"Put that board upright through the saw!" instructed the master woodworker. His worker listened carefully and then dutifully put the board through the saw — with its narrow side up. To him, this was the upright position. But he was wrong …( read more )

Do you find it hard to be forgiving? Sometimes, it is very difficult for us to let go of the many hurts that have come our way. Some may be trivial, but others are heartbreaking. I understand, as I have experienced both. When we carry …( read more )

Lately, my mind has been taken up with food, as I continue to pursue my weight-loss goals. I have found during this quest that the television ads are not my friends. I cannot venture a guess as to what percentage of them are focused on …( read more )

During the week between this past Christmas and New Year's, two white, pea-size eggs were carefully deposited in a nest the dimensions of an enlarged, thumb-sized thimble. The nest had been painstakingly constructed from spider webs and …( read more )

The message on the billboard caught my attention as we travelled the highway to home. It read, "STAY AWAY FROM POWER LINES", in large bold letters, along with an icon of a power pole. The message was obvious: the local power company was …( read more )

Since Family Day was introduced in our province as a public holiday on the third Monday of February, I have taken a walk to the organized fun fair in the city. Streets closed for other traffic allow vendors to set up their tents, and many …( read more )

Most people in my Bible class at the Meaford Long Term Care Centre have worries. Some are unable to get around without help; others are having trouble remembering. There are those who worry about their families and, in some cases, their …( read more )

Our city of Brockville, Ontario, has lost a lot of well-paying jobs as industrial plants close or move elsewhere. It is a time of worry for many affected, but one of the workers said this to me: "Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives us …( 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 )

Perhaps you are like me. I have a good imagination and can let it wander with ease into conjuring up worst-case scenarios and doom-and-gloom pictures. I was well aware that Jesus told us not to worry. When I noticed that my thoughts …( read more )

Last night, I was listening to the late news, and it was all doom and gloom: wars, devastating floods, murders. Why did I bother to listen to all of this upsetting stuff just before bedtime? I turned to a channel where I knew a good …( read more )

Every day, I have a job to do that I really don't enjoy. Every day, the horse corral needs cleaning. Every day—winter, spring, summer, and fall—there are always piles and piles of horse yuck to be shovelled up and shovelled out. Yuck, …( read more )

Several years ago after shopping in a Christian book store, I returned home to find a holiday gift included in the bag with my purchase. The gift was an inspirational book entitled "101 Resolutions for the New Year". Although this little …( read more )

What if my prayers always started with "Lord, I trust You to provide me with what I need", rather than "Lord, this is what I want"? As I have moved along in my walk and my relationship with Jesus over the past twelve years, I am still …( read more )

When my career in education (now in its fifty-first year) began to move towards administration, I enrolled in a course called "In the Vice-Principal's Chair". It was an event on Thursday evening and all day Friday. On Thursday evening, …( read more )

As I write this, it has just been announced that a number of baseball players have been suspended for the use of illegal, enhancement-performing drugs. They continue to be the subject of different news sources. These players obviously had …( read more )

The latest project that I am working on right now is compiling all my journal entries and transferring them onto a disc, as a sort of memoir for my children. I found one journal entry that I wrote a few years ago that intrigued me: Today, …( read more )

Recently, while dining out with some friends and acquaintances, one person at our table began a tirade about the food that had been presented that evening, using Christ's name in vain. This has happened on more than one occasion, so I …( read more )

With numerous dogs running about the place, I also have numerous water bowls spread about, and these numerous dogs, drinking from their numerous bowls, often leave numerous muddy footprints on the floor with all their slurping and …( read more )

Many years ago when we had three young children, our family went to Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario, Canada. It was a lot of fun — until my five-year-old son, Jonathan, disappeared. He had been firmly told to stay close by us, but …( read more )

I was serving, but deep inside, my motives were tainted. Fresh out of college and pastoring my first church, I was eager to impress … someone … anyone. So began my journey for recognition. In addition to pastoring and teaching …( read more )

"No! I don't want to forgive ______!" he seethed. Sure, he believed in forgiving, but not this person … never. In his book, The Christian Atheist, Craig Groeschel relates that he was bitter after learning that a family friend had …( read more )

As Christians, what a tremendous challenge is presented to us in the prayer which our Lord taught the listeners of His day. We sometimes repeat the Lord's Prayer so glibly, without fully considering the responsibilities of our words or …( read more )

Toby possessed single-mindedness like no other dog I have ever known. Once he set his sights on something, there was no stopping him. It didn't matter if it was a particular place on the couch or figuring out how to rifle a locked cooler …( read more )

When I am kayaking out on the ocean, sometimes it is glassy calm. At other times, there are waves — lots and lots of waves. When I'm paddling with the wind, I find it exhilarating to surf the big waves, … (read more)

For as long as I can recall, it has been important to me to come daily before our Lord in prayer, making my requests for self and others known, in the sure knowledge that our Father listens and responds to … (read more)

It was Christmas. The family had gathered for the usual roast goose dinner. A spanking white table cloth and dishes graced the table in readiness for a fine meal. The youngest child, a four-year-old girl, sensed the warmth of the … (read more)

What a time we had this morning on our walk. It was simply gorgeous! The sun was warm and caressing on my skin, and the breeze was so refreshing that I wondered if I should convert from being a night … (read more)

One Sunday morning, I was late for church, so I slipped into the corner of a back pew marked, "For Parents with Small Children." All around me were mothers and fathers with wriggly youngsters. A little lad beside me quietly … (read more)

The apostle Paul's letters to his proteg

As I was driving to work this morning, on my normally two-hour-long commute through what seemed to be heavier than usual Monday morning rush-hour traffic, I was listening to the local radio announcers talk about an interview that they had … (read more)

Once the snow has melted and the ground has thawed, I stop filling the bird feeder on a regular basis. It is during this early window of springtime when the mother squirrels are fattening themselves up that they commandeer the … (read more)

On several occasions over the past twenty-five years, I have made lists of people for whom I wanted the love of God to become real. About ten years ago, I began to walk with God in a ministry of intercessory … (read more)