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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 9 - Fellowship and the world

“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever

.” - 1 John 2:17

Scripture reading: 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:1-10

As the Scriptures speak to us about our love for God, one thing is very clear; our hearts cannot be divided in that love.  Either love for God is the driving principle >

Today's Manna Podcast

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

The Resurection of Christ - It's Power: The Resurrection of Christ

Serving #898 of Manna, prepared by William Den Hollander, is called "The Resurection of Christ - It's Power" (The Resurrection of Christ).











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Drama, Movie Reviews

Roberta

Musical 1935 / 106 minutes RATING: 8/10 It's 1935, and Huck Haines (Fred Astaire) and his band, the Indianians of Wabash, Indiana have just gotten off the boat, landing in Paris after a long trip over from America. There's just one problem: the Russian restauranteur who hired them to play at his place thought he was hiring Indians, the Native American sort, and not Indianians, the pale-faced sort. So Alexander Petrovich Moskowitz Voyda is not pleased, and he fires Haines. Or at least he tries to. Haines' best and much larger buddy John Kent decides that Mr. Voyda just has to stay long enough for a listen. So the former football star holds Mr. Voyda steady as Haines and the rest of the boys – a dozen of them – do a comic musical act. Everything in this film is really just an excuse for another song or dance routine, and this time Haines has his fellows transform into a human organ – when he hits their hands, they hum a note. It's weird and wacky and wonderful, but it still doesn't win Mr. Voyda over. So it's on to Plan B. They'll look up any friends they can think of that live in Paris. The pickings are slim – Kent has an aunt. But it turns out she is the world famous fashion designer Roberta. When they all show up on her salon's front step, it's time for some more music, with dancing quick to follow. I could tell you more of the plot, but while it's sweet – two romances for the price of one – the plot really isn't the point: this is about finding opportunities for Fred Astaire to dance with Ginger Rogers, and do they have some great numbers. I put this on when my kids were wandering around, not knowing whether it would grab them. It did. The tap dancing routines will get your own toes tapping – you won't be able to help it. There's also an interesting historical background that explains the large Russian presence in the French capital. This is the Paris of the 1930s, which is where many of the exiled Russian aristocracy, academics, and politicians fled after the Russian Revolution of 1917. They were among the elite in their homeland, but here, as refugees, they've had to settle on mostly minor positions. So the doorman at Aunt Roberta's salon is a Russian prince, and her righthand woman, Stephanie, is a Russian princess. Cautions There's lots to love here, but some silliness too, with the song "I'll be hard to handle" possibly being the silliest. However, it is so obviously dumb that it isn't at all dangerous. The singer promises any potential suitor that she'll be a handful, and urges him to just go away. Which is what any sensible fellow would do with an invitation like that. This takes place in a fashion house, and at one point, one of the models comes out in a tight black dress that's low cut in front and back. It isn't all that immodest by today's standards, but that said, Huck Haines's description nails it: "like a peeled eel." Kent is even more pointed: "It's the worst-looking thing i ever saw." So, minor immodesty, but to make a point in modesty's favor (later on Huck tells a reporter that Roberta's design house believes that "if clothes are to clothe, then they should  clothe." Or, as Kent says it more pointedly again, they should be, "not so naked." Language concerns would be limited to a bunch of "Gee, that would be swell"s. Kent does also get drunk in one scene, though his foolishness is made plain for all to see. Conclusion Watching Roberta is a delightful history lesson on France, Russia, the 1930s, black and white musicals, and more. I'll share that during a couple of lullaby numbers, where the lead sang in an old-fashioned warbling voice, I did use the fast-forward button to cut both 3-minute songs in half. I don't empty the fast-forward button much (and nowhere else in this film) but that style of singing was so foreign it came off as off-putting, and I didn't want to make it hard for my kids to enjoy. Turning a 106 minute film into a 103 minute film did the trick. So two thumbs up – this is a great one for parents and older kids, so long as they have appreciated black and white films in the past. And if you love Roberta, there are other Fred Astaire movies to enjoy, but a few that really let a messed-up plot get in the way of the dance numbers. Give a miss to The Gay Divorcee, and You'll Never Get Rich, both of which which make light of affairs. Shall We Dance? runs too long to quite measure up to Roberta, but it does have Astaire and Rogers flying around the room once again. Easter Parade has Astaire paired with Judy Garland (of The Wizard of Oz fame), and the problematic part here is simply that they talk quite a bit about the Easter Parade and nothing at all about what Easter is about. The opening 8 minutes, with Astaire doing a solo dance routine in a children's toy shop is astonishing! ...









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Book Reviews, Graphic novels, Teen fiction

Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel

by George Orwell (& Odyr) 2019 / 172 pages For those that don’t know the original, Orwell wrote his allegory in World War II to highlight the dangers of creeping totalitarianism. Instead of a country, his setting is that of a farm, and instead of an oppressive government, things are run by Mr. Jones, who treats Manor Farm’s “citizens” – the pigs, horses, sheep, chickens, and more – like they were animals! One night, Old Major, a pig respected by all, tells the others of his vision of a better world in which Man is overthrown and all the animals are free to benefit from their own labor. Two legs are the enemy, and all on four legs, or with wings, are treated as equal. The animals embrace his vision, and when the old pig dies peacefully in his sleep, three younger pigs take it upon themselves to develop and expand on Old Major’s vision. They craft “Animalism” and appoint themselves as leaders of the movement. When the animals rebel against Farmer Jones, they successively drive him off and take over the farm. The story that follows has clear parallels to that of the 1917 Russian Revolution, that began with noble-sounding aims – freedom from oppression, equality of all – but which quickly evolved into simply another form of totalitarianism. The animals find that, though they are free of the farmer, they aren’t free of having to follow orders. The pigs have them working harder than before, and they are fed no better. Their swine leaders are soon living in the farmer’s house and eating well. But they deserve it, right? After all, they need to be properly provided for, so they can provide direction! It soon becomes evident that while “all animals are equal…some animals are more equal than others.” CAUTIONS Because this is a graphic novel, there are a few pages of violent content depicted. But Odyr’s is a thin-line, smudged-pastel style, leaving the gory details mostly a blur. So while these pictures might be a bit much for a child, they are nothing that would disturb a teen. The only other caution I’ll offer concerns the lesson being learned. Orwell was no Christian, so even as he makes a case against the godless tyranny of totalitarian rulers the world over, he isn’t able to offer a better alternative…so it is fortunate he doesn’t even propose one. However, that means Christian readers will have to do that work for themselves. We can agree with Orwell about the problem: that man has a bent for tyranny and that larger the government the more they can insert themselves into our lives (1 Samuel 8:10-22). But we also know there is a proper, though limited, role for government, specifically to punish evil (Romans 13:1-7). CONCLUSION This is a brilliant adaptation of Orwell’s classic work, with a mix of colorful and also stark images that will grab any reader’s attention. Odyr has made Animal Farm accessible to age groups and casual readers that might otherwise never read it. While I highly recommend this as a gift for teens, it would be a waste to hand it off to your son or daughter and then leave it at that. Unless an adult helps them understand that message behind the story, they aren’t likely to see the real-world application, and will completely miss Orwell’s warning about the dangers of big governments of all sorts. If you liked this, you may enjoy the 1954 animated film of the same name. It's better than the 1999 live action version in two ways: it doesn't take God's name in vain, and because it is animated and consequently less realistic, it comes off more clearly as the metaphor it is meant to be - there's no mistaking it for real life. Find my review here. ...