In the eight years author J. S. Park has served as a chaplain at a hospital designated a Level 1 Trauma Center, he has witnessed hundreds of people die, their deaths caused by accidents, violence, and diseases.In explaining his role, Park writes, “Maybe you’re not sure what a hospital chaplain is. A
As a big TV fan, there’s nothing better than finding a hidden gem, a show that hasn’t been widely discovered yet but is so good you want to shout about it from the rooftops.Trying, a BBC/Apple TV collaboration with four seasons under its belt, checks off all the boxes for me:Sweetness mitigated by h
Motherhood might be intuitive for some people. But it might also be a season of lost self-identity for many. Author Alli Worthington begins her book with the claim that “modern motherhood is broken.” Apart from the perpetual mom guilt of “not doing enough,” many mothers are burdened by expectations,
Two or three times each year, Christian Reformed churches send representatives to their classes (regional assemblies of churches).Many of the actions taken by classes are governed by the CRC’s Church Order, the rules that govern denominational life. Here are some of the actions by classes in the pas
A couple of days before Arnold Rumph’s death, when it appeared he could no longer communicate, a loved one was reading him Psalm 23. When it came to the last verse, Arnold raised his arms and said, “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” He continued to repeat that throughout the day. A
In a city where summer temperatures often soar into the 100s (high 30s and into the 40s Celsius), residents of Merced, Calif., have long sought ways to stay cool. Mark Humphreys, pastor of Gateway Community Church, a Christian Reformed congregation in that city, understands this all too well. “Havin
In 2019, Alheri Magaji spoke about her Adara community in Kaduna State of Nigeria during an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. She told the audience about how her ethnic group suffered vicious attacks carried out from mid-February through April of that year that left about 4
Angelina was beginning to dread the calls. What used to be a highlight in her otherwise horrible days had become a regular reminder of just how much the war in Ukraine had already changed her beloved husband.“His psychological condition isn’t good,” Angelina said. “His calls have become aggressive,
Jocelyn Green is well-known in the Christian fiction world thanks to her Windy City Saga and other novels, including the Christy Award-winning The Mark of the King. Her newest, which released in June, is the second in the On Central Park series that began with The Metropolitan Affair.The Hudson Coll
Resound Worship is a collective of British worship songwriters that seeks to write songs for the church. They have four goals: to publish songs that are theologically robust, reflect the full range of human emotions, have singable melodies that are engaging for a congregation, and have been through
Twenty-one-year-old twins Peggy and Maude have worked as bindery girls at the Oxford University Press since they were 12 years old. Now it's 1914, World War I is ravaging Europe, and its repercussions are being felt in Britain, including in the bindery as men leave their employment to enlist.Though
There’s a startling component to Luke’s narrative of Jesus and his love when he describes a scene on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1-11). Jesus sees a couple of boats and some fishermen washing their nets. Because a large crowd is pressing him, he asks the men to row him offshore a bit
Science cannot replace religion. But some people act as if it does. A friend of ours sent us a snapshot of a roadside billboard sponsored by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The billboard shows a man saying, “I put my faith in science.” This isn’t science, but scientism—turning science into a s
There are times when combining two or more good things doesn’t produce a better result. I’m thinking about going to 7-Eleven as a child and combining all four of my favorite soda pops into one Big Gulp. I had this foreboding hunch in mind as I watched the first episode of Netflix’s The Magic Prank S
Who was Rosetta Wakeman and why did she make the unusual choices she did? Author and illustrator Joanna Lapati answers these questions in her uniquely illustrated children’s picture book, which introduces young readers to the life and letters of a woman who disguised herself as a man and enlisted in
Taking a cue from Korean-language groups in the Christian Reformed Church that had success hosting conferences open to families, Global Coffee Break hosted an all-ages English conference at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., in July. A ministry of the CRC through Resonate Global Mission, it offered Bi
Described as hard working, disciplined, and a meticulous record keeper, John Boonstra also had a dry sense of humor. He loved teaching and preaching and had a reputation for being a fast talker. He was known and appreciated for visiting people in the hospital or at other vulnerable times in their li
Reuben DeBoer, a graduate of Smithville Christian High School and member of Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Dunnville, Ont., is a 2024 recipient of the Schulich Leader Scholarship, a nationally awarded prize.Given to 100 Canadian students each year in the science, technology, engineering, and ma
Sandra Pronteau, a Cree-Metis woman with deep roots in the communities she serves including at Nelson Avenue Community Church, a Christian Reformed congregation in Burnaby, B.C., has been honored with the DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN) Canada's National Hummingbird Award. This award recognizes her
Hearts Exchanged is all about going beyond the headlines into deep work that wrestles with how churches can become places of belonging and embrace God’s call to reconciliation with Indigenous neighbors in Canada.Participants can sign up with their church or in a mixed cohort of Christians in their r