This Scripture verse regarding God's indescribable gift has been written on every card my sister has sent or given to me my whole life — not just at Christmas, but on other occasions as well. I have often wondered what … Read more

How constantly happy I am to be saved to this abundant life, to eternal life, and by God's grace to live as God's child in this new covenant dispensation. In this new covenant of God's grace, loving Father God saved … Read more

When I was young, we visited the village often with my parents, siblings, and other members of the extended family. Every village would have a round kitchen or mud hut with a grass thatched roof. The village kitchen was the … Read more

Did you ever get a zatzkapol for Christmas? I've had a few and I think I might have handed out some. A zatzkapol is a present you get that you don't want and can't figure out what it is or … Read more

Not too long ago, I was speaking with an elderly person. This individual was telling me the story of an old gentleman in excellent health, who committed suicide. He left a note telling his friends and family that he was … Read more

I can remember going with my dad as a child to the auto wreckers on a Saturday morning to locate a part to repair the car. We would wander up and down the rows in search of a car similar … Read more

There was a challenging Christian T-shirt that came out years ago with the slogan, "If God seems distant in your life, then guess who moved?" It was meant to get people to question their relationship to God and to reflect … Read more

A few days ago, I jotted a note in my journal about a gift I was offered when a new store opened its doors and welcomed the local population to come and shop. As soon as I stepped inside the … Read more

I once read a tidbit on the Internet about a morbidly obese man who was trying to lose weight. He weighed over 1,000 pounds and was bedridden. He cut down on calories and tried to exercise. Exercise was a challenge; … Read more

My Christmas gifts while growing up were small, but very meaningful. In a family of nine children, there were no elaborate gifts. Back then, we were not into the age of technology, so our parents did not have that challenge … Read more

My mother told me that when I was a small girl, I had a hard time figuring out what "free" meant. I would ask, "How much is 'free'?" Everything has to "cost" something, right? Now that I am a grown-up, … Read more

Having just completed a course that took a lot of my time over the past two years, I found myself needing something important to do. I can spend only so much time looking out the window watching the birds industriously … Read more

Last year, we had to have our cat of seventeen years put to sleep. He was a gift to me by my husband two weeks after we got married. He knew that I had always had a cat in my … Read more

Most Advent themes emphasize the preparations we are invited to make for the coming of our special baby — Jesus, born in Bethlehem. We clean the house and heart. We bake up a storm (maybe). We send out Christmas cards … Read more

Recently, I went on a trip to another city and looked forward to visiting an older couple I've known for a long time. They are the nicest people and don't feel they need God. We human beings prefer to do … Read more

Spring had finally arrived! The buds on the trees and bushes were slowly starting to unfurl, clothing their surroundings with varying shades of luscious, bright greens. This is the time of year that I like going for walks. My friend … Read more

When I have the time, I love making chess sets. Over the years, I have moulded, modelled, and painted several different sets, which include soldiers from the Civil War, elves and goblins from Tolkien's books, and a medieval Scottish set … Read more

Every now and then my computer freezes — usually during something important — requiring me to shut down and restart the machine. If I haven't saved my information, I lose what I was working on and have to begin again. … Read more

One recent morning, I cleaned the cooker. It had been looking reproachfully at me for some time. You know, likely, how it is: despite the best intentions, muck becomes stuck to the surface. Life passes by, and, slowly at first, … Read more

Years ago at Christmas, a family member gave me a kit that included all the materials needed to complete an afghan. She gave it to me for two reasons. First, she knew I enjoyed crocheting, and would get tremendous pleasure … Read more

Commercialism and materialism have attacked our Christian values. At Christmas, a walk through the shopping malls gives ample evidence of this statement. Nothing is displayed that portrays the real meaning of Christmas. As a child in a family of nine, … Read more

After only fifteen hours of work, my new pressure washer began to slow down. When I stopped it, I soon discovered that it had run dry of oil, and had overheated and seized up. The motor would not turn over … Read more

I try to stay in shape, so I lift weights several times a week. When I was young, I did this to improve my body; now it has become a necessity. People may lift these dumbbells to get stronger. One … Read more

For the last two years, I've been the one to do the gardening. My husband had always done it in the past, but, because of work demands, he gave it over to me. Although I'm not nearly as good a … Read more

I remember a cartoon from yesteryear. It showed two elks standing together in a clearing. One elk had a vivid alternating black and white concentric ringed mark on his chest. The companion to the elk with the unusual markings said, … Read more

College basketball is really big in the United States, and, in September 2000, the college basketball world was shaken when Bobby Knight, the long-time head coach of Indiana University was fired. To some, his firing was unconscionable, but to others, … Read more

Our family has been struggling for years with conflict, friction, heartache, and personal jabs at my daughter's self-esteem, mostly by her older brother. Family life has been a real struggle. How could we have children that are so mean to … Read more

When thoughts of something just won't go away, and when they are of good things, we can be pretty sure they are God's desire for us. If we've prayed about it and are still not sure of the answer, we … Read more

"No charge. It was a labour of love." Last year, I was admiring a hand-knitted blanket that my friend, Sue, made for someone as a gift. It must have taken her many, many hours to knit this blanket, as the … Read more

I'm learning each and every day, from a young man who can hardly speak. He teaches me something new each day, as I watch him mop and sweep. His staggered gait doesn't stop him from walking to work each day. … Read more

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind but now I see. For approximately two months, as a Pastoral Visitor, I have been visiting someone who … Read more

I use the computer programme "Works" as my scratch pad. I record the words of my devotional and I save them in a file. In that sense, you could say the programme "Works", works for me. There are a lot … Read more

Maybe that should be "prince of the powers on the air". There's a new television show running this season, about a coven of witches. Charmed is running on the WB network in the United States, and the CTV network has … Read more