Welcome to CCS Blog

Welcome to CCS Blog

I’m looking at a large black and white photo that sits on the floor of my office, leaning against the wall.  It shows a small group of First Nations men and women, old and young, clustered together in prayer.  They are leaned into each other.  Some kneel, some sit.  Some stand, reaching out to lay their hands on the shoulders of those nearby.  This is a community, no question.  Their eyes are closed tight.  The intensity of their prayer is obvious.  With the birch trees in the background I can almost hear the sounds of the forest.  This photo says so much about being connected and seeking connection.

I hung this photo on the wall of my office a couple of months ago.  I didn’t have a frame handy, so I taped a hook on the back of the photo’s stiff cardboard and hung it up.  This was on a Friday.

I came back to the office on Monday and noticed that the photo had fallen down over the weekend.  I later noticed that I couldn’t connect to the internet or to our shared CCS server.  That’s when I realized that as the photo fell down the wall it had ripped out the ethernet jack that connects my computer to the rest of the world.

I’m pretty sure this means something.

Feeling connected is tricky.  Especially when working in an educational institution, trying to keep track of forms and academic requirements, etc.  Even when you’re an educational institution like CCS, commited to experiential, wholistic, transformational pedagogy.

This blog is an attempt to be more connected – for you to find out what’s happening in and around the Centre for Christian Studies, and for us at CCS to benefit from your stories and experiences.

Maybe the connection will be superficial and fleeting.  Maybe it will be meaningful and dynamic.  Or maybe it will be thwarted and put to shame by poorly-hung photos.  Who knows?