Tag: Articles

To live is to experience trouble. There is no path through this life that does not lead through at least some kind of difficulty, sorrow, or trial—and often through a cornucopia of them. This being the case, we rightly wonder: What does trouble do? Though we may not see an answer in the immediate circumstances of our lives, we can begin to put one together as we look at the lives of other believers.See AlsoWhat a New Day and New Month Will BringGod Means To Make Something Of UsWhen “All Things” Don’t Feel So Good

When we pray to God and bring our petitions before him, and then say in earnest “thy will be done,” how should we expect God to respond? Is asking God to overrule our will with his own admitting that he may actually bring us harm?See AlsoLet the Lord ChooseThe Prosperity Gospel We Sometimes All Believe InWhen Should You Stop Praying?

I can’t even tell you how brave she has been, how resilient, and how determined. The Lord alone knows all the ways she has had to exercise her faith and submit her will to his. But she has. She has, and it has been a blessing and an honor to behold. We come again to Mother’s Day, the twenty-fifth since Nick was born and she became a mother, the fifth since Nick was taken and she was bereaved. Mother’s Day changed in that moment. It is still a day of joy, of course, but that joy is now mixed with sorrow. It is a day of gratitude for the blessing of being a mother not just once but three times over, but it is also a day of lament that one has been called away. Now only two can be there to hand her a card, to give her a hug, and to wish her a happy day. One is always conspicuous by his absence. But she doesn’t allow herself to sink into her grief and become incapacitated by it. She has just one life to live and only the present moment to live it. She has determined she will not allow the sorrow of the sorrows to overwhelm the joy of the joys. That is harder to do on Mother’s Day than most of the other days of the year. Yet I know she doesn’t want anyone to feel bad for her. I know she will refuse any inner temptation to sink into self-pity.…See AlsoThe Futility of MotherhoodA La Carte (December 9)A Faithful Mother’s Love

A little while ago, the Bank of Canada became concerned about the amount of counterfeit currency circulating within the country. They began to educate the population with a short and simple mantra: “Touch, tilt, look at, look through.” These are four simple tests that can quickly show a bill to be genuine or counterfeit.See AlsoA La Carte (10/19)Counterfeit Detection (Part 2)Counterfeit Detection (Part 1)

In the days since Pope Francis died, I have seen a number of Protestants write about his legacy. Some of these writers have expressed great appreciation for him while others have expressed great concern. The reactions to these articles, and especially the critiques, have been interesting to me. Some people have expressed dismay that their fellow Protestants would use the opportunity of the pope’s death to detail their concerns about the man and his office and even to discuss his eternal state. Though I know it can seem unkind to use a person’s death as an opportunity to write about his flaws, it’s important to remember some key facts about Pope Francis, the papacy, and the Roman Catholic Church. This is one of those key facts: For as long as he was pope, Francis was the world’s most prominent false teacher. Though there are many other false teachers in this world, none of them had even a fraction of his reach or power and none were regarded with such respect. Throughout Francis’ life, he consistently affirmed the errors of Catholic doctrine that are detailed in its official documents (such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church) while adding new errors of his own. Never in his life did he proclaim a gospel through which sinners are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and never did he expect it of the millions of clergy he oversaw. Rather, he consistently preached a gospel in which human effort must be added to divine grace.…See AlsoDid Francis Prove To Be “The Humble Pope?”The People’s Pope, The Man of the YearThe Humble Pope

As the great Friend of children stooped down and leaned toward the cradle, and took the little one in his arms and walked away with it into the bower of eternal summer, your eye began to follow him, and you followed the treasure he carried, and you have been following them ever since. And instead of thinking of heaven only once a week, as formerly, you are thinking of it all the time, and you are more pure and tender-hearted than you used to be, and you are patiently waiting for the daybreak.See AlsoA La Carte (August 19)A La Carte (August 12)Comparative Suffering

I have heard it said that there were traditionally three different schools of singing: French, German, and Italian. I lack the musical knowledge to confidently distinguish between them, but my understanding is that the French school values vocal clarity and agility, the German school values vocal power and drama, and the Italian school values clear and beautiful tones.See AlsoThings Change and Things Stay the SameThe Music Is Simply a MockeryHow Do French People…?

On April 28, Canadians elected the Liberal Party of Canada to a fourth consecutive term. This is a rare feat for a political party in Canada and in this case, one of special significance, for just months ago, the Liberals seemed destined for near-complete destruction. The cost of living was spiking, the quality of life was falling, and through it all Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had become historically unpopular.See AlsoWhat’s a Trade War and How Did We End Up In One?Canada Day ReflectionsElection Reflections

My new book releases today! Eric’s Greatest Race is a fully illustrated graphic novel that tells young readers the story of Eric Liddell, the famous Olympian whose steadfast courage and commitment to Christ has inspired generations of believers. It is my sincere hope that it will introduce a whole new generation to a man whose life is a worthy example of service to the Lord.See AlsoA La Carte (April 17)A La Carte (March 14)A Summertime Family Update (And Guess Who’s Going To Be a Grandfather!)

We stood together on the crest of a hill, a gentle breeze rustling the meadow around our feet. The fields ran gently downward until they met a creek that gurgled happily in its course. A few years prior, an acorn had somehow made its way to the highest point of this hill, carelessly dropped there by a bird. Rains had germinated it, then roots had formed and pushed down into the soil. Soon a stem grew upward, then branches emerged, and then a few tender leaves. It was now an oak tree in miniature that rose just inches higher than the grasses around. He gestured toward that tree and said, “When God plants an acorn, he means an oak.” When God’s providence arranges for an acorn to come to rest on the crest of a hill, he means for it to burst into life and become a mighty tree. Within that half-ounce acorn lies the potential of a 30-ton oak. Given time and natural processes, it will become mature and mighty. When God plants an acorn, he means an oak. When God plants a seed, he means for it to spring up to a harvest of a hundredfold. It is always God’s way that what appears to be little is meant to become much, that what appears to be weak is meant to become strong, that what appears to be doubtful is meant to prove his power. For it is, indeed, his power that works to multiply, his power that works to make such growth…See AlsoA La Carte (July 13)What a Wonder Is a Human Being!The Parable of the Acorn

I have often thought of a conversation that took place when my girls were little. Abby was perhaps 5 or 6 at the time and Michaela just working her way through the “terrible twos” (which for our kids always happened when they were three or four). A stranger saw me interacting with them one day and said, “Just wait until they are teenagers!” It sounded foreboding. It sounded like he was predicting dire days ahead.See AlsoA La Carte (June 3)A Summertime Family Update (And Guess Who’s Going To Be a Grandfather!)Life At and After College: An Interview with Abby

Francis’ time as pope has come to an end and already many are attempting to define his legacy. Was he a reformer? Was he a progressive? Was he an apostate? Perspectives are wildly varied with some honoring him as the greatest pope of modern times and some dishonoring him as a disgrace to the office.See AlsoA La Carte (April 22)The People’s Pope, The Man of the YearThe Humble Pope