Robert Bruinsma

Oct 23, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Sylvia Keesmaat |Betty Isbister |Cathy Smith |Robert Bruinsma

Creator of all,we are waiting for the sky to fall. We look on in horror at children killed,homes and schools bombed,smoking rubble filling the streets. We mourn with all who have lost loved ones,all who have fled the fighting,all who will lie down in fear this night. Above the sounds of the rockets,the weeping of the bereaved,you call us to be lovers,lovers in a dangerous time.

Sep 18, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma |Jonathan de Vries |Robert Bruinsma |Jennifer Boone

Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” – John 14: 6aMy parents told me this story. It is 1943 in Holland during the height of the Nazi occupation of that country. Everywhere Jews are rounded up for shipping to concentration camps. Able-bodied Dutch men are required to report for labour duty in German war factories or face dire consequences. Jews and young men go “underground” to hide from death or Nazi collaboration.

Aug 11, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Christian Courier |Robert Bruinsma |Louisa Bruinsma |Kathy Vandergrift

In keeping with our desert theme, we asked CC folks, past and present, “What book would you most want if you were stranded on a desert island?” Almost half of them said, “Well, the Bible, but if you mean other than the Bible, then…”When I lived in Korea with my missionary parents, we spent part of our holiday in a cottage close to the Yellow Sea. I think I was around 11 years old when I read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee within that cottage sanctuary.

Aug 7, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Derek C. Schuurman |Robert Bruinsma |Bob Bruinsma |Peter Schuurman

This year marks 20 years since I became a full-time professor in Christian higher education. At the time I discerned a call to teaching, I was in my early thirties and working as an engineer. To be qualified, I had to first complete my doctoral degree. My wife and I, together with our three children, moved to Hamilton so I could pursue my graduate degree at McMaster University. During that time, our family expanded with the birth of a fourth child (who is now attending McMaster University).

May 5, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Sara Pot |Emily Cramer |Robert Bruinsma

Observing the slow shift from winter into spring is therapeutic. I enjoyed time outside recently with my mother–in-law. We made a point to just sit in the sun for a while. With delight, she pointed to the crocuses popping their heads out of the soil in the gardens around her long-term care home. May marks another birthday in our home, this time for Rachel. Turning 17 looks much different for Rachel than for our older children.