"Come, look at this," my wife said. Gardening is in my blood. I suppose that I inherited it from my two grandfathers who farmed. When spring comes, I want to plunge my fingers and hands into the dirt and plant vegetables and flowers. … Read more
Author Archive
All Temporary
Every afternoon when I walked into the house, things had disappeared. Our possessions shrank by the day. Well … not really. We were moving, and my wife was doing most of the packing while I taught school during the day. Since I didn't … Read more
Be Sensitive
If we learned nothing else, we learned to be sensitive. Parent-teacher conference day: no teachers look forward to it. Secretly, we probably wish that no parents would schedule a conference, and equally we attempt to deal with issues … Read more
Another Season
Another season was upon us. Moving. The word sends prickly shivers up my spine. I've done it so often. Either Dad was moving our family when I was young, or I was moving myself as I followed in his footsteps as a minister. Some moves, I … Read more
A Mayberry Moment
"Are you ready to hear a Mayberry moment?" I once pastored a small country church near a tiny country town — located, in fact, in the smallest county in the state. The chairman of the deacons served as the chief of police. We always … Read more
When God Leads
We knew that when God leads, we had nothing to fear. My wife and I were shocked when our landlords delivered the news. When we had initially rented from them, they assured us that they wanted long-term tenants. Our unit and a neighbour's … Read more
Unexpected Blessing
The unexpected blessing came from … well … an unexpected place. "___________ said he would help you move some stuff," the email from the guidance counsellor stated. The student's name stuck in my mind like a fly to flypaper. I had … Read more
The Great Conjunction
No one alive had ever witnessed it. On December 21, 2020, the first day of the winter solstice, two planets, Jupiter and Saturn, aligned so closely that they appeared almost as one, shining so brightly that we could see them with a good … Read more
Known By Our Fruit
He stood by the shopping cart and waited. My middle schoolers are known for some interesting prayer requests. If I ran the statistics, most would relate to sports — safe travels, good sportsmanship, the ability to remember moves, no … Read more
Grieving But With Hope
I fought the lump growing in my throat. Susie and I had been friends for almost thirty years. Although our lives had taken us in different directions — she settled in the same town that she had grown up in while I left the state for … Read more
The Valley Of Decision
Should I or should I not? I had entered the valley of decision. Before one school year, the headmaster sent an email asking which teachers wanted an iPad. Since the school had already given us laptops — and I used mine to portray … Read more
Armoured Up
At every game, he armoured up. Our youngest grandson loves T-ball, and once things in our life changed so that my wife and I had a little more free time in the evening, we made plans to attend his final few games. We had seen pictures of … Read more
Remember When?
"Don't you remember?" He didn't. Two years had passed since my son and his family had visited our home. His anger over something that he thought we'd done, but hadn't, boiled. He took his anger out on us by not talking to us or coming to … Read more
When God Surprises
She knew what she was doing; I had no idea. My wife and I — along with about one hundred other guests — sat under the large tent at our daughter's wedding reception. Only the wedding had taken place four months earlier, courtesy of … Read more
God In The Seasons
Only two remained. As I sat on my antique porch glider, I watched as two hummingbirds fought over the lone feeder hanging just outside my den window. Just a few days before, I had cleaned all my feeders, but I put back only one in the … Read more
Born With A Purpose
When announcement time came at the end of our worship service, he proudly proclaimed that he had just celebrated his ninth birthday for the ninth time. John's birth weight registered just shy of two pounds — not necessarily a thing to … Read more
Knowing God
Getting to know someone doesn't just happen — nor does getting to know God. When I arrived in this world, the first person I met was a doctor. Then, I met the nurses, who handed me to a lady who snuggled me against her chest. A few … Read more
God's Guarantee
Guarantees can be the difference between misery and enjoyment, but God's guarantee differs. Only a few times have I purchased a car without a warranty, and only once in my lifetime have I bought a car from someone I didn't know. My wife … Read more
Inheritance In The Waiting
Mine wasn't sizable, but it seemed enormous at the time, especially when I had no idea that I even had an inheritance in the waiting. I was fifteen and doing what many teens do — lying on my bed, trying to escape my parents. But when I … Read more
Spiritual Benefits
I've worked in places where benefits were good, places where they were meagre, and places where they were nonexistent. While a good salary might attract us to a particular job, benefits enhance the chance that we'll actually apply for … Read more
Undeserved Mercy
I was the recipient of grace … undeserved mercy. "I promised God that I'd help the next person I knew whom He had called into ministry." He spoke the words, and then handed me an envelope. I was following God's call, which, in this … Read more
Healthy Anger
Healthy anger is not only possible but also beneficial. No one has the power to make me mad, but they can create the circumstances making the possibility greater. I get angry when I read of a parent who drives a vehicle into the lake to … Read more
Looking For The Worthwhile
He was looking for the worthwhile, and his discovery on January 24, 1848, changed the lives of thousands. James W. Marshall was prospecting at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, USA, when he discovered gold. News of his find spread … Read more
Good Grief
I remember it as the one time in my life when I openly grieved and experienced good grief. I don't come from a crying family. If we shed tears, we did so in private, and then, only for brief episodes. But for me, grieving changed when my … Read more
Lying To Myself
I was telling myself a big one — lying to myself — and the trouble was that I believed it. My lie began about the time I turned fourteen. It went something like this: "You don't need school." If I didn't need school, I didn't need to … Read more
On A Leash
One was large and the other small, but they both needed to be on a leash. I once owned an Eskimo Spitz. My family owned a much larger dog that I inherited when they moved away. Since I lived in the country, I didn't have to abide by … Read more
Who Was Influencing Whom?
After a few weeks of hanging around with him, I began to wonder who was influencing whom. My father had just returned to the denomination of his upbringing and been called as interim pastor at the church of his boyhood. The first person … Read more
Singing Songs
For as long as I can remember, she has been singing songs. I'm not sure when my mother began singing gospel songs. I suppose that it was as a young girl when she gathered with her family on Saturday nights around the old, converted … Read more
Discerning Life's Direction
Direction determines destination, so that makes discerning life's direction a critical matter. Google Maps is my favourite driving directions app. Siri is nice, but she tends to misunderstand my southern accent. With Google Maps, I … Read more
Mad At Sin
Listening to the evening news is enough to make anyone mad at sin. Consider these reports: A police officer intentionally shooting and killing a man. A man shooting his parents and then going to a local business to kill his … Read more
Use The Sixth Sense
The five senses are great, but it's beautiful when we use the sixth sense. I enjoy all of my senses. I remember when my eye doctor told me that I was a candidate for glaucoma. Fortunately, the cornea specialist said that it wasn't as bad … Read more
When Hope Is Crushed
We sat in a small group and talked about appointments and disappointment, and how, when hope is crushed, we experience frustration. When I have an appointment, someone has agreed to meet me at a particular time, or I've agreed to meet … Read more
Light For The Path
Camping in the mountains without light for the path can be disastrous. When my brother, my children, and I backpacked in the mountains, we wanted our packs to be as light as possible. But a flashlight wasn't one of the things that I … Read more
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