Robyn was angry and confused. She had just discovered that her much beloved roly-poly red robed Santa Claus was a marketing ploy invented in the early 20th century by Coca Cola to encourage consumerism. She was angry because she had been duped by the commercialization of what should be the most meaningful season of the year. She was also confused...

Thirty minutes from my home flows the Fraser River, a major thoroughfare for millions of migrating salmon that return each summer to spawn in its tributaries. We fishers catch them by casting long lines into quick currents, and when a 5-lb beauty hooks on, the fight can be fun and furious. So what does fishing for sockeye say about friendship...

Over the next 20 years, an unprecedented number of Canadians will reach retirement age. In fact, by 2020, it is estimated that over 20% of the Canadian population will be 65 or older, and more than 425,000 people will be retiring annually.  Are you among them? Is the finish line of the rat race looming in the not-too distant horizon? If so, we have...

One of my favorite questions to ask my three year old daughter is, “Why are you special?” She enthusiastically replies, “Because God made me!” The best part is when she proceeds to tell me all the parts that He made while pointing to each one. “God made my elbows,” she says, as she proudly points them both at me. “He made my legs,”...

Alone and discouraged, I sat staring at a computer screen. I was frustrated by the way my life had turned out. I’d worked hard to hold onto remnants of hope for my marriage, but each day that summer I could feel it slipping through my fingers.  I felt so alone.  God was still there, I knew, but there was a longing for people who would talk back....

Ever wondered where some of our popular expressions come from? Often an eloquent and original phrase which becomes part of common vernacular language finds its origins in literature. One of the most common sources for such phrases or idioms is the Bible. Having about 775,000 words, there is plenty of material there to mine for literary gems, and...

I used to be a useless Christian. My bad end-times beliefs not only terrified me, but completely immobilized my spiritual life. Bible classes at my private school encouraged our imaginations to run wild, and what started out as a pre-teen fascination and curiosity in Biblical prophecy soon turned into an intense phobia. Youth-group films that...