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News

Court rules that Emergencies Act against “Freedom Convoy” was illegal

Four years ago, in February 2022, Canada’s federal government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in our country’s history, granting itself extraordinary power to break up the truckers’ convoy that assembled in Ottawa and elsewhere to protest Covid policies.

By invoking the Act, the government received the power to prohibit citizens from assembling, as well as freeze bank accounts of those involved in the protests, and even ban and freeze crowdfunding, among other measures.

In January of this year, the country’s Federal Court of Appeal made a unanimous decision, agreeing with the lower court ruling from 2024, that the government was not legally justified to make use of the Emergencies Act.

The court ruled that the protests “fell well short of a threat to national security.” The court also found there simply wasn’t sufficient evidence to back up the government’s claim that the convoy posed a threat of serious violence.

“When all these legal and factual considerations are taken into account, we fail to see how the could ‘reasonably believe’ that a threat to national security existed at the time the decision to invoke the Act was made.”

This decision is a good example of why civil governments need checks and balances on themselves, given our sinful human condition. Particularly a check on the age-old thirst for more power. The legislative and executive branches require the accountability and safeguards that are supposed to come from the Constitution, through the oversight of the judicial branch.

For Christians, obeying the Romans 13 command to “be subject to the governing authorities” isn’t as simple as submitting to whatever the Prime Minister or Governor General orders in a given moment. In this case, it was the Prime Minister and Governor General that were acting illegally, and private citizens (the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Constitution Foundation, among others), who successfully challenged them in court.

News

Saturday Selections – Jan. 31, 2026

Reformed and Dangerous's Christ is King A little harder rocking than some of us might be used to, but the fire in the music is a match for the power ...

Entertainment

You might relate to Mary Bennet, but you’re not supposed to imitate her

Christian education

Where has all the creativity gone?

Education needs to be about great books and great ideas... **** "Is This The Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?" That was the question asked by...

Family, Movie Reviews

The InBESTigators

Children's show / TV 2019-2020 / 15 minutes x 40 episodes RATING: 9/10 Ava, Maudie, Ezra, and Kyle are four fifth graders with a knack for solvin...

News

Saturday Selections – Jan. 24, 2026

Why does Denmark own Greenland? (3 min) Lots of talk going on about Greenland as of late. Here's a quick primer on how Greenland came to be Danish... Samuel Sey: Is my "interracial" marriage against God's design? Some are trying to find truth by reacting off liars on the Left. So, for example, when the woke Left says headship is a wrong that must be righted, the response from some is, not to go to God's Word, but to fall off the other side of the horse committing an equal and opposite sin – they become domineering husbands who pretend their wives are children. And this interracial question seems to be a weird response to the Left's elevation of blacks as victims who must always be deferred to. In reaction, some are turning into whites-only racists, and worse yet, doing so while calling themselves Christians. The lesson, then, is to go to God, rather than react. And anyone who went to God's Word would find that there is no such thing as different races. We are all children of the same parents, Adam and Eve. So "interracial" marriage isn't wrong because it isn't even possible. Does Tylenol cause autism? Trump made that claim some months back and while some seem to think the surest source of truth is simply to run with the very opposite of what the US president has tweeted, no one is that reliably wrong. But a new study does conclude he was indeed wrong this time. Court rules Trudeau was wrong to use the Emergency Measures Act against the truckers This is the second legal loss in a row for the former PM. Canada's killing-as-care regime finally got this mother's son A young man who was previously saved from his approved euthanasia plans 4 years ago wasn't as fortunate this time. An abortionist who will kill adults too put him to death in December... legally it seems, even before Parliament has approved killing the mentally ill. If murder is medicine, then what argument can be had for withholding this medicine? The only counter to such thinking is telling the Christian truth that our lives are not our own. No other hedge or restriction or speed bump will work. We need the full Gospel truth delivered to people who are dying for want of it. Choice42 with a brutal reality we've all forgotten WARNING: This is animated, so some of the brutality is muted. But the sheer horror of what it recounts might be too much for some, so viewers beware... and don't watch this with your younger kids around. In the lead up to the March for Life, the Trump administration announced they'd stop using the remains of aborted children for medical research. Many vaccines have been developed using the remains of fetuses, so this is a welcome move. But is it really all that problematic if we use vaccines so developed? Many of the remains used were from children murdered decades ago, as this video below highlights. So should we still be concerned? There are medical procedures in use today that were developed via torturous Nazi experimentation but does the unethical means by which they were discovered mean we can't use them? One example is treatments for hypothermia, derived by Nazis deliberately freezing their victims before testing out various ways of treating them. Can we today not use the best means of treating hypothermia just because a Nazi discovered it via immoral means? Many and maybe most would say, yes we can still make use of the Nazi research, even with how wickedly it was produced. But the difference between using vaccines derived from butchered unborn children and using research derived from Nazi torture is that no one today is trying to justify further Nazi torture. No one is saying, "The Nazi research methods worked, so we should do more of it." But medical experimentation on embryos is ongoing, and used as a means of appeasing parents who would otherwise have to go to the expense of freezing their "extra" embryos or the guilt of "disposing" of them. Instead they can "donate" them to scientific research. The Nazi Holocaust is over and recognized for the evil it was. The unborn holocaust continues, and medical research on the unborn is just one more justification for it. So how do we address the moral dilemma parents face when it comes time to vaccinate our children? I don't have a great answer. I can share the unsatisfactory approach we used – we sought out vaccines that weren't derived from fetal remains. And when that wasn't possible – there isn't much demand, so there isn't much supply – we did use the tainted vaccines, but then also sought to advance the production of fetal-free vaccines by making a donation to a group doing that work. ...

Theology

#3 - The unknown Commandment

“You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7 ***** It takes just a quick flip through the TV channels to find someone using God’s name in vain. CLICK! An old Friends rerun, and there’s Phoebe using it as a synonym for “okay!” CLICK! A few channels further one of Doctor Who's companions is using God’s name instead of exclaiming “oh no!” CLICK! On the sports channel a commentator decides that “Wow!” just doesn’t suffice. Yes, it’s easy to find people using God’s name in vain, but it’s hard to figure out why they do it. It doesn’t make sense. While TV writers and producers regularly offend viewers, they rarely do so without reason. In a show like Game of Thrones, for example, the producers show a steady diet of sex and violence, knowing it will offend some viewers. But even as Christians are turning off the program, countless others are tuning in for the sex and sleaze. So TV producers are willing to offend, as long as it get them more viewers than it loses. That’s why it’s hard to understand why anyone swears on TV. Using God’s name in vain is sure to offend some viewers, but it’s doubtful anyone out there really watches a show for the swearing. So why do they do it? The same question could be asked in a number of other settings as well. Why is God’s name misused in newspapers, at the office, and in casual conversations? In many of these same settings the dialogue will be remarkably free from crudities – the f-word and others are strictly off limits. But God’s name is still open to abuse. Why? Ignorance isn’t bliss I’m convinced the answer is ignorance. God’s name is abused because Christians don’t object, and because we don’t object, TV scriptwriters, newspaper columnists and even our friends don’t realize that using God’s name in vain is offensive. They’re totally clueless. How clueless? Some years back, when I screwed up the courage to ask a teammate on my rec-league basketball team to stop swearing he was quite willing to oblige. So the next time he missed a shot, instead of stringing God’s name together with the word d--n (as was his usual habit) he restricted himself to just misusing God’s name. He knew d--n was a swear, so he stopped using it, but he continued using God’s name in vain because no one had ever told him it was offensive. Not everyone is this clueless, but it is surprising how many are. It is even more surprising how willing people are to accommodate a request not to swear. When our basketball team’s manager called an impromptu meeting about swearing everyone agreed to try and curtail it. (One player noted that a similar request had been made when he played college ball. Interestingly enough, on that team it wasn’t a Christian who had made the request, but a Mormon.) The non-Christians even had a bunch of questions about which words were more and less offensive. Many of them still swore afterwards, but it was a habit they were trying to break. And all we had to do was ask. How do you ask? The toughest part is the asking. How do you bring it up without sounding holier than thou? The manager on our basketball team took the straightforward approach. He announced that since there were a number of Christians on the team, we would appreciate it if people didn’t swear using God’s name. He said it, everyone agreed, and it was done with. He made it look so very simple. And it should be simple. Not easy, mind you; as simple as it looked, he was the only Christian on the team to actually get up and say what needed to be said. It still takes courage. One of my aunts uses a rather different technique. When someone misuses God’s name while talking with her, she interrupts and asks, “Are you praying?” This generally prompts a very puzzled reply, something to the effect of, “What? Why would you think I was praying?” “Because you just mentioned God’s name, and since we weren’t talking about God, well, why else would you be mentioning God? Or were you just using God’s name for emphasis? Maybe you don’t know, but using God’s name like that is very offensive to Christians, and to God Himself. Please don’t do that.” A friend has written to a popular newspaper columnist who blasphemed. He alerted her to the offensive part of her column and then continued: …many people don't know this, but the way you used God's name there would actually be a violation of the third commandment - You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain. Obviously it would be fine to use God's name if you actually were addressing Him, but in this instance you used it more like an expletive, or as a way to emphasize your point. I know that columnists don't seek to offend without purpose (sometimes they do so with purpose, but that is part of the job) so I thought I would make you aware of this, and ask you to please be careful about it in the future. Thank-you. The columnist never replied but, in the days and weeks that followed, did not abuse God's name again. Conclusion Not everyone is going to honor a request to stop swearing. Some will swear just to tick us off. But our friends and neighbors will care. Employees will listen, if only to cozy up to the boss. Waiters will want nice tips. TV scriptwriters want us to watch their shows. All these people have reasons to listen to what we like and don’t like. We don’t like it when they use God’s name in vain, so let’s let them know. This article was first published in July 2018....

Adult fiction, Book Reviews

Sincerely, Stoneheart

by Emily Wilson Hussem 2025 / 240 pages Rating: GOOD/Great/Gift I can’t find my car keys! Can you relate to this panicked searching? If you don’t find your keys, you’ll be late for your appointment. Your kids are screaming at the door and you feel your self-control slipping as you flip pockets inside out and tear cushions off the couch. All the while, your keys are in your back pocket. In her book, Sincerely, Stoneheart, Emily Wilson Hussem relates this missing key experience to how many Christian women live: frantically searching for their identity, forgetting that God calls them his beloved. Hussem writes in the same flavour as CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters – letters written fictitiously from a senior demon, named Stoneheart, to his apprentice Belphegora (a demon of sloth, distraction and false promises of wealth). The letters are about how best to lure a female subject living in today’s world away from the Enemy. Reading from this angle takes some mental alertness. For believers, “the Enemy” is their Heavenly Father. This and other positive vocabulary need to be flipped, as the believing reader digests the temptations communicated by the demon. However, this mental exercise helps one examine one’s heart. These letters illuminate where you may be giving the Devil a foothold. As the book’s subtitle reads, Sincerely, Stoneheart helps readers “unmask the enemy’s lies,” and, “find the truth that sets you free.” Hussem covers over 40 topics including: appearances, possessions, accomplishments and titles. One I found convicting was her noting that a woman scrolling through social media on her phone was in a remarkably similar posture to a child of God praying. How many times have I turned to my phone to answer a question or fill a heart longing, instead of sincerely praying to my Creator with folded hands? The topics covered best relate to an educated Christian wife and mother of young children but would apply in part to Christian women at large. The author’s heart is for women to embrace God’s unique gift of femininity and to have hearts at rest in their identity of being God’s beloved. By abiding in this relationship with God, through prayer and scripture reading, women can find healing for their past hurts, live abundantly in the present, and entrust their future to Him. This book is easy to read in small chunks and even out of order, making it approachable to moms familiar with interruptions. A study guide is also available. It could be used for personal reflection or a group study. It would also be helpful to husbands, fathers, pastors and elders who desire to understand the spiritual warfare many young woman face. Use this book to help you pray Ezekiel 36:26: “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”...

