One of the biggest challenges young adults face is transitioning to financial independence.
I don’t know about you, but I sure miss the safety and security of the days when my parent’s...
Last month I had trouble sleeping through the night.
Insomnia-like experiences are nothing new for me, but I haven’t had a sleepless night for quite some time. Growing up I’d often find...
You know how some people are naturally good at all the things you tend to struggle with?
Well, I can’t take a hint.
But let me clarify. When I really try to read between the lines, or...
Have you ever tried to learn something on your own?
When I think of picking up skills, I think of the time I tried to learn French. I collected DIY books and CDs and set myself up to master this...
I'm starting to suspect my friends are no longer capable of eating regular food. It all started innocently enough with me deciding to host a girly dinner party. Everyone seemed excited. That is,...
I have an expressive face, but apart from that I tend not to show a lot of outward emotion. I think and feel as much as the next person, but often I’m slow to let others in on what my thoughts...
In the late 1990s I was practically obsessed with obtaining Sampler CDs. I loved discovering new and obscure music, so I picked up as many as possible. And the fact they were substantially cheaper...
Have you ever heard the phrase “Don’t take your work home with you?”
Let’s say you’ve had a terrible day at work. If you properly separate the negative emotions...
Whenever I think about God, the first words that pop into my mind are: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. These are the words from Psalm 86:15 (NIV), but they...
There are 15 months separating me from my younger brother, Joel. As a result of our close kinship, sharing was something of the norm for us—like school classrooms, friends, and punishments.
What’s more important: people liking you or doing what’s right?
We know what the answer should be, but what is it really?
Doing what is right in today’s society is harder than it...
There’s this great Friends episode where Phoebe is angry with Ross, but she can’t remember why. To figure it out, the friends engage in a game where they rapid-fire questions and the...
If you Google the words “Looking For,” you will find any number of suggestions to fill in the blank. For example, looking for:
Mr. Goodbar
Love
Alaska
Men
Aliens in all the wrong places...
Recently I moved into my own place. The phrase “economic reality” has acted as the bucket of cold water on my enthusiasm towards independent living.
In other words, someone has to pay the...
The simplest way to say it is I just don’t have a head for numbers.
It was 2007 and I had just returned from visiting a friend in London, England. The weekend was one of those legendary ones. You know, the kind you reminisce about, saying things like: “This one...
Rest has been on my mind ever since I was told in no uncertain terms to get some. Although I understand how to get physical rest—by going to bed earlier, taking more time to relax, or slowing...
“What seems to be the problem?”
“Well, I have this cold and it’s just not going away.”
“Tell me, are you a perfectionist?”
“I guess. I hate missing...
In the Christianese language, I contend the term “devotions” is overused to the point of redundancy.
Devotions. Ideally, I’m sure most of us use it to describe a daily quiet time spent...
For several years, I was all about summer camp.
The people I met at camp had a wide range of experience with God, Christianity, and with church. Sometimes the stories I heard would break my heart,...
Immediately after Elijah’s victory at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18-19), he suffered from fear, depression, and anxiety. When Queen Jezebel threatened his life, Elijah fled to the desert, leaving...
Have you ever had a mountaintop experience?
This expression can be expressed literally, as often after a struggle or effort to reach a summit people’s senses and emotions are joyfully...
You know who he is. Eeyore, the stuffed donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh; the loveable depressed eternal pessimist.
Eeyore prepared himself for the worst, and never expected anything good. I think many of...
A familiar character in the New Testament is Thomas. One of the Twelve Disciples, Thomas is maybe better known for his doubt.
“One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with...
It wasn’t so long ago I was absolutely certain of what I believed.
Really, it’s not so hard to see why I thought I had it all figured out. I had a simple life, lived in a small town, and...
Several years ago, I joined a worship band for a Sunday night church service. Subconsciously, I think I expected the regular church congregation to be as accepting of the new service as the people...
In Bible College there were a few required courses I couldn’t get out of if I wanted to graduate. One of those was Marriage and Family.
It’s not like I didn’t want to take a course...
For some reason (culturally, religiously, or otherwise), the fact that I am single, never been married, and 30, makes people uncomfortable.
The most common question I field is: why?
Why are you...
Between university semesters, I was a summer camp counsellor. Each summer I took training to answer every tough question the kids threw at me.
Well, not every question.
How could God really create...
For me, Christmas will never be the stereotypical North American experience.
Reason #1: My family opens presents Christmas Eve
Reason #2: Christmas dinner does not include turkey or ham
Implications...
The Protestant Reformation launched Christianity into a whole new era. The accomplishments of the Reformation made God and the Bible accessible to the world, where once this was reserved for the...
Vice is everywhere. Some is socially acceptable and some is not, depending on where you live and what year it is.
What was taboo 20 years ago is now encouraged; what was once commonplace is now...
Committing to a career path in my early 20s seemed like a drastic step, so I moved to Amsterdam instead. I managed to find an appealing youth mission base, offering lessons in urban ministry, so I...
Many words in the English language have more than one meaning. The way we choose to use the word infers certain emotions and ideas, which would be completely different if we changed the context.
One...
Without taking a personality test, it’s clear I am reserved. Sharing feelings, hugs, and situations leading to public displays of emotion are things I try to avoid.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not afraid...
It all started (maybe) in my headboard. My headboard has great bookshelves and little reading lights. My books and journals and other related paraphernalia are on the shelves for easy nighttime...
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you. Nations will come...
Second Kings 2 tells the story about these prophets, Elijah and Elisha, who are travelling from Gilgal to Bethel. That’s over 100km in distance and they travelled on foot. Midway, Elijah is taken up...
Some of the most memorable characters from C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia are the Duffers, from The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader.”
Those funny little Duffers thought they were so clever. They were...
“Ogres are like onions.”
Who doesn’t know where this quote is from? In 2001, Shrek taught moviegoers everywhere ogres are more than just scary monsters. They have layers.
“Layers. Onions have layers...
When I was young, into double digits but not yet a teen, I received the box set of The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Being an avid reader, there was a fair chance I would take to the books.
I...
My friend is busy planning a honeymoon in Phoenix.
Recently we talked about her trip and while I could have chosen to question her choice in location, I instead narrowed in on the word, “honeymoon...
Faced with overwhelming decisions to make in an uncertain economy, young adults are forced to deal with stress and change like no other age group.
First time homebuyer. University graduate. New...
If you type, “the answer to life, the universe and everything,” into Google calculator, it comes up with an answer.
Forty-two.
Google takes mere nanoseconds to calculate its result. This is...
Today, I only had the car until 11 a.m. and had a list of things I wanted to do in town such as buy credit for my mobile and mail a bunch of letters.
Unfortunately, I woke up on the wrong side of 10:...
I quit university at age 19.
People were probably upset with me. I remember overhearing a friend’s mom refer to me as, “floundering,” once.
After two years in school, I finished my last psych course...
There are many effective and original methods to memorization. People remember differently and it’s important to find a way that works for you.
Sept. 2009’s Insights Canada Magazine, focused on the...
“I just can’t memorize!”
How many times can you remember hearing yourself or someone crying these words in frustration? Memorization is tough, and people go to all sorts of lengths to avoid it....
Once upon a time, in 2003, an Ocellaris clownfish named Marlin, in a movie called Finding Nemo, tried to tell a joke.
“All right, I know one joke. Um, there’s a mollusk, see? And he walks up to a sea...
The blooming signs of spring should fill us with happiness and hope for a lush and green growing season. However, save for children who love to blow and replant seeds across the land, the first...
