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How to look forward to the future

Hopefulness is a skill we can learn, because… God

*****

Doomerism: despair and apathy caused by a disbelief that anything can get better; most often used with regard to global warming, lack of positive social change, and the risk of AI takeover.
– as defined by Wiktionary

I am shocked at how much optimism has died just in my own lifetime. I didn’t even realize the cultural atmosphere in my childhood was particularly optimistic – it was just “normal” to me. But compared to the current atmosphere, with the oppressive worries of natural disasters, new diseases, social tension, authoritarian governments, and renewed nuclear threats, the previous decades take on a rosy hue.

Why do so many people, especially young people, feel an impending sense of doom? It’s less about our current circumstances, and more about the loss of hope for the future. We might be all right at the moment, the feeling seems to be, but we’re just hanging in there. Who knows how long we’ll be able to hang in there for?

You might argue that this is worldly thinking. Climate change, authoritarianism, social issues are all things “the world” is concerned about. But I can relate to feeling like my actions and decisions are pointless, my life is going nowhere, and that the future looks bleak. I have had times in my life where I felt paralyzed, like anything I did would likely lead to doom.

It turns out that being hopeful takes a lot of effort sometimes. And when the world around us persistently sends messages about how bleak everything is, about how young people are worse off than their parents’ generation, and how disaster looms on the horizon, it feels even harder to go against the flow.

But as Christians, shouldn’t we know how to hope? Yet Christian discussions can also be full of how the world is getting worse. Christians are worried about what will happen to their families and their churches. And so, hopefulness becomes a hard skill for us to learn.

How do you learn to have hope for the future? Here are a few perspectives that have helped me along the way.

1. Don’t miss the big story by obsessing on the details

One helpful way I’ve found to think about the future is to remind myself that I already know the ending, and that ending is a happy one. The day-to-day right now might look like it inevitably leads to doom and gloom, but I know that’s not the big picture. I just need to zoom out enough to see the whole big story, and see that I’m just in a small part in the middle of it. I’m muddled down in the details, but a detail isn’t the whole story. And the best way to remind myself of the big story is to read the Word of God. That’s where we hear the end of the story and are reminded about who’s writing it.

Ok, ok, you might be thinking, that's the big picture, but I still feel hopeless about my life. I might know in the end everything will turn out all right, but I still don’t feel capable of doing anything right now. I still feel like the current circumstances make whatever I do seem pointless.

It’s true, it can be hard to connect what we believe to how we feel. Sometimes we know something, but we still feel anxious or paralyzed. But this means that it’s worthwhile examining what story our feelings are buying into, if we feel that way. We might not realize the degree that we’re accepting other people’s narratives about our lives.

2. No, the pessimists don’t know it all

You might be sitting at home, doomscrolling on your phone, and some talking head on TikTok pops up bringing all these facts together: while wages in Canada have increased by 74.3% since 2003, housing prices have increased by 227%. Add to that the information that Canada’s population has also increased during this time, and that housing starts have struggled to keep up with the demand. Your heart sinks. You weren’t thinking about when you’d be able to afford a house before that moment, but now you’re convinced you never will. What’s the point of going to work tomorrow?

And that’s just one example. It doesn’t take much time online to find theories about why Gen Z, or millennials, or whatever generation is doomed – why they will never get married, or afford a house, or be able to have children, or ever retire. These theories all seem so airtight, based on facts and statistics laid out in a logical fashion, with each piece of data leading to the next.

But life is not so airtight. These theories are not prophecies about your life. Perhaps some of the stats and data might be useful for bureaucrats trying to understand social conditions, but when they become reasons for you to give up on life, they’ve left the realm of usefulness.

We’re often skeptical of mainstream media narratives about politics and the environment, but somehow this kind of data can sneak into our brains. Sometimes it starts off being comforting, because it explains why we’re not quite where we want to be in life yet. It’s not us, it’s just our circumstances. But an inescapable path of doom unfolding beneath your feet doesn’t help you in the long run; it paralyzes you.

What will help?

Stop listening to these voices. No one theory can take into account all the information available – each tends to cherry-pick facts that fit. Online influencers and writers and videos tend to emphasize the negative narratives because that’s what gets clicks. And no theory can predict the unexpected event that changes everything and throws all accepted theories into chaos (sometimes known as a black swan event). The world is not predictable, and events that don’t fit the theories do happen (and disprove the theories). So why base your life on one of those theories?

3. Learn from history as it actually was

When my grandma was a young woman in the Netherlands, World War II started and all the young men left town to join the army. She didn’t think it was likely she would get married. Then she met my grandpa, who was a resistance fighter. After the war, they wanted to get married, but so many houses had been bombed in the Netherlands that there was nowhere for them to live.

We can look back on the past with nostalgia – “in the 1950s you could support a family on one income!” But we don’t remember all the times that a future didn’t look possible for them back then, all the times when, logistically, there was just no one around to get married to, or statistically there were zero homes for newly married couples to live in, or that the “better life” looked a lot harder than the old life.

Maybe life doesn’t give us “optimal conditions.” Sometimes “doing something” really looks like doing the impossible. My grandma just kept taking the next step, even if circumstances didn’t look great. After all, nothing is impossible with God.

So don’t base your life on disheartening statistics. Instead, why not base your life on the Word of God?

4. Trust God with the future

God loves you, and He didn’t design your life as a kind of trap you can’t escape. But He also doesn’t reveal our life paths to us before they happen. He calls us to trust in Him as we walk in His ways:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).

In other words, God hasn’t shone a spotlight on your destination, but He does light your feet as you take each step. You are part of a big story, but your part might not include our society’s preferred narrative of buying a home to fund your retirement, or finding the one career where you can make a meaningful impact. Or, who knows, maybe that will be part of your story one day. But the fundamental thing to hold onto is that you are a part of the story God is telling, and this means your life has meaning.

What does knowing this do for us? It means we don’t have to be paralyzed. It also means we don’t have to see what will happen to us before it happen, even though we think predicting our future will make us feel better. We don’t need to add up all the facts together to predict our future and come to a negative conclusion (“there’s more women than men in the average church I attend, therefore the likelihood of me finding a husband is less than...”). God doesn’t work according to statistics. God doesn’t stop working out His plan because forecasters say most millennials won’t be able to afford a house. He will do whatever His will is for your life. The question is, are you open to that?

5. Trust Him one step at a time

Can you keep taking the next step God lays in front of your feet, and the next step, and the next step, without always knowing where it will go? Can you find the courage to try things that are a little scary for you, if He calls you to them? Sometimes moving forward in life feels like plunging into the unknown, into something that could go terribly wrong (because any momentous choice in life could go terribly wrong) but with the willingness to try and see what God will do with your life.

It’s easy to say, just do something, but doing something come with risk. We can take actions that make us suffer, we can make wrong decisions, we can do the wrong thing. That’s what scares us, and makes us paralyzed. The reality of risk feeds our paralysis. But to begin to exercise our faith and trust in our God Who is bigger than us, we do have to step out and learn to leave what’s out of our control up to Him.

The Bible is full of examples of people stepping out in faith and leaving the future up to God. There is Abraham, who "went out, not knowing where he was going... to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land” (Heb. 11:8-9). People did not live their lives by theories or statistics: “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised” (Heb. 11:11-12).

And in the face of our fear of the future we can still act:

“In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good” (Eccl. 11:6).

We’re urged in the Parable of the Ten Talents, and in Proverbs, to do the work in front of us. But we’re also urged to leave the results up to God.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to his beloved sleep” (Ps. 127:1-2).

So let go of what you can’t control. God isn’t calling you to navigate what’s out of your hands. And then do your part. Take steps in what areas you can do something. This is the only place to start.

Conclusion

Hopefulness isn’t a journey we can travel on our own. We can’t always formulate or speak the positive story to ourselves, and others can come alongside us to tell us their own stories of God’s work in their lives. If you’re feeling hopeless, reach out and talk to someone you trust.

But at the same time, lean into God and His Word. He can contradict and counteract the negative narratives from culture that surround us every day. He can give us hope when the world claims it is dark. And we know His promises to us never fail.