Assorted

In Christ

The antidote to works righteousness and the anxiety, exhaustion, and resentment that comes with it. ***** I used to enjoy rock climbing. At least, I thought I did. If you’ve tried it, you know what it feels like to be 50 feet up a cliff, clutching any hold thicker than the edge of a loonie. I would normally “top-rope,” which involved my brother belaying from the bottom and the rope running through a carabiner at the top and back down to my harness. If I fell, my brother ensured that I wouldn’t fall far. But there were occasions when we couldn’t get a rope to the top and would have to “lead climb.” The climber would take the rope up as he climbed, and, using carabiners and a sling, secure it to bolts that were drilled into the cliff, usually about every 10 feet. So, if you climbed 10 feet past a bolt and were almost at the next one, you knew that a fall at that point would send you, not just to the next bolt, but 10 feet beyond it. Even if the belayer was holding the rope firmly, he couldn’t stop you from falling 20 feet! You were on your own. Even if my mind was willing, it was when I needed the most stability and strength that my body would sometimes rebel and stiffen or shake uncontrollably. It wasn’t enough to be determined. My body didn’t cooperate with my mind. And then my mind would soon lose faith. As much as I wanted it, there was no way I could simply will myself into being able to do this – there was going to be no summit. And if I insisted on trying, there may have even been a painful fall. Lead-climbing life In many ways, the same has been true of my effort to live as a Christian. Perhaps you can identify. From our youth we are urged to “become like Christ.” WWJD or “What would Jesus do?” is ringing in many ears. Perhaps it is a Bible passage like “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me” (Phil. 3:14) or maybe a doctrine we were instructed in, such as our calling to be a prophet, priest, and king (Lord’s Day 12, Heidelberg Catechism). The underlying message we hear from many pulpits, classrooms, and dinner tables is “you confess to being a Christian, now act like it!” Throughout my life, I have been trying to make progress towards the LORD. One foot hold at a time, I have been striving to overcome fear and failure and make it to the summit. But like my twitching body on the cliff, I have been humbled time and again. As much as I willed to make progress, my body was weak. “Step it up, Mark!” I told myself time and again. As I shared in a previous article on anxiety, eventually I burnt out. I got to the point where I felt like I could barely move, let alone summit anything. It is a horrible feeling to be a father, husband, and leader, and yet incapable of basic functioning. That was about 8 years ago. My journey with understanding anxiety and stress has been ongoing, and I have been blessed with many helpful resources. But beneath it all I have discovered a spiritual root – I was trying to earn God’s favor, to measure up, to prove my status as His child. Yes, I understand what grace means, and I’m convinced that I can be justified only by faith alone, in Christ alone. I’ve clipped my rope into these spiritual truths again and again, and then tried to keep climbing up, towards the summit. But it doesn’t take long before I’m weary, restless, or anxious again. Then I’m left shaking on the side of the cliff. It has taken me too long to realize the answer has been close at hand all my life. It is captured in many places in Scripture, including: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1) “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20) “...to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:22-24) “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:26-27) The theme of being “in Christ” is immersed throughout the New Testament. When Paul refers to himself, he doesn’t call himself a Christian. Rather, he calls himself a “man in Christ” (2 Cor. 12:2). Christ himself draws this out in John 15 when He describes how He is the true vine and we are branches. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4). The branch doesn’t grow itself and then find a vine or branch to attach itself to and form a partnership with. We find our life wholly in Christ. He initiates the growth, He sustains with His life-giving water, and He carries us through the winds and storms of life. “Jesus does not call us to mimic him but to manifest Him,” explains Steve Cuss, in his book Managing Leadership Anxiety. In my leadership and writing, as well as my parenting, I have constantly gotten this wrong. And the challenges I see in the Christian community suggest that I’m the norm, not the exception. “Becoming like Christ is what God does in us, not what we do. God is the active agent; we are the recipients,” explains Cuss (emphasis added). But isn’t there something we need to do? Cuss points to Scripture and explains that our first task is something we aren’t usually that keen to do: to die to our old self (Rom. 6:6, Eph. 4:22-24, Col. 3:5-10). That includes the age-old propensity to purse these false needs: Control Perfection Always having the answer Being there for everyone in need Approval The truth is that these are attributes of God, not us. He is in control. He is perfect. He knows everything. He is there for everyone. And He give us our approval. As Steve Cuss explains, “anytime a human being tries to take on a God-sized job, we get reactive.” Feeling stressed lately? Perhaps, like me, you are trying to become like God rather than living in Christ. Like many other Christians, I have spent much of my life trying to be faithful, while not experiencing the peace that Christ promises us when we abide in Him. Reformed Perspective’s core purpose Every healthy organization should have a clearly-articulated reason for being. At our December board meeting, the board of Reformed Perspective settled on this core purpose: Helping you think, speak, and act in Christ. This flows from our mission statement of “equipping and encouraging Christians to think, speak, and act in a manner consistent with their confession.” But hopefully you can also distinguish the nuance of the last two words. Instead of encouraging Christians to “step it up” by living in line with what we confess, the new focus is on thinking, speaking, and acting in Christ. We think, speak, and act not to become like Christ. Rather, like a branch that produces fruit, our good works happen because we are connected to the Vine. We already are in Christ. We already are accepted. We already are loved. I don’t have to climb toward God’s favor. I don’t have to fear my next slip and fall. Christ has already summitted for me and is holding me firmly while I complete my journey. We humbly invite you, our readers and listeners, to hold us accountable to our stated purpose, as we seek to assist you in thinking, speaking, and acting in Christ....

News

Saturday Selections – Jan. 17, 2026

Studio C's Stu Stews Sue's Soup This is just so fun :) The Bible encourages seeking out a spouse Two facts: In God's providence, not all o...

News

Two Covid convictions against Pastor Koopman vacated

Parenting

The part about parenting I didn't find in any parenting book

News

Saturday Selections – Jan. 10, 2026

The Mutation Myth: what Evolution doesn't want you to know (8 minutes) We’re told random mutations drive evolution– mutations are supposed to be ...

News

Explicit books being pulled from government school libraries in Alberta

In the wake of a government order that made waves around the world in 2025, the two largest school divisions in Alberta reported in early 2026 that they have started pulling books with sexually explicit images. According to CTV, the Edmonton Public School Board reported that they have removed 34 titles while the Calgary Board of Education said that 44 titles have been removed from shelves in their schools. Sadly, even the Edmonton Catholic School Division reported that they had to remove six books. Last summer, a Ministerial Order was introduced, requiring school boards to develop standards around what materials are deemed suitable for school libraries. This was the result of a consultation with the public, including 77,395 responses to an online survey. As a result of the order, the Edmonton Public School Board identified over 200 titles as having to be pulled because of the government’s sexually explicit content policy, and their list included well-known, often-discussed classics like 1984 and Brave New World. This resulted in a public outcry that was covered by media outlets around the world. Premier Danielle Smith turned to X and Facebook to respond: “I’m going to be more explicit than usual so there is no misunderstanding this policy: 1. Get graphic pornographic images out of school libraries. 2. Leave the classics on the shelves. 3. We all know the difference between the items in 1 and 2. Let’s not play any more games in implementing this policy for our kids.” The provincial government did then amend its order to target only visual depictions of explicit sexual activity. It has been known for many years now that graphic sexual content is being pushed in public school libraries, along with children’s sections of public libraries, in towns and cities across the country. This has been going on even while our secular culture is grappling with the consequences of hypersexualization of youth. Even the Quebec government, known for pushing a radical secular worldview, recently published a report about “hypersexualization” that noted: “the huge amount of sexual content that is publicly available generates a distorted understanding of gender relationships, beginning at a very early age.” They added: “hypersexualization can lead to precocious sexual behaviour among young people. Fascinated by the images they see on television and the Internet, they sometimes adopt behaviours borrowed from adult sexuality without having the maturity required to deal with the situations that may result.” In spite of the obvious harm, Alberta is the only government in Canada that has had the courage to take action, and even their decision continues to allow sexually explicit content in the reach of the province’s vulnerable youth. God is being loving to us in giving us the gift of sexuality, while placing safeguards around sex: a committed lifelong relationship of marriage between a man and a woman. As a fence around a swimming pool allows a family to enjoy the pool safely, so God’s safeguards around sex allow sex to be a blessing, first for married couples, but indirectly for the flourishing of children and all society. Top photo supplied by the Alberta Government and used with permission. ...

