It's been said that the disciple John was Jesus' special, favourite disciple. John was "the one Jesus loved", a phrase seen twice in the Gospel of John. I've felt uneasy about that text. Why would John portray himself as Jesus' favourite? …( read more )

We've been getting a lot of e-mail in our junk mailbox lately. I get invitations from different companies from all over the world to do business with them. Obviously, they don't know how old I am. We have also been advised about several …( read more )

In our church, there is a cross at the front of the sanctuary. The cross is bare for most of the year, but during Lent, it is draped in a purple cloth. Now, it is draped in white, in honour of the risen Christ. The changing colours of the …( read more )

During the last number of years, I have visited a considerable number of elderly people, and most of them seem to want to talk about their life's experiences. I knew one gentleman who told me a great many stories about how things were in …( read more )

I love the Apostles' Creed. It is a succinct summary of a great many of the beliefs that I hold as a Christian. I call it an "executive summary". Nevertheless, it is obvious that no mention of Jesus' earthly life is made in the Creed …( read more )

Either today or next Sunday, many Christians around the globe will observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This practice not only comforts those who are suffering, but it unites believers worldwide in taking a …( read more )

I have kept a diary since 1962. It started out as a record of the daily progress of my pipeline construction in northern British Columbia, Canada, including the movement of people and equipment, records of meetings with owners and …( read more )

Are we indeed our brother's keeper? Many may think not, but as in our biological family, we do not survive well unless we help each other. Many of our brothers and sisters carry loneliness around with them like a blanket. What can we do …( read more )

The writer of the Gospel of John does not identify himself by name in the text, but five times, he describes himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". One day as I thought about what it must have been like for John to know Jesus' love, …( read more )

After His resurrection, Jesus showed Himself to His followers on several occasions. One of those was at the Sea of Galilee, after they had caught no fish all the previous night. This story reminded me of the time when I worked in the …( read more )

I discovered recently that one of the strategies used to tuck a large amount of information into human memory is to visualize an imaginary "memory house" where each room gives a place to store specific, important details. In preparation …( read more )

Raising two large puppies at the same time is quite an adventure and a real challenge. At present, I am seeking to instruct them to heel when we are out walking. As the one pup, Sophie, is two months older than Bonnie, I sometimes …( read more )

For a number of years, it has been the custom in our town for merchants to decorate their store windows with a certain theme during certain seasons. There have been a number of different themes over the years at different times. One day …( read more )

In 1965, Pierre Berton wrote a bestseller entitled The Comfortable Pew: A critical look at Christianity and the religious establishment in the new age. He ends the book with an optimistic prescription that a transformation is …( read more )

My identification with this account of Jesus and the disciples at the Sea of Galilee is very keen. I love everything about fishing, and I can really understand that they had been out all night and caught nothing. Although I … (read more)

How many times we have said, "I'll never do that again!" Personally, I've lost count. Most recently, I shot off my mouth to someone without thinking it through. I never meant what I said to be offensive, but it was. … (read more)

In February, my husband had surgery that we knew would take time and rehabilitation in hospital, rehab center, and at home, with help. While he was in the hospital and the rehab center, we were asked, "Who does the banking, … (read more)

Sometimes, when I playfully ask hubby if he loves me, he reams off his "proof list". It generally includes things like cutting the lawn, folding laundry, and loving me just the way I am! The English language includes only one … (read more)

What if we were deeply in love with someone, and that person, out of the blue, asked, "Do you truly love me more than anyone else?" I think that would hurt a lot. Didn't the loved person know me and … (read more)

Recently, I read the testimony of a Christian woman from Nigeria whose relatives, a dedicated pastor, his wife, and one of their sons, had been brutally killed when violence broke out in a religious riot in 2004. Two other sons, … (read more)

The alarm goes off; the neighbour's rooster crows; I climb out of bed and dress. The first rays of morning light find me on the way to the YMCA. As I drive, thoughts of praise and thanks for the birth … (read more)

My two grandchildren are very competitive. The main phrase in their vocabulary is "It's not fair", referring to what one thinks the other is receiving that he's not getting. This is characteristic not only of little brothers and sisters, but … (read more)

We recently spent a week on the Gulf coast of Florida, where each night, we were blessed to watch the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico. Our morning also found us walking the beach. On this particular morning, I … (read more)

My wife and I have a bird feeder hanging just outside our kitchen window, and we enjoy watching the various kinds of birds that come to eat. Throughout one summer, two blue jays, in all probability mates who must have … (read more)

Last month, some members of our community took time from their daily routine to help people whose lives had been shattered by the hurricane, Katrina. They gathered a truckload of blankets, non-perishable food items, medical supplies, and two commercial tents, … (read more)

Other cars whizzed by us. We were stopped. I mean — really stopped. While dad had just been keeping up with traffic flow, a policeman perceived that as speeding. Yet even as he wrote out the ticket, other vehicles continued … (read more)

When you visit a hospital or a nursing home, have you ever noticed just how quiet it can be? Life's struggles have overcome the measure of strength in persons now spending time waiting in older age. Often we never give … (read more)

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)

Back home, we would have been able to travel the distance in less than an hour, but we were in New Zealand, and the guide at the tourist bureau told us to plan on two or more hours to make … (read more)

A local Christian bookstore uses paper sacks for their merchandise, with the lettering Feed My Sheep on the side. Recently, while waiting in line to make a purchase, a friendly young man ahead of me commented on this logo. "There's … (read more)

In my morning prayers, I had prayed for God to use me in his service and to set an appointment where I could help one of his lambs or witness in his name. On the way into the city, I … (read more)

Perhaps the hardest thing about getting old, or undergoing hospitalization or surgery, is the loss of one's independence. It must have been frightening for Peter to hear the Lord's words, as told in John 21:18: "When you were young, you … (read more)

Come and sit with me. We are on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is early in the morning, the mist hangs low around the shore, it is damp, and as we inhale we can actually smell the … (read more)