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
Author Archive
The Morning Prayer
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
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
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
"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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
"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
"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
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
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
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
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)
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)
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
"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
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
The Heart Attack
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
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
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
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
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
Accepting The Blame
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
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