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Magazine, Past Issue

Mar/April 2025 issue

WHAT'S INSIDE: Christians don't retire / Free video series to protect families from porn / Tariffs are terrible economics: why Canada shouldn't hit back / Aged saints can tell you what your peers don't know or won't say / Planning for retirement / More time to pray: Martin & Christina Veenstra on retirement in your nineties / Necessary Endings: finding the courage to let go in business, church, and family / "Can You Build it?" contest winners / Life in bloom: the gift of flowers / A century of cinema for your family: 20+ films to take you and your kids through the 100 years of feature films / Euthanasia changed the abortion battle / Why write? / How to write... for Reformed Perspective / Fiction for tween and teen boys / Chang Shen: grace to persevere / Are there little green men? / Come + Explore God's majestic microverse / and more!

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News

Saturday Selections – Mar. 22, 2025

One question to confound the evolutionist

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It's a famous enough conundrum but quite the dilemma for the evolutionist. You need an egg-producing chicken to get eggs, and a chicken-producing egg to get chickens, so how does this circle ever start via evolution's small incremental changes? This can be likened to the many "irreducibly complex" systems needed for life to survive – it all has to work together or it doesn't work, so there's no stepwise way to get here.

Christian college wins Canadian women's championship over team with men

The Columbia Bible College's women's basketball team lost in the regional finals to a team with two or more men on it. They also lost their coach, Taylor Claggett, to suspension for the season when she had questions about the safety of men playing women's sports, but was then accused of directing her players to hurt the male star on the other team. In other words, the team with guys on it was claiming their players were in danger.

Fortunately, the top two teams from the PacWest went to nationals, and the CBC Bearcats made use of this second opportunity to win it all. And, blessedly, they didn't have to play the team with the men on it again, as it never made the finals.

Canadian Reformed player Elissa Vreugdenhil was the playoff MVP. CBC spokesperson Derek Rogusky noted just how tough the season had been:

"This team is an amazing group of young women....They have endured false accusations, online abuse and vitriol that no young woman should have to experience. They had their coach taken away from them for the entire playoff run and were stripped of the chance to host PacWest conference playoffs. However, they did not fold. Instead, they focused on playing for each other, they turned the other cheek, and in the end, they persevered to win a hard-fought national title. They are deserving to be called true champions and have earned a spot in Bearcats history."

This battle has been about what Coach Taylor did or didn't do or say, but it's not really about her at all. It's not even about the safety of the players she leads, and it's not about fairness either. The heat here is all about the Who behind it all, and whether God defines reality or we do. It is about whether what He says in Gen. 1:27 is true and trustworthy. We can certainly talk about all the other issues, but we need to lead with what the world most needs to hear, and with what would most glorify God: that the choice here is between Christ or chaos.

These ladies have triumphed on the basketball court, and we can pray they'll now be given the opportunity to glorify God in a different court as this matter moves on to the legal arena (Matt. 5:11).

The man who saved two million

Australia's James Harrison had special blood. It contained a rare antibody "which is used to make the life-saving medication given to mothers whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies..." Harison donated blood over a thousand times and didn't receive a dime for it. But he was happy to have a role in saving as many as two million babies.

The People’s Party of Canada wants to talk about the unborn

To be clear, the PPC isn't taking a pro-life turn – all they want to do is talk. But even a willingness to talk about abortion has them standing in sharp contrast with the other federal parties who are either unwilling or afraid to talk about the plight of the unborn.

Random thoughts on being a dad

Tim Challies with a collection of quick thoughts every dad will benefit from.

Small toys taking on big government?

There was a time, about a dozen years back, when your little brother could have had toys that took on Big Brother. This line of "Kronies" action figures highlights how the government has fearsome powers that can be used to compel compliance ("Mandated!"), restrict consumer choices ("Tarrified!") and ensure "taxpayer loses; crony gains!"

You don't have to be Christian to see how government can abuse its powers. But as a Christian we can understand the pressing need for government to shrink rather than grow. God has given authority to more than simply those in the political sphere – the Church, parents and even self-government are other authorities – and the government can only grow by taking from others the power God has given to them.

These toys might not be available but thanks to YouTube, their legacy lives on.


Today's Devotional

March 26 - Tempted in our suffering

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” - James 1:14 

Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Usually, when we think about temptation, we think of the temptation to do immoral things, to commit sexual sin, to steal something we want, or to cheat on a test or on our taxes. But we also face temptations when we suffer, >

Today's Manna Podcast

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

I AM the Light of the World

Serving #793 of Manna, prepared by Steven Swets, is called "I AM the Light of the World".



















