Top Ten Things I Love About Hamilton

Let me tell you a secret:  the first time I lived in Hamilton I hated it.  Coming from western Canada, I felt like I was living in exile.  And Hamilton didn’t have a lot going for it besides the fact that the Canadian Reformed seminary was located there.  That was back in 1996-2000.  We moved back here nearly three years ago and I have to say that this has been an awesome three years.  This city has grown on me.  Many improvements have been made and this city is now a great place to live.

I got to thinking about all this today as we took in the Royal Botanical Gardens.  This is a jewel in Hamilton’s crown.  It definitely ranks in my top ten of things I love about this city.  Here’s the full list:

10.  Hamilton International Airshow

This actually was a highlight of living here back in the late 1990s.  It went on hiatus when I did.  But it’s back and better than ever.  This year’s airshow promises to be spectacular — they’ll be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Warplane Heritage Museum.

9.  Architecture

Last weekend we took in Doors Open Hamilton and we were excited to see a lot of really neat historical buildings in this city.

8.  HMCS Haida

This world class National Historic Site used to be located in Toronto.  Now she’s berthed in Hamilton and well-taken care of.  You can tour the entire ship — “Canada’s Fightingest Ship!”

7.  John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport

Ten minutes away from our house is this much-preferred alternative to Pearson in Toronto.  If you’re travelling anywhere in Canada, this is the better option.  What it lacks in amenities it makes up for in convenience.

6.  Hillbilly Heaven

I have searched far and wide across this fair land to find the best barbeque in Canada and I found it right here.  Enough said.

5.  Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

This was around back in the 1990s too, and it was a bright spot back then and still is today.  Almost everything is in flying condition, including one of only two Avro Lancasters in the world.  This place is a tribute to the people and machines who were instruments to win our freedom in ages past.

4.  The Niagara Escarpment (“The Mountain”)/Waterfalls/Parks

Hamilton has been designated the waterfall capital of the world.  All that water falls over the Niagara escarpment, a cliff that runs right through the middle of the city.  There are some spectacular sights along the escarpment and many great parks.  One of our favourites is Dundas Valley.

3.  Infrastructure

Some folks will disagree with this one.  Some of the roads are not in the greatest shape.  But it is easy to get around this city.  Whoever had the foresight to plan such things as the Lincoln Alexander Parkway/Red Hill Creek Expressway deserves more than applause.  And bike lanes!  Lots of bike lanes on main arterials on the mountain — awesome!

2.  Royal Botanical Gardens

This is a fantastic place to enjoy the plant life our Creator designed and built.  It’s huge and diverse.

1.  Providence Canadian Reformed Church

I am tremendously blessed to serve as the pastor of this church.  It’s by far the best of Hamilton!  The people of this church are hungry for the gospel, they have a vision for sharing that gospel, and they’re friendly.

Yep, this is a great place to live, no doubt about it.

 

Old Xanga Yinkahdinay

In case anyone cares, my old Xanga blog will be shut down for good in short order, probably tomorrow. So if you want to look back and reminisce, now’s the opportunity. The new WordPress blog and resource site will continue right here.

Varia

A few interesting items from around the blogosphere:

Tim Keller from Redeemer PCA in New York City has written some helpful books.  For instance, I really appreciated Prodigal God.  Unfortunately, Keller does hold some erroneous views.  For one thing, he seems to either hold to or at least be open to theistic evolution.  There’s a helpful response to him on this over here.  Keller is also less than consistently Reformed in his apologetical methodology.  His The Reason for God is very popular, but needs to be read with discernment.  OPC pastor Brett McNeill wrote a helpful review some time ago for New Horizons.  TRG is not a book that I would recommend if you’re trying to understand how to go about apologetics in a biblically faithful manner.

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There’s a new festschrift just out for Dr. Bob Godfrey of Westminster Seminary California, Always Reformed.  I had the privilege of reading a pre-publication copy this past summer.  I can tell you that it’s worthwhile.  I especially enjoyed Hart’s essay on Machen’s “warrior children,” Muller’s essay on seventeenth-century language about God, and Venema’s essay on the (brief) history of the United Reformed Churches.  You can order a copy here.

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I recently uploaded my review of James K. A. Smith’s Desiring the Kingdom.  You can find it over to the right under “Articles” or follow this link to get it direct.

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There’s a helpful post here by Dr. John Byl on Science, Neutrality and the Antithesis.  He’s responding to Reformed Academic contributor Dr. Jitse Vandermeer’s critique of Dr. Cornelis Van Dam.

New Comments Policy

From this time forward, I ask that all commenters please sign their posts with their real first and last name.  No more anonymous or pseudonymous comments will be published.  Also, as always, commenters are asked to maintain a respectful tone when interacting with others.  Nasty comments will not be published and recalcitrant offenders will be banned.  Outside of those guidelines, I reserve the right to decline comments that I judge to be unedifying.

Time for a Break

It’s summer time and that means it’s time for a blog-cation.  Next week my consistory has graciously given me time off from most of my pastoral duties to focus on writing.  I have three projects on the go:  getting my dissertation ready for the publisher, working on my book about Fort Babine and my missionary experiences there, and a critical translation of a debate between Guido de Bres and Francois Richardot for a theological journal.  My vacation officially starts on July 12 and I’ll be enjoying some time off with my family.  I’ll also be heading to Edmonton at the end of the month for my twenty year class reunion — I’m looking forward to that!  I can hardly believe it’s been twenty years.

So, I’m taking a break from blogging for a few weeks.  I hope to resume when I get back from my vacation in August.  Hope you all have a good summer!