Movie lists, Movie Reviews

250+ movies Christians can love

Great minds think alike, and the same month I was first compiling this article two of those great minds belonged to a missionary in Brazil and an evangelist in California. The evangelist, Ray Comfort, passed along a story, first told by Jeremy Archer, about a man who invited all sorts of folks into his house to meet his family. Often the visitors would talk crudely and angrily with each other, teaching his children words he'd rather they not know. But these visitors could also get his whole family laughing so the man decided to focus on the good they did, rather than the bad. Over time, the man could see the visitors were having an impact on his family, and it wasn't a good one. He found that his own children were now using crude language and making coarse jokes. What was worse, the visitors were behaving outrageously, even taking their clothes off right there in front of his family! That's hard to believe, isn't it? Why didn't the man just kick them out? Why didn't he protect his family from their influence? Well, it turns out this man had some sense, and as the visitors started getting naked, the man acted. Together with his family, the man finally "turned off the television." That same month the missionary, Rev. Ken Wieske, expressed the same concern, titling a Facebook post "David vows to get rid of his TV." Underneath he included the text of Psalm 101 which reads (in part): I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. The pastor's point was clear: most of what's on TV is worthless and if King David were here on earth today, he might well pitch his TV right out of the palace. Of course, it isn't quite as easy as that. Today we also have computers, and smartphones, so getting rid of the TV isn't going to restrict our access to fluff and filth that's so readily available. So let's take this a step further. Yes, much of what's on TV (and on YouTube, Facebook, etc.) is worthless. But some of it isn't. Some of it is quite good. Excellent even! So if we were to make the same promise King David makes in Psalm 101 – to put away all that is worthless – what sorts of films and videos might we still watch? I've got some suggestions below. My hope is that this list can help families find something worth watching. With nearly 250 suggestions, I'm also hoping there will be something for everyone. There's just one documentary included here, but you can find a whole bunch more in our list of "Faith and film: 100+ documentaries worth your time." RATING SYSTEM I've also included an entertainment rating. This is out of 10, and in my books, a 7 is a solid mark, 8 is something special, and 6 is still watchable but there is some notable flaw (maybe some corny writing, or a bad bit of acting, that sort of thing). The only reason I've included a few films that rate as low as 6 is because they have something about them that makes them valuable viewing – oftentimes their educational value. A 7 for a children's film means that this target audience will think it a 7, not adults. The same is true of a black-and-white classic. If you hate anything B&W, then you probably won't like one with a solid 7 rating (though maybe you'd be swayed by one with an 8, 9, or 10). GOD'S NAME HONORED One other note: none of these films and videos take God's name in vain. That's important. While a degree of violence and even sexual content of some sort can be appropriate on screen, the way God's name is abused on film just isn't. More than 40 of the films below have the tag "FREE ONLINE" and can be viewed for free by clicking on the link provided. ANIMATED VIDEOS (27 videos) Shorter videos can be ideal when mom wants to take a nap but doesn't want the kids sitting in front of the TV forever. THE GRUFFALO – 2009, 27 minutes – 8/10 HORTON HEARS A WHO – 1970, 30 minutes – 7/10 LIFE AT THE POND – 2004-2009, 30 min x 5 episodes – 8/10 LOST AND FOUND – 2013, 24 minutes – 8/10 VEGGIETALES (15) – only some are recommended – 7-8/10 WALLACE AND GROMIT: 4 SHORT FILMS – 1989-2008, 114 minutes – 8/10 ANIMATED "TORCHLIGHTERS" SERIES (10 videos) There are 20+ videos in the Torchlighter series, and the ten below are all great. While I haven't seen the whole series yet, there are a couple I haven't included for two different reasons. The first was on St. Patrick. While legends abound, little firsthand material on Patrick's life exists, making it hard to separate fact from fiction. That difficulty should have been acknowledged. Then, in the one on Augustine, an animated Jesus makes an appearance, and while I'm not wholly sure of the wrongness of visually depicting Christ, I am also not sure of its rightness (based on the second commandment), so I haven't recommended it. There are three more, I haven't yet watched, which I suspect might be good: The Robert Jermain Thomas Story, The Gladys Aylward Story, and The Richard Allen Story. THE CORRIE TEN BOOM STORY – 2013, 34 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE ERIC LIDDELL STORY – 2007, 31 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE GEORGE MÜLLER STORY – 2019, 30 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE THE HARRIET TUBMAN STORY – 2018, 30 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE JIM ELLIOT STORY – 2005, 30 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE JOHN BUNYAN STORY – 2006, 30 minutes – 8/10 –FREE ONLINE THE JOHN NEWTON STORY – 2021, 30 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE MARTIN LUTHER STORY – 2016, 34 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE RICHARD WURMBRAND STORY – 2008, 30 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE WILLIAM TYNDALE STORY – 2005, 32 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE ANIMATED (29 films) It seems like cartoons used to be safe for kids, though boring for adults. Today, with the appearance of obscene animated fare like South Park and Family Guy, many cartoons are unsuitable for children, and for that matter, adults. But there has been a change for the better too – movies like Curious George and Meet the Robinsons show that some animated fare can keep the kids happy, and entertain their parents as well. AN AMERICAN TAIL – 1986, 87 minutes – 9/10 BALTO – 1995, 78 minutes – 7/10 CHICKEN RUN – 2000, 84 minutes – 8/10 CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET – 2023, 101 minutes – 8/10 CURIOUS GEORGE – 2006, 88 minutes – 8/10 CURIOUS GEORGE 3: BACK TO THE JUNGLE – 2015, 81 minutes – 7/10 CURIOUS GEORGE: ROYAL MONKEY – 2019, 86 minutes – 7/10 Finding Dory – 2016, 97 minutes – 8/10 Finding Nemo – 2003, 100 minutes – 8/10 FOX AND THE HOUND – 1981, 83 minutes – 8/10 THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH – 1977, 74 minutes – 9/10 Meet the Robinsons – 2007, 95 minutes – 8/10 MINISCULE - 2014, 89 minutes – 7/10 Monsters Inc. – 2001, 93 minutes – 9/10 Monsters University – 2013, 104 minutes – 8/10 PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE – 2021, 86 minutes – 8/10 PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE – 2023, 87 minutes – 8/10 THE PEANUTS MOVIE – 2015, 88 minutes – 8/10 SGT. STUBBY: AN UNLIKELY HERO - 2018, 84 minutes – 8/10 THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE – 2023, 92 minutes – 7/10 TANGLED – 2010, 100 minutes – 9/10 TOY STORY 1, 2, 3, and 4 – 1995-2019, 81-103 minutes – 8/10 Up – 2009, 96 minutes – 9/10 WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL – 2024, 79 minutes – 8/10 Wall-E – 2008, 98 minutes – 9/10 WINNIE THE POOH – 2011, 63 minutes – 8/10 See also "Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa," "Long Way North," and "The Secret World of Arrietty" (Foreign Films), and "Animal Farm," "Boxcar Children," "Boxcar Children: Surprise Island," and "The Hobbit," "Lord of the Rings," and "The Phantom Tollbooth" (Based on a Book). BASED ON A BOOK (23 films) It's always hard to live up to the book, but some of these get awfully close! 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA – 1954, 127 minutes – 7/10 THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD – 1938, 101 minutes – 8/10 ANIMAL FARM – 1954, 72 minutes – 7/10 THE BOXCAR CHILDREN – 2013, 81 minutes – 7/10 THE BOXCAR CHILDREN: SURPRISE ISLAND - 2018, 82 minutes – 6/10 THE GIVER – 2014, 97 minutes – 8/10 THE GOSPEL BLIMP - 1967, 38 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE Ivanhoe – 1952, 107 minutes – 7/10 THE HOBBIT – 1977, 77 minutes – 7/10 THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE – 1979, 95 minutes – 7/10 THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE – 2005, 125 minutes – 8/10 Little Women – 1949, 121 minutes – 8/10 LITTLE WOMEN – 1994, 118 minutes – 9/10 THE LORD OF THE RINGS (ANIMATED) – 1978, 133 minutes – 7/10 THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK – 1939, 113 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH – 1970, 89 minutes – 7/10 POLLYANNA – 2003, 99 minutes – 8/10 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – 2003, 104 minutes – 8/10 THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER – 1937, 118 minutes – 8/10 Prince Caspian – 2008, 154 minutes – 8/10 Rascal – 1969, 85 minutes – 7/10 SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS – 2016, 96 minutes – 7/10 SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON – 1960, 126 minutes – 8/10 See also "The 3 Worlds Of Gulliver" and "Lassie Come Home" (Children), "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (Black and White Classics), and "The Hobbit Trilogy," and the "Lord of the Rings Trilogy" (For Mom and Dad). BLACK & WHITE CLASSICS (33 films) These have all stood the test of time and are still being watched again and again. 12 ANGRY MEN – 1957, 96 minutes – 9/10 THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (14) – 1939-1946, – 5-8/10 THE AMAZING ADVENTURE – 1936, 62 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR – 1961, 96 minutes – 8/10 ADAM'S RIB – 1949, 101 minutes – 8/10 CASABLANCA – 1943, 103 minutes – 10/10 Citizen Kane – 1941, 119 minutes – 7/10 HIGH NOON – 1952, 85 minutes – 9/10 I Remember Mama – 1948, 134 minutes – 7/10 It Should Happen to You – 1954, 87 minutes – 7/10 THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT – 1951, 85 minutes – 8/10 THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE – 1962, 123 minutes – 8/10 MEET JOHN DOE – 1941, 122 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE Mr. Deed Goes to Town – 1936, 115 minutes – 7/10 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – 1939, 129 minutes – 8/10 Ninotchka – 1939, 110 minutes – 8/10 SEA HAWK – 1940, 127 minutes – 8/10 THE SIGN OF ZORRO – 1958, 90 minutes – 8/10 THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER – 1949, 99 minutes – 9/10 The Tin Star – 1957, 92 minutes – 7/10 See also "Roman Holiday" (For Mom and Dad). BLACK & WHITE SILENT CLASSICS (6 films) As a subcategory to the above are a half dozen silent film selections. If you've never gotten into silent films, be sure to start with the comedies – there the overwrought acting just adds to the funny. And Buster Keaton is the best! THE GENERAL – 1927, 80 minutes – 8/10 THE GOLD RUSH – 1925, 96 minutes – 7/10 GRANDMA'S BOY – 1922, 56 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SEVEN CHANCES – 1925, 56 minutes – 8/10 SHERLOCK JR. – 1924, 44 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE Steamboat Bill, Jr. – 1928, 70 min – 7/10 BIOGRAPHICAL (20 films) Most of these are Christian biographies, and being true gives them a leg up on fictional Christian fare that too often concludes with “happily ever after” endings, more fairytales than our one true faith. It’s simply a fact that here on earth bad things often happen to good, faithful Christians. I will also note that while many of these are great, others are merely okay (ranking only a 6), but are still included here because of their educational value. THE CASE FOR CHRIST – 2017, 113 minutes – 7/10 C.S. LEWIS ONSTAGE – 2018, 76 