Mind if I ask a question? How do people find the words to pray? I made a new friend just the other day. Her name is Cheryl. As I was sitting at the table eating breakfast, I decided I wanted to pray for her. For some reason, I wasn't sure …( read more )

I believe in miracles. Much has been written about them, whether it be Daniel in the lions' den, or the feeding of the five thousand, etc. I believe that God is able to do what, to human thought, is impossible. However, today, I am …( read more )

It looked rather decrepit, past its best-before date — that vintage Heintzman piano in the sanctuary. Several keys were unplayable. To make this glaringly obvious, permanent X's were scribbled on each broken key, perhaps by a child who …( read more )

Have you come to a point in your life as a Christian where you feel that you can give no more to the Lord's work? You feel spent. You've given and given, but not enough is given back to replenish you. More is expected from you — in time, …( read more )

A friend and I were having an email conversation not too long ago and found ourselves sharing about family members with whom we desire to have better and deeper relationships. Due to circumstances beyond the control of us and them, …( read more )

Nutricia — that's one name that I'll never forget! It was given to a baby girl. Her mother got it from a label on a tin can. She liked the name, so called her daughter by that name. Nutricia was a brand name for milk supplements. In …( read more )

Cars lined blocks of curbsides as several hundred of us teachers converged at an inner-city school to sit as pupils and hear experts of our profession. I watched closely for a parking spot for my sky-blue Malibu as I drove slowly along a …( read more )

My Yorkshire Terrier, Sienna, who weighs five pounds four ounces, was the most fearful little creature I'd ever met when she first came to live with us as a puppy. No one could get near her, and she shook and trembled in every new …( read more )

For many years, I lived in the Coachella Valley, located in the Sonoran Colorado Desert of southeastern California, USA. Due to the warm, year-round climate, various varieties of palm trees grow in the valley. Most of the palms grow …( 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 )

"The facts" have an uncanny way of stalling us. Discussion shuts down. The imagination becomes closed to possibilities outside of perceived parameters. "The facts" can rivet us to dull, predictable limits. "The facts" can sink us into a …( read more )

The tree was a gift from my parents when we bought our first house 17 years ago. It was a mountain-ash that fit into their vehicle to be brought to us. The tree has grown substantially over the years to a present height of about 25 feet. …( read more )

Much of life is mere surfing: we skim from one surface to another. However, in the process, we miss many precious details. We surf the flowers, but miss their intricate beauty. We surf past neighbours, but never really know them. We surf …( read more )

For many years, I went down the path of setting worldly goals and making New Year's resolutions, some of which were short-lived and left me feeling defeated when I inevitably failed. There were goals that I reached, but these achievements …( read more )

Internet habits have stirred many to think about our quality of connectedness. We see that we superficially surf, not only websites, but also people's lives. We don't get to know each other well. Such shallowness has become the norm. Many …( read more )

At the age of 65, I am simply amazed at the number of adults who still blame their parents for so many of their own issues. They harbour both real and imagined mistreatment they received at parental hands many years ago. Even though they …( read more )

With what glory and holy innocence Father blesses each one of His children! That includes you and me. Recently, I heard the pure, pealing bells of loving sanctification fill a busy barbershop, revealing and heralding our Lord's loving, …( read more )

When we returned home from our southern holiday this winter, our two houseplants were totally bare of leaves, and we held some doubt as to whether they were still alive. One of the plants I have had for fourteen years and another like it …( read more )

Exceeding abundantly? Above all that I ask? Beyond what I can even imagine? How can that be? These are questions I asked. Each year end, I used to take some time to reflect on the closing year, to take stock of accomplishments, review my …( read more )

I wondered whether it would be just empty words if I wrote "Happy New Year" to PresbyCan Daily readers. Then I remembered the two prayers written by the apostle Paul to the Ephesians. I pray those prayers almost every morning for loved …( read more )

We all have them at some stage in our lives — situations that have the potential to test our faith. Many years ago when I was in elementary school, my parents and four siblings set out on our usual trip to the village to visit with …( read more )

This is a very familiar passage of Scripture to most believers — so familiar, in fact, that we are in danger of totally misinterpreting it. What if God's purpose, at times, seems almost cruel in our eyes? That is when we must trust our …( read more )

Writing devotionals from real-life situations and how they pertain to biblical Scripture in order to inspire and help us to gain a deeper understanding of God's love for us has been a passion of mine for a few years now. It hasn't always …( read more )

I don't think that I ever heard my dad preach. If I did, I was too young to remember. I was just a wee lad in the early 1930s. He had survived being wounded several times (including at Vimy Ridge) and shell-shocked in World War I, only to …( read more )

"Daddy, how much do you love me?" I would ask when Daddy would be leaving for work. He would stretch his arms out as wide as a six-foot-six-inch man could stretch and say, "I love you this much!" Then I … (read more)

I had been keeping my eye on the snow build-up on the henhouse and cottage roof for a few weeks. If it snows any more or we get a warm spell and then another freeze, I'm going to have to … (read more)

Some of my close friends found it difficult to celebrate Christmas this year. Last year, I, too, found myself dreading the season. Normally, I really enjoy seeing the coloured lights, attending the various carol concerts, and tasting the mouth-watering treats … (read more)

If God is real, how can I know? What is my purpose for existing? Our youth are asking questions like these, and we often feel ill-equipped to answer them. The Bible can guide us. In Scripture, human purpose is bound … (read more)

Praying and fasting! This truth is Scriptural. It is taught in our churches. Books have been written about it. According to our verse for today, it is the only way to break some strongholds of the type that I wrote … (read more)

A story is told about a father and his son who were minding their sheep in the highlands of Scotland one spring night. The young son tugged at his father's pant leg and asked, "Daddy, how big is God's love?" … (read more)

It was 1950. I had just graduated from high school. I eagerly headed out to Bible college to study God's Word. I was unaware, however, that I was about to commence my training with the development of a foundation of … (read more)

When asked to give my testimony, I thought it was just to tell about my past, as a story. I was partially correct, but not entirely. As I sat back to write, the thought which came to me was that … (read more)

A close friend of mine attended a house church in Zimbabwe in the late 1990s that catered mostly to white expatriates. He recounted how these grew to be more than places of worship — they were also a means of … (read more)