I sat in my recliner admiring my Christmas gift. My children had bought me a tablet. I was intrigued that I could read my favourite book without turning a page. "Nanna," Matt called. I barely heard my son as I fiddled with the tablet. …( read more )

It was during the era of the Great Depression. Our family knew well what it meant to make do and survive on little. Our home had burned to the ground. As a little child of about three, I had sat in a high chair well away from the blaze as …( read more )

These days when Christmas dawn rolls around, no little fingers will be tugging at my covers wanting to open gifts; instead, my special adult son will likely be knocking on my bedroom door asking when breakfast will be ready. We plan to …( read more )

We're all familiar with the nursery rhyme: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again. At times it seems like the world is falling apart, …( read more )

I suspect that you've noticed that good news rarely makes "good" headlines. That could be said for Jesus's birth — and also for those shepherds who experienced the angels. It could be said today for countless individuals in remote …( read more )

When I was a child, Christmas meant my adored grandparents arriving on Christmas Eve with piles of presents to add to the mound that was already under the tree. My mother, and her mother, believed in giving many gifts. They weren't …( read more )

As I was looking through some of the Christmas carols in the hymn books that we have, I noticed that a fair number of them refer to either the stable or the manger: "Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed" or "Child in the …( read more )

In former years, when my young family went visiting, I sometimes had to find a place for our baby. I'd use whatever worked: laundry basket, dresser drawer, cardboard box — wherever my infant would be safe, comfortable, and nearby. I …( read more )

Titmice, chickadees, and mourning doves come to my feeders to eat the seed. They twitter, sing, and coo as they feed. The doves are a hoot as they strut with their head-bobbing stride. Their grey coats pale in comparison to bright male …( read more )

Christmas morning is probably one of the most emotion-laden mornings of the year. For many, it is a happy time of smiling children, presents under the tree, and stockings to open. For others, it might be a difficult time of depression or …( read more )

Sometimes, we make plans to do certain things, and then later, we change our minds. Sometimes, plans are made for us. For instance, this past autumn, I had problems with my left eye, which resulted in an operation on October 23rd. After …( read more )

This Christmas Day, I won't be seeing most of my eleven grandchildren. Almost all of them are married, and some have children. So, I decided to write a letter to them, which I am sharing with you, in the hope that you will be able to …( read more )

In Nigeria, Africa, the Mbe Bible-translating team was into Luke chapter 2, verse 7. They did not even pause at their Mbe word used for manger. They had always used the word okpang orally and in their partial translations. But now, …( read more )

Every year, my mother would take all four of us kids to the toy store to pick out a present. If we were not naughty but nice, Santa would deliver it on Christmas Eve. We eagerly set out in different directions to look. On one such …( read more )

The formation of life is surely a miracle beyond comprehension. It begins with a speck so small that it is invisible to the naked eye. Yet it contains a vast treasury of DNA coding: the coding of destiny which determines what the tiny dot …( read more )

Music is a wonderful gift from God. While we enjoy it all year long, I think that it is especially meaningful in December. This is probably because of the number of Christmas carols that we both hear and sing. While no one on earth can …( read more )

A grandmother purchased a book designed to introduce teen-aged readers to Jesus Christ. After reading it herself, she mailed it to her adolescent grandson for his birthday. About a week later, she received a letter from the lad thanking …( 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 )

It's the day after Christmas, and I am quietly sitting here looking at all the gifts that I received from friends and loved ones. While I really appreciate their thoughtfulness, I also know that I didn't need any of them. Some did send …( read more )

"O come, let us adore Him!", "Come and behold Him!", "Come to the manger!" (from Christmas carols) More than ever, nativity scenes at Christmastime capture my interest. I appreciate their presence in our current cultural landscape, which …( read more )

Have you ever wondered why the shepherds were the first to hear the good news of Christ's birth? Perhaps it was because they were humble, unlike the religious and political leaders of Jesus' day. However, this year, I learned of another …( read more )

In November of 2011, I was told that the aortic pig valve in my heart, which had been placed there in 1993, was leaking badly and had to be replaced. Even though it had lasted much longer than I had been told to expect, it still came as a …( read more )

It has begun: the lights, the shopping, the baking, the gift wrapping, and all the hustle and bustle associated with Christmas. In fact, the lights and decorations were going up in some stores alongside the Halloween decorations. You have …( read more )

Ever since I was a little boy, I liked to draw, colour, and paint. I was a sickly little fellow, and I remember the many days when I sat in front of the window, drawing and colouring, while other children were outside playing. In …( read more )

As the years have gone by and I have grown older, the nativity seems more like a movie in my mind — not real, just a picture. It seems so long ago and so far away — what would it be like to really be there? There have been so many …( read more )

In July of 2010, my mother-in-law died, and we inherited her old, well-used hymnbook. In the Christmas carol section of this hymnal, she had glued in a poem written by our daughter around 1977, when she was about eighteen years old. We …( read more )

Some years ago, we were on a tour to Israel with a group of fellow believers and a pastor as the leader. Among many places that we visited, we did some extensive sightseeing in Bethlehem by bus as well as on foot. We visited the Church of …( read more )

As Christmas approaches, I keep hearing these admonitions to children: "Have you been good or bad?" "If you are not good, Santa Claus will not come." The children quickly get the message, "I have to be good or I won't get that toy or …( read more )

Twice a month for a great number of years now, I have been leading a Bible discussion at the local Long Term Care Centre. On special occasions such as Christmas, New Year's, and Good Friday, I lead a worship service there as well. My wife …( read more )

It was a cold Christmas Eve. I found myself very comfortable within the lobby of my assisted living residence, conversing with staff members who were on duty. In the corner of a small sitting area, a highly customized manger scene had …( read more )

We were in a strange place and had no plans to spend our first Christmas there. Eight years had passed since I graduated high school, but now I felt God's call into full-time ministry. Obeying it would require furthering my education. I …( read more )

Christmas is truly a time of great joy for Christians. In Bermuda, where I grew up, the poinsettia reflects the joy of Christmas. It grows into a tall tree covered with magnificent, red flowers, heralding the coming of Christmas. The …( read more )

Ever since I was a youngster on the platform in our one-room, country school, along with about twelve children of varied ages and grades, I have enjoyed Christmas pageants. At the age of ten or eleven, I was the chosen angel Gabriel, and …( read more )