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Book excerpts, Parenting, Sexuality

5 frank quotes from Jonathan McKee's "Sex Matters"

Jonathan McKee’s Sex Matters is a frank book meant to help us parents teach our kids about the touchy topic of sex. To give you a good idea of what can be found inside, what follows are five good quotes from this great book. And check out our review here. Is it wise to be so up front when talking with our kids? "I've never met a parent who engaged in conversations with their kids about sex too much. Not one. Ever. But in my over twenty years of youth ministry, and a decade of writing and speaking to parents, I've met thousands of parents who have done the exact opposite and looked back in regret....The world is full of explicit lies. Sadly, very few people are telling our kids the explicit truth. But we need to. I need to. You need to. If we don't, our kids will look for the answer somewhere else..." “Sin can be fun…for the moment” “ White defined two types of sexual ‘happiness’: the animalistic thrill-of-the-moment happiness you can experience when you are promiscuous (sleeping with whoever you want) and a deeper, longer-lasting, more fulfilling happiness when you are monogamous (have one partner for life). Which do you think sounds better in the long run? Can a monogamous person experience both the quick thrill of sex and the longer lasting happiness?” Don’t look for loopholes “Some people still try to find a loophole. Maybe porn is okay, right? Because then we aren’t actually have sex with anyone else. We’re just sort of…pretending to have sex! During the time Jesus was walking around on earth he encountered some people like this. They were thinking, So long as I don’t have sex, it’s okay. I’ll just think about it in my mind! Jesus himself decided to address this, calling it lust and labeling it just as bad as adultery ….(Matthew 5:27-29) Jesus wasn’t pulling any punches here. If you’re thinking about it, you’re no better than someone who is doing it.” On fleeing temptation “Fact: Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush….How many of are going to store it right next to the toilet by the toilet paper roll? ….Most of us will probably store our toothbrush about twenty feet away if possible…. There is a principle here: If we discover danger to be within a certain proximity, we avoid that proximity completely. Why don’t we do that with sexual temptation?” The “process” is designed to be continued “Any teen who has been alone with someone they are attracted to and allowed the process to start knows that it is like trying to stop a forest fire after a drought! So why is it so difficult to stop? Because it’s not supposed to be stopped!”...

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Adult non-fiction, Book Reviews

Sex Matters

128 pages / 2015 Sex Matters is a book intended for Christians – McKee provides answers from the Bible and explains the Bible’s message using research and real life examples. Jonathan McKee wants to make it easier for parents to talk to their kids about sex, and to that end he’s written a book for parents to give to their teens, which addresses the two common questions, “Why wait?” & “How far?” WHY WAIT? Why wait? McKee takes over 20 informative pages to explain the statement, “God has given the gift of sex to enjoy in marriage.” And in addition to making the biblical case, he shares how research shows that this command is in alignment with how human beings function. HOW FAR CAN I GO? How far can people go, and when should they stop? McKee’s answer rests on the rather obvious observation that once the process is started it is designed to be continued. That is why it is so difficult to stop, a fact that has been known for millennia. So his advice? Don’t start the process; don’t do anything you would not do in front of your grandmother. WHAT DOES FLEEING SIN LOOK LIKE? Sex outside marriage is a huge temptation, especially in our media-saturated culture, and it is the one temptation the Bible repeatedly tells us to flee. McKee explains clearly what fleeing temptation means for girls and how it is different for guys. Christians need to understand the truth, recognize natural consequences, and establish safeguards, and parents need to help their teens do these things as well as to encourage them to take responsibility themselves. McKee also covers the dangers of porn, questions about masturbation, and the effects of abuse. Over and over he turns to the gospel, reminding young people that Jesus offers a fresh start for everyone, whether you have sinned or been sinned against. He also encourages young people to remain pure by pointing out that a few years of self-discipline can be traded for a lifetime of awesome connecting without baggage after marriage. Who in their right mind would choose anything else? But the trouble is that we are sinners and that disobedience seems so attractive. Finally, McKee offers some practical suggestions: Marry earlier. Be careful what you listen to and watch, what you wear, who you are alone with, and where you go. Beware of the dangers of the Internet and install safety systems. CAUTION I will add one caution. Sex Matters is a book for teens exposed to our culture and, as such, it can be explicit. When parents wonder if the book itself could cause more problems than it solves, McKee’s response would be that our culture is explicit, and that equipping our teens requires us to be forthright. So do pre-read this before giving it to your teen to see if it meets your expectations. CONCLUSION McKee’s Sex Matters is a valuable book (especially in conjunction with More than Just the Talk, which he’s written for parents). It is unabashedly Biblical – so much so that our huge public library refused to buy it – but it deserves a place in home, church, and school libraries and would be a blessing to any community that has it in its public library. What’s more, it is short (only 122 pages), easy to read, and contains discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend it. This is adapted from a review on Tea Time with Annie Kate and used with permission. The original can be found here....