Turn & Return — Imprint Magazine

In this issue of Imprint we invited writers and artists to explore how our lives are formed by experiences of change, choice, the familiar, and the new. We asked how one thing turns into another: when friends turn to lovers (or enemies), water to ice, iron and carbon to steel, in every instance this “turning” is complex and fascinating. We also asked about what keeps us who we are as people, communities, and cities. Social scientists tell us that we are living through the fastest period of change in human history. How can returning to an ancient faith anchor us, or help us turn to a better future?

Read the Letter from the Editor

Poem in which I compare my friend’s marriage to a 1993 Honda Civic

oh Shane.
take in the car.
Take the car in, Shane.

Tasting the Moment: The Chaotic Joy of Fatherhood

When the whirlwind of new fatherhood turns a romantic dinner into a lesson in patience, beauty and compassion emerge in unexpected places.

The Stay

My father spent
autumn watching
trees drop their leaves
lying in hospital bed C

Turning Points

Much like the process of creating a new recipe, life can feel like a series of unexpected trials and choices.

Embracing Uncertainty: My Path to Motherhood

Our society readily celebrates birth announcements and baby showers, but where do you turn when you long to be a parent and your future is clouded with unknowns? During my own season of longing, hearing other stories like mine reminded me I was not alone. If this is your story too, know that you are seen and your feelings matter.

Sing a New Song: An Interview with Mike Janzen

An interview with Toronto singer-songwriter Mike Janzen about his recent work, The Psalms Project, and making new music in an old tradition.

Nothin’ Like Summer in the Sanctuary

How would the seasons feel about the year’s gentle rhythms in the church?

The Wrestler

My new reality in Christ is that my struggle isn’t hopeless or futile; the Holy Spirit sustains me, and nothing can snatch me out of the Father’s hand. I am not alone in the cycles of turning and returning. Even when it seems as if I’m not progressing anywhere, by God’s grace my trajectory is an upward spiral.

All These Things I Have Kept

Thomas turned around and looked back down the tunnel. The bend in the road was much closer than he remembered. Just a few dozen steps. He began to walk—hesitantly at first and then briskly, remembering he was late for a meeting and that he had left his laptop on the ground.

Seeing the Beginning from the End

I should not be here.
But God had other plans.

Re-Discovering Relational Wisdom in The Great Dechurching

The authors of this book remind us that whenever people leave church, we shouldn’t watch them go and say, “They were just the wrong sort of people,” continuing service as usual. Instead, we must sit with the weight of that loss for as long as needed to create positive change.

Pursued

A striking image in an old poem led me to research conversion stories online. What I found filled me with wonder.

Faith

There is a time to shake dust from your feet
And find the strength to finally move on
Despite uncertainties that always keep
You wondering if the path you take is wrong.

Turn & Return Issue Team

Karlo Matt Rian Ong, Layout Editor
Alvin Ng, Copyeditor

Joel Faber, Lead Editor
Sharon Lam, Associate Editor
Tammy Storey, Associate Editor

Readers: Caitlin Condit, Kelly Meagher, Isabella Soares

Contributors

Michele C., David Cade, Kaye Ann Caronongan, Kan Cheung, Luke Cleland, Lesley-Jane Deboer, Elita Fung, Jeffrey Hynds, Dorothy Leung, Jen McNaughton, Linda Sadlowski, John Sampson, Shilpa Shah, Kyle Simpson, Joanne Yau