perhaps she’ll thank me for pointing out what she did and ask me...

Speaker: Trevor Dreher Recently, I heard a tale of an affluent elderly couple with a longstanding desire to witness the vibrant colors of autumn out east. Despite having the financial means to indulge in this dream without any repercussions, they consistently postponed the trip over the years, citing its potential cost. In truth, they could have undertaken the journey in first-class style without a dent in their finances. The desire for this experience was ingrained in their values, yet...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis We’ve spent the last two weeks explaining where much of the toxic messaging around pleasure has come from – at least within the Christian tradition. Hint: we don’t think it comes from the bible. We’ve also made the case that pleasure needs to be accessed and celebrated in our lives. However, this raises questions, and likely it should… Mostly because, like anything, the pleasures we pursue almost always have price tags (either literally or metaphorically). How much...

Speaker: Vince Klassen Pleasure can be a complex subject, especially when delving into the realm of physical pleasure, which may make some uncomfortable to discuss. Questions often arise, such as, when we talk about physical pleasure, are we exclusively referring to sex? The answer is yes, but it encompasses much more than just that, although sex is indeed a component. Considering the pursuit of Vitality and pleasure in our lives, where does the priority of physical pleasure fall on your...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis “Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives” ~ William Wallace Over the years I’ve had a conflicted relationship with pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, I love to experience it as much as the next person. Sometimes though, I’ve struggled to prioritize it. Too much to do, and perhaps a little guilt about spending the time or money on “frivolous” things when it could be used more practically. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if, spiritually, it was the right thing to pursue. Not...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis “When we talk about God we actually talk about ourselves only with a megaphone.” Karl Barth Over the last month, we’ve been exploring different conceptions of God that have been held throughout the ages. Whether that was God as superbeing or God acting through people as “Agents”, or, perhaps God/Divine as hyperbeing. We hoped that, in the process, each of us would identify the conception that resonates the most. This Sunday, in the last week of the series, I’m asking...

Speaker: Vince Klassen As we have walked through different conceptions we can hold of God over the last few weeks, you start to realize that things can look a little different than in traditional churches. Some really important questions start to bubble up: * How do we pick our conception(s) of God? * What if we pick the wrong conception? When you come from the Meadow (if you are not familiar with this term, listen to last week’s talk) you often hold onto your conception of God...

Speaker: Vince Klassen I had a moment, giving someone a tour of the temple that was fascinating. They walked into the sanctuary with me and I pointed out all the beautiful works of art on the ceiling and the person’s jaw was almost on the floor. They were struck by the beauty of the space and in reverence they said “Holy sh$t this place is beautiful” Then they realized what they said, their eyes went wide, their hand slapped over their mouth, trying to stop anything else from coming out....

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis A couple of Sundays ago I shared some stories of my disappointment and disillusionment with God when important prayers went unanswered. My Superbeing conception of God led me to believe that He/She/It was capable of coming through – but for some reason didn’t. How is one supposed to reconcile these heart-breaking moments? For 1000’s of years, humans have been finding ways to make sense of them. This week I’m going to share a very popular explanation for many who...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis “Sir/Maam, there’s been an accident…”. It’s a phone call no one wants to get. In moments like this panic can set in. A desperation that can have us crying out for help, especially in the form of prayer. Asking/pleading for God, the universe, whatever may be out there – to intervene somehow on behalf of a loved one. Have you ever prayed a prayer like this? Even if you weren’t sure what you believed or what difference you thought it would make? Though prayers like these...

Speaker: Vince Klassen This Sunday is the last day of 2023. It’s been a year for sure. And now, we have the opportunity to start thinking about next year. What is next year going to look like? How are we going to navigate all that next year brings to us? But the question goes deeper for all of us on a spiritual journey. What is our intentions this year? What needs to be supported? What needs to change? How are we going to Take Water? How are we going to take care of ourselves? Join us...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis Last Sunday we explored our triggers. Those instinctual negative reactions we can have to the insensitive or irritating things being said or done around us. Looking back on your life, how many special occasions have been dampened if not ruined by people’s irritating behaviour? Do you ever wonder how much happier you would be if certain people could be uninvited? Before you shorten your guest list, though, the gospel writer of Matthew seems to have an underlying message...

Speaker: Vince Klassen “The hardest thing you’ll ever do is admit that you’re [part of the problem]” I was reading an article recently that had my paraphrased quote as the byline. “That’s a bit harsh” I thought! And yet as I sat with this, I started to look at the difficult parts of my holiday season where, if I’m really honest, I was part of the problem.  I played a role in what went down. Sometimes it was obviously me being the problem. Sometimes my role was responding poorly when someone...

Speaker: Vince Klassen CHANGE OF PLANS – We were going to start the Christmas Series this week, but we had another opportunity to engage in Disagreeing Beautifully that we couldn’t pass up on. The Rabbi for the community whose space we share, Rabbi Glickman, went to Israel only a few weeks after the Hamas attack. He spent time in the areas that Hamas attacked, saw survivors, and talked with people whose loved ones Hamas is still holding hostage. This is only one part of the war, but it...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis **Content Warning** The content below could be disturbing to those who are sensitive to the subject matter. Please use caution in reading further. This week on Disagreeing Beautifully we’re discussing what has been a controversial subject worldwide. We’re talking about MAID: A program that provides people with medical assistance in dying. Should a suffering person have the right to choose to die sooner than they naturally would? We’ll interview someone whose father...

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis & Nina Lewis-Larsson This week we’re interviewing a doctor who was heavily invested in helping people navigate the pandemic and vaccinations, by focusing on balancing both risks and benefits for each individual. She will share real-life stories of her clients and her own personal observations on several contentious areas within the COVID-19 world. This will be a broad and informative conversation, aimed at unpacking some of the complexity of one of the greatest...

Speaker: Vince Klassen This week on Disagreeing Beautifully, we are going to have a discussion with a Local Drag Performer to start to learn more about Drag, people who perform Drag, and social impacts of Drag. It’s going to be a broad and informative conversation. You don’t need to agree with anything that is said this week. In fact, agreement isn’t the goal here. But we are going to explore this topic through the I-Thou approach we discussed two weeks ago using all the empathy, curiosity,...

Speaker: Vince Klassen This week on Disagreeing Beautifully, we are going to have a discussion with a parent of a child who came out as trans when they were in Grade 2.  That’s pretty young!  We are going to explore how this parent navigated that at that age and all that that entails, including transitioning at a very young age, puberty blockers, hormone therapy and everything else connected to a transition that happens before a child hits puberty. You don’t need to agree with anything that...