Full Article

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Assorted

The pot experiment has been a disaster

If marijuana definitively destroys lives, should we be free to smoke? ***** A few weeks ago, Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports publicly supported a measure that would legalize marijuana in Florida. “As an adult,” Portnoy said, “I should be allowed to smoke weed, watch football, and eat pizza on Sunday regardless if I’m at home in Mass or Florida.” To which, Matt Walsh replied: "Can you point to any state or city in the country where life has been, in any way, measurably improved after legalizing marijuana? Where are the legalization success stories? Give me just one please." After the rushed social experiment by many states to legalize marijuana, we know the answer to this important question. Study after study has demonstrated that legal pot has been even more disastrous than predicted. The most obvious consequences have been in basic safety concerns. Legalizing pot correlates with a rise in auto crashes, as well as property and violent crimes. Also, despite the fact that this is now a multibillion-dollar industry, legalizing pot has grown rather than reduced the black market. Promises of health benefits have also proven to be more smoke than substance. Pot’s most devastating impact has been in the arena of mental health, which has declined to epidemic levels in the U.S. This is largely due to the increased potency of pot that is sold today, which is significantly stronger than what was passed around at Woodstock. Analyzing medical data from 6 million people, researchers in Denmark found that up to 30% of schizophrenia cases among young men could be linked to marijuana use. Though advocates and lawmakers have worked to “decrease the public’s perception of its harm,” as the study’s lead author said, they have misrepresented the reality. Other studies also have shown a clear link between marijuana use and psychosis. For example, according to a report at CBS News, "eople who smoked marijuana on a daily basis were three times more likely to be diagnosed with psychosis compared with people who never used the drug. For those who used high-potency marijuana daily, the risk jumped to nearly five times." In other words, pot isn’t a victimless crime and, given its social impact, cannot simply be reduced to a matter of personal freedom. Not only are cannabis users more likely to start using opioids, but the National Academy of Medicine reports that using pot “is likely to increase the risk of schizophrenia and other psychoses; the higher the use, the greater the risk.” Between 2006 and 2014, emergency room visits for marijuana-induced psychosis tripled to 90,000. Most troubling of all is the link between pot and teen suicide. According  to Colorado state statistics, the drug was found in the system of some 42% of teens who had taken their own lives, a rate nearly twice that of alcohol and four times that of any other substances. Colorado consistently ranks among the worst states in terms of suicide rates. Critics will quickly argue that correlation does not imply causation, but connections like this must be investigated. If nearly half of stroke victims took the same medicine, would we wonder if there was a link worth our consideration? Why the reluctance to connect the dots when it comes to marijuana? Since suicide rates have risen every year that pot has been legal, we’re far past giving the benefit of the doubt. Of course, if lawmakers took up Matt Walsh’s challenge, they’d have to reconsider and recant their promises of personal liberty, not to mention millions of dollars for education and better roads. The science here is all but settled. Pot is bad for individuals, and it’s bad for society. The kind of freedom Portnoy is claiming ends in slavery, a slavery to one’s own passion. It is a freedom from rules and restraint, not a freedom for the good life. True freedom is a necessary means for human flourishing, but as Chuck Colson often noted, there is no true freedom without virtue. A freedom that wrecks the mind, puts families, children, and neighbors at greater risk, and contributes to general social degradation is not freedom. It’s license built on selfishness. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, go to Breakpoint.org. This is reprinted with permission from the Colson Center....

Politics

Top 10 political wins in recent years

Reformed Christians spend a lot of time discussing and resisting bad policy developments. We have much to lament when it comes to public policy in Canada in the last few decades. But we often forget that we’ve had some wins too. And so, the ARPA Canada staff brainstormed more than two dozen political wins in the last decade or so and voted on which were the best. Each staff member gave 10 points to their top pick, 9 points to their second pick, etc. Here’s the consensus on the top 10 political wins in Canada in recent years. #10. Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Initiative (18 pts) In 2010, Canada played a leadership role in the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Initiative (MCHN), a joint project among several developed countries to end the preventable deaths of newborns and children in developing countries across the world. Canada committed $6.5 billion to this endeavor. While that program itself is a laudable pro-life policy action, it was a victory in another regard. In almost every possible measure, Canada has succumbed to the sexual revolution, and to the pro-abortion advocates, as evidenced by the fact that we are the only democratic country in the world not to have any laws against abortion whatsoever. There was enormous pressure for the Harper government to include funding for abortion in this program. But they resisted the pressure and excluded funding for abortions in developing countries. #9. Reversal of Alberta’s gay-straight-alliance policy (26 pts) In 2017, Alberta passed Bill 24, An Act to Support Gay Straight Alliances, which required all schools to establish a gay-straight alliance club upon the request of any student. The legislation deleted the requirement that parents had to be notified if their children joined the club. It also required schools to “immediately grant permission” to any activities and events initiated by the club and threatened to revoke the funding and accreditation of independent schools who failed to establish these clubs. Christian schools and Christian parents were rightfully alarmed by this legislation. They fought back. And they won. Just a couple of years later, a new government deleted the worst of Bill 24’s provisions via Bill 8 (2019). #8. National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (30 pts) After the landmark Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act was passed in 2014 (see #1a), the Canadian government realized that simply having this good law against prostitution wasn’t enough to stop the horrendous crime of human trafficking. Far too many women and girls were being trafficked into sexual slavery in Canada. And so, in 2019, the government created a National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking that ran from 2019-2024 to provide greater focus on enforcing the existing law and helping trafficked women escape prostitution. The strategy promoted greater cooperation among various federal government departments and even provincial and local police forces. #7. Removal of hate speech offences from Canada’s Human Rights Act (37 pts) Free speech has long been under attack in Canada. Many of the most egregious violations of free speech in our country happened under the hate speech provision of the Canadian Human Rights Act. It was relatively easy to bring a successful hate speech complaint. Many of the complaints brought to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled against Christian speech and let non-Christian speech off the hook. For example, musicians were found not guilty of hate speech for a song that repeated “kill the Christian,” but Christian ministers and activists were found guilty of hate speech when criticizing homosexuality. Given that this hate speech law broadly violated our society’s guarantee of free speech and was often aimed squarely at Christians, we rejoiced when this section was deleted from Canada’s law in 2013. #6. Improvements to provincial drug policies (39 pts) Tens of thousands of Canadians have died from illicit drug use in the past decade. These tragedies sparked many calls for provinces to change their approach to drug policy. British Columbia went perhaps the furthest, effectively decriminalizing the possession of a wide variety of illicit drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, handing out “safe supply” of drugs on the street, and even allowing the public consumption of these drugs. But in recent months British Columbia has begun to realize the errors of this approach to drug policy and has changed direction, recriminalizing the use of illicit drugs in public and promising to require those who are unable to escape their addiction to go into treatment programs. Another province, Alberta, has adopted a robust drug recovery program policy in response to this growing crisis. #5. Manitoba’s conscience rights legislation (39 pts) In 2016, right after the legalization of euthanasia across Canada, Manitoba passed legislation to ensure the conscience rights of health professionals not to participate in euthanasia if the practice violates their conscience. This legislation trumps any policy that a medical regulatory body might try to impose on its members. In many other provinces, medical regulatory bodies have policies that require health care professionals to provide an effective referral for euthanasia even if they don’t want to participate in euthanasia themselves. For many Christian doctors and nurses, effective referrals amount to aiding and abetting a suicide so these referrals violate their conscience. Manitoba is the only province that has passed legislation to protect the right of such health care practitioners to follow their conscience in this matter. #4. Saskatchewan Parents’ Bill of Rights (41 pts) Last year, Saskatchewan passed a comprehensive parents’ bill of rights in education, becoming the first province in Canada to do so. Other provinces have some statements and protections of the rights of parents in legislation, but none go as far as the new Saskatchewan bill of rights. Among other things, this legislation guarantees the right of parents to act as the primary decision-maker for their child’s education. This includes requiring that parents be informed on a regular basis of their child’s attendance, behaviors and academic achievement in school, be informed of any sexual education in the classroom, and give consent before a school uses a student’s newly preferred name or pronouns. #3. Delay of expansion of MAiD to mental illness (82 pts) Euthanasia was first legalized in Canada in 2016. Over the last eight years, through a combination of court rulings and new legislation, Canada’s euthanasia regime has become increasingly permissive. It has often seemed like Canada’s euthanasia laws only change in the wrong direction. Thankfully, it is still illegal to euthanize someone who requests MAiD on the basis of a mental illness alone. While the government had planned to legalize this earlier this year, significant pushback led Parliament to delay this expansion until 2027. That might not seem like a huge policy victory. But this delay does protect Canadians with mental illness from euthanasia for four years longer than the original legislation intended. Furthermore, 2027 is after the next federal election and the party currently leading in the polls (the Conservatives) has vowed to entirely cancel this planned expansion. #1b. Alberta’s new gender identity laws (85 pts) Next up, we have the suite of laws newly introduced (but not yet passed at the time of writing) in Alberta to combat gender ideology in the province. Three separate bills aim to: ban medical transitioning for minors under the age of 16 require the consent or notification of parents for their children to learn about gender and sexuality in the classroom or change their gender identity at school limit women’s sports to biological women only While all three bills could be improved in various ways, they are by far the most ambitious steps taken by any Canadian government to reverse the spread of gender ideology. While New Brunswick and Saskatchewan (see #4) took steps in this regard, Alberta has gone further with its changes to the education system and, if these bills pass, will be the only province in the country to significantly limit medical transitioning for minors. #1a. Canada's revised prostitution law (PCEPA) (85 pts) Tied for the top of the list is Canada’s new prostitution law, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, commonly known as PCEPA. It was passed in 2014 after the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada’s existing prostitution laws. The original prostitution laws criminalized almost every part of prostitution except the actual act itself. So, while prostitution itself was legal, it was illegal to advertise the sale of sex, operate a brothel, or profit from someone else’s prostitution. When the Supreme Court struck down these laws, Parliament seized the opportunity to adopt a very different policy model. 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Interview with an artist

