Skip to content ↓

The Beauty of Banff

The Beauty of Banff

In the aftermath of all the trials and traumas of the past month, my family decided it would be wise to take a brief vacation, an opportunity to regroup, to consider the way forward. With most destinations completely or functionally closed to us, we set out for the province of Alberta, one of only four places in the world we could visit without quarantining on the way in or out. We spent most of our time exploring Banff National Park, though we also made some forays to a couple of other nearby national and provincial parks. As always, I had my camera with me and thought I’d share just some of the wintery beauty of Banff.

We all found the time helpful. Though in a sense it was a kind of procrastination before getting back to real life, it was also a time to appreciate beauty, to appreciate God’s handiwork in creation, to remind ourselves of his power and majesty. With most tourists locked in their own countries, it was also hauntingly empty most of the time, which I admit, somewhat selfishly, was like a dream come true to me. (We had a morning at Lake Louise, one of Canada’s top tourist spots, where we were literally the only people there.) Sometimes I would go to a spot in the morning and sit there for two hours by myself with not a single person to be seen or heard. That solitude was a blessing all its own.

Anyway, if you are interested, you can watch the slideshow below, or view the photo gallery here. (I expect those who receive the email will need to click through.)


  • Weekend A La Carte (June 13)

    Egg freezing is a booming business / Talk to the A.I. me / Is aging becoming optional? / Feminism and the Fall / The lie of living your truth / Moving on from the Christian Nationalism moment / and more.

  • An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    There is a lot I miss from the days when our children were young. High on the list is family devotions. Nick once described our family as having a “Spartan-like commitment” to them, though I remember as much failure as success and as many misses as hits. Still, there’s no doubt that over the 26…

  • A La Carte (June 12)

    The curious case of extra resurrections / Are kids too expensive? / Why hot takes are the enemy of conviction / Piper on preaching outrage / A daily rhythm of prayer / Forgetting and pursuing / A La Quiz / The funnies / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 11)

    We lost the baby / The Bible is cessationist (and wondrous!) / Thinking about Eastern Orthodoxy: a primer for evangelicals / Virtue signalling in the church / What is God’s providence? / Restlessness / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Conform

    You Can Conform to Christ Even if You Don’t Conform to Me

    One of the aspects of the Christian faith that I find particularly perplexing is the freedom God gives his people to obey him in different or even opposite ways, so that one person’s obedience is another person’s disobedience. Even as two people take the same action, one might be obeying him and the other disobeying…

  • A La Carte (June 10)

    Does prayer make a difference? / Portrait of an abortionist / Pushing back against the black tax / Bring your whole self to work / Blessed are the weak / When service isn’t a transaction / A pastoral analogy / Bill C-9 will soon be law in Canada / and more.