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The Good Neighbor Coffee House is situated on a side street, just south of downtown in Lacombe, Alberta. It's not just the name that communicates the virtues of neighborliness either -- inside the modern-looking building, the muted colors and the brass machinery convey a certain warmth; the baristas are friendly, the seating is arranged in such a way as to invite conversation, even with strangers. Rick Abma opened the place just a few weeks ago, and judging by the steady stream of business mid-afternoon on a Monday, word is getting around about the Good Neighbor Coffeehouse. Sure, there's a Tim Hortons or two within walking distance, but people come to the GNC for something they can't typically get at a chain coffee shop: neighboring. Rick is a pastor by trade, but he didn't start the GNC as a way to hoodwink unsuspecting people into coming to church. And neither did he do it with the goal of making money (though it should be noted that the GNC is a for-prof...

Mike Boldt brings little girls with tiger tails to life. And stubborn frogs, and dinosaurs, and numbers and letters. Mike is an award-winning Canadian author & illustrator who has written or illustrated (or both) over 15 award-winning children's books, including "A Tiger Tail", "Letters vs. Numbers," "Colors vs. Shapes", and "I Don't Want to Be A Frog!" Leafing through the pages of his books, readers young and old are drawn into the narrative: characterized letters compete with characterized numbers to grab the spotlight of the story; Little Jack Horner rocks out, live from the corner; or little Anya tries to figure out what to do when she wakes up on the first day of school, having grown a tiger tail overnight. You can meet some of his characters, and buy some of his  books here . Visiting his studio in early July, Mike gave me a glimpse into the process of bringing an imagined character to life on the pages of a storybook. It...

"I just love flying." That was the response to my question -- "What do you like about your job?" -- that I asked my brother, who also happens to be a First Officer with Canadian North Airlines. Canadian North is an airline providing both passenger and cargo service to 19 of Canada's Arctic communities. They operate a fleet comprised of Boeing 737 & Dash-8 aircraft, flying to such places as Cambridge Bay, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit. They are, in many good ways, a vital thread that connects these otherwise-isolated communities together. Chris has been flying with Canadian North for over 9 years, most of those years behind the yoke of a Boeing 737. His love for flying dates back to when we were kids -- and he is one of fortunate ones who was able to turn his love for all things aviation into a career. Not long ago, he gave me a tour of the Canadian North base, at Edmonton International Airport, and walked me through a typical day as a pilot. The flight...

I texted my mom from jail yesterday. That wasn't a text I ever thought I'd have to send. Fortunately, mom didn't take it too hard. She asked me what she should have on hand for breakfast when I visit later this week, and I texted back that I was good with "The usual: cereal, eggs, yogurt." I didn't mention that I was standing in sally port 2 of the Marion County jail. Fortunately, I was there as a guest of the Salem Police Department, and my stay would only last as long as it took to unload the prisoner, and complete the necessary paperwork, before leaving again. The Salem Police Department is made up of around 200 officers who are sworn to protect the community of Salem. Their ride-along program allows citizens to spend a half-shift or so observing their police officers in action, and it was this program that put me on the streets of south Salem yesterday -- and yes, eventually, in the county jail. Officer G, as I'll call him, has been with the depa...

The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation:  Rod Dreher; Random House, New York, New York: 2017. 262 pages, including indices. $14.98 A Creative Minority: Influencing the Culture Through Creative Participation: Jon Tyson & Heather Grizzle: San Bernadino, CA: 2016. 59 pages. $4.99 In early 2017, the Christian blogosphere -- along with other Christian media outlets -- lit up with discussion surrounding Rod Dreher's book, The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation . A cursory search on the Christianity Today website, for example, reveals the varied responses to Dreher's proposal, and it's clear that Dreher has, at the very least, touched a nerve. What is the Benedict Option, and is it in fact an option for Christians to consider as they weigh various approaches to engaging culture? It's tough to argue with Dreher's analysis of contemporary culture, and many Christians, especially those of a more ...