A little girl about seven years old tapped on a neighbour's door and waited. A lady opened the door, and the child held out a tiny box and said, "Would you please give something for the poor in another land?" … (read more)
Archive for June, 2008
Protection
In one office that I was once in, there was an interesting sight by the doorway. It really wasn't very unusual, but it was interesting. In the corner of the waiting room was a tall plant. It looked very healthy … (read more)
Dreaping Walls
Have you ever dreaped a wall? "Dreap" is an old Irish word which means to climb, and the action required by dreaping is to run as fast as you can towards a wall, leap high into the air, and try … (read more)
Choose Life
Without giving away my age, I was thinking back to the times when we would venture up north for the summer holidays. I can remember walking along the sandy shore of the crystal clear lake and watching the fish in … (read more)
Wedding Invitations
Weddings are social highlights enjoyed by all and celebrated in many ways in my home town. Some are performed beside the fish pool at the courthouse, others in churches, and some around the Big Oak, a tourist attraction in our … (read more)
God Owns It All
In the early morning, I went outside to get the newspaper that had been thrown across the driveway. It was a perfect summer day. The dew was sparkling on the lawn that my husband had freshly mowed the afternoon before. … (read more)
A Surprise Package
At this time of year, I find it difficult to type things on my keyboard. The dry heat of summer dehydrates my hands, and I end up with horrendously painful hacks on my fingertips. Ten years ago, it really didn't … (read more)
A Peaceful Passing
Often, we have heard that someone we know passed away peacefully. Never did I fully comprehend how this happened until I saw it with my own eyes. As my husband was dying on Easter Sunday, I sat at his bedside … (read more)
New Every Morning
There is a weight loss program which gives a point value for every kind of food that we dieters eat. We quickly discover the foods with low point values. On the computer, all we have to do is enter what … (read more)
Backsliding In Faith
Recently, our Celtic band Glenfinnan played at a Scots-Irish festival in Dandridge, Tennessee, USA. We performed from the front porch of an old inn, right in the heart of the town. As well as listening to our music, people were … (read more)
Summer Storm
The storm clouds were raging all across our state! For most of the afternoon, one of the network channels had suspended regular programming to broadcast information about the inclement weather. Over and over, we watched the radar light up in … (read more)
Banking On It
Do you remember when the automated teller machine (ATM) first came to your neighbourhood? What excitement! There were actually line-ups to try this new method of getting money without entering the bank. My dad and I went to town one … (read more)
Picking Blackberries
Years ago, I used to go bramble picking with my brothers, usually during the fall. I think that brambles are called "blackberries" in North America. They look like dark-coloured raspberries, and they grow wild in Scotland. They have a bittersweet … (read more)
Gifts For Dad
When I was a child, we made a big deal out of Dad's birthday. Since it was celebrated in October, we would make a card or bookmark for him at our kitchen table with Mom helping us. At home with … (read more)
Did She Keep The Feather?
Four years ago, when our now almost-six-year-old granddaughter was "almost two", she and I found a feather together while out walking and exploring. Immediately, she wanted me to bring it home with us and put it on the aerial of … (read more)
Finding Real Joy
One of the very first Sunday school lessons that I can remember was all about joy. My teacher asked our class what joy was, and we all answered with the usual "being happy", "smiling", and "laughing out loud". She then … (read more)
Olive Trees
During my reading through the Bible again this year, the above verse jumped out at me. It reminded me of the olive trees I saw in Jerusalem at the Garden of Gethsemane. There are several there which are of a … (read more)
Full Circle
At a recent worship service, the congregation witnessed the baptism of a young child, with his parents and grandparents. The mother of the child had grown up through the ranks of the Christian education programme within the church. Now with … (read more)
Struggling With Surrender
When I first became a Christian, I found it tough to try to live up to Christ's standards. I wanted to remain the same and Christ to be different. I wanted Him to accept who I was, instead of me … (read more)
Tough Love
The principal of my rural school in the nineteen thirties and forties was convinced that the today's Scripture was the answer to all child-rearing problems. The parents, who supported him completely, backed up his theory of "tough love". In those … (read more)
God's Antidote
Many years ago, when I was a young, inexperienced seminarian, my path crossed that of a woman who was consumed by guilt. Seeing my clergy collar, she wailed, "God may forgive you, but never me, never me, never me…" Her … (read more)
To Completion
I love to do crafts. It is not uncommon for me to be working on multiple projects at the same time, including knitting on my needles and doing counted cross-stitch. The reason that I have a few projects on the … (read more)
Small Fish In Jelly Jars
When I was a child, I used to love visiting Springburn Park in Glasgow, Scotland. It had three massive ponds, full of sticklebacks, minnows, and perch. The park was about three miles from my home, and, during the long days … (read more)
Church Potatoes
Have you ever gotten into a conversation with someone who does not go to church or does not know the Lord? I am amazed at how those of us who are part of the church can be perceived. Even though … (read more)