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 )

I learned to text, only to discover that the cell phone fancied itself a prophet. This is called predictive texting. Whenever I punched in a letter, it finished the word for me. Thus, I sent messages full of words like "spzxq". The last …( read more )

Christmas and shepherds go together! But I've discovered that focusing instead on Baby Jesus as the promised Shepherd brings a new level of meaning to Christmas. One of the little-quoted prophecies of God Himself coming as a shepherd is …( read more )

My new Alpine goat, Agnes, is a milking goat, which has been a very interesting experience for me. Sophie, my two-year-old retriever, also found Agnes very interesting in an amusing way, at least for a time. Sophie loved nothing better …( read more )

I'll never forget the days when our two children were born and then the day our grandson arrived. The birth of a child is always a very special occasion. But the birth of the Child Who came at Christmas is good news for each and every one …( read more )

I was manning a booth at the Western Fair in London, Ontario, Canada, one August, when a man I'll call Hans appeared from out of the crowd and very quickly engaged me in his story. During the Second World War, Hans, at barely seventeen, …( read more )

Over the years, our family has experienced many different kinds of Christmas celebrations. When I was a little boy in the Netherlands, we exchanged presents on St. Nicholas Day, December 6th — just small items, like a colouring book, …( read more )

The four goats were at it again, driving the fifth goat, Rosie, away from the feed and not allowing her into the warmth of the barn. Goats have a pecking order, and unfortunately for Rosie, she was bottom gal on the list, which meant that …( read more )

Each year during Advent, I marvel at the angels' part in announcing the birth of Jesus to shepherds in a field. This year, I am paying special attention to the words "glory" and "glorifying" in Luke's Christmas passage, because they were …( read more )

Last Christmas, I found myself lingering over one particular verse in Luke's nativity account: Here I see a pattern which I believe is worth imitating. Interestingly, this verse is situated in the middle of a narrative about the …( read more )

It started with a tiny hand — a hand outstretched and holding a miniature bar of goat milk soap. Of all the different fragrances offered on the vendor's autumn display table that sales day, my petite, five-year-old niece, Izzie, was …( read more )

With race riots, government oppression, radicalized terrorists, horrific new diseases, and financial meltdowns, today's world is in as much darkness as it was 2000 years ago, and as it was before that, when people were hoping for a …( read more )

I left my apartment to take my daily walk around the block with a few of my booklets in the basket of the walker that I use to get around with these days. I don't like to feel shut in and unable to meet people. Before I closed my door, I …( read more )

Several days ago, my wife and I watched a 2004 movie entitled, Mary Of Nazareth: With Jesus From Birth To Death. A particular scene caught my attention as being amusing as well as anecdotal. However, the implications of the story are …( read more )

More than a few parents have felt themselves cowering before the rolling eyes of a self-assured teen, who, in a cocky tone, proclaims, "Really, Dad! Don't you know that …!" Of course, we'd be mistaken if we pictured Jesus treating His …( read more )

These two probing questions, spoken by Jesus to His fretful parents, are found in the one and only account of Jesus' youth. I admit, for years, it seemed to me that Jesus was rather sharp toward His parents. Now, I find myself …( read more )

Every Christmas, one special person in Jesus' nativity story remains in the shadows. We rarely see this person on Christmas cards or in carols. Today, I wish to shine the spotlight on this one. You'll soon know who I mean. The setting is …( read more )