My Love-Hate Relationship with When Calls the Heart

My Love-Hate Relationship with When Calls the Heart

When it comes to wholesome, clean TV viewing, which is becoming a shrinking island every day, When Calls the Heart, a Canadian-American drama series based on Janette Oke’s novel of the same name from her Canadian West series, is a rare find. No bad language. No steamy bedroom scenes. Beyond a few dipping necklines, the women on the show are modestly dressed, and characters occasionally spout Bible verses or refer to prayer and God’s blessings. Not to mention the wonderful acting, period apparel (that one could argue isn’t always quite accurate to the period), the picturesque town of Hope Valley, and the pure entertainment of good storytelling. There is much to enjoy here. Best of all, our family can sit down for an episode and not have to worry about objectionable content being splashed on our screen or issuing from our speakers. A rare find, indeed. I’m excited whenever I…

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Book Review: Let’s Roll

Book Review: Let’s Roll

Let’s Roll: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage by Lisa Beamer is a highly moving and inspiring book, with the right balance of harrowing details and faith elements to ground this true story in hope. For those unfamiliar with this story, Lisa is the wife of Todd Beamer, one of the many unsung heroes who perished on United Airlines Flight 93 a few minutes after ten a.m. on September 11, 2001, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Evidence from phone calls before the plane went down reveals that Todd and other passengers on board determined to take back the plane from the terrorists; unfortunately, their efforts ultimately led to their deaths, yet their sacrifice undoubtedly spared many more lives than those lost on the plane. This is the story of what happened that day, particularly Todd’s role. Let’s Roll is in some ways Lisa and Todd’s life story, in another a gripping, detailed account of how heroic deeds…

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