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE C.S. LEWIS: THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT – 2021, 93 minutes – 9/10 END OF THE SPEAR – 2006, 108 minutes – 7/10 FINAL SOLUTION – 2001, 102 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE GOD'S OUTLAW: THE STORY OF WILLIAM TYNDALE – 1988, 93 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE GOSNELL: THE TRIAL OF AMERICA'S BIGGEST SERIAL KILLER – 2018, 93 minutes – 8/10 I CAN ONLY IMAGINE - 2018, 110 minutes - 8/10 THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY – 1950, 77 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE JOHN HUS: A JOURNEY OF NO RETURN – 2015, 55 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE MARTIN LUTHER – 1953, 105 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE MIRACLE WORKER – 1962, 106 minutes – 9/10 SABINA: TORTURED FOR CHRIST, THE NAZI YEARS – 2022, 115 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SIGHT – 2024, 103 minutes – 8/10 THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS – 1957, 135 minutes – 7/10 TORTURED FOR CHRIST - 2018, 77 minutes - 8/10 – FREE ONLINE UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION – 2018, 98 minutes – 8/10 UNSUNG HERO – 2024, 112 minutes – 8/10 A VOW TO CHERISH – 1999, 84 minutes - 8/10 – FREE ONLINE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS – 1996, 27 minutes – 7/10 CHILDREN (16 films) This is fare for younger children – not a lot of tension here. And that means, while the kids will probably like it, mom and dad might not. Because children often watch their favorite videos repeatedly, even dozens of times, it’s all the more important to make sure what they do watch is the good stuff. THE 3 WORLD'S OF GULLIVER – 1960, 99 minutes – 7/10 BUDDY DAVIS' AMAZING ADVENTURES – 2011-2021, 6 episodes of 25-58 min – 7/10 THE CREATION ADVENTURE TEAM – 2001-2002, 40 min x 2 episodes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE DEFENSE OF NEW HAVEN – 2016, 82 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE DUDE PERFECT: BACKSTAGE PASS – 2020, 84 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE INCREDIBLE CREATURES THAT DEFY EVOLUTION I, II, & III – 2006, 47 minutes – 7/10 LASSIE COME HOME – 1943, 90 minutes – 8/10 A LEGO BRICKUMENTARY – 2015, 93 minutes – 7/10 MISTY – 1961, 91 minutes – 7/10 THE NEWTONS' WORKSHOP – 1997, 226 minutes – 7/10 ODD SQUAD: THE MOVIE – 2016, 67 minutes – 7/10 PATTERNS OF EVIDENCE: YOUNG EXPLORERS – 2020, 190 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE RUNNER FROM RAVENSHEAD – 2010, 81 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE SPARKY CHRONICLES – 2003, 28 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SPACE BUDDIES – 2009, 84 minutes – 7/10 THE WILD BROTHERS (8 episodes) – 2015-2020, 28-30 minutes each – 7/10 FAMILY FUN (29 films) These are films that mom and dad can also look forward to watching. But that does mean that some of them have action or drama that may be too intense for your youngest children. So be sure to research age-appropriateness. BABES IN TOYLAND – 1961, 105 minutes – 7/10 A BEAR CALLED WINNIE – 2004, 90 minutes – 7/10 BEYOND THE MASK – 2015, 103 minutes – 8/10 BORN FREE - 1966, 95 minutes – 8/10 CITY OF EMBER – 2008, 95 minutes – 7/10 CONDORMAN – 1981, 90 minutes – 7/10 THE COURT JESTER – 1956, 101 minutes – 8/10 Emil and the Detectives – 1964, 98 minutes – 7/10 THE FIGHTING PRINCE OF DONEGAL – 1966, 110 minutes – 7/10 GRACE UNPLUGGED – 2013, 102 minutes – 7/10 Greyfriars Bobby – 1961, 92 minutes – 8/10 HANGMAN'S CURSE – 2003, 106 minutes – 7/10 THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY – 1963, 89 minutes – 8/10 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK – 1952, 83 minutes – 7/10 THE JENSEN PROJECT – 2010, 95 minutes – 8/10 JOHNNY TREMAIN – 1957, 80 minutes – 7/10 The Last Chance Detectives – 1994, 50 min x 3 episodes – 7/10 THE LEGEND OF 5 MILE CAVE – 2019, 90 minutes – 7/10 MY FRIEND FLICKA – 1942, 89 minutes – 7/10 Old Yeller – 1957, 84 minutes – 9/10 THE SECRETS OF JONATHAN SPERRY – 2008, 96 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE Shark Boy and Lava Girl 3D – 2005, 93 minutes – 7/10 STORM: LUTHER'S FORBIDDEN LETTER – 2017, 105 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SWITCHED – 2020, 104 minutes – 6/10 THE SWORD AND THE ROSE – 1953, 92 minutes – 7/10 THE THREE INVESTIGATORS IN THE SECRET OF SKELETON ISLAND – 2007, 91 minutes – 7/10 TIME CHANGER – 2002, 99 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE UNITARDS – 2010, 107 minutes – 8/10 A WEEK AWAY – 2021, 97 minutes – 9/10 See also "The Absent-minded Professor" (Black & White Classics). FOREIGN (10 films) Part of the pleasure of watching films set in foreign locales is that they provide a peek into unfamiliar cultures. Most of us will never be able to visit Mongolia or Iran but we can get an insight into the cultural life of those communities by watching their films. ANTBOY - DENMARK – 2013, 77 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – FRANCE – 2013, 99 minutes – 8/10 CHILDREN OF HEAVEN – IRAN – 1997, 87 minutes – 7/10 Godzilla – JAPAN – 1954, 96 minutes – 7/10 LEO DA VINCI: MISSION MONA LISA – ITALY – 2020, 82 minutes – 8/10 LONG WAY NORTH – DENMARK – 2015, 81 minutes – 7/10 NOT ONE LESS – CHINA – 2000, 106 minutes – 7/10 THE RED BALLOON – FRANCE – 1956, 34 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY – JAPAN – 2010, 95 minutes – 8/10 THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL – MONGOLIA – 2003, 87 minutes – 7/10 "HALLMARK-Y" (11 films) Before they got woke, Hallmark made a lot of films appreciated for being safe and good, and though they were rarely great there were a few of those too. Sometimes they'd even be based on Christian books. Not all of these are from Hallmark, but they are all of that sort. AN AMERICAN IN AUSTEN – 2024, 84 minutes – 7/10 BEYOND THE BLACKBOARD – 2011, 95 minutes – 8/10 EXTRAORDINARY – 2017, 86 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE GOOD SAM – 2019, 90 minutes – 8/10 HIDDEN PLACES – 2005, 86 minutes – 6/10 LOVE ON A LIMB – 2016, 84 minutes – 7/10 LOVE'S LONG JOURNEY – 2005, 88 minutes – 7/10 A ROYAL CHRISTMAS – 2014, 87 minutes – 7/10 SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL – 1990, 98 minutes – 8/10 THE ULTIMATE GIFT – 2006, 114 minutes – 7/10 UNLEASHING MR. DARCY – 2016, 84 minutes – 7/10 See also "Roman Holiday" (For Mom and Dad). FOR MOM AND DAD (21 films) These are films intended for an adult audience, movies and videos to enjoy with your better half...and sometimes with the older kids too. 2081 – 2009, 25 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE ALLEGED – 2011, 93 minutes – 8/10 Anastasia – 1956, 105 minutes – 7/10 AUDACITY: LOVE CAN'T STAY SILENT – 2015, 50 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE The Caine Mutiny - 1954, 124 minutes – 7/10 COURAGEOUS – 2011, 129 minutes – 8/10 FREEDOM – 2014, 94 minutes – 7/10 HIDDEN BLESSINGS – 2024, 107 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE THE HOBBIT (3) – 2012-2014 – 7-8/10 The Lord of the Rings (3) – 2001-2003 – 10/10 LIKE DANDELION DUST – 2009, 104 minutes – 8/10 ROBERTA – 1935, 106 minutes – 7/10 ROMAN HOLIDAY – 1953, 118 minutes – 8/10 The Second Chance – 2006, 102 minutes – 7/10 THE SONG – 2014, 116 minutes – 9/10 SOUND OF FREEDOM – 2023, 131 minutes – 8/10 TO SAVE A LIFE – 2010, 120 minutes – 8/10 See also "Using Hero," "I Can Only Imagine" and "A Vow to Cherish" (Biographical). SPORTS (11 films) These are a mixed lot, with Woodlawn definitely for older audiences and Going to the Mat something for a younger age group. BACK OF THE NET – 2019, 86 minutes – 7/10 FACING THE GIANTS – 2006, 111 minutes – 7/10 FOREVER STRONG – 2008, 109 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE GOING TO THE MAT – 2004, 82 minutes – 8/10 THE HORSE IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT – 1968, 113 minutes – 7/10 HANS BRINKER OR THE SILVER SKATES – 1962, 90 minutes – 8/10 MERCY RULE – 2014, 119 minutes – 7/10 NEVER GIVE UP – 2023, 79 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE OVERCOMER – 2019, 119 minutes – 7/10 TWELVE – 2019, 92 minutes – 7/10 WOODLAWN - 2015, 123 minutes - 9/10 See also "The Jackie Robinson Story" (Biographical), and "Extraordinary" (Hallmark-y), and the documentary "Long Short: the Kevin Laue Story." WAR FILMS (20 films) The Second World War might have been the first major conflict in which film could play a role, presenting stories intended to encourage those on the frontlines and at home. The most inspiring World War II films show ordinary, average people doing extraordinary, heroic things (many of whom were our parents, grandparents or great grandparents, hiding Jews or otherwise putting themselves at risk simply because they knew it had to be done). Many of the best World War II films were made during the war – they have a completely different feel, because no one at the time knew what the war’s outcome would be! BATAAN – 1943, 114 minutes – 8/10 Decision Before Dawn – 1951, 119 minutes – 7/10 DESPERATE JOURNEY – 1942, 107 minutes – 8/10 Destination Tokyo – 1944, 135 minutes – 8/10 Edge of Darkness – 1943, 119 minutes – 7/10 The Fighting Seabees - 1944, 99 minutes – 7/10 FLYING TIGERS – 1942, 104 minutes - 7/10 THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT – 1940, 120 minutes – 7/10 THE GREAT DICTATOR – 1940, 125 minutes – 8/10 Hail the Conquering Hero – 1944, 101 minutes – 7/10 Objective Burma! – 1945, 142 minutes – 7/10 RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP – 1958, 93 minutes – 8/10 SABOTEUR – 1942, 109 minutes – 7/10 SAHARA – 1943, 98 minutes – 8/10 Sands of Iwo Jima – 1949, 100 minutes – 7/10 THE SILVER FLEET – 1943, 88 minutes – 7/10 They Were Expendable – 1945, 135 minutes – 7/10 To Be Or Not To Be – 1942, 99 minutes – 8/10 TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH – 1949, 132 minutes – 8/10 Why We Fight – 1942-45, 417 minutes – 7/10 See also "Sgt. Stubby" (Animated Films), "Belle and Sebastian" (Foreign Films), "Sea Hawk", and "Casablanca" (Black & White Classics). BONUS #1 - TV SERIES FOR KIDS (6 shows) An episode of a TV show can make for a nice short break without blowing the whole evening. While these series have been vetted, it isn't possible to evaluate the whole run, so some of these have only been rated on the basis of the first three episodes. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: THE ANIMATED SERIES – 2003, 25 min x 26 episodes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY – 1991-2003, 27 min x 17 episodes – 7/10 CURIOUS GEORGE – 2006-2022, 24 min x 198 episodes – 8/10 THE INBESTIGATORS – 2019-2020, 15 min x 40 episodes – 9/10 JUNGLE BEAT – 537 minutes – 10/10 – FREE ONLINE A SHOW ABOUT ANTHEM LIGHTS – 2022-, 12 min x 20 episodes – 7/10 BONUS #2 - TV SERIES FOR ADULTS (3 shows) With TV series, it isn't possible to evaluate the whole run, so some of these will be rated by season, and others just by the first episode or three. Danger Man (Season 1) – 1960-62, 25 min x 39 episodes – 8/10 DRAGNET (SEASON 1) – 1951, 26 min x 4 episodes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SUE THOMAS F.B.EYE – 2002, 41 min x 57 episodes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE BONUS #3- OBSCURE BUT IMPRESSIVE (7 films) These ones aren't easy to find, but for some, might be worth the hunt. LORD JEFF – 1938, 85 minutes – 8/10 Minuscule 2: Mandibles from Far Away – 2019. 92 minutes – 8/10 The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend – 1991, 104 minutes – 7/10 Seasons of the Heart – 2003, 99 minutes – 8/10 Snuf de Hond in Oorlogstijd – 2008, 95 min – 8/10 THE WAY THINGS WORK – 2001, 300+ minutes – 8/10 Who is Simon Miller? – 2011, 85 minutes – 7/10 A version of this article first appeared on www.ReelConservative.com. This article was part of a magazine issue on movies (which you can find here) and was originally titled "200 Movies King David Might Watch."...

