Benjamin Ewert

Conductor. Church Musician. “O Lord, open thou our lips…and our mouth shall show forth thy praise.”

[Tristin Hopper @TristinHopper]

I, too, am learning that the alternative to Christianity isn't some rational, secular Penn and Teller utopia. We never appreciated what a muscular, confident Christianity was holding back.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

@JasonGregor Fascinating. Never a dull moment in the City of Champions. If nothing else, you know the players want to get there again.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

Ah, the English.

[Royal Mail @RoyalMail]

Moving home?

Remember to redirect your mail ✉️ https://t.co/DgDFRfZ1Hk

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

I'm very thankful for my job at a university however I am beginning to see how academia, without a strong will to resist its bureaucratic excesses, might be the place where creativity goes to die.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

@CTVNationalNews No.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

Not judging the future (as the quality might improve), but it is a move away from something historic and formational, that is a way for all Canadians to freely join in a weekly communal ritual that celebrates a part of Canadian identity.

[Sportsnet PR @SportsnetPR]

A joint statement from Sportsnet and CBC:

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

@earthcurated I’ll bet they all have tasty sauce though.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

“…as if names were fences.” Brilliant.

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

I returned to my dwelling to find a package resting against the door, unguarded and alone, like a weary traveler abandoned in the wilderness.

My blades — well, my kitchen knives — had arrived. Left in the open. In daylight. On a street where anyone may walk.

In Japan, a deliveryman who cannot hand you the box takes it away again, apologizing to you, the box, and the company. Here, the man set it down, took a photograph, and departed. I checked my phone. The photograph was of my own door. Caption: Delivered.

Delivered. To no hands. To the nation itself.

"Aren't you afraid someone will take it?" I asked my neighbor Sue.

"Off the porch? Nah."

"But there is no wall. No guard. No oath."

"It's got my name on it," she said, as if names were fences.

An entire country has agreed, without a single meeting, that the porch is sovereign ground. The box rests there like treasure in a sealed vault, defended by a doorbell camera and the agreement of three hundred million people.

There are exceptions. Sue speaks of porch pirates with the cold fury of a coastal village recalling raiders. When one box is taken, the street becomes a navy. Justice here is a neighbor named Brenda posting footage at 11 p.m.

I confess my shame: the first month, I rushed home for every delivery. I stood watch at the window. I guarded a phone case for four hours. No one came. No one was ever coming. I was a sentry in a land that had already won the war I was fighting.

A treaty is strongest when no one remembers signing it. The porch is such a treaty.

Now when the photograph arrives, I bow slightly to my phone. Delivered. I believe it instantly.

Tomorrow a box of tea arrives. I will let it wait on the porch like everyone else's. This is trust. I am still practicing.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

@IVMiles A lot of us, of any denomination, could. Suddenly, a disdain for “culture wars” may seem petty.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

‘Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.’

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

USA. A grocery register. The cashier held up my crackers and said "oh, these are SO good," and I understood that my entire basket was being judged.

I had not known checkout was an evaluation. No one tells you. The items ride the belt one by one, and the magistrate lifts each, and some receive a verdict.

"These chips? SO good." Approval. My heart rose.

"Oh, I love this salsa." Two for two. I stood straighter.

Then she scanned my mustard in silence.

Silence. No comment. The mustard passed unjudged, which is worse than condemned. I stared at it in the bag. What did I not know? Who buys the correct mustard? Where do they learn?

"And the mustard?" I asked. I could not stop myself.

"...it's fine."

Fine. In my land, when the tea master calls your tea "fine," you train for another decade. I will train.

The man behind me saw my face. "She's just makin' conversation, man."

Conversation. Sir. She has tasted EVERYTHING. She stands at the gate of the food and watches what ten thousand households carry home, and she has formed views, and for a few seconds those views are aimed at your basket. There is no more qualified judge in this nation. The judges of my land studied twenty years. She studies forty hours a week, scanner in hand.

In Japan, the cashier would sooner faint than comment on your groceries. Here, the verdicts are free.

A man does not shop to fill a basket. He shops to hear, at the gate, that he chose well.

I confess I now select one item each week purely to earn her praise. This week: the crackers again.

"These are SO good," she said.

I know. I know.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

Wut.

[Earth @earthcurated]

In parts of Canada, dogs get picked up from home by daycare buses so they can spend the day playing, socializing, and staying active instead of being alone all day.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

It’s almost like there should be some sort of covenant agreement between them.

[David Lammy @DavidLammy]

Many unmarried, cohabiting couples have limited legal protections if their relationship ends or a partner dies, even after long-term relationships or raising children together.

