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Magazine, Past Issue

July/Aug 2025 issue

WHAT'S INSIDE: Screen-fast, sports betting, & environmental stewardship

Our 10-day screen-fast challenge that we presented in the last issue is getting traction. Marty VanDriel has a story that shares how the fast went for him and others who gave it a try.

But that was just the start. Some generous supporters have recognized how important this issue is, so they are offering up a little extra motivation for us all. They have pledged to donate $100 to two fantastic kingdom causes – Word & Deed and Reformed Perspective – for every person who commits to and completes a 10-day fast from their screens from July 21 to 30 (to a maximum of $20,000 split between both causes).

Screens aren’t evil, but as the cover illustrates so well, screens can keep us from seeing reality – from seeing God’s loving hand upholding creation, this world, and our lives. Here now is your opportunity to join with some family and friends and maybe your whole church community to put screens aside and see the rest of the world unfiltered. Check out page 19 for more details or click on the QR code above to sign up.

Since sports betting was legalized in 2021, it has taken Canada by storm. If you watch any hockey you’ve noticed a lot of betting ads, and they bring with them a growing temptation for Christians to make some money while enjoying their favurite teams. But as Jeff Dykstra explains, we have good reason to steer clear of sports gambling.

In this issue we also do a deep dive into the topic of environmental stewardship by sitting down with two Christian women who work for an environmental group in the middle of a logging community in northern BC.

If you are an adult who tends to skip over the Come & Explore kids’ section, we encourage you to give this one a read. It will be sure to make you smile.

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or click here to download the PDF (8 mb)

INDEX: Are you still able: A nation-wide challenge to experience life without screens / Creation stewards in a logging town / Who do you want to be? RP's 10-day screen-fast challenge / We took the no screens challenge... and now we're changing our habits / What can I do anyways? 35 screen-alternative ideas / Is TikTok the ultimate contraception? / How to stay sane in an overstimulated age / Defeated by distraction / How to use AI like a Christian boss / Who speeches were they? On AI, and others, writing for us / The Way / Who is Mark Carney? / What if we said what we mean? - the political party edition / Am I lazy or just relaxing? What does Proverbs say? / Get out of the game: Christians need to steer clear of sports gambling / Man up: ARPA leaderboards and the call to courageous action / Christians don't pray / Our forever home / Calvin as a comic / The best comics for kids / Fun is something you make: 11 times for family road trips / Come and Explore: Mr. Morose goes to the doctor / Rachel VanEgmond is exploring God's General Revelation / 642 Canadian babies were born alive and left to die / 90 pro-life MPs elected to parliament / Ontario shows why euthanasia "safeguards" can't work / RP's coming to a church near you



News

Canada’s population almost shrinking

The latest population estimation from Statistics Canada is revealing a startling change: Ontario, Quebec, and BC all saw population declines in the first quarter of 2025.

The country as a whole grew by only 20,107 people, which, as a percentage, amounted to a 0.0% increase, the second-slowest growth rate in Canada since records began in 1946. The record prior was the third quarter of 2020, when border restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic prevented immigration. The decrease has been attributed to announcements by the federal government in 2024 to decrease temporary and permanent immigration levels, with targets of 436,000 for this year, which is still well above the 250,000 level prior to the Liberal government taking office in 2015.

So, in the first quarter of 2025 we lost 17,410 people via emigration to other countries, and there was also a drop of 61,111 in non-permanent residents – people on temporary work or student visas, along with their families. The data also shows that there were 5,628 more deaths than births in the first quarter, largely due to Canada’s quickly declining fertility rate. That’s a collective loss of population of 84,140 people.

Then, going in the other direction, we had 104,256 people immigrate to Canada, for that small net increase of 20,107.

While it is a blessing that people from other countries are still willing and able to move to Canada, it is sobering to note that two-thirds of the world’s populations are now below replacement rate and the world’s population is projected to start declining later this century.

God’s first command to humanity was to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). Imagine what the world could look like in a few generations if Christians fulfilled this cultural mandate with enthusiasm while the rest of the world continued on its course.


Today's Devotional

July 5 - Fellowship in action

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” - 1 John 2:6 

Scripture reading: 1 John 2:3-6; John 14:19-24

When the Bible speaks about knowledge, there is a difference between knowing something in theory and actually knowing something intimately.  The key difference between the two is that something known intimately will actually change the way a >

Today's Manna Podcast

Manna Podcast banner: Manna Daily Scripture Meditations and open Bible with jar logo

The Law of God

Serving #894 of Manna, prepared by B. Tiggelaar, is called "The Law of God" and is based on Matthew 5:17-26; 38-48.











