In my spirit, I heard it as plain as day: "Cheryl, I know thee well." It didn't seem like an accusation, but it was a statement that went straight to my soul and pierced me deeply. I have never forgotten it! I had been 30 years of age …( read more )

For two decades, my wife and I led the weekly Young Adult Class (14-19) at our church. The first weekend in February, we would have a retreat at an inviting resort. We always had a guest leader who would journey with us to enjoy a weekend …( read more )

In my garden, there are several beds of perennials. Each bed has a different name in order to identify it when I am describing a location to my husband. Apart from the obvious, like the Iris Bed and the Hosta Garden, there are the …( read more )

As I'm driving down a nearby street, I see two young girls playing croquet in their front yard. It's a simple game involving a wooden ball, a wooden mallet, and some wire hoops. The goal is to get the ball through the hoops in the right …( read more )

Recently, we had a church picnic planned for a Sunday afternoon at a local conservation area. The weather forecast for the entire weekend wasn't good. Saturday was dull all day. The forecast for Sunday didn't look much better. Early …( read more )

Sometimes, the things that we see deeply affect us. It may be a tragic news report on the television, or a picture posted online of some disaster far away. It could be the hurt that we see in a loved one's eyes, or real disappointment in …( read more )

Death. Funerals. They're both a part of what I experience as a full-time vocational minister. I don't enjoy either of them, but they come with the territory. Death comes to the young, the old, and all ages in between. Comforting those who …( read more )

A story passed down from 1916 in our family is of my grandfather yelling to my grandmother, in a frantic moment when their farm house was on fire with no hope of it being saved, "If you go into that house one more time, I'll not go in. Our …( read more )

"Left" versus "right" — these two ideological sides are splitting apart our world with increasing intensity. I find this unsettling. Perhaps it's because there's no actual midpoint, no fixed place where a plumb line of truth can rest and …( read more )

What? Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing a broken piece of pottery using gold, platinum, or silver mixed with lacquer. I learned about it on the Internet. Rather than throw away a treasured and precious possession, something that …( read more )

Some days, I'm in a lot of pain. It seems that my whole body aches. Other days, it's like the pain moves from one place to another. It might be my legs or my feet or my knees or my hands. Oh, the joys of getting older and having arthritis! …( read more )

I am going through some health struggles, which can affect me both emotionally and spiritually. It often means that I don't deal with other people very well, especially if I feel ignored, misunderstood, mistreated, rejected, or alone. When …( read more )

Our eighth grandchild is due in the next week or so, and though he or she already has a place in our hearts and in our family, thus far, the baby doesn't have a name. Hundreds of names have been deemed unsuitable. Our name is our …( read more )

It was only 4:45 a.m., but I was up and out in the backyard trimming back rampant wild roses. As I clipped away, I was glad to be able to make good use of the daylight hours, as I know that here in the north, the darkness will soon be upon …( read more )

A favourite hymn of mine is The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended, and the fourth verse never fails to move me: The sun that bids us rest is waking Our brethren 'neath the western sky, And hour by hour fresh lips are making Thy wondrous …( read more )

It kept returning — that pesky little spider! The creature was free to explore the wide world of nature during the outdoor worship service. Yet it preferred my notes — the very spot from where I was preaching. Finally, after several …( read more )

My wife loves the challenge of doing jigsaw puzzles. She handpicks each piece and ponderingly places it somewhere on the board. The individual piece may fit, or she may set it nearby for an eventual link to some other piece of the puzzle. …( read more )

Early on Easter morning, I was out walking with our dog, a morning ritual that I have come to enjoy as much as she does. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and cold, and we were out very early, so we were able to watch the sun rise on our …( read more )

Every Remembrance Day (or Veterans Day), I am deeply touched as members of our little community take turns placing wreaths of remembrance at the base of our town's cenotaph. Each wreath represents a different era: a war which has been …( read more )

The area where I work is dotted with large lots and homes. There aren't many fences, but there are a lot of dogs that all remain on their property as we walk by. Recently, I was on a walk with a lady that I support, and three dogs were …( read more )

I am fairly busy as a musician, and every year, it seems that I am always booked on the weekend when our friend, Walter, has his bluegrass festival that we want to attend. This year, we let the band know well ahead that we were not going …( read more )

I had to get a new driver's license with a new photo this year. After the new license arrived in the mail, as I was destroying the old one, with each new cut of the old card I kept thinking about the old being replaced by the new. As I …( read more )

Oh, no, I thought, I'll never get this stain out. I had been walking with a friend when one of the dogs jumped up and accidentally scratched her. The scratch drew blood, and as I was helping her staunch the flow, my cream-coloured …( read more )

[ Years ago, I preached regularly at a little church north of Toronto, Ontario, around Canada's Wonderland. At the time, farmers' fields that once surrounded the theme park were being transformed into cookie-cutter subdivisions. From …( read more )

I grew up in the house that my 91-year-old mother lived in. While staying with my mother during the last stage of her cancer, I realized just how much I missed my home. As I was reading my devotional one morning, I had to stop and think …( read more )

When I took the course for a private pilot's license many years ago, I remember our instructor warning us to be very careful about pushing it in poor weather. Because we were not trained to fly on instruments only, we needed decent …( read more )

Horsepasture River is an eighteen-mile wild and scenic river that begins in Jackson County, North Carolina, meanders through the Jocassee Gorges, and ends by dumping into Lake Jocassee. The river features several predominant waterfalls in …( read more )

In Bird's Hill Park north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, I rested one mid-summer evening on scruffy grass by the side of irregular rows of tall trees. Suddenly, I saw by my feet an ugly, blackish-brown, seemingly almost dead bug half the …( read more )

At 186,000 kilometres, my car is starting to make funny noises. It seems that my car is more in the garage being repaired than it is at home. I faithfully have the oil changed every 5,000 kilometres, and the motor is still in good …( read more )

As a little girl, for a time, I kept a journal. In it, I would write about the ups and downs of my days, scoldings I didn't deserve, maybe, or picking strawberries down the road at our neighbour's house. Each day was a new beginning, an …( read more )

I guess you've never experienced the January blahs, but I am well acquainted with them, and not just in January. They come on when we least expect it and eat up all our joy. They strand us in an ocean of tears so thick that we can't swim …( read more )

I recently spent some time with my husband finishing a basement in an existing home for a job he was working on. From a bare concrete floor evolved a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a living room space. In a weekend, 475 square feet of …( read more )

I had a problem. After a long time of wishing it would go away, I finally prayed about it. "Father, I carry an abiding sense of being not good enough, being wrong somehow, and not acceptable to You. I wait upon You, Lord, for an answer I …( read more )