Labour is consulting on reforms to strengthen the legal protections available to these couples.

[Hans Fiene 🦬 @HansFiene]

Overwhelmingly, people view children as accessories to add to their lives when they desire rather than as gifts from God and indeed, the very purpose of the sexual union. Even among conservative Christians, this mindset is rampant.

We talk about kids like they're home improvement projects? "Are you guys ready for that, or are you going to keep waiting awhile?"

We talk about them as though they're Pokemon cards that you quit collecting one you have a complete set. "So now that you have a boy and a girl, are you done?"

We often look at large families with the same kind of disdain we have for hoarders. "That's so weird. Why do you need so many of those?"

Likewise, push away all the lamentations about wanting to save your unborn child from a lifetime of suffering and hardship through abortion, and you'll find the true mindset, where we respond to our children having disabilities the way we'd respond to a restaurant giving us the wrong food, something we simply refuse to eat.

"Waiter, I ordered a healthy baby. But you gave me this gross little deformed thing. Throw that away and give me what I actually ordered."

Not everyone will follow this mindset concerning children to such an evil degree. But if we wish to protect ourselves from it, we need to fundamentally change the way we think about children. Which is to say, we need to view parenthood vocationally rather than through a consumeristic lens.

Children are not trinkets. They are human beings, as human as you, and just as worthy of love and honor as you. Likewise, parenthood is not a lifestyle, a hobby, or an era. It's a vocation.

If a child is growing in your womb, God has already given you the vocation of mother. And a mother's vocation is always to protect and love her child, never to kill her child. If your child is growing in a woman's womb, God has already given you the vocation of father. And a father's vocation is always to protect his child, never to kill his child.

If God gives you that vocation when you're poor, fulfill it faithfully and trust that He will give you your daily bread. If God gives you that vocation when you don't feel ready for it, get over yourself and fulfill it faithfully. If God gives you that vocation by giving you a child who seems too difficult to care for, trust that He will also give you the strength to endure the task, and fulfill it faithfully.

May God save our souls and purify our hearts by changing our minds.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

Kids with Down Syndrome are a gift, a joy, a beautiful blessing. Is life rough? Yes. Will they be fully dependant? Perhaps. But is is an adventure. My wife & I too were afraid but God replaced our fear with grace and peace, teaching us to be more fully human through our daughter.

[Jesse Ridgway @McJuggerNuggets]

This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.

The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.

I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.

She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.

Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000.

When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.

Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):

50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective.

I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.

The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk.

We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.

This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast.

You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.

To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.

As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.

It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.

Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️

[Aaron Pete @Aaronpete_]

I'm prepared to go to jail over this.

My grandmother Rita Pete went to St. Mary's Indian Residential School. She experienced terrible abuse. As a consequence, she struggled with alcohol use most of her life.

My mother was born with FASD as a consequence of her using alcohol to cope with her trauma.

I am Chief of my community Chawathil First Nation. I am working to address the longstanding impacts of these past policies through renovating homes, building new homes, creating childcare, and growing businesses through economic development.

I have interviewed people who went to Indian Residential Schools. I have interviewed people who believe Indian Residential Schools were awful, horrible schools, meant to remove the Indian from the child.

I've also interviewed people who believe they were well intended, generous investments by Canadian taxpayers meant to assimilate a society and had shortcomings.

Like with many things, the history is dark, complicated, and with any policy that existed for a long time, across a whole country - there were different experiences.

No one story tells us everything. No report shares the full experience of the individuals who went. No commentator today can disprove someone's lived experience with statistics.

The path forward is not to criminalize speech, questions, or debate.

The path forward is empathy for past attendees.
The path forward is truth based on facts.
The path forward is real conversations.
The path forward is to lean into complexity.

If the government criminalizes this, then I will be a criminal for having these conversations.

If I am a criminal by the laws definition, then I am committed to going to jail over this.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

I am pleading with you, churches, to use punctuation in the projected text of your hymns and songs.

[𐌁𐌉Ᏽ 𐌕𐌉𐌌𐌉 @OrevaZSN]

App idea: Shazam but for the sound my car is making.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

@mrdavidrowe God’s sovereignty over what makes us men and women.

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

Lord, have mercy. Let the Church hold out its hands to serve these beautiful people with the loving truth and grace found in Jesus Christ, by whom and through whom and for whom all things were created.

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

I challenge every single person who believes minors should be enabled and even encouraged to transition to read this first person testimony to the end.

1/3

via @IWF https://t.co/3276o4tg8J

[Benjamin Ewert @tatteredcassock]

This is Narnia-level.

[Interesting things @awkwardgoogle]

A photographer captured a weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker