Douglas Brouwer caught the travel bug early. His parents took him and his sister on trips nearly every year. For Brouwer, though, travel was much more than just checking off the name of a location on some sort of bucket list. He realized that travel had the potential to broaden his experience and he
From Father Brown and Sherlock Holmes to Adventures in Odyssey, audio dramas have long left an impact on generations. And they are making a comeback in the form of podcasts. One of the most popular audio dramas for adults is a science fiction story called Midnight Burger.A mysterious transdimensiona
I attended my first funeral when I was 6 years old.A child at my elementary school in Iowa died in a horrible accident involving farm equipment. His name was Brian.As I peered into the casket at his funeral, I saw what looked like a swollen, waxy version of Brian’s face. I whispered to my mom, “Why
Chirp, chirp. Peep, peep. Tweet, tweet. These are bird calls, right? Not exactly! Those words might sound like some bird calls, but birds are far more creative with the sounds they make than we might think.Some birds make sounds like tsk-tsk, chut-chut, and wooooo-eeee! Birds’ voices are as speciali
Dirk Evans was known for his ability to listen. “While he was adept at talking,” said one of his sons, “I think his superpower was listening—with intent, seeking to understand—and not interrupting.” In his professional life Dirk served as a church pastor, hospital chaplain, certified supervisor of C
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Kathryn Post, was published July 17, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length. Banner style, and relevance to the Christian Reformed Church.From organ blasts and incense to forced hugs and ha
“Experiment” is a good word, said Corey Van Huizen, pastor of Redeemer Online Church, in a July 18 interview with The Banner. It “affords you a kind of latitude for making mistakes, being on the frontier, the edges.” There’s a messiness inherent in experimenting that Van Huizen compared to the early
Most books by Christian therapists offer healing wisdom based on Scriptural precepts, but author Tabitha Westbrook adds another layer of authenticity to her work: she is a survivor herself of sexual abuse and domestic violence.In Body &Soul, Healed and Whole, Westbrook writes as a healing individual
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A stranger rides into town. He’s there because his old friend called him out of retirement to restore law and order, and the hotshot young deputy isn’t up to the task. But the stranger carries an old wound, and his methods are unorthodox, so at first the seas
Author Alain Serge Dzota was born into a poor family in Cameroon and discovered the joy of reading when he started elementary school. Learning to read opened up a world of stories to him and empowered him to eventually become a writer. His cultural perspective and experience of childhood poverty and
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.The familiar
Have you ever received transformational hospitality? Early in our ministry, my wife and I served as seminary instructors in Donga, Nigeria. I was invited to preach at one of my student’s congregations in a very rural area. As usual, we were seated in the front of the church and given bottles of wate
Mitali Perkins is well known for her award-winning novels and picture books for young readers, including Rickshaw Girl and You Bring the Distant Near. This time, the award-winning author speaks to all creatives in her new book Just Making, written for adults.She asks the age-old question: How can we
The annual denomination survey asks respondents to select from 28 phrases in response to the prompt “To me, the term ‘Christian Reformed’ means ...” In 2025, 13 phrases were selected by at least 30% of respondents. Here are those top terms, with the ones chosen by the highest percentage of responden
I grew up surrounded by mountains in the Pacific Northwest—“God’s country,” as I was told when I came to Ontario for my first church position. I think I often took the landscape for granted while I was living there. For me, the sights and smells around Vancouver were always my default idea of what t
Written for a female audience, author Cindi McMenamin’s book explores how traditional reasons for loneliness—“loneliness caused by anxiety, shame, suffering, feelings of inadequacy, betrayal, and more”—have been exacerbated by reliance on technology and the isolation people experienced during the CO
That Bob Dylan—why did he do what he did? A musical artist skyrockets to fame, only to change his sound? Why?A Complete Unknown maps out the mystery of Dylan, and while clarifying some things, doesn’t answer what it can’t: Who is Bob Dylan? The title might well be director James Mangold’s answer.The
Author Dr. Kevin Chapman, a licensed psychologist with a specialty in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), offers Christian readers a remarkably helpful manual for pursuing emotional health.Dr. Chapman’s workbook represents a blending of two schools of thought that, he asserts, have historically been
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.I've always b
For two years Grace Community Christian Reformed Church in Ancaster, Ont., has used its large open foyer filled with natural light as a community play space on Thursday mornings. Called Community Play &Café it's a drop-in for caregivers and young children with no agenda but play and connection and i