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Family, Movie Reviews

The Prince and the Pauper

Adventure 1937 / 118 minutes RATING: 8/10 The swashbuckling Errol Flynn stars in one of the earliest, and still one of the best, film adaptations of Mark Twain's classic tale of switched identity. Our story begins on a murky evening in the London of 1537, with citizens raising a toast to the birth of Edward Tudor, the royal heir. His father, Henry VIII, warns the little babe that heavy weighs the crown. This same night, in the poorest corner of the London slums, another boy is born, by the name of Tom Canty. His father also has words for him, cursing the boy for being born healthy and strong, because "it's only the sickly ones that can beg a farthing." Ten years later, the pair meet when Tom, fleeing a beating from his father, hides on the palace grounds. The pair are struck by their uncanny resemblance – the two could have been identical twins (and, in fact, identical twins Bobby and Billy Mauch play the roles). As part of their play, they swap clothes. Then, in a shock to both, they are mistaken for each other, and the guards throw the rag-wearing prince right out of the palace, leaving the bewildered Tom trying to get someone, anyone, to believe that he is not the prince. Where does Errol Flynn come in? He plays Miles Hendon, a poor soldier, who mistakes Edward for addled when the boy insists he is royalty. The boy certainly seems addled. When news of the king's death spreads among the peasants, he demands that they respect his royal highness – he is after all, their new king! That doesn't go down well with any of them, and when one gent starts trying to beat the lad, others are more than willing to lend a hand. That's when Miles comes to the rescue, whisking the boy away. Miles doesn't believe the boy any more than the mob, but he is willing to humor him... for a time. With the king's death, a coronation is quickly scheduled. That means that in just days, unless the two switch back, Tom Canty will be crowned the new king! Cautions The cautions here concern violence, but it is all at a level that would bother only the very young. Errol Flynn dispatches one of the bad guys in a swordfight, but the fatal blow is hardly shown. More notable is the beatings that John Canty gives his son Tom. While the blows aren't severe – more shoving than any punching – it's the notion of a father actually beating his son that will disturb some children. Midway through the film, when a priest tries to stop John from beating Tom (though this time it is actually Edward), we see John strike the man in the head with a stick, and the priest falls dead with a spot of blood on his temple. It's not gory, especially in black and white, So, this is no “Disneyfied” retelling, but the darker aspects are still greatly muted. (Speaking of, there is an animated 1990 Disney version with Mickey Mouse playing the two title roles. There are a few language concerns – a couple uses of "gosh," at least one use of "heck," and "what the devil? – but what turned me off was Donald "comically" praying at a tense moment.) Conclusion This will be a good leap off point for discussions about the backstabbing, corrupting nature of politics and why there is a need for good people to enter into the political realm. Adults may enjoy references to this history of the time; the story is fictional, but the background is straight history. Adults will understand that the reason King Henry VIII "hates priests," as Edward shares with Tom, is because Henry booted the Roman Catholic Church out of England when the pope wouldn't grant him an annulment from his first wife. Edward was his only surviving male heir and the son of his third wife who died in childbirth. And as the film also notes, there were still more queens afterward – Henry went on to have six wives in all. But the real appeal is the pairing of Flynn and Twain – a great story with a great star. At two hours long, this may test the patience of the younger Tik-Tok generation. But if your kids are able to sit still at all, and if you have an intermission ice cream break halfway through, and equip everyone with their own popcorn bowl, many a kid, 9 and up, should really enjoy it. ...









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Adult non-fiction, Book Reviews

Trusting God

by Jerry Bridges 1988 / 368 pages Since the apostles Peter and Paul, and indeed Jesus, warn the Christian to expect suffering in this life on account of our faith, it would be wise for us to prepare our hearts to be able to suffer well. Trusting God is a great resource for such preparation. Bridges spends the first few chapters exploring hard questions like “Can I really trust God?” and “Is God actually in control?” Much of the value here is that Bridges doesn’t require that readers be in the depths of a trying event, but instead invites us to reflect on how well we trust God in even the smaller difficulties in life – the “stubbed toe” frustrations of daily life, or the far-away wars, that make us long for heavenly explanations. Bridges uses many examples from the Old Testament to prove to the believer that God does control the course of this world, He is very in tune with our sorrows, and He truly weeps with those who weep. While Bridges is writing for the layperson, he reminds us that we are dealing with heavy and complicated topics. Therefore, while this book is very useful for preparing our hearts to suffer well, it may be too “on the nose” for those are hurting, depressed, or struggling right now. This is best read before you ever need it. Trusting God concludes with several chapters on the love and faithfulness of God, which gives balance to the topic as a whole. Discussion questions are included at the back for each chapter, making this an excellent recommendation for a book club study....