As a young girl, my favourite fairy tale was “The Ugly Duckling,” the story of a misfit duckling who eventually becomes a graceful swan. The story captured my imagination and spoke to my heart about possibility. I was confident that I could become anything I wanted with God’s help. I glided around the house, pretending to be a swan with my head held high.

Imagination is a powerful force. Without imagination, we are doomed to live without change or growth. Our vision never moves beyond our current, sometimes dismal, circumstances. Imagination allows us to see what might be invisible, yet very real. As Leland Ryken writes, “The imagination is useful as well as delightful.” Imagination fuels hope. Without imagination, faith is impossible.

In this issue of the Herald, we’re asking you to imagine with us. . . . Imagine what heaven must be like – imagine streets of gold, endless hallelujahs, exquisite mansions, boundless freedom! And, conversely, imagine the agony of hell. Imagine an existence apart from the God of love. To conceive of these places, we can only paint pictures with our mind’s eye.

The Bible offers images, word pictures, and metaphors of heaven and hell to fuel our musings. Therefore, we’ve invited several writers to engage these biblical metaphors and offer their thoughts. As always, we welcome reader feedback.

We’re also asking you to imagine about the coming year. . . . Where will God take our Mennonite Brethren denomination in 2007? What kinds of challenges will be sent our way? What possibilities exist for new expressions of God’s love and grace?

What’s in store for the coming year? We can only imagine!

A new year: a trustworthy centre

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of meeting many Herald readers. Many say they’re enjoying the magazine. They say they like some of the changes we’ve made.

They also indicate that they’re afraid for the future. They’re afraid the world around them is literally “going to hell.” These folks aren’t being gratuitous. They’re being honest.

Our members are more open to the influences of disparate voices and theologies than ever before, due to the internet and high-speed information. We can readily have conversations with like-minded thinkers about avant-garde ideas, which may have been difficult to access in previous decades. This means controversial theological ideas will be openly discussed and debated.

How do we maintain our centre, while still participating in these conversations? Should we lock ourselves away and simply avoid the issues? Or can we tackle some of these ideas without fear of being destroyed or consumed by them?

If Jesus is truly our centre, we needn’t be afraid. “Do not be afraid.” This phrase is repeated 65 times in the Bible! God promises to be with us, sustain us, and fight for us, even though circumstances may seem discouraging.

This means we can have conversations about topics that once were taboo in church circles, such as pornography or the definition of marriage. We can dialogue with our Catholic or Orthodox friends without fear. We can read books containing controversial ideas. Our centre still holds, and we can walk with confidence and hope into the future.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

—Ephesians 3:20–21