Some Essays by Douglas Tennant

For the birds A Sunday morning sermon about the Great Mystery By Doug Tennant  June 21, 2020 Do you have a favourite Gospel? I think my favourite one is Matthew. For the most part I think it reads more easily than the other 3 and perhaps it is its mixture of sayings from Jesus and the connotations to the Jewish law. Plus, it has the full sermon on the mount in chapters 5-7. The reading from Matthew’s gospel has a lot packed into it. - The message that we are in it together - A message about not being fearful or full of fear. “Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. - There is a story about birds. - There is a story about the hair on your head. More applicable to some rather than everyone if you know what I mean. - Another message sort of about being in this journey of life together. - There is the clarification that Jesus came to upset the norm, to cause division between the old and t...

Community Mental Health Emergency Response By Doug Tennant Photo by Doug Tennant Originally published in the North Renfrew Times on Wednesday July 1, 2020 Imagine if you called 911 and they asked “police-ambulance-fire-mental health”? Imagine if the local Mental Heath Crisis team was deemed emergency services. These are the imaginings of Jackie Lee Agnew and others and they are gaining traction in these changing times. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), www.camh.ca , 20% of us would normally experience a mental health problem or illness in a given year. During the current pandemic, approximately 22% of Canadians between the ages of 18-59 are experiencing moderate to severe anxiety. Our friends, neighbours and family members, maybe even you, are having a rough go in life. When rough times become a crisis/emergency due to mental wellness it is becoming clear that the emergency response needs to be from a mental health team a...

Recently, I was at a solemn public function that involved the playing of our national anthem, a formal ‘moment of silence’ and some meditative/prayerful time. The venue was packed shoulder to shoulder and many folks knew most of those in attendance, but there were obviously some from out of town. The lack of community civility during the ceremony was disrespectful and in my opinion rude. While the displays were not malicious in nature they certainly showed a lack of situational awareness and communal civic minded manners. Where ever has our community civility gone to? At the function I mentioned above, many adults ignored the playing of the national anthem and kept right on saying hello to those they had not seen in a while and continued to put cream and sugar into their tea and coffee. Few were singing our national song and most were not turned to face the prominently displayed Canadian flag. Sheesh – would it hurt you to at least turn and face one of our most visible national symbo...

Jesus’ Vision for us and the ‘Other’ By Douglas Tennant – November 4, 2018 A message for Greenwood United Church, Pembroke Ontario The biblical story of Ruth which I read for us earlier is a not a story about separation or differentness. It is not a story about the ‘Other’ or someone who looks and acts so different from us as to make us feel uncomfortable or even scared of them. It is a story about inclusivity. According to the United Church Gathering , that story was written thousands of years ago to correct a sense of entitlement and self-righteousness that was growing within ancient Israel. You see it was forbidden back then to marry outsiders especially those foreigners and second-class people of the surrounding tribes who may have been arriving in Israel in caravan upon caravan. I love this story from a personal viewpoint. Indeed, when Jeannie and I got married we included this story as a scripture reading at our wedding. So this is a family story and it starts off...

Originally published in the North Renfrew Times November 21, 2018 Community Hubs - by Doug Tennant A healthy local community is not built just upon an efficient and well-equipped hospital. Hospitals are important to a community as are fire halls, and police and paramedic stations. We also need a well-oiled and functioning municipal government and a vibrant commercial and industrial base upon which our residents can depend for jobs. However, the most important cornerstone for a healthy and stable community is the local public library. Andrew Carnegie knew the value of a free public library for a healthy community and he showed it by funding the building of over 2500 local libraries in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The closest Carnegie library to North Renfrew is in Pembroke, which was built in 1907 with a grant from Mr. Carnegie. We have four public libraries in North Renfrew offering an amazing spectrum of services for free to our residents. If you live in North Renf...

It’s time to take action against PTSD December 08, 2014 Written by Douglas Tennant Originally published in Firefighting in Canada Clara Hughes, Canadian Olympic cyclist and speed skater, came to my town during the summer and huge crowds came out to welcome her and listen to her speak. Hughes’ visit was a planned stop on Clara’s Big Ride, an annual bike ride across the country to encourage healthy conversations about mental illness – including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  PTSD? Isn’t that a severe mental illness for which only soldiers, police officers and paramedics are at risk? Me – suffer from traumatic events? I don’t think so. After all, I’m a firefighter. Yes, I still ride in the officer seat and wear a SCBA at calls, but I am tough. Firefighters don’t suffer from mental illness and we certainly aren’t affected by what we see, smell, hear, feel and otherwise sense at emergency scenes.  PTSD is defined by the Ontario government as an anxiety disord...

You lead as you are – advice from a master April 24, 2014 Written by Douglas Tennant Originally published in Firefighting in Canada You lead as you are. I learned this adage from a dear friend and mentor of mine – retired Cambridge, Ont., fire chief Terry Allen. It took me a while to really appreciate what Terry was getting at with this short but very profound observation, especially as it pertained to the fire service. As I have come to understand it, Terry was advising those who made the effort to listen and appreciate his statement, that we are all leaders in some way or another around the fire hall. It is thus up to each of us to take stock and determine how we will take on the responsibility to lead as and, ultimately, how we are.  No matter the composition of your fire service (full time, part time, volunteer) there are leaders in every rank and stage of their respective careers in the fire station. From the newest recruit to the oldest-serving member, you will...