Jason Bouwman is finding hope in the desert

Antelope CanyonOil on birch panel | 12X16May 2024Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ. is possibly the most famous and most photographed slot canyon in the west, maybe the world. Surreal and enchanting. The abstract symphony of shapes beckons one deep into the canyon’s serpentine walls and across the narrow sandy stage where time-sculpted stone twirls gracefully in delicate light. Jason Bouwman is a familiar name to many of us from his devotionals Just Thinking (available as a free e-book here) and Still Thinking (which can be purchased here) that sit on our shelves. Then there’s his coin designs for the Royal Canadian Mint, to this very “Interview with an Artist” column where he’s profiled many other Reformed artists, Jason has had many projects we might have seen. But let’s get to know the man behind the work a bit better, as well as his latest venture, the Arabah project. 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From a cross-country road trip with his sister and parents to his honeymoon in California and Arizona, the deserts worked their way into his consciousness and his soul. “I've been in a season of life for which the desert seems to be an especially fitting metaphor for what I've been experiencing,” he says, “and so I wanted to explore it for personal reasons too.” He explains, “There’s a feeling one gets when staring out that horizon under an endless sky that I still can’t explain. The desert is a place of jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, otherworldly beauty. The plants and animals that inhabit this otherwise inhospitable landscape are some of the most inventive and resilient organisms you’ll ever see – as are the people who live there... I have also come to see the desert as a metaphor for certain seasons in my life – those seasons which have been disorienting, confusing, obscure, dry of emotion and seemingly directionless. Those times in life when I’ve been tested, challenged, humbled, brought low, brought to the end of myself so that I might experience more of God and His power and provision.” Evening Drive with MikeOil on gessoed panel | 10X10June 2024I saw this scene on a road leading west out of Mount Pleasant, Utah early one evening. There was something nostalgic about it. It reminded me of photographs I used to see in National Geographic. It reminded me of a road trip our family took out west when I was a boy. It reminded me of Sunday evening drives down country roads with my parents. I shared some of that with workshop instructor Michael Workman and he said; “Paint that!” So I’m calling this “Evening Drive with Mike” “Arabah” is referenced in the Bible. It describes a region of the Negev Desert bordering on present-day Israel, and deserts are a frequent landscape in biblical stories. The Arabah project mirrors the Exodus journey the Israelites took through the desert. The desert can be challenging, but it can also be beautiful, and Jason wants viewers of this project to be able to see both the struggle and the possible blessings found there. After all, as Jason says, not all wandering is a waste of time, and God’s own people were led through the desert, but not without purpose. This project was also a little different because he has been collaborating with his daughter, Jamie, which Jason finds very rewarding. She brings a very different set of skills as a filmmaker, which gives this project a different dimension. “I'm often more excited about what she's doing than my own work.” The goal is to create an art exhibit, a coffee table book, and a short film. Jason and Jamie have already been invited to show a few sneak previews at various events. A big thing Jason’s been thinking about lately is the role of community, and the role the support of others can have in an artist’s life. “I've been blessed by a community of people and patrons who are willing to take risks along with me in creating something new…. They invest time listening to my ideas and concepts, providing feedback about what they think is valuable or not (to themselves and the rest of the community), and commit to purchasing work before they see it completed.” Both the patron and the artist benefit from this connection, the artist from the support and the patron from being able to participate in the art’s creation. This is something all Christians might be able to relate to, even if we’re not artists – the support and feedback from brothers and sisters around us are so important in doing the work God calls us to do. Learn more about the Arabah Project and Jason’s other works at: JasonBouwman.com and Instagram.com/jaybouwman. BoundariesOil on canvas | 24" X 36" | 2023Growing, maturing and healing necessarily involves establishing boundaries. But unlike physical fences, human boundaries need to be communicated and respected to be effective - not least of all by ourselves. “Shaken, pushed around and mishandled but still longing to trust. This is faith too” - Justin McRoberts...

Assorted

6 on Anxiety

“I have anxiety.” How often do we hear this phrase nowadays? And most of us can relate to it. There’s so much to be anxious about in our modern world, with so many things changing all around us. But one thing that doesn’t change, and the one thing Reformed Perspective aims to focus on above all else, is the God Who is our Rock in the midst of the storms. It can be so hard to let Paul’s words “do not be anxious about anything” sink into our souls. But article after article, published through RP’s many years, repeats this simple biblical message. And they pair that biblical foundation with our authors’ personal experiences of how challenging and how peaceful the act of putting these words into practice can be. Be encouraged through these reads below! You can click on each heading to go to the linked article. Learning to be anxious for nothing Mark Penninga shares his own journey through anxiety and burnout. He shares the highlights of his years of learning, counseling, and slow change in the hopes of helping other Christians along the way. He explores how care and concern for others is a good thing, but can cross a line into bearing cares and concerns we were not meant to carry. Anxiety and the triumph of hope: 3 biblical counselors explain anxiety In this interview, three biblical counselors bring their wisdom to explain anxiety and how we can approach it. They give insight into whether anxiety is more common in the Church, and how Christians can sometimes experience it differently. They also give some practical tips. Do not worry… Sharon Bratcher suggests that one root of worry can be our pride, and gives some suggestions for addressing that particular root of anxiety. Technology and our anxious hearts One of the biggest causes of anxiety is our use of technology. Even pastors see this come up in their congregations. Reuben Bredenhof explains why technology can cause such anxiety in us, and how we can recalibrate our relationship to technology in the light of God’s word. Just how bad is the teen anxiety epidemic? While adults are anxious, teen anxiety has been described as an “epidemic.” How bad is it? According to the stats, it is far more common, and there are many reasons for this. This list of factors may help teens and parents sort out what might be contributing to anxiety. Gezellig: cozy, restful What’s the opposite of anxiety? In Dutch, there is an untranslatable word, gezellig, which captures the idea of coziness and restfulness. This concept can be a helpful guide to slowing down in our fast-paced and restless world. Anxiety is a challenge, but we hope these articles give you encouragement and a place to start your journey to the peace God promises us in His Word!...

Tidbits – December 2024

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Economics - Home Finances

How do you buy a house when you are 19?