Apologetics 101, Politics, Transgenderism

"Am I A Chinese Woman?" How questions can defend the Truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfO1veFs6Ho&feature=youtu.be It was a political science class in my first year in university, with a hundred-some students spread out around the large auditorium. When the professor asked us, by show of hands, to indicate who was pro-life I popped my arm up quickly. It was only then I realized, mine was the lone hand up. The prof scanned the room, and when he saw me tucked up against the back wall, 20 rows away, this 50-something-year-old came sprinting down the aisle, then scampering up and over the last few rows of seats, until we were face to face. “Why,” he asked, “are you pro-life?” He waited, and I could see my classmates twisting in their seats to get a good look. This was no debate between equals. He was a world-renown lawyer, a drafter of United Nations agreements, and he’d been teaching this class for years. I was an 18-year-old student, who had never had to defend the unborn before. I don’t recall the exact answer I gave, but I do remember how easily the prof slapped it aside. He made me feel foolish. More importantly, he made the pro-life position seem foolish. Let the teacher teach It used to be that this sort of on-the-spot inquisition would only happen if you signed up for something like a political science class. Nowadays we can expect hostile questioners in settings from the coffee shop to the workplace. Whether you proudly walk around wearing a pro-life shirt, or quietly decline having a rainbow flag decorate your cubicle, the world is going to want some answers. What we should offer are some good questions. The key here is to realize what the world is up to. They think we’re wrong and want to correct. They want to show us the error of our ways. They want to re-educate us. So we should let them try. The mistake I made with my university professor was when I let him swap his role for mine. He wanted me to teach the pro-life position to the class – he wanted me to take on the role of teacher. Now he’d had a few decades of experience, and maybe some hours of preparation to get ready for his lecture, but he expected me, on a moment’s notice, to be able to teach the class. How fair was that? And yet I accepted the role-reversal, gave it my best go, and failed miserably. But what if I had refused his job offer? What if, instead of trying to mount an on-the-spot defense of the unborn, I had simply asked the teacher to teach? “I’m just a student – I’m paying the big bucks to hear your thoughts. So what I’d like to know is why are you so sure the unborn aren’t precious human beings?” You want me to teach? I decline. This is a great strategic move, but also a humble one. It’s strategic because asking questions is a lot easier than answering them. That’s why our kids – back when they could barely string a sentence together – could still stump us by simply asking one “But why?” question after another. It’s humble because in adopting this approach we’re not setting ourselves up as the ones with all the answers. As I recall it, my professor believed there was some gradual increase in the fetus’s worth as it grew bigger and became able to do more things. If he’d offered that as his explanation – the unborn isn’t worth as much as an adult because it can’t do as much – my follow-up would have been easy: “But why?” The Columbo Tactic Christian apologist Greg Koukl calls this the Columbo Tactic, naming it after the famous TV detective. Lieutenant Columbo, as he was played by actor Peter Falk, was a slow-talking, slow-walking, middle-aged man, perpetually unshaven, and as Koukl put it, who looked like he slept in his trench coat. His unassuming manner was the key to the detective’s success. He wasn’t aggressive. He wasn’t pointed. He only asked questions. "Just one more thing…" "There's something that bothers me…" "One more question…" “What I don’t understand is… As he followed up his quiet question with another and then another, the murderer’s story would fall to pieces, bit by bit. Columbo’s approach was meek, but also merciless. And the killers never saw it coming. Question the re-education This quiet questioning was put to masterful use by the director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington. Joseph Backholm headed down to the University of Washington campus to talk to students about gender identity. His position? Men are men and women are women. But rather than begin by sharing his own thought he asked others for theirs. His first question had to do with whether men should be able to use women’s washrooms, and the students agreed with one another that “whether you identify as a male or female and whether your sex at birth is matching to that, you should be able to utilize” whichever locker room you like. That when things got very interesting. Space doesn’t permit sharing all the students’ answers (and they were all quite similar) so we’ll focus on just one. Joseph Backholm: “If I told you that I was a woman what would your response be?” Enthusiastic girl: “Good for you. Okay! Like, yeah!” JB: “If I told you that I was Chinese what would your response be?” EG: “I mean I might be a little surprised, but I’d say, good for you! Yeah, be who you are!” The next question made our energetic girl pause. She wasn’t ready with a quick answer but after thinking it through she tried to maintain consistency. JB: “If I told you that I was seven years old, what would your response be?” EG: “If you feel seven at heart then, so be it, good for you!” JB: “If I wanted to enroll in a first-grade class, do you think I should be allowed to?” EG: “If that's where you feel mentally you should be…then I feel like there are communities that would accept you for that.” This final question stymied several other students…for a few moments. Then they too headed into the ridiculous, just to maintain consistency. JB: “If I told you I'm 6 feet 5 inches what would you say?” EG: “I feel like that's not my place, as another human, to say someone is wrong or to draw lines or boundaries.” As Backholm concluded: It shouldn't be hard to tell us 5’9” white guy that he's not a six foot five Chinese woman. But clearly it is. Why? What does that say about our culture? And what does that say about our ability to answer the questions that actually are difficult? The video was effective, funny, and popular – it’s been viewed well over a million and a half times already. (A Swedish version, in which a petite blond girls asks students whether she could be a two-meter tall seven-year-old Japanese male, has been viewed by another half million.) Backhom took the students’ stand – that identity is whatever a person says it is – and exposed it as ridiculous by asking half dozen simple questions. But did the questions do anything to convince the students? After all, none of them seemed to change their mind. Well, most of them were giggling by the end – they couldn’t help but laugh at the bizarre stand they found themselves defending. Few of us are able to change our minds in a moment, even when all the facts are against us, so it’s no surprise these students didn’t do an on-camera about-face. However we have reason to hope that once they had time to reflect, they too may well have realized the enormous problem with their thinking. Beyond self-preservation How might this questioning approach work in our day to day? Let’s try it in an office setting. Imagine that your company has sponsored the local gay pride parade and the boss has handed out little pride flags so employees can decorate their cubicles. You decline. Shortly afterwards you find yourself summoned to the boss’s office. How can quiet questions be a help here? First, it’s important we first understand the goal we should have for this interchange. Unprepared we might conclude our objective is self-preservation – we want to save our job. That’s a good goal, but it shouldn’t be the goal – our primary goal, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, “is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.” As our country takes a perverse turn, we are going to start losing our jobs because of our beliefs and it won’t matter what we say or how we say it. When we’re called to explain ourselves, we need to realize there may be no God-glorifying way of preserving our job – the only options maybe to profess or deny. So we need to prepare ourselves to profess…regardless of what happens afterwards. Do you really believe what you say you believe? Still, saving our job can be a goal and questions can help here too. Your boss wants to know why you aren’t waving the rainbow flag? Ask him whether the company really believes what it says it believes. If they want to celebrate tolerance and diversity how about they do so starting with you? Boss: “Why don’t you have your flag out? You know we’re an inclusive company.” You: “Hey boss, as a Christian, and I have some views that differ with the company’s. I knew that might cause some problems but I also know that we’re a super inclusive company, so I was confident we could work something out. Sir, how can the company’s inclusiveness be applied to me? How is your non-judgmental, life-style-affirming, politically correct boss going to be able to answer this one without his head exploding? That’s for him to figure out. Conclusion A question isn’t the best response in every setting. Questions are very helpful in poking holes in other people’s incoherent worldviews – they’re good tools for demolishing lies – but when it comes to teaching people the truth, we need to do more than ask questions. We’ll need to share God’s Word, let our listener question us, and offer explanations. That’s how we should talk to anyone interested in an honest dialogue. But for all those shaking their fist at God, a good question may be the best response. We live in a time where every one of God’s standards is being attacked and it’s about time we were asking why. Picture is a screenshot from the Family Policy Institute of Washington’s video “College kids say the darndest things: On identity” posted to YouTube.com on April 13, 2016. This article first appeared in the June 2016 issue. If you want to know more about the Columbo Tactic you should pick up a copy of Greg Koukl's "Tactics" which we review here....

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Saturday Selections – Jan. 3, 2026

A pastor's review of the animated movie David I'm very hesitant about any film depictions of Jesus, wondering if they violate the principle of God's Second Commandment not to make any graven images of Him (Ex. 20:4). Then there is also the practical consideration that whenever someone does depict Jesus, they always manage to mess things up. But what about film depictions of other biblical stories? The Second Commandment doesn't apply then. But there would still be a need for reverence in treating God's Holy Bible as the sacred text it is. Too often, though, how it's treated is as some first draft that needs to be improved on – and as this pastor highlights, in the new animated David, that's what's happened again. We have smartphones so why memorize Scripture? "The Word of God must enter the mind and heart to bring life, health, and fruit. As long as it stays external to us, whether in print or digital form, it can do us no good. That we now have such easy access to massive books doesn’t change that fact at all. An unused Bible app on the phone is the same as a closed and dusty Bible on the shelf..." Matthew’s genealogy isn’t missing a name—it’s making a claim (10-minute read) Matthew's genealogy in his opening chapter traces the line of Jesus from Abraham through three sets of 14. But it gives just 41 names. The math is wrong? No indeed. This is a longer read, but another one of those instances where it can be fun to really dig into a familiar passage to figure out more of what God is presenting us here. Why all the frenzy over Christian Nationalism? Awful used to mean, "full of awe" and literally can now mean non-literally, so words can be hard to nail down, with ever-shifting meanings. But in some cases it is up to us to stand by the definition that God has set. Much of our cultural battle is over the dictionary, involving attempts to undermine what God has declared. So, for example, "gay marriage" simply isn't a thing, and not because we are taking issue with how the word "gay" has changed over time. No, the issue is that God gets to define what marriage is, and no one else, and He has so defined it as to preclude pairings of two men or two women. So too, with the term "Christian Nationalism." All sorts of folks identify with the term, complicating our discussion of it, so a good first step in having any sort of intelligent discussion is to start with God's definition. And here, again, one part of the term has room to wiggle and change but not the other. So if a group of racists want to describe themselves as "Christian Nationalists" we should say, "No, you are not, because God has so defined 'Christian' as to preclude any pairing with 'racist"' (Gen. 1-2, Gal. 3:28). That's what we should do, instead of taking these people seriously. Doing so would save us all a lot of time, and allow the discussion to focus in on where it needs to be: on how we can encourage one another to speak God's Name boldly in the public square, and how we can better present His Truth to a nation in desperate need of Him. Your wife is Beauty: The Song’s response to male sexual distortion This is an article for Christian counselors helping men addicted to pornography who, consequently, don't find their wife as attractive as before. The counsel offered is of benefit to any and all: "I have relatives who live in Colorado Springs. Every day they wake up in the shadow of Pike’s Peak, which is a beautiful mountain vista. Every time I visit, it takes my breath away. But, if I were to guess, many people in Colorado Springs do not appreciate this view because it has become too normal and mundane to them. It is only by starting to look at and appreciate the unique beauty of that particular view that we can be formed in this way. Your counselee’s wife is beautiful. If he has not reckoned it to be so, he has missed something that is very true right in front of him. So, have him look." Rivers and Robots' Provider Don't know this group, but really enjoyed this video, which their fans around the world helped them create. ...

