When I was growing up, I had my share of scraped knees and stubbed toes. My mom lovingly soothed my childhood injuries, though the sting of mercurochrome was sometimes worse than the original scrape. Cuts and scrapes are a normal part of … Read more

I once saw a funny cartoon of a man with a placard that said something like "What if Jesus had died on the cross online?" I can't recollect the words exactly, but the point was that people seem to prefer online gathering to physical … Read more

Growing in Christ has been lovely and exhilarating for me. As time has passed, I have found myself always bringing words of Scripture into my everyday confabulations with friends and family. One day, someone said to me, "Why do you always … Read more

Like me, you might be somewhat disappointed with recent television offerings, filled with unwholesome deprivation, gratuitous violence, and calls for revenge. So, I was recently encouraged by an eight-episode Internet show called SGN ( … Read more

Every morning right after breakfast, my wife reads me a devotional from a booklet. She tells me what to read from the Bible, and after I have done that, she reads the page from the booklet. One morning while I was waiting for her to tell … Read more

Anakin Nibbles, our guinea pig, was out in the garden again today. It was one of the warmer days of early spring, so I thought that he could do with the exercise. So, I put his house down on some new grass, and with him inside, moved his … Read more

In my Bible class at the local Long Term Care Centre, I usually take sections of the Bible to study for a number of sessions in a row. I have done a series on the Psalms, the first part of the book of Acts, Jesus' parables, and the story … Read more

Since there is so much violence around, we may have worried feelings about terrifying things happening today. I could be apprehended and treated violently or taken to a dangerous spot where anything could happen. Here in my hometown, I … Read more

These days, a lot is said and written about the irrelevancy of our Christian faith. Some months ago, there was a report in our local paper about a minister of the gospel who had preached for many years and submitted faith-based articles … Read more

On occasion, the subject comes up in our family that we were forced to go to church when we were young, and it is, at times, vehemently discussed, some in favour, some against. Some church-going parents allow their children, after they … Read more

For a while this summer, we saw no hummingbird visitors at our feeder. We wondered whether, with more flowers in bloom, perhaps the "hummers" did not need the feeder. When my husband climbed the ladder to bring the feeder in to refill it, … Read more

Have you ever wondered what true freedom really is? The dictionary defines it as the power to do what we want to do and to go where we want to go without being controlled; not being a slave or prisoner; not having or being affected by … Read more

Our rural village is located about halfway between Erie and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Within the last few years, our minister was diagnosed as diabetic, and was also operated on twice to insert a stent into his heart. One Friday afternoon, … Read more

We live in a western town where several nationally-known artists live. Consequently, we take several magazines devoted to western art. One article was about John Nieto, an acclaimed Spanish/Indian artist, who suffered a stroke in 2002 which affected his speech … Read more

When speaking of man's spiritual condition, God's word uses the analogy of passing from death to life, and from darkness into light. Another analogy is with bondage and freedom: A number of years ago, as I was dropping my wife … Read more

Recently, I asked the members of my congregation, "How many of you hold a valid driver's licence and are currently still driving?" About one hundred hands went up — almost all the congregation. No surprises there. Then I asked, "How … Read more

We have had a blue balloon swinging on our balcony, celebrating the Olympics here in British Columbia, Canada. The only problem is that the winds and the rains have shrunk and deflated my blue balloon. It is a sad sight; … Read more

It always amazes me that God made Jesus' birth announcement to lowly, unimportant shepherds. Why? Does it mean that Jesus' mission was to be with the unimportant people, the poor, the outcast, and the needy? It certainly unfolded in that … Read more

In a hospital where I worked, there were many invisible people. They were people the institution could not have functioned without — but they were invisible, even to other employees. These were the cleaning people, the security guards, the kitchen … Read more

I feel so guilty. The other night, I ate a whole giant bar of chocolate. I should have left some for my family, but I wanted all of it for myself. I even felt a bit nauseated before I finished … Read more

I went into the bathroom, and as I turned on the bath taps, a small spider which was stuck inside the bath came into view. It had obviously given up any attempt to get out of the bath with its … Read more

Years ago, when I was working for one of our largest corporations, a new concept was introduced to its management. We were all to set down our "Mission Statement", our "raison d'être", our reason for being. … Read more

Lenten wilderness! Desert wastes of temptation! Time to be apart. A borderland site caught between two ways of life. Which one will we choose? It's a place to stop on the journey of our lives, a time of trial. Jesus … Read more

During a time in my life when I was in a whirlwind of emotional pain and confusion, and wanting so much to do whatever it took to find release and direction, a friend came alongside me and kept pouring truth … Read more

A friend of mine shared his credentials outside his church for all to see in the village of Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia (you have to go to British Columbia now to see if he is still doing this). On the sign … Read more

Someone once told me that to look like you have authority in ministry you need: glasses to look intelligent; grey hair to look wise; and hemorrhoids to look concerned. I guess two out of three isn't all that bad, so … Read more