Our son pulled it off with hard work, and more than a little help from his parents ***** Our son Seth read this story and gave his permission to share it. How do you buy a house when you are 19? The answer in our case is hard work, lots of saving and a whole lot of parental help. My husband and I have four children of whom Seth is the oldest at 19. I’ve always enjoyed keeping an eye on the housing market, and after I learned Seth was interested in buying a house, my eyes were glued to the daily real estate listings. It wasn’t long before one came to my attention due to its low, low price. It was a 920-square-foot, 72-year-old small house on a large lot, right in town, listed for $315,000. To put the price of this house into perspective, in our town right now there are 16 houses listed between $385,000 and $777,000. We set up an appointment to see the house the very day it was listed and it had already had five views and one offer on it. We looked at it at 5pm and put in an offer a couple hours later that same evening. As my son says, he went to work without any idea that he would even be looking at a house that day, never mind putting an offer on one that very evening. This was the first house he had looked at. He started at 13 Seth started working at McDonald’s at 13. We live in a town where if your family is trying to limit screen time and your kids aren’t really interested in sports, there isn’t a lot to do. So, that meant there was lots of time to work Saturdays and a couple hours for a couple days a week after school. The rule we made for our kids when they started working was that 10% of what they made went to church, 10% to spend on what they wanted, and the rest went to savings. These savings could only go towards something big, like a car or a house. As this was something we also did with their allowance when they were younger (although different percentages) it was a natural progression, and did not come as a shock to the kids. As we provide everything our children need, we didn’t want them to have access to huge amounts of spending money – we did not think this was wise, or a fair representation of what life as an adult is like. Baggie budget Also, wanting our children to learn more on making wise financial decisions, at age 13 we instituted “baggies.” We take plastic Ziplock baggies and mark them with an amount and a description, and every month we fill them with the amount listed on the baggie. Money in the baggie can only be used for what it says it is for on the baggie. For example, we have a baggie for clothes that is $45/month. Every month we fill that baggie with $45 which the child uses for all his/her clothes needs. The child can decide to shop the sales, save the money for a couple months for a larger purchase, buy second-hand or even possibly have to wait for a couple weeks if money is not spent wisely. Some other baggie examples we have used are for gifts and school supplies. We started out with a lot more categories, but eventually found these to be most useful. Invest low During the spring of 2020 when the stock market crashed, I talked to Seth about investing his savings under my name as he was too young to open an account himself. I used this time to teach him how to look for solid companies, read financial documents, search for past dividend payment history, and explain the difference between owning a part of a good company versus gambling your money away by putting it into meme stocks hoping to get rich quick. By 2024 Seth had saved up $30,000 for a down payment, and having graduated in 2023 he was working full time at a small company. Actually, more than full time: he was picking up an extra half hour each day of overtime, as well as working any Saturdays that he was offered. A day or two after we put in our offer, we got word back that the seller was willing to work with us. I think the seller picked us over the other offer partly due to the fact that we did not make the offer subject to financing, and because we were willing to consider taking on the renter (a relative of the owner) with the property. Help from mom and dad Probably the biggest factor in being able to buy this property was that we, the parents, were willing to use the equity that we had in our own house to take out a loan to cover the other house. We bought our own house 7 years ago and since then it has almost doubled in value according to our BC assessment. So we actually hold the mortgage that Seth pays for – all three of our names are on the title to our son’s house. As soon as Seth is able to take on the mortgage amount himself (as he pays the mortgage down and gains equity in his own house) he will do so, and we will take our names off his title. Another way we have helped out is that Seth lives at home rent free (he is renting his house out at $1900/month), with the understanding that the extra money he makes will go towards making extra payments on his house. This arrangement won’t be long term, as we will be reassessing in a year and a half. After that he can either move into his house or try to find a smaller, cheaper rental for himself so that he is still making extra by renting out his house. We could allow him to stay, either with or without rent, but we think it is also good for young people to struggle a bit, not always relying on their parents, because, as the Apostle Paul says (in a different context), suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, which does not put us to shame (Rom. 5:3-5). The pros to the situation include the obvious: that not only was Seth actually able to purchase a house without a huge down payment, but also that, with our names on the title, it brought his house insurance down as we haven’t ever had a claim. Probably the most concerning con is that lending and borrowing between family members can lead to strain and resentment and family discord (according to Dave Ramsey). Another concern for us is that if Seth ever needed to make an insurance claim it would probably affect our own insurance rates in the future. From 25 to 10 years Right now, Seth pays $683 bi-weekly with only $212 of that going towards his principal. His mortgage is 25 years, but he makes as many extra payments on his principal as possible, which will hopefully see him paying off the house within 10 years. It is pretty crazy to see how much interest there is on a 25-year loan and how little your regular payment actually goes towards paying off your debt. On the other hand, it is amazing how putting extra payments on your mortgage can take months and even years off the mortgage payment schedule. I feel like as parents we have tried to teach our children to be good stewards of their money, tried to open their eyes to different opportunities and tried to show them how to use the gifts that God has given them in ways that glorify His name....

Assorted

A New Atheist loves that old time Religion

In 2007, four now fairly famous atheists – Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins – met to discuss their views. They filmed the discussion, titled it “The Four Horseman,” and when it went viral, they became known as the “Four Horseman of New Atheism.” The name of their group was ironic, since they certainly had no interest in the book of Revelation, in which four horsemen bring God’s judgment on the rebellious world; however, it was also fitting, since the Four Horsemen of Revelation are destructive, as are the New Atheists. Even they seemed to understand the destructive nature of their godless stance. Daniel Dennett saw Darwinism’s Dangerous Idea (the title of his 1995 book) as “a universal acid" that would eat through whatever it came into contact with. The despair of our current culture supports that, though in a way that Dennett did not intend. Cultural Christian? Of these “horsemen” the most famous today is Richard Dawkins, who is best known for his book The God Delusion. His prominence is partly because he is one of only two still living: Christopher Hitchens died in 2011, and Daniel Dennett died just this past April. But Dawkins’ fame is also because he has repeatedly made news for embracing aspects of the very Christianity he’s made his name attacking. And God has allowed Dawkins to live long enough to see some of the impact of his own form of atheistic evangelism, so that the lead horseman could begin to understand the destructiveness of his godless stance. This past year, in an interview with journalist Rachel Johnson, Dawkins declared that he “was slightly horrified to hear that Ramadan was being promoted instead” of Easter, because: “ culturally a Christian country. I call myself a cultural Christian. I’m not a believer.” Dawkins noted that “there is a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian.” But as British evangelist Glen Scrivener noted, Dawkins has maintained his “cultural” Christianity for quite a while now. Dawkins offered to read a chapter of the King James Bible for the Bible Society during the 400-year anniversary of the publication of the KJV back in 2011. Dawkins wasn’t paying tribute to the truth of God’s Word – he was only expressing a “historical interest” in the KJV, equating it to a similar appreciation for Richard Wagner and the Greek gods, since all three give us a better understanding of English literature. He also said that “it is important that religion should not be allowed to hijack this cultural resource.” Scrivener also noted that in 2018, Dawkins tweeted a picture of himself with the following caption: “Listening to the lovely bells of Winchester, one of our great mediaeval cathedrals. So much nicer than the aggressive-sounding ‘Allahu Akhbar.’ Or is that just my cultural upbringing speaking?” Dawkins was more pointed in his 2024 interview with Rachel Johnson. He said: “I love hymns and Christmas carols. I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos. I feel that we are a Christian country in that sense,” And later in the interview he added: “Christianity is a fundamentally decent religion.” Comparing the treatment of women and homosexuals in both religions, Dawkins admitted that Christianity’s treatment of all people, whatever their sex or sin, is fundamentally more decent than that of Islam. But he still cannot, or will not, acknowledge why it is more decent. And that why is rooted in Christianity's working out of the truth of Genesis 1: that all people are created in the image of God. There is no fruit without the root Glenn Scrivener makes a great point about Dawkins’ inconsistent positions: he said that Dawkins is like the birds pecking at the seeds of the gospel in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-8). You can see such pecking in his Easter conversation with Rachel Johnson. He kept pecking at her own limited faith, asking, repeatedly, whether she herself believed in the virgin birth or the resurrection of Jesus Christ (she could only reply that she’d like to believe it). Scrivener says that Dawkins wants the fruits of Christianity without the root that brought it into being. He makes a connection to a later parable in the same chapter: the Parable of the Mustard Seed where a giant tree grew out of a small seed (Matt. 13:31-32), and suggests that Dawkins is one of the birds that is allowed to perch in the branches, enjoying the earthly fruits of God’s kingdom, even while he saws at the root of the tree. Every knee shall bow (Phil. 2:10) So what is the good news in Dawkins’ claims of cultural Christianity, even as he continues to deny the objective truth of Christianity? Let’s go back to the first Horseman we looked at: Daniel Dennett, who saw evolution – Darwin’s dangerous idea – as the acid that would transform everything it came into contact with. Dawkins has been admitting the terrible truth of Dennett’s boast. Evolution’s attack on the root of Christianity has left the West vulnerable to false gods, like Allah and trans ideology – two things that horrify Dawkins. Dawkins’ confused, but stubborn and hostile, attitude toward Christ shows the truth of Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” And some people have, unexpectedly, been brought by the Spirit to begin sowing to the Spirit. For instance, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who first embraced atheism in her rejection of her Muslim upbringing, has seen, like Dawkins, how the New Atheism helped open up the West to destructive gods, and how atheism had nothing to counter them. She has been brought to acknowledge both the fruit and the root of Christianity – Christ himself – and in a conversation with Dawkins, opened him up to at least admit that the existence of God is “a dramatic important idea.” The good news is that the lead horseman has to acknowledge that what he and his friends have been sowing – the wind – is reaping the whirlwind. Even better, that whirlwind is preparing some to be blown over by the wind of the Spirit that Jesus tells Nicodemus about (John 3:8). In that way, willingly or unwillingly, they already have to fulfill the truth of Philippians 2:10, and bend the knee before the King....

