Eric Nielsen
What can I say about myself? I like ideas, thinking, basketball, squash, travelling, and shooting the breeze with friends. I love my beautiful wife Valerie and lastly, but not in order of importance, I love Jesus. Ever since I encountered God's grace through Jesus, He's been transforming my rebellious heart to know, enjoy, love, and worship Him more. I grew up in the land overflowing with oil (Alberta) but I have spent the last 6 years in Southern Ontario, having dabbled once or twice in becoming an Easterner. I also spent one of those years living out of a backpack, travelling around the world in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. I graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2009 with a BA in philosophy and political science and I am currently residing in Chicago where I am studying for a masters degree.
How Do We Stop It?
Seeing the news feed and the picture of a police officer rushing children away from a building, I sat in disbelief. I said to myself: “Please tell me this is not happening, that this is not real.” December 14, 2012 we witnessed a tearing in the garment of how the world is supposed to be […] Read More >
How Does Christmas Change My Life?
Another Christmas season has come and gone. Turkey and gifts have now given way to New Year’s resolutions, parties, and that reluctant return to classes. “So what do you mean: How does Christmas change my life? Christmas is a lot of things, but life-changing? Are you out of your mind?” Christmas is just like any […] Read More >
How I Met My Wife
When it comes to a date, we can often find quick and easy ideas from the media about what to do for our special someone. But when it comes to bigger decisions like who to marry, where do we look for advice? I don’t have a quick fix answer but I have a story of […] Read More >
Hungering for Integrity That Connects Speech With Action
This fall marks another US Presidential Election. Some of you may have enjoyed watching the punches, the one-liners, and the drama of it all unfold in the campaigns and debates between President Obama and Mitt Romaney. I certainly did. When else do you get to see middle aged-men calling each other names in such a […] Read More >
I Just Want a Muffin!
Recently I went to McDonalds to get a muffin. This is what happened: Me: Could I get a muffin? Cashier: A Mcmuffin? Me: No, just a muffin Cashier: Yeah like a Mcmuffin Me: No, a muffin, like a bran muffin, a blueberry muffin Cashier: Sure, its kind of a bready muffin Me: Yeah, like bran […] Read More >
Is Social Media Making Us Lonelier?
How connected are you? Has social media brought you closer to your friends or left you lonelier than ever before? Stephen Marche tackled this question in a recent article in The Atlantic. He investigated whether our hopes of deeper relationships through social media tools are happening or if in fact, the opposite is true. He […] Read More >
Jean Valjean: A Heart Set Free by Love
What is the all-compelling power of life? I was confronted with this question recently when my wife and I went to watch Les Miserables in the theatre. From the moment the movie started, I was drawn in. The setting is 1815 in France. In the opening scene, an army of slaves are labouring to steer […] Read More >
My Life is Good. I Don’t Need to Change
Recently I came across a chat forum which asked the question, “What one thing are you willing to change this year to make your life better?” One person replied, “My weight. If I don’t [make a change]; I’ll lose my marriage.” Another said, “My perspective.” Still another responded, “To rise above and make the dreams and desires […] Read More >
New Life: The Point of Easter
Ever wish you could start over? If there was a restart button available which we could press anytime we wanted to redo things, my guess is that we would have made much use of it by now. Sometimes our personal anxieties, painful memories, and despair of whether the future really will be better makes us […] Read More >
Our Desires are Too Small
What do you crave most? Is it academic excellence, a great career, fame, sex, or alcohol? We all desire things, but is what you desire big enough to satisfy the deepest longings of your soul? Our worldviews, that is, the different ways in which we see the world around us, play an important role in […] Read More >