When I moved to Toronto 13 years ago, I hated it. It has been a slow process of learning to align myself with God and love it (see John 15.1-17). Working on environmental stewardship projects in some of the most altered, ecologically neglected and denigrated reaches of the Don River (“The Don” flows through the centre of the city into Lake Ontario, with the majority of its tributaries beginning in the river’s headwaters north of Toronto in the provincially-recognized Oak Ridges Moraine) was one of the first significant ways that I began to love it, and even begin to like it. That started almost a year later with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Being active with a Spirit-filled faith community (Walmer Road Baptist Church) that was in love with God in Christ was certainly significant but I felt most at home there when involved with activities that got us “caring for Creation,” from leading/teaching classes to adults and children about environmental stewardship (including getting outside at the Don Valley Brick Works for prayer walking, and planting shrubs and trees at another location), to co-leading with my wife Jenny and friend Gord Chong the church’s community garden. (Gord is still the lead gardener and my family and I are now active with a faith community

[Church of the Resurrection] in our “new” neighbourhood, where we’ve been for six and seven years, respectively.)

In addition to leading environmental stewardship projects with A Rocha Canada and partners since 2009 (such as in the above photo), my family and I are blessed with our own vegetable garden — occasionally growing edible weeds! — space for gardening with perennials–mostly “rescues” from places like curbs–and the nearby ravine of Taylor Massey Creek — a huge greenspace — which is part of the Don River’s watershed.

As long as I live in Toronto and want to find my place in it, I’ll continue to have to love it. Living it out vocationally on environmental stewardship projects was and will continue to be significant to this end but, more importantly, I must continue to explore ways to be an environmental steward with and in the life of my family, at home, in our neighbourhood (a watershed-based one?!) and our larger regional home, to truly develop a sense of place where I live. My faith in the incarnate, crucified and risen Christ has made it possible for me to love this place. This includes, of course, this place’s people, my neighbours, who can be ideal teachers about what love is (see Luke 10.25-37), including what it means to steward the environment. Knowing who Toronto ultimately belongs to and that God founded it on The Don, the shores of Lake Ontario and its other waterways — not the economy! — puts this in perspective (see Psalm 24.1-2). I pray that this might continue to infuse my life in Toronto; enabling me to love the place where I live. And even like it, too!