Author Archive

Joy In The Desert

Thursday, April 29, 2004

My friend has a chronic disease, one of those debilitating medical conditions that leaves her weak, often unable to work, and almost always in pain. Lately, except for visits to her doctor and an occasional visit to church where she … Read more

The Morning Prayer

Monday, April 26, 2004

I love to watch the sun rise, to see it push away the shades of night and shine in all its splendour, prancing across the morning sky, like Joseph dancing in delight as he showed off his fashionable coat of … Read more

Shining In The Dark

Friday, April 23, 2004

When I was growing up, there was a period when my parents struggled to put food on the table for their growing family. That year, in the days before hospitalization plans, I was in a hospital several miles from home … Read more

Mama Just Adores Him

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

My mother tried everything she could think of to encourage her youngest grandson to eat his supper. The two boys were visiting for the first time without their parents, and she wanted their mealtime to be a happy experience. However, … Read more

A Bad Hare Day

Friday, April 16, 2004

"You should try this new product," a friend told me, after I complained that my hair was hanging down like Bugs Bunny's ears on a bad "hare" day. I hadn't been at the breakfast meeting very long before I began … Read more

He Became Poor

Saturday, April 10, 2004

I have been privileged to visit some of the great palaces of Europe: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Scone Palace in Britain, Versailles in France, Rosenborg Castle in Denmark, and Drottningholm Palace near Stockholm, Sweden, to name a few. I … Read more

Forgiveness

Friday, April 9, 2004

Last week, our choir director asked me to write a word picture about the meaning of compassion. As I prayed about how to word this, my thoughts turned to the anguish that God must have experienced when Adam and Eve … Read more

According To The Evidence

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

When I was growing up, my father always finished his breakfast with a sugared donut, often freshly made earlier that morning by my mother and left in the centre of the kitchen table under a domed dish. My younger brother … Read more

When We Are Wounded

Monday, April 5, 2004

For years, I've wondered how followers of Christ can inflict such deep hurts on others, and still call themselves Christians. About a year or so ago, I was revisiting the Scripture passage on the arrest of Jesus, and I noted … Read more

Planting A Seed

Monday, March 22, 2004

Even though seventeen years and three thousand miles separated me from my youngest brother during his childhood, we've always maintained a close bond. I remember visiting him when he was six. He told me of his first year at school, … Read more

Seeking The Lost

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

My West Highland White Terrier, Ben Nevis, spent the first years of his life testing the meaning of the word "come". Cats, foxes, people were playmates to be chased. Woods and lakes were playgrounds to be explored. Perhaps the day … Read more

Borrowed Possessions

Sunday, March 14, 2004

One of the greatest blessings in my life has been the birth of our three grandchildren. I will admit, however, that some of us who are blessed with grandchildren are guilty of a serious oversight: it is easy to be … Read more

Finding God's Will

Thursday, March 11, 2004

I don't know about you, but I've often wished that God would write His plans for my life down on a piece of paper and hand them to me. I know that I'd be frightened if I saw His handwriting … Read more

Be Faithful

Monday, March 8, 2004

"What's the use?" This was the question I was tempted to ask after a family move. Seeing as I was far away from our former home and church family, it would have been so easy to stay in my warm … Read more

Jesus Loves Granny

Friday, March 5, 2004

"What is that?" My two-year-old granddaughter was pointing to her great-grandmother's casket. I held my breath, and wondered how her aunt would answer her. I certainly didn't want her to experience the same nightmares that I'd had when someone forced … Read more

Hitting The Brick Wall

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

While serving as a palliative care volunteer, I spent time with one person who described their experience of learning that they had a terminal illness as being similar to what they might expect to feel had they run headlong into … Read more

Good Night, God

Sunday, February 29, 2004

Recently, one of my friends asked, "How are you?" and, when I hesitated briefly to consider how I should reply, she nodded knowingly, and said, "You're being carried right now." "Yes, I'm being carried." I agreed. Later that night, I … Read more

The Anchor That Holds

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

There is one place I don't want to be in a north-easterly gale, and that is on the water. Not long ago, one of these storms brought high winds, up to 72 centimetres of snow, and winter havoc to the … Read more

The Unusual Prayer Meeting

Sunday, February 22, 2004

In November, one of the churches in my hometown was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, and, during their celebrations, many tributes were given to the five remaining charter members and the ninety-year-old minister who was their first pastor. During the Sunday … Read more

Facing The Giant (2)

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Once I decided to face my fear of feeding the chickens, it wasn't the belligerent rooster that made my trip memorable. It was the mouse scurrying about the feed bin that caused me to run back to the house. This … Read more

Facing The Giant (1)

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

When I was six, my mother asked me to feed the chickens while she made supper. As soon as she asked me, my heart began to thump wildly. Although I was capable of feeding the chickens, I was afraid to … Read more

Computer Virus

Sunday, February 15, 2004

"My computer detected a potential worm and would not return my e-mail." My friend and colleague used these words when responding to one of my devotionals. Sooner or later, those of us who use computers regularly will experience or know … Read more

Knowing God's Plan

Thursday, February 12, 2004

How will we know if it's the Lord's will? This question kept returning last summer, whenever my husband and I thought of moving. After many address changes earlier in our lives, it had been a pleasure to settle down, make … Read more

Burdocks

Monday, February 9, 2004

The sun was shining, and the day beckoned me to get outside. I decided to take our dog for a walk along the walking trails that run through our town and along the river. One minute he ran ahead, then … Read more

Cousins

Friday, February 6, 2004

Besides being able to share my faith with readers around the world, my writing has brought me other special blessings. On one occasion, while participating in an evening of readings, I met another author, and, to our great delight, we … Read more

The Heart Attack

Tuesday, February 3, 2004

As I walked down the hallway of our local hospital, posters reminded me that, in Canada, February is designated as "Heart Month". During the month, many of us will be invited to have our blood pressure checked, or be encouraged … Read more

My Turn

Saturday, January 31, 2004

On a Sunday morning recently, our youth pastor's baby daughter was being baptized, and the parents chose to have their two-year-old daughter, Catherine, stand up with them during the baptism. Before the service began, Tammy, Catherine's mother, explained to her … Read more

Bob's Rules

Thursday, January 29, 2004

One of our friends, whom I'll call Bob, has a passion for the game of Scrabble. He takes great delight in beating his opponents, but sometimes they have reason to complain about his interpretation of the rules. The argument begins … Read more

The Prodigal

Monday, January 26, 2004

Have you ever accidentally overheard part of a conversation or one side of a telephone call that has stayed in your mind for months afterward? This happened to me when we were travelling in the Yukon in the spring … Read more

God's ABCs

Friday, January 23, 2004

For years I have been fascinated with my family's history. I've traced my family name, Ingalls, back to 1598, read about the struggles of the early settlers as they made their home on a lonely island, and discovered how one … Read more

Albatross

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

When travelling in southern New Zealand near Dunedin, my husband and I went to see the royal albatross colony. These rare birds make their home on a rocky cliff at Taiaroa Head. According to the guidebook, it is "the only … Read more

Accepting The Blame

Saturday, January 17, 2004

Part of my childhood involved several moves in order for my father to find work. After one particular move, I remember telling my cat, Trail, how much I missed my friends and my other home. Once, we moved into an … Read more

The Scarlet Cord

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

We had been talking about forgiveness at our Bible Study, when one lady offered the following thought: "I know God can forgive me, but it's so hard to forgive myself for mistakes I've made." I had known her for some … Read more

 



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