In first grade, I made a plant. Everyone in class did. We placed potting soil into styrofoam cups and tucked tiny seeds beneath the soil. Then we lined up the cups on the counter in the sunlight, and each day, gave the seed a bit of …( read more )

Two years ago, in April 2018, a troubled young man drove a van erratically down Yonge Street in Toronto, Canada. He veered on and off the sidewalk, killing ten people and seriously injuring fourteen others. It was a terrible occurrence …( read more )

I was folding my husband's jeans and checking the hems for frays. That's how I determine at a glance which are his work jeans versus his dress jeans. The thought came to me that when we live our lives in Christ, we become like a pair of …( read more )

Have you ever had joy in doing a difficult task? Was your joy related to the expected outcome? The writer of the Biblical letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus had joy in His perspective even when enduring the cross, in what we see as …( read more )

During recent extreme weather, when our temperatures dropped down to between -35 and -40 degrees Celsius, my old mare, Mama died, no longer able to withstand such temperatures. We do not know for sure how old she was, but after speaking …( read more )

I enjoy walking through forests, especially old ones, which are rich with sounds and smells. I tend to stick to the paths that I know. Sometimes, however, I may be on a favourite path that I have followed many times, but get myself turned …( read more )

Last fall, the apples from my only apple tree were terribly riddled with wee worm tracks, but I managed to salvage enough good apple parts from half a pail of apples to get a big jar of great applesauce. I read of a man who felt that his …( read more )

As I grabbed my ringing telephone, I heard my daughter saying that Frank was in the greenhouse. Dropping the receiver, I made a dash out of the house, arrived at the greenhouse, and confirmed that Frank had indeed broken in and was …( read more )

This title, from a children's musical, reflects a common theme for kids' songs: the search for meaning in an unwelcoming world. Each year, I discover such lyrics through my involvement in Summer Music Camp. The lyrics may not resonate with …( read more )

In the spiritual life, there is an important action called "The Sacred Pause," part of two-way prayer. Before proceeding, we stop and ask God whether the way that we are heading is the way that He intends us to go. Then we pause ("The …( read more )

I don't drink or use drugs, but I do admit that I have an addiction: using food to numb my reality, effectively committing suicide with a knife and fork. Being overly impulsive and compulsive goes along with that. Right after …( read more )

God seems to prepare things for us in even the simplest of ways. Recently, a neighbour shared with me her upset and then her happiness from incidents that occurred during a shopping trip. Having completed her task of picking up a few …( read more )

The famous preacher, Charles Price, wrote: We talk a lot about leadership, and rightly so, but our role is never to lead. It is to serve, and God is the one who makes leaders out of servants. If we want to know who our future leaders …( read more )

I hated school, so I decided to quit. Elementary and middle school, I enjoyed, but when I got to high school, a sudden distaste evolved. By the time I reached my senior year, I'd had all I could take. I had no interest in learning, …( read more )

Our church has a group of volunteers — the men's work crew — who meet at the church every Wednesday morning from September to June to do odd jobs and minor repairs around the church building. Over the years, they have saved the church …( read more )

Years ago, my uncle walked from his workshop — the behind-the-hedge kitchen piece of the former old farmhouse — then he came out across the grassy house yard and into the kitchen of the newer house. He held out his hammer to me. He knew …( 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 )

I awoke on Saturday night close to 12:00 a.m. with sharp pain in a tooth. After forcing aspirin chips into a tiny cavity that I had previously not known existed, I slept until 6:00 a.m. when pain awoke me. More aspirin chips got me active …( read more )

As I sat lazily sipping my morning coffee, a sudden movement outside my large bay window caught my eye. There was a little black squirrel, scampering down the trunk of a large tree and across the patches of grass showing through the …( 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 )

Every year, our families participated in a "Secret Santa" event. Into a bowl, we would put folded pieces of paper with our names on them, and each person would draw a name for the next Christmas. They would then buy a gift for that person …( read more )

Several years ago, I received the following anecdote from a clergyman and saved it: There is a monastery whose members gather around a new candidate and ask, "Why do you want to join?" Candidates may say things like "I am seeking peace", …( read more )

Have you come to a point in your life as a Christian where you feel that you can give no more to the Lord's work? You feel spent. You've given and given, but not enough is given back to replenish you. More is expected from you — in time, …( read more )

It is a beautiful evening. The sky is painted with brush strokes of deep purple and orange, with splashes of pink throughout the expanse. The waves create a melodious chant, as they gently kiss the shoreline. The wind is warm as it blows …( read more )

Although my dear mother's given name wasn't Grace, my father called her Gracie because of the way her brain worked. Her thought processes reminded him of Gracie Allen from the old George Burns and Gracie Allen radio show. In that show, …( read more )

Our backyard with its many trees is a heaven for squirrels. I enjoy watching the squirrels frolic high up in the black walnut branches. I imagine the squirrel's view from high up in the trees. From there, the neighbourhood dogs are of no …( read more )

Recently, we celebrated my daughter's birthday, and, of course, gifts were given as part of the festivities. This set me thinking about how my daughter would use the gifts that she received. If my daughter accepted the gifts and put them …( read more )

Last summer, I purchased a silk flower arrangement at a garage sale. The various flowers were arranged in a beautiful earthenware vase, and I couldn't help but stare at it. I brought it home and set it on my coffee table. That weekend, my …( read more )

I've been reading a lot about grace lately, and the more I read, the more I realize how amazing God's grace really is. G – God's R – Riches A – At C – Christ's E – Expense Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will cleanse and pardon …( read more )

I wonder if, like me, you are vertically challenged. I used to be five feet two inches, not the tallest in the world — and me with six-foot brothers and a mother who was five feet eight inches. Now in my old age, I have shrunk to just …( read more )

Dead people don't move … or do they? I've also heard that dead people don't tell tales. But maybe they do. Because of my upbringing and my profession, I've seen more than my share of dead people. As a pastor, my father performed …( read more )

I surely love the song, "Wonderful grace of Jesus"; the music alone fills me with joy and gladness. But understanding God's grace is not easy, for it takes honesty: it's not me that shines through what I do today, but God does, for …( 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 )