I have a plaque hanging on the wall in my dining room. The beloved verse up there keeps catching my attention as I eat my meals. Here is the verse that we all love: I can't recall when I first heard or read John 3:16. I must have been …( read more )

Few verses reach me as deeply and as often as this one today. Most of us in the rich "first world" countries are well fed, but God says that the rich may well be sent away empty. Ouch, that hurts, for unavoidably, though we are not as …( read more )

As I write this title, I feel like putting a question mark to cap it off: Fear Of The Future? Really? Does a Christian really need to fear the future? Fear is in the air these days, with conspiracy theorists questioning the earth's …( read more )

As I write my book about my life from Bermuda to Vancouver Island, I am very aware that I am recording for "the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord." I am amazed at how often I feel so much at ease with everything that has …( read more )

I don't remember ever writing a devotional on pain and suffering before, but now, I am suffering pain, so I have thought and prayed about it and looked up certain verses in the Bible. There are very few verses that speak about pain — just …( read more )

As my body deteriorates and my weakness becomes more and more discouraging, I wonder what Paul means when he says: For me, weakness means failure and inability to cope with the day's activities, but now, as Christ's power rests on me, …( read more )

Are you packing and getting ready to leave home, or facing a big change in your life with a lot of uncertainty? I know something of what you are going through, because I am, too. I was supposed to be moving, but now I am told that this is …( read more )

I was overwhelmed by the responses to my New Year's Eve devotional, Which Way To Go . Readers were very loving and understanding as I outlined my future needs while facing a move to residential care. I really appreciated the love and …( read more )

Sadly, I have read of many Aboriginal and Inuit teens attempting suicide in remote northern Canada. They experience depression at twice the rate of the rest of Canada. Many years ago, I worked in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, helping street …( read more )

As I look out of my living room window early in the morning, I see a seagull standing on the rooftop of the neighbour's two-story building. What is he looking for? Another sea gull? He looks so alone, taking stock of his domain. The ocean …( read more )

As the years have gone by and I have grown older, the nativity seems more like a movie in my mind — not real, just a picture. It seems so long ago and so far away — what would it be like to really be there? There have been so many …( read more )

Many years ago, shortly after I came to Canada, I was sitting in a church when this lovely hymn was announced. Even though I had not heard it before, I found myself singing wholeheartedly with everyone else. I have never forgotten the …( read more )

Have you ever felt so confused, afraid, or alone that you desperately needed to talk to someone, but no one would understand? Then you can probably identify with Mary after this visit from the angel. Women who have given birth could …( read more )

Years ago, a friend gave me a puppet. As it stands there beside my piano, it looks like a mouse talking to me with a protruding mouth. It has curly hair just like me, and it has a clergy robe on. It's a clergy puppet! The piercing eyes are …( read more )

As I look out my window this morning, it is terribly dark, and it is raining buckets. Where is the sun? Lord, why do I feel such darkness? I put the television on and hear about a typhoon storming down on Hawaii and a hurricane coming …( read more )

When I read this verse, it hits me hard, because, as I look back on my life, during so little of it was I aware of the need to keep in step with the Spirit. When I look back at my training in the deaconess school, or even in seminary, I …( read more )

Yesterday was a good day, with lovely weather and sunshine all day. It pleased me a lot going through the day with peace and easy–going thoughts. But I have to admit that when I got up this morning, I never considered that I should …( read more )

Early in my life, after graduating as a deaconess, I made Canadian church work my career, serving in Grande Prairie and Red Deer in Alberta, and in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I started Flora House. I was even sent to Newfoundland to help …( read more )

There have been times in my life when I didn't know what to do next. Sometimes, it was because everything was new, never having faced such decisions before. Years ago, the Board of Missions sent me to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to open a …( read more )

In my early years working for the church, I was a deaconess doing Christian education in many provinces. There were hundreds of children and youth in the churches back then, and I loved the work. I enjoyed sharing my faith with so many and …( read more )

As I sit down to write this devotional, I am wondering where my soul will lead me today, as I am sure that the Holy Spirit flows through my fingers as my hands dash over the computer keyboard. The apostle Paul never had a computer, but …( read more )

Last summer, I was in the hospital suffering from very high blood pressure, when the doctor tried something new on me. He put the pill aside and just gave me the liquid medicine to drink. It worked. The Lord had done a new thing and I had …( read more )

In preparing for a discussion group in the fall on the early years of the church, I have been looking over the Book of Acts. I see that the apostles went through a time of persecution that would have been very disheartening, were it not …( read more )

During the last few years, as I have lost a lot of weight, I have had trouble with my false teeth, putting up with their inability to do the job accurately without a good fit. They are too big! Not being able to eat meat and certain …( read more )

Looking back over the years, I note the number of times when I have felt ill, weak, and off balance. As I write, my health speaks to me of pain and frustration. I feel as if I just can't do it. I don't trust my own ability to get the job …( read more )

As I write, I am typing this with one finger at a time, as my left arm is badly hurt and too painful to use. Yes, I was careless and fell down on my left side on my arm. Thank the Lord, the arm wasn't broken, just terribly sore. I have …( read more )

At my birthday party recently, I wanted to read Scripture, and looking for a verse about hope and the future, I found this one: What a wonderful birthday present from Jesus: new birth and an inheritance that can never perish! I could not …( read more )

The church these days faces a changing world. We are trying to reach out to neighbours who have a "me-centered approach". How does the gospel meet them? Are we welcomed now when we knock on the door of a stranger's house? There may be …( read more )

The Bible makes it clear: God has a special place in His heart for the poor, and we should, too. When I see the terrible situation of refugees in tents in the rain and mud, far from home, I wonder, what can I do? How can I be a blessing? …( read more )

Divine guidance is surely something to pray for, because divine guidance is second to none. God's guidance makes each hour greatly blessed, and we live in peace. That is something that we all need, especially as we get older or are in …( read more )

What do we really want in this life: a bigger apartment, a cute little puppy, enough food so that we will be strong and active, a good job, a loving spouse, the latest smartphone? This modern culture is not an easy, enjoyable one. Although …( read more )

A song written in 1896 still drives me to tears. "I surrender all" by Judson W. VanDeVenter is a tearjerker. Do you know it? Our choir sang it this Easter, and I had to control my tears in order to sing. Mark 10:28 puts it this way: "Lo, …( read more )

Our church is currently looking for a new minister. This is a beautiful retirement community and we are a church family that tries to reach out to all with understanding. What are the modern expectations of a minister today? The church in …( read more )