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Busyness in the home

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4 out of 5 Canadians give like Scrooge

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Older men still have a job to do

Faithful children of God may look forward to sharing Jesus’ glory in the presence of the Father. “To live is Christ; to die is gain.” Why, then, does the Lord God not take people home to Himself as soon as they become empty nesters or, perhaps, when their spouse dies? Why does He let the older become old? The question is important, if only because there are numerous older men in the churches who feel they have no task to do, are out to pasture. In this article we will consider Paul’s instruction concerning the “older men” as he words it to Titus 2:2: “Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.” To give you the punch line right away, God keeps older men on earth because He uses them to build up His church. Men are not women God created two genders in the beginning, but did not make them at the same time. He first made a man, and placed him in the Garden with the command to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). He was, in other words, responsible, and commissioned to take initiative in fulfilling his duties before God. The Lord saw that it was not good for the man to be alone, and so made a “helper” (Genesis 2:18) to be with him. In the relation between the man and the woman in Paradise, he was the leader and she was not; she was the helper and he was not. So when God came to the Adam and Eve after their fall into sin, he sought out the man: “where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). Similarly, when the Lord sought to call a family from Ur to go the land of promise, He did not call Sarah to take her husband and leave her mother’s household, but He summoned Abram to take his wife and leave his father’s household (Genesis 12:1). The point is that the man is, by God’s ordinance, the leader in family and society. As leader, the man invariably gives leadership, whether active or passive, where positive or negative. When Paul, then, tells Titus what to teach the older men, he’s instructing him in relation to that part of the human race commissioned to take responsibility and give leadership. How we view older men The men Titus must teach are "older." The term "older" is, of course, relative, and really depends on how old Titus is and perhaps depends too on the average age of the congregation where Titus ministered. Paul uses the same word to describe himself when he was some 60 years old (Philemon 9). Irrespective, though, of what age one wishes to peg to the term "older," the term certainly describes a person who has been around the block a few times. The "older" have, in other words, spent years in the school of life and so are in a position to show others how to do life. Now, our Canadian culture says that “older men” deserve the opportunity to kick back, enjoy life and play with the toys they’ve accumulated. But beneath this seemingly generous attitude is the thought that the older men are actually out of touch, can’t keep up with the fast pace of the younger, and are beyond their "use by" date, so they should be retired from any leadership roles. There is an echo of this thought in the church, to the effect that the older men (are made to) feel passed by and even uncertain about their purpose. The result is that they retreat into their seniors’ circle... and become an untapped resource. Their role This was not the intent of the Lord God. He created the first man (and woman) in His image, and gave the command to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over...” (Genesis 1:27f). Children born in Paradise, however, would not know by instinct how to rule over God’s world in a way that imaged God; the older generation was to teach the younger how to do this. Of course, the longer Adam lived, the better He’d know what God was like, and so the better equipped he’d be to teach coming generations how to “rule over” God’s creatures in a way pleasing to God. Clearly, as the God-appointed leader, the responsibility to train those after him was primarily Adam’s. The fall into sin obviously complicated the task enormously. But it didn’t change the expectations God had for Adam as he grew older, or for the subsequent generations of older men. So God told Moses that He poured the plagues on Egypt “that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians... that you may know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 10:2). Moses, we need to know, was more than 80 years old (see Exodus 7:7) at the time God gave him this instruction. Talk about the role of “the older men”! Fully in line with this command is the prayer of the psalmist: “Even when I’m old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:18). Because of this God-assigned role of the aged, the Lord commanded the youth of Israel to respect the seniors (and not just the grandparents). As an older man approached them, the youth were to “rise” and “show respect for the elderly” (Leviticus 19:32). Here was recognition that the older have learned so much in God’s school-of-life and were a reservoir of experience and wisdom for the younger to tap into. Sadly, not all older men speak only wisdom. Job’s three senior friends spoke the language of fools in their reprimands to Job (cf Job 42:7; 32:6ff). Solomon advised older folk not to say, “Why were the old days better than these?” (Ecclesiastes 7:10). Young people live in the present (not the past), and in the challenges God gives today they need encouragement – and not the signal that today is too hard. Older men, in other words, need to make it their business to be careful how they analyze the present in relation to the past; their analysis requires ongoing Bible study and thought. All this Old Testament material comes along in Paul’s instruction to Titus. For the benefit of the churches of Crete, Paul draws out the implication of the role God has assigned to the “older men.” Given that role, Paul says these older men are to be:: temperate worthy of respect self-controlled 1. Temperate The term “temperate” in Titus 2:2 translates a word that appears elsewhere as “sober” or “sober-minded.” The term is often used in relation to drink and so becomes instruction in being moderate in how much you drink. Yet Paul’s point is not that older men are simply to exercise moderation in drinking. Rather, in all of life one is to be moderate, not indulgent, not extravagant, not into excess or glut. Herein the “older men” of the church would contrast with the typical attitude of the Cretans around them, who were “always... lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). What, though, is wrong with excess? Why must Titus make a point of telling older men to be moderate? Older men (should) have learned the truth of Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 2, when he tried all sorts of excess in his attempt to make sense of life. As many young men do, Solomon sought fulfillment in wine, houses, gardens, women, song, parties, and more. But the more he tried, the more he realized that things do not lift us out of the thorns and thistles of a life outside Paradise. His conclusion was this: “when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). That was the advantage of older age: Solomon could tell the younger of his realm that he’d been there, done that... and they should take instruction from him and not repeat his futile search. This is the message Titus was to instruct older men to convey to the younger. Those older men had been around the block, had tested the value of more and more stuff, and so were in a position to vouch for the truth of Ecclesiastes 2. These “older men” have “fought the good fight,” “have finished the race” (2 Tim 4:7), and now await the summons of the Lord to enter the presence of their Father. So their lifestyle was to model that life is not about food, property, looks, degrees, music, chocolate, gin or women. Instead, their lifestyle should reflect the delightful fact that “the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared” (Titus 2:11); Christ has come to redeem sinners, take away the cause of our eternal hunger and misery, and through His self-emptying on the cross restored sinners to Paradise. Since that’s so, one needs to be consistent and say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions (2:12), “no” to more toys, more drink, more "buzz," etc, and live instead “godly and upright lives in the present age, while we wait for the... glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2:13). When a "temperate" lifestyle is in place, a man will be moderate in his demand for food and drink, for wealth and holiday. “Older men” have learned through the school of life to get their priorities right, so that their emphasis lies on service to the neighbor, a service that reflects God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. 2. Worthy of respect Titus is also to instruct “older men” to carry themselves in a dignified manner. Again, the point is not so hard to grasp. Older men have buried parents, and perhaps also a spouse or a child. They have been through war, sickness, fire, flood, drought and more – and so learned through the hard knocks of life that life is not a joke. They’ve learned that trials come from God as so many divine teaching moments whereby the heavenly Father would train us in the school of life for further service and to be more fruitful for His glory. Older men (ought to) know this, and so take God’s reality seriously in the hard knocks of life; always the question presses on their minds: what is God teaching me through this? No, this does not make the older boring or gloomy (as if life is not enjoyable). On the contrary, living every step of life in the awareness that you live every moment in God’s school makes life exciting and fun. Older men model this awareness – for the benefit of the rest of congregation. That’s the sort of leadership they are to give. 3. Self-controlled Finally, Titus must tell “older men” to be disciplined. They, after all, ought to have learned how to get the passions and instincts of youth under control. As a result, they act less out of impulse, with decisions more thought through. They’ve learned to live life sensibly, seriously, and so with fitting restraint. So their lives displays good health (not necessarily in body but) “in faith, in love and in endurance…” The same need today This, then, is what Titus was to encourage the older men to exemplify among the Christians of Crete. But the sort of lifestyle this behavior encouraged, contrasted with the excess that Cretans typically celebrated. Recall again Paul’s summary of what Cretans were like: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). We can imagine the “lazy gluttons” of the island; we know the type: shrunken biceps and ample waistline assembled in the coffee shops and beer parlors, talking about the latest horse race, hockey game, cruise, property deal, woman. How thoroughly North American; truly, there is nothing new under the sun. The new Christians of Crete were raised in that culture, and remained greatly influenced by what was accepted around them. How tempting, then, to adopt the same attitude; “eat, drink, and be merry...” Hence Paul’s instruction to Titus: since older men are by God’s ordinance to be leaders, instruct them to be temperate to be examples for the women and younger men to follow. This, Paul figures, is necessary to build up congregational life (1:5a). Value The Lord has prepared a glorious future for His (older) children, yet leaves older brothers on this earth for a purpose; they remain here to be examples for rest of congregation. So, older men, take up the task with confidence! You’ve been through the school of life, and so know that neither things nor pleasures give fulfillment, salvation, or purpose; by faith you know that Jesus Christ has restored us to God. That being so, model the gospel for the benefit of the rest of the congregation: be moderate, dignified, self-controlled in a manner that the younger of the flock can see. This is the service to which you remain called, until such time as God Himself relieves you and gives you the crown of glory. Conclusion There is definitely so very much in the congregation for which we may be thankful. That includes the large number of older brothers in our midst. They are here, by God’s providence, for a reason. My conviction is that they are under-utilized. No, I’m not thinking now of consistory work; it may be that the Lord is no longer calling the (much) older brothers to this task anymore. I’m thinking instead of how the older, without exception, have a role to play in relation to the younger. Let the older men take their mentorship role seriously, being deeply aware that God leaves them in this life in order that they might model the gospel for the benefit of the younger and even seek out the younger to speak to them of the works of the Lord as they experienced them over the years. It’s a privileged fact: the younger need your leadership, example, and instruction. Recall Psalm 92:14f “...the righteous...will still bear fruit in old age...proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him’” Healthy church life needs the continued involvement of the older men. Rev. Bouwman is a minister for the Canadian Reformed Church of Smithville, Ontario. This article was first appeared in the December 2012 issue....

Assorted

Blessed are the busy?