Articles, Movie Reviews

Adults, why not try a cinematic time travel experiment?

Travel back through 8 decades of film ***** Here's an idea for your movie nights going forward – why not watch a standout movie or two from each decade? It’s not that easy to find quality movies, and even less so when you have Christian standards for what you watch. But if you expand your choices beyond what’s come out in the past year, it gets a little easier. And by watching movies through the decades, you can really see how times (and movies!) have changed. Now, some older movies can be challenging and may demand a little charity from us while watching. The story pacing can be a bit slower, which our dopamine-addicted brains might find hard to handle. The filming style can feel odd or unnatural, especially when it comes to black-and-white movies filmed in a more formal, theatrical style. But the payoff is worth it! A good story is a good story in any decade, and the stories of the past can connect us to values and virtues of those who have gone before us, which are not so common in our modern day. To make it easy for you, we’ve created a list, traveling back in time through almost a hundred years of cinema history! We’ve got suggestions for nearly every decade from the 2020s to the 1930s. All the movies are linked to their reviews, so if there are any cautions, you can see what they are by clicking the links. 2020s C.S. Lewis: the most reluctant convert Few of us haven’t heard of C.S. Lewis, and this film takes us on a journey through his conversion, showing us his wrestling with God. Since so much of the dialogue is taken from Lewis’ writings, it adds that extra layer of authenticity – and it’s shot on location! You might think you know his life well already, but this film tells the story so superbly you are left wanting more. Unsung Hero While this is about the Smallbone family that gave us Christian artists Rebecca St. James and For King & Country, you don't have to know them or their music to enjoy this story of a family triumphing over hard times because of the determination and love of their unsung hero, mom. 2010s The Song This is a Christian film, but not what you usually expect from a Christian film. Loosely based on the story of David and Solomon, it tells the story of a country singer trying to live up to his father. Woodlawn Time for a sports film? This is a based-on-a-true-story movie about the profound effect sports chaplain Hank Erwin had on the football team at Woodlawn High School. It’s set during a time of tension over racial integration in Alabama. 2000s The Ultimate Gift A spoiled, rich young man is challenged when he has to navigate a series of tests his grandfather laid out for him before he can inherit. It turns out his grandfather intentionally created these tasks to shape his grandson’s character. Some of the scenarios in the film are a little far-fetched, but the overall impression this film leaves is sweet and heartwarming. Pride and Prejudice A modern take on a true classic when it comes to romance. And this tale is told without any of the explicit content common to many a romance, and which Christians are rightly uncomfortable with. When Elizabeth and Darcy meet, they instantly dislike each other, but their first impressions of each other turn out not to be the most accurate. Through the film, they grow to know each other better, and themselves. 1990s A Vow to Cherish This film dives into a more difficult part of marriage – when a wife is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Her husband, John, has to face the question of whether God is still answering his prayers, especially as other areas of his life start to fall apart as well. Sarah, Plain and Tall Sarah arrives to help out a widower with his children, and over the course of the movie helps the family navigate their grief as well. Will this story end in a romance? 1970s-1980s We don’t have a lot on offer for these two decades. Do you have suggestions? What makes RP movie reviews unique is that they not only need to be good, they need to not take God’s name in vain. So if you have any nominees, please send them on in! 1960s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance This movie has a slower pace, but it’s a classic exploration of the meaning of manhood. By contrasting an independent rancher, a principled lawyer who wants to bring law and order, and a violent outlaw, the story challenges the characters’ ideas of what a man should be. The Miracle Worker This is the Oscar-winning true story of Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, nearly from birth. She was shut in a world of darkness and silence, until a determined teacher managed to reach her. 1950s Roman Holiday This is the movie that made Audrey Hepburn famous. In it, a princess escapes her royal duties and has adventures around Rome, helped out by a friendly journalist. Will he turn their fun into a story, or kill the story to protect her reputation? The ending might not be as predictable as you’d expect. 12 Angry Men When one juror believes there is a reasonable doubt that the man on trial is guilty, he forces the rest of the jury to stay and reexamine the evidence more closely. A unique movie that takes place all in one room and yet manages to keep the suspense high. 1940s The Great Dictator A lot of people know Charlie Chaplin made a film where he made fun of Hitler, but most of us haven’t seen it! Why not dip your toe into the world of black-and-white films by watching one of the classics? While this format might be more challenging, the story matters even today, demonstrating the effect of persecution and mistreatment. Even in this satirical film, the message gets through. Casablanca Casablanca is one of those classics you hear about all the time, but that you suspect might be overhyped – until you watch it. Familiar tropes (Nazis, spies, lost loves, cynical antiheroes) come together so perfectly it feels like a kind of magic. 1930s The Adventures of Robin Hood This film is consistently mentioned as the classic version of Robin Hood on screen, which went on to influence all the others. No dark and gritty retellings of Robin here! Our review lists four reasons you’ll never find a better version than this one. Conclusion You’ve safely traveled back in time! How did you enjoy the variety of genres and styles of filmmaking? Were you surprised by any plots or characters? We hope you enjoyed your journey! To find even more film recommendations, including many films for children, check out our list of 200+ movies King David might watch....

