Author: Jim Cantelon

I think we’ve all heard of the law of unintended consequences. In the ongoing agony of Ukraine that law is beginning to emerge. “Putin’s war” as it’s being called,  has certainly not gone the way he apparently thought it would. Not only did he not conquer Ukraine in two days but after two weeks the war is becoming a war of attrition where no one wins. Then he miscalculated the Ukrainian strength of heart. A courageous president and people, woefully untrained for battle, are proving to be heroes of magnitude. Indeed historians will write books one day about Ukraine’s resilience and Putin’s...

I don’t think any of us would have imagined the state of our world these past few days. Yes, we might have anticipated raging wild fires (more in California), floods (East Australia inundated), famines (Yemen and Tigray), and ongoing regional conflicts (Sudan and Ethiopia), but who would have thought we’d see Putin savagely ravaging Ukraine with almost universal push-back from the world? As I write President Biden is about to give his first State of the Union address. Undoubtedly, we’ll hear “The State of our union us strong”, but that has got to be a relative statement. Our world is fraught. Jesus...

The world seems weary and wary of Russia these days. Whether it’s sabre rattling on the borders of Ukraine or getting away with it again in ongoing Olympic doping scandals one gets the impression that Russia is both schoolyard bully and obnoxious neighbor. At the same time we’re aware of the interdependence the nations of the world share, especially that between Russia and Europe. Not only will all regions (even the world at large) suffer catastrophic damage to life, property, and economy in all out war, but untold sorrow may descend for decades to come. We don’t want this. We fear it. Our hope...

When reading about the soap opera of 10 Downing Street in London one might despair or yield to cynicism. Draconian (yet necessary) Covid laws mandated by the UK government were flouted by the very ones who imposed them. While everyday citizens were avoiding social contact, suffering the loss of loved ones whom they had not been allowed to visit in Covid wards, and dealing with the deteriorating impact of isolation, the prime minister’s office was partying. Little wonder there is a dim view of leadership in Britain. As I write the backlash and the flurry is unabated. Perhaps we should not...

I was recently informed by our WOW champion ministry in India that the daily Covid infection rate has topped 3 million. This shocking news seems to run against the news from the rest of the world (the West at least) that the Omicron variant is on the wane. Indeed, the EU,UK, and Canada are reported to be using the “endemic” word lately. They are ready to accept that Covid is here to stay and the world must switch from crisis to management  mode. People will continue to contract the virus but sooner than later more may be suffering, even dying, from the collapse of the economy. This shift in...

2022 has arrived but this new year carries a huge load from last year. We thought in 2021 that we might be seeing the end of the Covid pandemic. We were making progress, slowly but surely, and then the Omicron variant hit us with a wallop. Its growth is not just exponential, it’s explosive. In the first few days of January we’re reading reports that we are on the verge of unprecedented numbers of infections. The computer modelling of pandemic prevalence seems almost science fictional. In the iconic words of that ancient bard “Henny Penny” the sky is falling! We’re in this together. What’s more...

Have you noticed that the Gospel is alive and well at Christmas? It’s the only time if the year when we hear the story of the Incarnation sung in pretty much every retail outlet in our western world. I was in Canadian Tire the other day and heard “ Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace, Hail the Son of righteousness, Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in his wings. Mild He lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth…” This is profoundly the gospel message, the theology of salvation. I love the carols. Take...

Just when we thought we might be turning the corner on 20 months of Covid a new variant emerges. Omicron is sweeping the globe and multiple countries are again restricting access to foreigners and locking down their own citizens. Christmas is once again going to be a limited celebration. We’re all tired of this. The universal cry is “enough already!” Jesus words are so apropos at this time,” Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest”. We need this rest. Not surprisingly the silver lining in the pandemic has been a revisiting of values. We’re taking stock,...

I was reviewing some pictures recently that were taken just before Covid 19 struck. My wife and I were visiting an impoverished village in Malawi. There we met with several at-risk orphans and widows including what are called “child-headed households”. One of those “households” especially gripped us. It was a family of five children ranging in age from 2-15 years. The 15 year old was the “parent” of three siblings and the mother of the 2yr old. They were “squatting” in a derelict shelter. All they had was their ragged clothing. No food security, no medical support, no protector. Fortunately...

As I write one of our WOW partner ministries is in deep water-literally. Chennai India is in the grip of huge flooding. A major weather system has been deluging the city with record amounts of water. Streets, homes, businesses, even hospitals are in up to 3-4 feet of foul water mixed with sewage. It’s a crisis of gargantuan proportion. The irony is that just as COVID-19 was starting to spread, Chennai, a city of 9 million, was in another water crisis- all its water reservoirs were dry. Water was being distributed to thirsty souls by water truck. There was no water for cleaning or bathing. There...