Almost every day, I receive emails from Christian ministries and organizations with invitations to subscribe to a special conference or video series about church growth. They usually try to entice me with special gifts, or they claim to …( read more )

"Sally has to go!" lamented the farmer. "It's because of her bad influence on the other cows. She's the dominant cow in the herd; and that's bad." This farmer, in the video that I watched, had seen enough of Sally's bad influence on …( read more )

I love to receive my grandchildren's annual school photographs. I can see how they've changed and grown. They often stand back to back with each other — and me — to see who is taller. The younger ones stand straight as their height is …( read more )

In an Advent liturgy presented in our church, one word leaped off the page at me: "Expectations". That word rattled around in my brain for the rest of the service. What was so special about that word? As I reflected, I realized that I …( read more )

I have discovered that early darkness has once again begun to descend upon us here in the Canadian north. This necessitates the use of more electricity, since I must turn the lights on as I go from room to room throughout the house. As I …( read more )

Peace and quiet reigned. The colourful Christmas lights framing the black of night through the windows reflected back upon themselves giving a 3D effect. It was then that I noticed that there were a few gaps in the lights. Some of the …( read more )

My brother is five years my elder. Later in life, five years doesn't seem like much of an age difference, but when one is young, it's quite a difference. When I was young and going through the changes and growing that take place in a young …( read more )

A tradition my Italian grandfather brought from the old country was winemaking. Besides the delicious table fruit from his grape vines once native to the hillsides of southeastern Italy, every year he would harvest and press the grapes to …( read more )

Some days when I am busy baking, I switch on the television to keep me company. One of the shows that I view from time to time is The Price is Right. In fact, I remember watching it with my grandmother when I was a youngster. It seemed …( read more )

A reset button is a useful feature whenever things go berserk — like when our television screen goes jiggly or our computer freezes up. A simple push of the reset button or a click on the restart icon sets things back in order. It's …( read more )

It was in the late 1940s. My father was the pastor of a small Armenian Brethren congregation in Detroit, Michigan, USA. As my father arose from his chair to start his sermon by the reading of Scripture, he opened his Bible and in Armenian …( read more )

Imagine your neighbour popping over every morning to beg for a scrap of bread. Meanwhile, you know that she has a stash of food supplies in her basement, because you donated it to her. In fact, you've given her a generous supply of …( read more )

When my youngest daughter was approximately two and a half years old, she would climb to the top of the stairs and yell, "Catch me, daddy!" and jump, having the faith and the assurance that indeed her daddy would catch her. Now that my …( read more )

"I am the master of my unspoken words, and a slave to those that should have remained unspoken." This unknown writer must have felt exactly the same way as I did: guilty. Have you ever said something that you were … (read more)

Remember how much fun it was to hunt for those brightly coloured Easter eggs when we were kids? I do. And every Easter, I still marvel at the beautiful colours and designs that transform the lowly egg into something spectacular. … (read more)

As a young girl, before receiving Christ as my personal Saviour, I visited several fortune tellers, experimented with Ouija boards, and dabbled in witchcraft. I even attended one s

Like many teenagers back in the seventies, I enjoyed seeing the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Later, however, I heard that many Christians considered the film to be offensive. One reason for this criticism was the omission of the resurrection of … (read more)

Years ago, when my children were growing up, I learned that there is real power in homemade baked goods. The way a glass of milk and a couple of homemade cookies revived my children and their friends after a challenging … (read more)

I love making up stories, especially for the children of our church on Sunday mornings. I started telling stories for my brothers late at night when we were kids. Three of us shared the same bedroom, and each of us … (read more)

Winter mornings are so dark here in this northern country; I long for summer sunrises to colour my mornings with light. As I draw the curtains, my spirit bids me look up, and there are some twinkling stars, reminding me … (read more)

When I first became a Christian over thirty years ago, all I thought that I had to do was believe in Jesus for the rest of my life. I was quite content to be saved, and for the first time … (read more)

I've almost completed reading John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress for the fifth time. I love the way Bunyan mixes the stories of Christian, the pilgrim, with verses and promises from the Bible. Page after page, the book overflows with words of … (read more)

"Holy, holy, holy" — the word softly repeated itself in my awakening mind — "Lord God Almighty". I could feel the weight of the flannel bedsheets on my body. "Early in the morning" — yes it was morning, again; I … (read more)

When I needed a mentor, a woman who would help me to be all that God desired for my life, I asked God for help, and then took honest inventory. I asked the Holy Spirit for help in my weaknesses. … (read more)

One of the greatest blessings in my life has been the birth of our three grandchildren. I will admit, however, that some of us who are blessed with grandchildren are guilty of a serious oversight: it is easy to be … (read more)

When I first moved to Thomasville as a young woman, I was extended an invitation to join the Junior Woman's Club. I was so excited. The invitation meant that my peers had accepted me as a social equal. I now … (read more)

I have never been the athletic type who could control the physical body. In my senior yearbook, I was labelled "bookworm of the class". I considered this an honour, because this was where my interest lay. My favourite place in … (read more)

Some people like to trudge through the forest in waist-deep snow to cut the perfect spruce tree. Others are content to pick a pine at the local market. Still others buy an artificial one of indescribable content and put it … (read more)

Before we left our home in the north to reside in the south for a few months, we investigated a server for our e-mail. We sought one that could be used in the north as well as in the south, … (read more)

A while ago I wrote a devotional about my love of the beauty and intricacy of feathers, my delight in sometimes finding them in my daily walk and bringing them home for my "collection", and my feeling of how special … (read more)

I am thankful for the prayer ministry program in our church which was begun last spring. We're growing and learning and nurturing continuously! We're called Prayer Warriors and every now and then, we have powwows to inspire and encourage and … (read more)

Discipleship, to some degree, has become a buzzword within the church. Everyone seems to talk about it, but it rarely gets fully explained. If you were to ask what a disciple of Christ is, most people would agree that a … (read more)