Education

Higher Ed advice: 34 women, 6 principles

After connecting with at least thirty-four women about their experiences considering higher education, I discovered several key themes running through their responses. Read their advice below! Keep in mind that any advice here is just that – advice, not a command. Learn from observing women who’ve had to decide whether to pursue higher education or not, but lean on God and His Word to determine your steps! Flexibility is key Most women prioritized flexibility when choosing a career path, but flexibility could mean many different things. It could mean shortening the length they studied for, or changing their studies to a career that could be easily “paused” and then started again after a few years. This actually means that some women found jobs with specific licensing requirements (such as nursing) can be a bit more challenging for some to stay up to date in, though these jobs were flexible in other ways. It could mean a job with flexible schedules. It could mean studying something that could be used in multiple ways, instead of one specific field only. It’s worthwhile to think about what kind of flexibility matters most to you, and consider how to achieve that in your life. Less debt is less stress While debt can sometimes be worthwhile, in general the less debt you carry the more freedom you have to make choices later in life, such as the choice to pause your career or stop working. Women financed their education in a variety of ways, including scholarships, grants, jobs, help from family, and yes, debt – so take the time to consider all the options. Your passion can be a starting point Many women “knew” from a young age that they wanted a specific career. For some, it was a practical career like nursing or teaching, which were easy to pursue since these are traditionally female-dominated careers anyway. You can be called to something obvious! For others, it was a passion for something less practical, like art. But it can still be worthwhile to discern whether to pursue this, because career paths are not always obvious when you’re a teen unfamiliar with an industry. For example, many who studied art have found careers as graphic designers or illustrators. Other academically gifted sisters have pursued higher degrees and stretched their intellect, and found employment that matched their education. Some even spoke of the freedom they felt to pursue what they loved, because they didn't expect to have to support a family on their income. If it is truly a gift God has given you to use, you can lean on God and see how He will use it. It might not be something you’re called to study, but it might be an option to explore if you’re not quite sure where to start. Practical concerns Many women reported choosing their course of study specifically because it led to a specific job path. For them, it didn’t make sense to invest in something that they wouldn’t be able to find a job in. If being able to support yourself is a goal, this is helpful to keep in mind! One thing to consider though is getting “stuck” on a career path you don’t like – it can take quite a bit of time to retrain from engineering to another career (for example) because the subject is quite specific. A love of learning can guide Don’t be afraid if your passion is a love of learning rather than a specific job. For some women, the priority was developing the mind that God gave them, and learning more about their dear Father as a result of their learning. Many women spoke of how learning is never a waste, and the academic world can use more Reformed minds! However, if you pursue this path, it’s good to combine this with responsible views on debt, as well as with wisdom on how well you can stand firm in a secular environment. The higher levels of education can raise many questions in believers’ minds, and everyone should have a strong system of support for questions if they choose to study in secular environments or at these higher levels. Consider the future, but not with fear Many women mentioned how education could come in handy during difficult times in their lives, such as if they had to support their family on their own. Some said their husband could rest more easily knowing their wife could help out if anything happened to him. And of course, a higher-paying job was helpful for the women who never married. But while these are very logical reasons to pursue education (and they’re worth keeping in mind), if it is a fear of bad consequences that is driving you to a life path, it’s worth pausing and leaning into God to discern if it’s really a path you should take. Some women decided higher education was not right for them, and it’s not right for everybody. And if it is the path God is calling you to, then joy, a love of learning, and a passion for developing the gifts God has given you are better motivations than fear....

Assorted

RP’s guide to “adulting” – our top articles to help you gain the skills to feel grown up

News

Saturday Selections – Dec. 7, 2024

Click on the titles for the linked articles... I want a hippopotamus for Christmas If a boy wants a puppy for Christmas and his parents are reluct...

Entertainment

The case against MMA, boxing, gladiatorial combat, cockfighting, bullbaiting and other blood sports

News

Saturday Selections – Nov. 30, 2024

What actually is fire? (8 min) In a "don't try this at home" spectacular, a BBC hosts tries to figure out what actually makes up fire. And the wonder...

Education

10 lessons learned at 8 post-secondary institutions

Like most high school students, I didn’t really know how to answer the “what are you going to do after school?” question. The world was so big and my experience was miniscule. How was I supposed to commit to something when I had no idea how it would go? Geology sounded interesting, but I knew it wasn’t a good idea to spend weeks in the mountains and away from church and family. And my teachers’ feedback suggested that I may be better suited for something that involved a classroom or office. I decided to aim for a teaching degree, in part because my wiser and older brother blazed that trail ahead of me. College or university had some appeal, but I was more interested in getting a job in the “real world.” Perhaps that was in part because I had to pay for my studies out-of-pocket and always had a hard time remembering what I learned. So, I would never have guessed the post-secondary path and resulting careers that the LORD had planned for me since then. It has straddled 25 years and eight different types of institutions so far: Northwest Community College University College of the Fraser Valley BC Institute of Technology Laurentian Leadership Centre Trinity Western University University of Lethbridge Crest Leadership Centre Colson Fellows Although I didn’t see it at the time, in hindsight I can see how God was directing each step and weaving it to accomplish His purpose in my life. The careers that resulted didn’t even exist when I graduated from school. Lessons learned If I could sit down with the teen or young adult version of myself, or if my own teenaged children were willing to ask, I would offer the following lessons based on this journey. 1. “Seek first His kingdom” Our lives aren’t first and foremost about us. God put us here, and wants us to follow Him where He leads. So do your best to filter out motivations that are self-interested and people-pleasing. And listen carefully when you see a need in the world that aligns with how God made you. Many of these callings, like being a mom or a carpenter, don’t require post-secondary studies. 2. Trust God to guide… and provide Yes, jumping into a particular program or stream can be daunting and comes with a cost in both time and money. But, assuming that you made the decision wisely, you can trust in the LORD to provide. That also means not closing doors that God hasn’t closed for you. I would never have expected that I would have the financial means to get a degree from a private university, or do grad studies. But God provided through many means, from a generous Christian foundation, to a scholarship from the government. Whether we devote eight years to becoming a minister, or work for eight years pouring concrete or fixing vehicles, either way we are working hard. Life is hard. Don’t look for shortcuts. God will walk with us every step of the way. 3. Start walking Instead of being overwhelmed by all the options, just start taking steps. As Kevin DeYoung says so well in his book Just Do Something, we don’t have to wait for mysterious signs from above or crack the code to a secret plan for our life that God expects us to find. If we are seeking first His kingdom, we can pick from many wonderful options. Don’t expect to know what is a good fit without experience. There is nothing wrong with pivoting along the way. 4. You don’t have to plan too far ahead We may want to have a satisfying answer for those who ask What are you going to do with your life? But there are just so many more options than we can ever foresee from where we are standing at 18. If we are too fixated on “our plan” we may miss opportunities where we can be even more effective in God’s kingdom. Keep your eyes and options open. While completing a very good semester studying marketing management and entrepreneurship at a technical institute, I surprised everyone (including myself) by leaving the program to seize an opportunity to study at the Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa, even though it hadn’t been anywhere on my horizon. That switch changed the trajectory of my whole career from marketing to political science. Yet I can now also see how God used those marketing studies to assist with building ARPA Canada years later. None of it was a waste. 5. Work experience can be the best education Although I’m generally grateful for all my studies, my jobs have taught me as much, or more, than I learned in school. And jobs can be much more rewarding, as you get to apply your work to the real world, rather than put a lot of time into something that never goes beyond your professor. Be as intentional with what jobs to pursue as which programs to apply for. Over the last fifteen years I have hired many people. Some of the best ones had no, or limited, post-secondary studies. They were able to learn on the job. What mattered far more was their character and work ethic. In other words, you may not even need the degree or diploma that were expected in the past. 6. Study within your means As much as possible, avoid student debt. When you are done your studies you likely will be prioritizing being married and having a family. “The borrower is a slave to the lender” (Prov. 22:7), especially at a time in your life when there will likely be a lot of pressure and expenses already. Unless you are very confident that you can pay off your student debt within a couple of years of graduating, it may be best to pick a different track. 7. Keep your eyes wide open Satan is the author of lies, and he seems to thrive at post-secondary institutions. I experienced this head-on in my first year, when my “Christian” professor at a community college attacked anyone who wasn’t fully committed to evolution. But I also experienced it in more subtle ways at Trinity Western University, where many of my philosophy classes simply weren’t taught from a biblical worldview. Instead, most involved confused professors teaching confused students about secular ideas, with little or no biblical basis. If you are going to study at a private institution, make sure that the professors are fully committed to God’s Word, including things like creation and God’s design for sexuality. Don’t trust the brochures or the smiling person giving you a tour of campus. Talk with people who study there and ask the hard questions. For example, ask them how God’s Word is used in the classroom. Is it opened and examined? Does the professor demonstrate humility under God’s Word? Is there a willingness to apply Scripture to sensitive topics, without compromise? Otherwise, why pay big bucks for an education that isn’t going to help you think and live faithfully? 8. Don’t just jump through the hoops I was so keen to finish my program as quickly as possible that I didn’t take the time to treasure what I was being taught nearly as much as I should have. Later in life, people often wish they could have the time to study at a college or university again (or for the first time). Don’t squander the gift you have been given by treating it as a means to an end. Take the time to really listen, think, and engage. The goal isn’t getting studying over with. Rather, the goal is to get an education. And if the content isn’t worth learning, that should make you question whether you ought to be there at all. There will always be some garbage being taught in secular institutions that require you to hold your nose and get through. But if that is a big part of your program, it is probably best to study something else or somewhere else. 9. Education really is life-long Although the years out of high school are often the only window most of us have to devote time to post-secondary studies, in more recent decades so many new opportunities have been made possible that allow people of all ages and all positions in life to get a great education, at very little or even no cost. Some of my favorite studies have been the online programs that I have done in the past four years, like the Colson Fellows program (ColsonFellows.org). The wonderful thing about these opportunities is that they are accessible to most people, regardless of your experience, your financial situation, or whether you even finished high school. And if you aren’t able to go through a program, simply reading good books and listening to good podcasts/lectures may be just as valuable. 10. It isn’t necessarily about the degree, or the cost Most of my certificates, diplomas, and degrees are hidden. They really don’t matter. The more important take-aways from the studies are being able to focus, discern, analyze, and write, among other things. And these skills are all the more necessary in a world where concentration levels keep diminishing and people have trouble writing more than a few words in a text message. LOL LMK TTYL. Although studies may not result in a great return on investment for you personally, we need to think about God’s kingdom as a whole. If everyone pursues the trades, what impact will that have around the consistory table, or when it is time to send elders to synod? Now would my teenaged version of myself have listened? Well, sometimes we need to experience life to be open to learning. And I still have a long way to go....

