The vision of Robert Baldwin

I am reading a biography of Robert Baldwin, one of Canada's founding fathers. He played an important role in our history, I am very interested in that history, yet I find the book tedious. History is fascinating, yet too many historians write in a way that turns people off so that they never learn to … Continue reading The vision of Robert Baldwin

Our neighbours are not interested in our faith

What are we doing, or not doing, that leaves our neighbours uninterested in our faith? Looking at myself, I recognize that I come from a family of opinionated and argumentative people. Some people enjoy a good argument, but it’s not the best way to share the gospel. A whole lot of people are wary of … Continue reading Our neighbours are not interested in our faith

A renewed commitment to writing well

I have always thought of myself as a writer, one who would get serious about writing at some moment in the future. If reading is part of the training for becoming an effective writer , then I have been in training all my life. One cannot learn to write effectively without noting how and why … Continue reading A renewed commitment to writing well

The Visible and Invisible Poor

I believe we in North America have a problem in the way we see the poor. We are acutely aware of the poor people in Africa and Asia and believe it is up to us to do something to relieve their poverty. We are blind to the existence of poverty in our own countries, because … Continue reading The Visible and Invisible Poor

Uncivil societies

Today the supreme court of Pakistan acquitted Asia Bibi of all the charges against her. Mrs. Bibi, who is Roman Catholic, was found guilty of blasphemy in 2010 and condemned to death. The incident allegedly took place during a dispute with several Muslims over a glass of water. Radical Islamist leaders in Pakistan consider this … Continue reading Uncivil societies

The problem of age

I was sitting in the food court with my 95-year-old mother. A young oriental lady rushed up to us, on the verge of tears, and wanted to meet and hold the hand of this old lady. I was startled at first, but as the young lady talked it warmed my heart to see her love … Continue reading The problem of age

Charles de Gaulle and Christian apologetics

(First posted four years ago.) Why do I think that talking about Charles de Gaulle will help to understand the purpose of Christian apologetics? Follow me as I try to explain. The First World War was mostly fought on French soil, meaning that the people of France bore the greatest share of the war’s death, … Continue reading Charles de Gaulle and Christian apologetics

Africa rising

What picture comes to your mind when you think of Africa? A remote village of mud huts with scantily clad people scratching their subsistence from the soil with hand tools? Or modern cities with skyscrapers, factories, hospitals and universities? Both scenarios exist, but far more people live in the cities. Nigeria is the largest country … Continue reading Africa rising

Memories of Panda

Panda was our number one furry friend for over 15 years. We got her from a street cat rescue program when she was about six months old. She was part of a litter of long haired black cats found in an abandoned car in a back alley. She grew into a magnificent Maine Coon cat … Continue reading Memories of Panda

Reality, Respect, Responsibility

A modest proposal to revitalize the education system 1. Reality Education should be geared towards teaching children how to think, not what to think. This means equipping them to be literate, numerate and articulate. Those are the fundamental skills that will enable them to learn everything else they will need to learn in life. Children … Continue reading Reality, Respect, Responsibility