through the valley of the shadow

This coming Thursday, March 8 I am to be the first of three speakers in a Lenten series that is being sponsored by the United Church Campus Ministry at UBC. My colleague Caroline Penhale and the campus ministry program assistant Ryan Slifka have invited three of us to address a psalm through the lens of the theme "Through the Valley of the Shadow: Reflections on Pain, Suffering and Life with God". The gatherings begin at 12:30 in room 200 of the Iona building at the Vancouver School of Theology. I will offer a witness grounded in Psalm 30. My testimony is titled: "I Was Dismayed: Living with an Incurable Illness". In the weeks following two of my colleagues in the Vancouver-Burrard Presbytery - Kathryn Ransdell and Bruce Sanguin - will offer reflections, one on living with mental illness and distress that will be rooted in Psalm 25 and the other on the ecological crisis as an identity crisis that will be rooted in Psalm 19. If you live within reach of VST you are most welcome to attend any or all of these sessions. If not, you will find the notes of my presentation posted here on Thursday afternoon.