Interview with an artist

Jordan Feenstra is copying His work

“I’m talking to you. Yes, your faith. Believe it, test it, prove it, show it, share it. Start small, take one step in faith. Your faith is your sharpest tool – don’t forget to use it. All you need to start is faith like a grain of mustard seed.” - JF Jordan Feenstra is back in British Columbia for the second time in her life. Jordan, who was born and raised in “small town” Ontario, first moved to BC as a teen to pursue a graphic design diploma in Vancouver. This move was temporary, however, she returned to the province in her late twenties, along with her husband and young daughter. Jordan describes herself as “a lifelong follower of Jesus, a wife, stay-at-home mom, designer, small business owner and adventurer.” Her favorite place to be? Outside. Her love of the outdoors makes the mountains, forests, and rivers of British Columbia feel like home. Feenstra is also the mind behind “A Thousand Elsewhere,” a boutique design firm offering handcrafted inspirational goods and creative services. Whether it's pen on paper, or paint on the kitchen wall, chalk, paint, markers, or pixels, Jordan has used it. Jordan has been hand lettering and drawing for as long as she can remember. But it was after studying graphic design in college that Feenstra challenged herself with a unique project – to hand letter a Bible verse every day for 5 months straight, and to then share a photo of the work to social media no matter what, mistakes and all. The purpose of the project was for Feenstra to refine her lettering and illustration skills while letting go of her need for perfection (a tendency she was struggling with at the time). The project was also intended to encourage Jordan to spend more time with God. “That project,” she says, “changed my life.” “Jesus, looking at the disciples said, ‘you are the salt of the earth.’ He didn’t say that they should be salty or that they needed to do something in order to become salt. Instead, at the moment of conversion, a believer becomes the salt of the earth.” - JF Feenstra continues to share her experiences through writing and hand lettered artwork on social media and her blog. As a mental health advocate, this includes sharing her experiences with anxiety and postpartum depression. In 2015 Jordan, together with her husband, completed the Life Renewal program – Jordan then founded A Thousand Elsewhere with the vision of helping others fight the same battles she once fought. It is now many years and thousands of creative explorations later and Jordan continues to, in her words, “share imperfect gospel-centric musings and creative meditations while living ‘a thousand elsewhere’ until she can spend a day in His courtyard” (from Ps. 84:10). “I don't consider myself an artist, but a creative,” Jordan says. “I think God is the original Artist, and we're all just copying His work.” She continues: “In my experience, pursuing a life outside of Jesus is in vain so I am poised to live a life that brings glory to Him (the original Creator, my inspiration), and brings others to Him. I am restless for His return and can think of no better way to spend ‘a thousand elsewhere’ than caring for my family, exploring creation and sharing His word in the form of creative meditations, goods and resources with the world around me along the way.” You can view more of Jordan’s art at Instagram.com/AThousandElsewhere, and visit Etsy.com/shop/AThousandElsewhereCa or her website, AThousandElsewhere.ca, to buy her artwork on shirts, hoodies, wall art, toques, greeting cards and more. If you have a suggestion for an artist you’d like to see profiled, email Jason Bouwman at [email protected]...

News

Walmart rolls back the woke

Walmart is rolling back more than prices. In late November, Walmart’s CEO John Furner shared that the company is pulling back from some of its “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) efforts. Walmart is the latest and largest example from a growing list of companies – John Deere, Ford, Target, and Lowes, to name a few – who have been walking away from DEI policies this year. Walmart’s decision made headlines because the company is the largest retailer and private employer in the USA, and the largest company in the world by revenue. DEI is a central plank of critical theory, an ideology that separates the world into categories of “oppressed” groups and “oppressors.” The ideology is now the guiding force in Canadian public universities and drives the agenda of “progressive” activist organizations and political parties, including most of Canada’s political leaders. Sadly, Christian families, churches, and schools are also ingesting this ideology, as it masquerades under the banner of opposing racism and hate. But we can see what it’s really about in what Walmart is now removing. Specific changes include plans to remove sexualized and transgender products that were targeted towards children. Walmart funds have previously been linked to groups that do drag queen story hours, but the company is promising to now ensure the community events that it supports are appropriate for children. It is also ending its participation in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, which rates American companies based on their policies for LGBTQ employees. “This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America,” noted Robby Starbuck, an activist who has been very effective in calling out the woke activities of major corporations on social media. Starbuck had warned Walmart’s executives that he would be highlighting their woke agenda. This resulted in “conversations” and Walmart’s announcement followed soon after. The company clarified that it had been working on changes well before the Presidential election or discussions with Starbuck. For an excellent discussion on critical theory and DEI, be sure to listen to the recent Real Talk podcast interview with apologist Neil Shenvi....

