A few articles I’ve published in various publications:
Elon Musk and Visions of the Future
(Cover article, Reformed Perspective, June 2023)
Where are the dreams of previous decades, of flying cars and paperless offices and TV phones? Not only have these dreams turned out to be rather bleak (Zoom as a sort of TV phone has not sparked joy in anyone), but no new visions of the future have sprung up to replace them. Young people – those supposedly optimistic young people – fill social media feeds with anxiety-soaked visions of climate catastrophe, plague and economic collapse. Our world dreams of catastrophe, not progress.
And yet some young people do turn to one figure as a beacon of hope in the negativity all around them. They turn to a public figure who frequently and publicly describes a future where humanity overcomes its challenges, and continues to seek out the meaning of existence. This is the vision of the future provided by Elon Musk – a controversial figure whose “true fans” love him for his insistence that human ingenuity can create a future that will be better.
The Dutch Immigrants’ Church
(Edmonton City as Museum, November 2022)
If you drive through Edmonton neighbourhoods, you’ll see many churches with names that reflect the cultural background of the immigrants who brought that church to Canada: Ukrainian, Mennonite, Coptic, among others. If you take a turn through the leafy, tree-lined streets of the Sherbrooke neighbourhood, you may drive past a church with the sign “Providence Canadian Reformed Church.” While the sign proclaims the church’s love and connection to the country now established in, this church was built by Dutch immigrants who left their war-torn country after the Second World War…
Christians and Fashion Fashion, Part 1
(Ad Fontes Journal, Davenant Institute, November 2021)
If all ethical and modesty-related issues were removed, would fashion then have no connection to our faith?
Christians and Fast Fashion Pt. 2: Pursuing Virtue Through Dress
(Ad Fontes Journal, Davenant Institute, November 2021)
Before ethical concerns, it was necessary to consider fashion as fashion from a Christian perspective. Having done so, we can now consider the question of a Christian ethic for fast fashion.
Who’s Afraid of Proverbs 31?
(Cover article, Reformed Perspective, February 2021)
The assumption is that an unsoftened look at the woman in Proverbs 31 will lead to discouragement. The assumption is that the first emotions this passage will raise in us will be negative emotions, and that these negative emotions will need to be navigated and managed before we can get anything useful out of the passage.
I don’t deny that this is often the case, that often these are the emotions stirred up by this passage. But I don’t think this needs to be the case. It should be possible to re-frame the passage as a whole, from discouraging and disheartening to uplifting and inspiring. Maybe the Proverbs 31 woman can be encouraging without being softened.
Purpose-Driven Purging: Minimalism Is Not the New Christian Approach to Managing Possessions
(Feature, Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, Sept/Oct 2019)
Whatever happened to materialism? What happened to the unapologetic celebration of glitz, the songs about the accumulation of stuff, the vaunting of consumerist culture? The prancing “material girl” and the slicked-back “greed-is-good” tycoon have receded. Materialism has retreated with a whimper, still existent, but unable to deny that stuff, stuff, stuff cannot fulfill. People point at the inescapable flaws: More stuff can make you more anxious, not less. It doesn’t bring you everlasting happiness. It can stand in the way of your fully developing your potential, and it can hold you down in a place you don’t want to be. To celebrate materialism takes an increasing amount of effort…
Original Sin: Luther’s Other Life-Changing Doctrine
(Reformed Perspective, October 2019)
Every Reformation Day we remember how God used Luther to teach the Church that we are justified by faith alone, not by what we do. But often overlooked is how God used Luther to revive another forgotten, life-changing, doctrine: original sin.
On Not Hurting Anyone While Dating
(Christian Connection, 2018) This one made the 2018 year-end Top Five!
I used to try my hardest not to hurt anyone in dating. I’d be very careful not to be too friendly to guys I wasn’t interested in. I’d be wary of being too friendly to guys I was interested in, because what if I got to know them better and then found out I didn’t actually like them that much? Wasn’t that leading them on? Needless to say, this is not a productive dating strategy. But more than that, it’s probably not meant to be how we’re supposed to relate to other human beings at all.
Tips for Christian Women–How to be a Godly Leader in the Workplace
(Christian Media Magazine, October 2018)
Growing into Christian leadership, whether at our first job or while climbing the corporate ladder, can be tough. But developing our leadership skills will help us be effective in our jobs, and be strong witnesses to those around us for Christ. After all, don’t our actions illustrate what we believe in? Being godly leaders shines our light into the world around us.
That said, here are five practical tips women can use in the workplace, whether working in fast food, business, non-profits, or anything in between.
Should a Christian Ever be Discontent?
(Cover article, Reformed Perspective, 2018)
When is it okay to give up on the path you’re currently traveling on? When is it okay to quit and change what you’re doing? We know God has a reason for everything He brings into our lives, so doesn’t it just make sense that we should figure out that reason – figure out how to glorify Him in this situation – before we think of moving on to something else?
“You too?” What friendship is, and why it’s so hard to find
(Reformed Perspective, 2017)
Finding good friends can be a daunting process. Oh, sure, some people seem to slide quickly and easily into friendship in only a matter of days. But for the rest of us there’s questions and more questions. How do good friendships begin? At what point do acquaintances officially become friends? How can you quickly move to that “comfortable stage” where you can just relax around each other? And, why is making friends so hard?
Searching for Lasting Fulfillment
(Edmonton Journal, 2013)
How often do you meet someone who wouldn’t change a thing about their life? Very rarely will you meet someone who claims that their life is perfect – that they are completely satisfied with how things are going. And that’s pretty universal for each of us.
When we look inside we see there is something each of us desperately wants: to be looked up to by other people, to be loved by someone special, to have a purpose in life, to make lots of money. There’s always something not quite right with the way our lives are right now…
Word of God Lives Beyond the Page
(Edmonton Journal, 2014)
Words are some of the longest-lasting things people can make.
Does that sounds strange to you? After all, so many words just go in one ear and out the other. So many words get spoken and forgotten, dispersing like the wind… But words that are worth remembering–they last.
Have you ever hit a dead end and discovered whatever career or job or schooling you pursued wasn’t for you? Maybe you’re just not cut out for engineering (or nursing, or teaching). As you attempt to switch directions and you look back over the last year (or two, or three) of your life is one question haunts you. Was it all a waste? I have been there and I can tell you this: It’s not a waste…
(Living Light News, 2015)
It’s a busy day at Dr. Lorrie Fraser’s veterinary clinic in Delisle, Saskatchewan. She’s waiting for one dog to wake up from anesthesia, with many more procedures lined up before the day is over.
Yet she finds time to talk of her lifelong dream of being a veterinarian, and how she, once a single parent of three, didn’t think it would come true…
If you are interested in my fiction, explore my ebook store–I won’t mention it often on this blog.
Hmm... 