How to be salt and light

John 8:12; Matthew 5:13

God calls us to be salt-and-light Christians in a bland, dark society. We need to remember salt must not lose its taste and light must not be hidden. Let me suggest three statements that declare and describe how to fulfil this role.

"I am different." We should not become like the world. We must guard against being sucked into the prevailing culture and conforming to society's expectations.

After 2 years of adversity missionary set to return to country that imprisoned him

Ryan Koher, a pilot for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), is celebrating newfound freedom after the Mozambican government officially dismissed the case against him.

Koher was detained on November 4, 2022, while attempting to transport supplies for an orphanage in northern Mozambique.

Initially accused of aiding insurgents, he spent four months in prison, including time in Machava High Security Prison, before being released on bail. No formal charges were ever filed.

Canada, Indonesia agree to trade pact, Trudeau touts nuclear energy for Indo-Pacific ▶️

Ottawa has concluded negotiations for a trade deal with Indonesia and is proposing nuclear-energy collaboration with Southeast Asian leaders.

The moves are a show of faith for multilateralism as the re-election of Donald Trump in the United States is raising fears of further strain in global co-operation on trade and the environment.

Chief electoral officer proposes legislative changes to crack down on deepfakes

Canada's elections chief wants a ban on the misrepresentation of candidates and other key players in the electoral process through manipulation of their voice or image without consent.

The proposed change to the Canada Elections Act is among several measures chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault is putting forward to address the use of deepfakes and other artificially created content to fool voters.

In an interview, Perrault said he is "hoping to convince" MPs to expand an electoral reform bill, currently in a House of Commons committee, to include some new elements.

Don't take it easy

Psalm 90

Last fall one day at the church, I spotted a visiting gentleman who was shaking hands with a half-dozen folks he’d never met before. Then he looked at me, and with a grin and a twinkle, he whipped out his hand. It was a hand you could strike a match on, toughened by decades of rugged toil.

"You look like a man who enjoys life. What do you do for a living?" I asked.

"Me? Well, I'm a farmer from back in the Midwest."

"Really? I guess I'm not surprised, since you've got hands like a tractor tire."

'Wasn't as clear as I could have been': Boissonnault sorry for Indigenous claims

Canada's Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault apologized Friday, after shifting claims about his Indigenous identity came under scrutiny.

The Liberal member of Parliament said at an unrelated announcement in Edmonton that he's sorry he hadn't been clear, "with everything that I know now."

"I apologize that I wasn't as clear as I could have been about who I am and my family's history,” he said, adding that he's still learning about his family's heritage "in real time."