Should we be trying to be less busy or be busy better? ***** It’s not really the worst problem to have: too many good things to do, and not enough time to do them all. Maybe that's why, when I talked to so many women about busyness, they admitted to stress and struggles around their busy schedules, but also expressed gratitude for all the things that fill up their days. The question for most of us isn’t whether or not we’re busy (and sometimes too busy). Rather, we wonder if we’re always busy with the right things, and for the right reasons. We want to figure out how to cope with the reality of busyness, and maybe find a way to bring a little more balance and sanity to our lives. BUSYNESS: A HEART ISSUE “I don’t want to miss out on opportunities, mess up relationships by disappointing people, or misstep right out of God’s will. I struggle with keeping some sense of balance in my life. I struggle with worrying about what others think of my decisions...” – Lysa TerKeurst, The Best Yes For better and worse, busyness is as much a heart issue as it is a physical one, and maybe that’s why it’s such a hard one to grapple with. It’s difficult to untangle our motivations for the choices we make with our limited time and energy. Sometimes our busyness is driven by the wrong things, like a desire to please or earn admiration, or by misplaced priorities. Often, though, we’re acting out of a sincere desire to serve God and others, and to be good stewards of the time and opportunities God has given us. We feel keenly the weight of others’ needs and expectations. At the same time, we constantly fight the temptation to compare – and judge. These struggles of the mind and heart lead to a lot of soul-searching. And, as was made clear by some of the thoughts that were shared with me, they are the cause of very real distress for many Christian women. “It can be really quite hard to assess if I am truly called to a new thing or if I should stay the course on what I am doing. It’s hard to assess my motives. And even when I make a decision, I easily second-guess myself.” “Do we make ourselves busy to avoid judgment from others who look at us and think we should be doing more? I feel that sometimes.” “Too often we connect our personal worth and value to the stuff we are busy with.” “... this is what drives me: If I don’t do it, I’ll disappoint someone who matters – or even who doesn’t really. If I don’t do it, I’m lazy... or I’m unstewardly: I can save money by canning and baking and freezing. I’m failing my kids: if I don’t bake, and can, and preserve, I’m feeding them cancer or other diseases. I’m not letting them grow to their fullest potential by taking their sports and music from them... Will I fail my calling and deny my promises at baptism if I don’t do all these things? ... where am I trusting God in all this?” We really do want to be “Proverbs 31 women,” capably accomplishing all our tasks (and then some) with a godly heart and a serene smile on our face, but there just isn’t enough time for everything. We’re only human, but sometimes feel guilty about our very natural weaknesses and limitations. When can we legitimately say that we are “busy enough”? As Kevin DeYoung puts it in his excellent book Crazy Busy, we’re constantly told that: “we should pray more, give more, show hospitality more, share our faith more, read our Bibles more, volunteer more.... Where do I start? Where do I find the time? How can I possibly meet all these obligations?... I think most Christians hear these urgent calls to do more (or feel them internally already) and learn to live with a low-level guilt that comes from not doing enough.... That’s not how the apostle Paul lived (1 Cor. 4:4), and it’s not how God wants us to live either (Rom. 12:1-2). Either we are guilty of sin – like greed, selfishness, idolatry – and we need to repent, be forgiven and change. Or something else is going on. It’s taken me several years, a lot of reflection and a load of unnecessary busyness to understand that when it comes to good causes and good deeds, ‘do more or disobey’ is not the best thing we can say.” PRIORITIES “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” - attributed to Martin Luther When the author to the Hebrews encourages God’s people to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” he doesn’t just tell us to throw off “the sin that so easily entangles,” but also urges us to lay aside everything (or “every weight”) that hinders. These “weights” aren’t necessarily bad in themselves – they’re distinct from the “sin” that’s also mentioned – but they draw our attention away from the race that’s in front of us. At its most simple, figuring out a way forward comes down to priorities. If we’re not able to do everything (and we’re not!), we need to identify and prioritize the most important things, the things that can’t be left undone. I think, at heart, most of us know what those most important things are: our relationship with God, our relationships with those closest to us, the daily calling God has put in front of us in our different roles, our own wellbeing (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual). But sometimes taking time for devotions can feel like a leap of faith (“How can I sit down now if I hope to get everything done this morning?”) or, worse, like just another chore; and it’s easy to brush off “relationship time” or adequate sleep when other things feel more urgent. The women I talked to also pondered the importance of well-ordered priorities in their lives, and how to stay focused on the things that really matter. Their helpful suggestions included asking ourselves some pointed questions. “How does my time use match, or not match, what I’ve identified as my priorities?” If God is number one in my life, does my daily and weekly schedule reflect that? Or do things that are far less important, but feel more urgent, keep crowding out Bible study or church activities? “What are my personal non-negotiables?” For one woman, these daily must-do’s are “devotions, going outside into God’s creation (even if it’s just for a short time), and making a good dinner. These are non-negotiables for me because they’re all very important for my physical, emotional and spiritual health as well as my family’s.” Others’ lists are different, but making conscious, deliberate choices about our priorities is key. “Is any one part of my life drastically out of balance?” We’re complex beings, and the different parts of our lives and selves – mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, social, work – affect each other. A Christian counselor shared with me that the biggest cause of stress, in her experience, is an imbalance between these areas. We need regular sleep, exercise, and healthy food. We need relationships that rejuvenate us (especially when other relationships in our lives are more difficult or draining). We need Sunday rest, breaks, and times of quietness. “Am I minimizing ‘artificial busyness’?” Some of the things that make us feel busy actually lack substance. Social media is a big one for many of us. As one woman commented, “This isn’t natural human connecting and working on relationships, this is a substitute” – so we’re better off focusing on the people in front of us, rather than on the virtual relationships and conversations that can divert so much of our time and energy. “Am I too worried about what others think?” Peer pressure, and others’ expectations (real or perceived), are a huge factor in keeping us busy – sometimes with the wrong things. Maybe if you’re willing to raise some eyebrows by challenging or resisting an unhealthy trend, others will gratefully follow. “Am I bringing my decisions, and my struggles, to God?” Many women emphasized the key role of prayer and time in God’s Word in their decisions around time use, and their struggles with feelings like guilt, discouragement and inadequacy. Making time for personal devotions actually is a leap of faith – one that not only honors God, but also grounds us, reminds us to trust God (and humbly recognize our own limits), and helps us make wiser decisions. So how can you have a Mary heart when you have a Martha to-do list? Start by knowing your priorities, focusing on them first, and trusting God to help you sort through the rest. As Kevin DeYoung put it, “The antidote to busyness of soul is not sloth and indifference. The antidote is rest, rhythm, death to pride, acceptance of our own finitude and trust in the providence of God.” WHAT DOES GOD REALLY WANT FROM US... AND FOR US? “It is extraordinary how little the New Testament says about God’s interest in our success, by comparison with the enormous amount it says about God’s interest in our holiness, our maturity in Christ, and our growth into the fullness of his image.” – J.I. Packer, Rediscovering Holiness We all want to be faithful and fruitful... but this desire can easily veer off course. What is it that God most wants from us, and for us? The fact that He made us with very real weaknesses and limitations tells us something. He created us to need sleep, and in fact a substantial number of hours of it. He sometimes gives us extended, enforced periods of waiting and inactivity. These realities can be very frustrating for us. Couldn’t we accomplish so much more for Him if we didn’t have these limitations? But evidently – and amazingly – God is more interested in us, and the sanctifying work He’s doing in us, than simply in our raw productivity. We’re not merely servants with long and burdensome lists of tasks; we’re loved children. What a freeing thought, and what an undeserved honor! When we start evaluating ourselves (or others) based on how much we can accomplish, we’re using a skewed measurement – and not the one God uses. On a personal level, we may be showing Pharisaical tendencies, trying to earn the favor of God and others. On a larger scale, we’re starting down a very dangerous path, as we buy into a worldview that equates worth with ability, leading to devastating social consequences. By all means, let’s do our best to be faithful stewards of the time, energy, resources, and opportunities God has given us, and let’s be busy with many good things for Him. But let’s not forget His priorities for us, since “we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12). STEWARDING OUR TIME “Stewarding my time is not about selfishly pursuing only the things I’d like to do. It’s about effectively serving others in the ways I’m best able to serve and in the ways I’m most uniquely called to serve.” - Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy Sometimes we live at the pace of craziness because of unconsciously wrong priorities or confused expectations; other times it’s because of factors that really are outside our control, and we just have to hang on for a season that’s busier than feels ideal. (Often we learn a lot in these seasons, and God certainly uses them too.) But sometimes we bring the craziness on ourselves, and change is needed. It takes mature self-discipline, planning, and some self-denial to be good stewards of our time. But, by God’s grace, these things are within our reach. So let’s take the steps needed to curb our bad online habits. Let’s stick to a reasonable bedtime, or maybe meal plan (I know that makes some of us shudder), or say a polite “no” to something good so we can say “yes” to something better – whatever it takes in your particular life and circumstances. (See the sidebar article “Taming busyness” for more practical tips from other women.) One helpful but sometimes hard-to-implement principle is to leave room for “margin” – defined by Christian author Dr. Richard Swenson as “the space between our load and our limits.” For most of us, there’s rarely a week or even a day without some unexpected interruption, need, or crisis – a fender-bender, a lost pair of glasses, a washing machine malfunction, an unwelcome visit from the flu bug – and if we don’t have any “wiggle room” in our schedule, these unexpected problems can quickly derail us and cause disproportionate stress. Again, knowing our priorities helps us in this area too; if our secondary to-do’s don’t get done because of a sudden change of plans, we’ll be less fretful if we know we at least made time for our key tasks or goals. We also need to realize that using our time well doesn’t always look like we think it should. As Kevin DeYoung points out, caring for people – which should be a priority for all of us – is “often wildly inefficient. People are messy, and if we are going to help them we will wade into a lot of time-consuming messes.” Many of the most important things we’re busy with don’t fit nicely on a to-do checklist. Finally, being stewardly with our time means making constant choices, big and small, based on our priorities and on other factors. We may care about a lot of things, and be concerned about a lot of things (and people), but that doesn’t mean God is calling us to meet every need. So how do we decide if a new commitment should be a “yes”? Here are a few questions that other women have found helpful to consider: “Have I counted the cost?” Like the builder in Luke 14, we need to “count the cost” before we start a project. As one woman commented, “The task itself is always only a fraction of the commitment”; but too often we aren’t realistic about what something will required from us. Most activities involve not only a time cost, but also a mental/emotional energy cost – which affects both you and the people in your life. “Does this fit with my strengths – or, if not, will it stretch me in a positive way?” It’s okay to play to our strengths. One woman I know dislikes making meals for other families, but enjoys cleaning and organizing. For years she would feel stressed every time a church meal request came out – and either sign up and dread the whole experience, or not sign up and feel guilty. Now she offers to help in other ways: “I often will say “what is causing you stress right now?” – and then see if I can help in that area. I’ve done anything from researching and buying an iPad for someone to re-organizing a pantry or cleaning out a shed.” Another woman agreed, “When we use our strengths, things tend to go more smoothly and with less stress.” Of course, there are times when we might be ready for a helpful “stretch,” so it’s good to keep an open mind – and a prayerful heart – about new opportunities as well. “Do I feel passionate about this?” Although some things aren’t particularly exciting and simply need doing, we’re naturally drawn to some tasks more than to others, and it’s okay to factor that into our decision-making. Do I believe this activity is really worthwhile? Does this activity “fill me up” or drain me? Do I feel energized when I think about doing this? BLESSED TO BE BUSY “Lay your life down. Your heartbeats cannot be hoarded. Your reservoir of breaths is draining away. You have hands, blister them while you can. You have bones, make them strain – they can carry nothing in the grave.” - N.D. Wilson, Death by Living Busyness means life – the blessings of relationships, of talents, of energy, of opportunities, of good tasks to do. As Kevin DeYoung puts it, “the reason we are busy is because we are supposed to be busy.” We are blessed to be busy. It’s okay to work hard; the Bible has nothing good to say about “the sluggard.” It’s okay to be tired – as long as we recognize the line between healthy fatigue and unhealthy exhaustion. It’s okay to be stretched; often it’s how we grow. So let’s be busy carefully and deliberately, prayerfully and peacefully – not taking on burdens we were never meant to carry, and not because we find our self-worth or our life’s meaning in the things we’re busy with. And let’s give grace to ourselves and others – the same grace God extends to us in our weaknesses. We can never truly know what our neighbor is dealing with, or what limitations he or she grapples with, so let’s be careful about judging, pressuring, or comparing. “For each will have to bear his own load” (Gal. 6:5). A quick note to the married and mothers among us: don’t add to the strain of your single/childless friends by assuming they have all kinds of time you don’t. They may not have a family to take care of (though they may well be caring for parents, without the help of a spouse), but they also aren’t sharing the daily tasks of cooking, shopping, car maintenance, and so on. Let’s “bear each other’s burdens,” not add to them. “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls.... So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:4, 12). “So let’s do what needs to be done with a happy heart, thankful for each of these opportunities and the evidence of life they represent. Whistle while we work. Do a great job.... Just remember not every responsibility can be your responsibility.” - Lysa TerKeurst, The Best Yes...

