Tell me a story
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Tell me a story

Stories were an integral part of my childhood. Both of my parents were talented storytellers with no shortage of interesting material: a childhood in pre-war Germany, life through WWII and immigration to Canada. Their stories were often highly entertaining, featuring family characters, historical events and important life lessons. Thanks to their diligence as raconteurs of…

Senegal, 1997

Senegal, 1997

We are anxious and at a loss, staying in an empty and mosquito-infested YWAM residence in Dakar – a busy, confounding city that neither of us knows. My flight has just come in from Vancouver, via New York; she has taken all manner of public transportation (bush taxi, ferry, bus) from a rural town in…

LEARNING TO FLY

LEARNING TO FLY

Before they knew how to fly they watched birds/all that flap & flutter of feathers…

Bold, creative change
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Bold, creative change

Imagine a better future that is feasible and work heroically to achieve it. That is the essence of a Commanding Hope to address the combined threats of climate change and growing inequity, according to Thomas Homer-Dixon. At first, I found it a slim basis for hope. On second thought, however, why did I consider an…

Shows and movies we’ve been streaming

Shows and movies we’ve been streaming

There’s a ton of great content out there that isn’t strictly Christian, yet explores questions of faith and morality. Everything listed here has spiritual or religious undertones and they’re great if you want to do some pondering after you watch. (A side note: While some would be great for a family movie night, not all…

What if . . . ?
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What if . . . ?

I am currently reading The Sin of Certainty by Peter Enns. Enns’s main argument is that Christians have become enamoured of true beliefs at the cost of trust as our faith’s central virtue. We are too concerned about being correct, and we require others in our community, especially our leaders, to hold correct views on…

Joy beyond the walls of the world

Joy beyond the walls of the world

“Remember this! Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15). In a long-ago CC column, I argued that, from a literary standpoint, the Bible might well be considered a fantastic comedy: fantastic because it admits to a reality of things beyond our ordinary five senses, and…

The things that are getting us through

The things that are getting us through

Dear reader: The end is in sight. Still, we’re not quite there yet. Dreaming of this pandemic’s end is a big help in getting though the fatigue and frustration of its latter days. Of course, that’s not the only helpful thing at our disposal. In this month’s review section, we thought it’d be great to…

Review of ‘Harmonize the Moon’ by Michael Feuerstack

Review of ‘Harmonize the Moon’ by Michael Feuerstack

What’s getting me through is Harmonize the Moon, a new album from Montreal songwriter Michael Feuerstack. Feuerstack has refined his trade through a catalogue of excellent albums with an expanding set of musical tools (even two records’ worth of other people singing his songs), but the pandemic has reduced his sonic palette to the essentials:…

Review of Animal Crossing: New Horizon

Review of Animal Crossing: New Horizon

In March 2020, right as the pandemic was starting to take root in Canada, I was diagnosed with a complication in my pregnancy that required me to be on bed rest until delivery. Kindly, a friend of mine loaned me his Nintendo Switch with the instruction to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I’ve never considered…

Review of Midsomer Murders (Amazon Prime)

Review of Midsomer Murders (Amazon Prime)

Rose and I never watched much television except for The National and Hockey Night in Canada. During Covid, Adrienne and Andrew dropped to second place; we can almost lip sync their nightly reports of Covid’s horror. Hockey Night vanished entirely. Who can watch hockey without roaring crowds? Amazon Prime Video’s Midsomer Murders supplanted all else,…

‘See you in my dreams’
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‘See you in my dreams’

I’ve always had a bit of an antiquarian sensibility when it comes to music, which can leave me feeling out of step with the times. But these days, it’s a wonderful relief to transport yourself – eyes closed, headphones on – to another era as a brief respite from our present tedium. It’s in that…