As Easter weekend begins and this time of being housebound continues, I find myself thinking beyond the confines of my home. I find myself thinking wistfully of some of the places around the world I’ve had the privilege to visit, and some of the Easter-related objects I’ve found there. Here are a couple of objects…
Like so many other churches across the world, mine had to make a sudden and unexpected decision in the face of a pending lockdown: Do we broadcast our services or do we not? Under normal circumstances we would never even entertain the notion, but with a looming period of isolation that would last no less…
I am in the fortunate position of receiving endless numbers of Christian books. Every month or so I try to sort through them to identify the new books that seem most noteworthy and, therefore, may be of most interest to readers like you. Here is the selection for April 2020, including the publishers’ descriptions. (Note:…
I have been at this blogging thing for a long time and over the years I’ve taken many opportunities to encourage others to try their hand at it. I believe in the value of blogs and believe there is a future for them. It’s possible that I lack the appropriate self-awareness, but I’m pretty sure…
Like the great majority of other families on earth, mine is learning to adjust to unexpected new realities. It has now been three weeks since we were instructed to distance ourselves from others as much as possible, and we have done our best to comply. Here’s a little update from our neck of the woods.…
This week marks the release of Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History, my new book and documentary project. Many have wondered how the two products relate to one another. Essentially, they are complementary, so while you can enjoy either one on its own, they go very well together. The book focuses on the objects…
In a recent and widely-shared article, a pastor provides a series of profiles of church members who “drive him crazy” and make pastoral ministry “less than fun.” Though he tells of his love for the local church and his commitment to it, he also says that every church he knows has “members and attenders that…
Today’s the day — release day for my new book and 10-episode travel documentary! Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History is both a book and a documentary series that charts my journey around the world and through the ages. Touching more than 20 countries across 6 continents, you can travel the world with me…
I grew up hearing stories of the Second World War, especially from people who had faced the onslaught of the German bombing campaign. Those who lived through The Blitz in London would tell about the terrifying sound of the air raid sirens warning that bombers were on the way. They would tell also of the…
One third of the world’s population is now in lockdown. Across the globe, people everywhere are staying at home with their families and trying to find a new normal behind closed doors (while trying not to drive each other crazy)! But what about those living alone? They are dealing with the lack of physical touch…
I spend a fair bit of time traveling. At least, under normal circumstances I do. Sometimes these are little more than overnight trips to conferences across the U.S. border and sometimes these are extended journeys to the far corners of the earth. Wherever I go, and for however long I’m away, I am sure to…
A few days ago the Prime Minister of Canada held a televised press conference to speak to Canadian citizens traveling overseas. He looked directly into the camera as if to make eye contact with each of them and said earnestly, “It’s time to come home.” On any given day hundreds of thousands of Canadians are…
Would it be an exaggeration to say that Sunday, March 22, 2020 was one of the most unusual Sundays in the history of Christianity? I don’t think it would be, because on this day the majority of Christians across the world were either not permitted to gather to worship or considered it inadvisable to do…
Last week I shared some tips on surviving lockdown from a believer in Italy. I’ve since heard from quite a number of other Christians there and wanted to share some of their tips and experiences. As so many of us across the world face the possibility of lockdowns, this information may help us be better…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Crossway, who also sponsored the blog this week. They are giving away books in a brand new series called Church Questions that I think will be of a lot of interest to you: Why Should I Join a Church? by Mark Dever, Why If I Don’t Desire…
A year ago, or even a month ago, I wouldn’t have believed I’d ever be facing the possibility, and perhaps even the likelihood, of living in near or total lockdown. Yet already here in Ontario we’ve been instructed to venture out as seldom as possible and are just waiting for further restrictions. Meanwhile, parts of…
My book and documentary series Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History are just about ready to ship! I was gratified to see the first review of the book come in from Midwest Book Review which kept it to a single sentence: “Nicely illustrated, ‘Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History’ provides an impressively informative,…
You’ve got to be careful reading the news at times like this. Media outlets have a vested interest in getting us to visit their sites, and they know the kind of words that will draw us. Today’s keywords seem to be “panic” and “chaos.” To read the news you’d think there has been panic at…
These are strange times, aren’t they? They are probably the strangest I’ve encountered in my life, comparable perhaps only to the aftermath of 9/11 in all its scope and fear and uncertainty. Like so many of you, I’m keeping an eye on the news so I know how to adapt and how my family can…
A thought struck me the other day: As far as I know, the English language has no word that expresses the opposite of envy. There may be phrases or sentences that can begin to convey it, but we have no single word we can use to express the virtue that lies opposite that ugly vice.…