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My journey with books

It has been a long journey of books for me. I grew up with books, and as a child read from The Book of Knowledge encyclopedia, the Bobbsey Twins series and Grace Livingston Hill’s books. It was my own love for books which had me keep my nursing and my Bible College textbooks. But it was not until I met my husband-to-be John that I really discovered what it was to have books in the house – here was a man who loved books! On our very first date, when I mentioned that I had Berkoff’s Systematic Theology, John asked if maybe he could borrow it some time. I thought to myself, “There is no way he is going to get that textbook - I’ll never see it again!” For our first 3 months of marriage we lived with John’s parents in Oshawa, Ontario before we went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where John was to study at Calvin Seminary. During those 3 months, I decided to straighten out John’s bookcases. That meant I put the books all in neat rows according to height and size – I was tired of look at those messy shelves. John was not a happy camper when he came home and found out that his books were not in subject order. Oh well, live and learn, in those early marriage days. More and more books Throughout his ministry, the supply of books increased. John mostly bought books at garage sales, library sales, or people would kindly give him books from their collections – he would never say no to that. But then we would need more bookshelves and more space. In all our moves the books came with us. From Vernon, BC to Wellandport, ON they came by train in the deep of winter. None were lost. He took about 400 books with us to the Philippines – ones he needed for teaching at the seminary. It was a challenge to sort and choose. He took some Dutch books as well, only to find that the bok-bok worm liked the glue in his Dutch books (but they had no interest in his cheap paperbacks). In all our pastorates John has his study in the house, taking up a bedroom for his books. In Wellandport the church built a special addition on to the parsonage for his study. That was much needed – our family of six needed the room. And the quantity of books continued to grow. All sorts John was happiest when he had a book and pen in his hand to make his own personal notes and scribbles – he did not use a highlighter for his markings. And he was quite an eclectic reader, his reading ranging from The Communist Manifesto to Francis Schaeffer’s writings. One of his favorite books to read again and again was Augustine’s Confessions. Right up there among his favorites were C.S. Lewis, Chuck Colson, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and A. Kuyper. There was no end of his favorite special writers. I could tell when John was tired – that’s when he would pull out a good Dutch novel. Though he was a serious reader, John enjoyed a good mystery, the likes of Agatha Christie or G.K. Chesterton. Tools in his toolbox John was often asked if he had read them all. Yes, he would say. Mind you, some of them were strictly reference material for his sermons or articles. Did he keep every book he got from day one when he started his ministry? Believe it or not, he gave away a good number to future seminarians and threw out others that were no longer relevant or falling apart. Did it make a dent on the shelf? Hardly. At one point I had to put my foot down and say I did not want bookshelves in our bedroom or kitchen. Looking after all these books was a challenge, especially when it came to dusting and straightening up the shelves. Books are real dust collectors so every year around Christmas or New Years I would take them down, shelf by shelf, and give them all a good dusting. I would find pieces of paper stuck in a book, along with clippings, articles, and any other kind of paper for his notes. Yes books were part and parcel of John’s ministry and our married life. Books were his tools, just like that of a carpenter or painter. They had to be accessible somewhere, even if that meant a pile on the floor by his chair and not in a box in the cupboard. Passing on the tools The time came in John’s last 2 months when he could not hold a pen or a book, let alone have the stamina to read. That was a blow to give up something he loved dearly all his life. One of my hardest times was to go into his study where I saw piles of books he had gathered for his articles, his pens his notes and the discarded scraps of paper in his wastebasket… all just where he left it to the point of no return. A year later I sorted out John’s Dutch books, computer filed each title and author, boxed 1,300 of them and took them to the Canadian Reformed Seminary in Hamilton. I did the same with his English books, computer filed each title, and author, boxed 3,600 books, and took them to Redeemer Christian College University in Ancaster, Ontario. A few books went to family and to several of John’s colleagues. That was John’s wish and prayer – that his books would be used for God’s glory and His Kingdom. So this is my journey with books – from a few boxes when we arrived in Vernon, BC in 1966 to our life in London, ON where I took out over 200 boxes of books. The journey has been long and good and I certainly have no regrets living surrounded by books! For 13 years Rev. Johan Tangelder (1936-2009) – John – wrote articles for Reformed Perspective. You can find many of those articles here, and many more on his website. This article first appeared in the July 2011 issue....

Assorted

Navigating failure

Fear of failure can paralyze you. There’s a lot to be said about how, in order to succeed, you need to be comfortable with failure – but that doesn’t erase the fact that failing feels painful and shameful. Who wants that? Better to avoid it. Suddenly success becomes less important than “not failing.” And the only sure way to avoid all the feelings that come with not being able to do something is to not try it at all. Not trying assures you of not failing. But in trying to avoid failure, you can hold yourself back from doing things in your path that God has given you to do. So what’s a good way to navigate failure? There are two different approaches I've taken at different times of my life to deal with this fear of failure. They both begin with a question. What would you do – or attempt – or explore... 1) …if you knew you couldn’t fail – that it was impossible? 2) … if you were free to fail?” 1. What if you could not fail? “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” I first came across this question in a book called Launching a Leadership Revolution, but asking this kind of question is a pretty common approach to working with a fear of failure. Why? Because this question can be clarifying: stop thinking about what’s holding you back and start thinking about what you’d really want to do if you could. Once you know what you really want, then you can think about how to navigate the obstacles that might come up. If you never stop to think about what you really desire to accomplish, you could spend your whole life doing things that feel safe just because they feel safe, and miss what you might be uniquely suited to do. But this question can also be disheartening, and it certainly was for me back when I first read it. Because the answer was – a lot more than what I was doing at that moment. I can’t count how many times the fear of terrible things happening to me stopped me, all because I couldn’t count on these terrible things not happening. And I’m not alone in dreaming of a world of failure-free achievement, judging by the number of self-help books that use this quote. It is true that many successful people plowed on despite failure and in the face of more failure, but I couldn’t shake the nagging awareness of people who did plow on after failing and just kept on failing. I know failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it can feel terrible. And there’s no guarantee that “keep trying” will lead to success. So I found it difficult to ignore the thought of failure, as this quote seemed to advise me to do. Or even to accept failure as part of the process. The quote did, however, inspire me to dream about what I’d like to achieve with my life. It helps cut to the chase of what you really want to do, even if you feel at the moment that it’s unachievable. Which brings me to the second approach. 2. What if you were free to fail? “When you’ve been found, you’re free to fail.” – James K.A. Smith, On the Road with St. Augustine When you’re young, life is more about trying to make choices about what you want to do, and that must’ve drawn me to the first question years ago. Maybe I’m drawn to this second quote more now as I’m older and navigating the result of my own and other people’s failures. Here’s the full quote in context: “Resting in the love of God doesn’t squelch ambition; it fuels it with a different fire. I don’t have to strive to get God to love me; rather, because God loves me unconditionally, I’m free to take risks and launch out into the deep. I’m released to aspire to use my gifts in gratitude, caught up in God’s mission for the sake of the world. When you’ve been found, you’re free to fail.” Rest, rather than striving. Release rather than control. And the peace of God’s love, rather than approval conditional on success. Humans judge on achievements. We compare each other, and we compare ourselves to each other, and in the age of social media it doesn’t take long to see how much we lack in comparison to everyone else. But if life is about what we produce, what we show, and whether we’ve made good on the promise or potential we showed at one point, how can we ever find peace? Good questions both I still like both questions though. What would you do if you knew you could not fail is for young people deciding what to do with their lives. They’re making decisions about paths to take. They’re trying to diagnose their passions. What if you’re free to fail is for when you get a little older. It’s for those days when you’re dealing with the knowledge you have failed at various things. You DID fail. What does that mean? How do you handle it? Failure hits us because we take it as a reflection of who we are and what we’re worth. But we’re urged to start from a place of acceptance – God’s acceptance. Sometimes failure weighs on us because we know our sin is involved. Our feelings of guilt add to the pain of failure. But the beauty of this quote is that it prevents us from relying on “fixing” ourselves – God makes us acceptable. God loved us even when we were dead in our sins, and He promises us no sin can come between us if we turn to Him. God doesn’t ask us to overcome our failures before He loves us. He makes us new, and we can rely on that. So this is not only about the type of failure you can learn from. It’s not just the kind of “failing so you know what to do better next time.” Not the kind of failing that life coaches advise you is good for you (“fail fast and fail hard!”). No, this applies to the kind of failing that seems completely futile, that seems to have no meaning and no lesson to learn. The kind of failure that can crush you and make you too paralyzed to do anything more. You need the promise you’re accepted no matter what. What we really need Because here’s the thing about failure: you won’t avoid it. In a broken world, you will crash and burn at some point. But maybe we face failure for a reason – to be reminded that we cannot go through life on our own. Failure forces us to face the reality we’re dependent on God. He has to take us through the next steps. Both of the above approaches to failure are quotes from human authors. But the Bible reminds us that God promises to be there in all our shortcomings. In 2 Cor. 12:9 we read how God reminded Paul that, “My power is made perfect in weakness,” and in Phil 1:6 Paul reminds us that God “who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” What God started, He will finish, and we can rest in that assurance. In the end, none of us will be failures. What we really need is not to reach certain milestones, to earn anything, or to look successful in the eyes of the world, but rather to learn that utter dependence on God. If you can let go and let God work out His plan for the world, you can trust He will bring everything to good. You can trust He knows the way even when you don’t....

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