Parenting

Obstacles and roadblocks to having children

Some obstacles to having children aren’t entirely in our control. But there are also roadblocks that we can set up in our own way ***** On my 20th birthday, I flopped back on my dorm bed and told my mom on the phone, “I thought that I’d have kids by now.” So why didn’t I? First comes marriage The first and most obvious reason was that I was so busy studying at university I wasn’t even dating. I knew that God intended kids to be raised in a home with a mom and a dad. Since I was single, I wasn’t in a position to have children – even if it was my hidden desire. It was so hidden, in fact, that the girls I lived with voted me as “the most likely to never have children.” So I needed to start bringing what was hidden to the surface, and that began with praying for a husband. I prayed for a God-fearing man who was eager to provide for our family and I trusted God’s will for my life. In addition, I was now up for doing the other things I could to meet eligible men including: Putting myself in places where I was likely to meet eligible men by prioritizing my attendance at church events over other activities and entertainment, and by going to a Christian post-secondary institution, Speaking graciously to many new single men by listening well, being cheerful and kind in the content of my speech, and encouraging them in godly pursuits, Dressing modestly and attractively to avoid two pitfalls: being noticed for the wrong reason and being overlooked because my God-given beauty was hidden, and Being willing to go on dates and try new things, giving guys a fair chance. Over time and by God’s leading, I was married at 25. There’s waiting and then there’s waiting But we didn’t actively try to have children right away. There are some benefits to waiting for a time after marriage to have kids. It is not necessary, but it allows time to adjust to new roles as husband and wife without the added challenge of pregnancy hormones. Just as God typically allows 9 months for a pregnant couple to adjust to the idea of parenthood (and for the baby to develop in preparation for the transition to life outside the womb), my husband and I agreed to allow ourselves some time for the transition from being single to being married. I also saw this as a time that I could complete some life goals before the added responsibility of children. I was eager to complete my schooling for my professional designation. The final test was nine months after my wedding and required intensive studying. My husband and I agreed that it was ok to wait to try for kids until after the final exam. We felt that this was a reasonable amount of time to wait after marriage. However, there are some disadvantages to waiting. There is a risk that life goals snowball. After the exam was finished, I could have said I wanted to hold off trying for kids until I got a promotion, or had a down payment for our own house, or . I knew we would never arrive at the ideal situation prior to having children, but I was happy to have the big exam behind me. Another disadvantage to waiting is having an unhealthy motive. I knew God designed married couples to have children. If I chose to forgo having children to better be able to climb the corporate ladder I knew I would be disobeying God. My life goals would then be an idol, keeping me from loving and serving God whole-heartedly. Being open to God’s blessing of children keeps life goals from becoming idols. In my case, I was content to set aside my goal if I got pregnant before I passed my exam. Open still to the blessing of children Yet in the period of not actively trying for children, it is important to consider what method of preventing pregnancy the married couple is using. Three methods of birth control exist, and some Christians argue that any form of family planning is problematic because God so designed sex as to be procreative. They’d argue sex apart from procreation is a problem. I’m noting the objection, but I don’t share it. But I do think two of the three methods have problems. The first is simply to not have sex. While it is a highly effective form of birth control, it goes against God’s design for marriage. As the Apostle Paul puts in 1 Cor. 7:5 abstinence isn’t a good idea, except maybe by mutual consent for a short period, “so that you may devote yourselves to prayer” but then he encourages couples to “come together again so that Satan may not tempt you…” A couple devoted to prayer is different than a couple trying to avoid precreation; therefore, this is not a biblical form of birth control. A second method involves preventing ovulation – the release of an egg – by taking a birth control pill or using a birth control implant. If there is no egg, then there can be no baby; but it doesn’t always work. If ovulation does happen, then this chemical means of birth control has a secondary effect of making the womb less hospitable to a fertilized egg. A new life begins when an egg is fertilized, even before implantation. Therefore, this secondary effect would end this new life. A conversation with a medical expert using these layman terms would help when trying to clarify how your preferred birth control works. I felt that using this second method of birth control was like firing a machine gun at my sleeping baby’s crib. I wanted to create a safe environment for my children, even in the womb. The third method involves preventing a sperm from fertilizing an egg by using some sort of barrier, like a condom, or not going all the way. The timing of intercourse can also be done when the wife is less likely to be fertile. These forms of family planning prevent life from being created. Some forms of birth control are more effective at preventing pregnancies than others; yet Christians can rest knowing that God’s ways are not our ways and children are one of His gifts. I was comfortable with the “risk” of becoming pregnant before I met my milestone of finishing school. Wrestling with myself After I finished my exam (and before I knew if I had passed), we started trying to conceive, but there was still some wrestling that I had to do with myself before the throne of God. I knew that even though I may not meet this milestone of being professionally designated, there were other goals that I’d have to change or forgo in order to have a child. I started to “count the cost,” doing almost a cost/benefit analysis to see if child-bearing was “worth it.” Part of my wrestling was because I was inexperienced with babies. I was the youngest of two kids so I’d never seen my parents welcome a baby into the home. I also had limited babysitting experience. I had limited experience with the joys of children, but I could imagine all sorts of costs that welcoming a child would bring. Not only would my clothes be stained by gross baby fluids, my hair pulled, and my sleep drastically interrupted, but: my career pursuits would be put on hold, slowed or abandoned; my youthful body would stretch and become a different shape; my attention would be split by keeping track of someone else’s life; my free time to travel and enjoy hobbies would dwindle or include children; my friends and conversations would be different; and, my treasured possessions would be at risk of being damaged by curious children. Reasons for having children With all these worldly fears and reasons not to have kids, why did I do it? First, childbearing is the purpose of marriage. Malachi 2:15 says, “Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union.” God wanted me to have children filling my home. It was my joyous duty to live in obedience to His command and trust Him to give children as He saw fit. Furthermore, I can trace back in my genealogy many generations of faithful Christians. I felt called to continue this tradition. The psalmist sings to God saying, “One generation will commend your works to another” (Psalm 145:4). I could tell the next generation of “God’s mighty acts” by teaching Sunday school, but I could do it when I sit at home, when I walk on the road, when I lie down and when I get up if I had children in my own home (Deuteronomy 6:7). It would be arrogant to think that all the sacrifice and obedience of my ancestors was for my benefit. No, my responsibility was to continue what they had done. God first blessed and commanded mankind: “‘Be fruitful and multiply’” (Genesis 1:28). I didn’t have to do a cost/benefit analysis. I could obey Him. Second, being a mother is a worthy calling, and better than so many of the pursuits the world focuses on instead, like trying to accumulate wealth and experiences. Being a mother involves creating a life that will continue into eternity. I thought of the author of Ecclesiastes complaining that all pursuits were meaningless and without purpose, like chasing after the wind. In contrast, a newborn has a soul that continues into eternity. All my other life pursuits (wealth, beauty, pleasure, etc.) would fade and be worthless. But people will live forever, either in heaven or hell. God uses women to create and nurture new life. He uses many of His people, by the guidance of His Holy Spirit, to win souls for Christ’s sake. Since children and people in general have eternal value, this makes the sacrifices of moms and all His servants “worth it” and is better use of their time and efforts than focusing on things of this world. Third, I trusted that having a child would bring joy. There are many women of the Bible who expressed joy upon holding their first born: Eve, the first mom, expressed awe at her firstborn son (Gen. 4:1). Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter” (Gen. 21:6). Hannah prayed and spoke of God lifting up her heart: “‘My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord’” (1 Sam. 2:1). Naomi and Ruth both rejoiced at the birth of Obed, speaking of how he’d nourish Naomi in her old age and be a restorer of life (Ruth 4:15). Elizabeth’s joy in giving birth to John the Baptist was so great that it bubbled over to her neighbors and relatives (Luke 1:58). Mary “treasured up” Jesus’ birth and pondered it in her heart (Luke 2:19). These biblical women described such meaningful happiness at holding their bundles of joy that I wanted to know that experience for myself. Furthermore, these women were from a span of history that covered 4,000 years, yet all expressed similar joy. Childbearing is a gift God has given women that transcends cultural expectations. Life has eternal value. Childbearing is a joyous gift of God and He commands it of Christian marriages. Therefore, the benefits of having children were far greater than my list of costs. Wrestling through this helped me to pursue conceiving a child with joy and peace, but again I did not get pregnant right away. One last barrier The last barrier I went through to having a child was an ability to conceive as quickly as I’d expected. I was actively trying to get pregnant, but it wasn’t happening. Every month that I wasn’t pregnant I was disappointed. Reading medical articles about fertility helped me to better understand the typical time it takes to get pregnant and I learned that it takes longer the older the age of the mom: “When a woman is younger than 30, she has an 85% chance to conceive within 1 year. At the age of 30, there is a 75% chance to conceive in the first 12 months. This chance declines to 66% at the age of 35 and 44% at the age of 40. This is due to the effect of aging on the ovary and eggs.”1 I learned that a 1-2 year wait to get pregnant was within the range of normal. My experience fell into this category. However, I know there are more complexities to the issue of infertility than time. Many seek medical advice. Christian couples pray and search Scripture for wisdom as they consider the various options available, including fostering and adoption. My struggle to conceive was a monthly challenge, but I am thankful for this trial. It produced peace as I learned to surrender to the Lord’s authority and trust in Him to provide. My first child was born on a Monday morning, just as the sun was coming up. It was a girl! She was dainty and muscular. We gave her a name that means “strong” and the middle name “joy” to remind us and her that “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The Lord led me through the barriers blocking my way to childbearing and blessed me with the joy of motherhood. Endnote 1 “Knowledge about the impact of age on fertility: a brief review” by Ilse Delbaere, Sarah Verbiest, and Tania Tydén, in the Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, Vol 125 (2), 2020, pages 167-174...

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