Last summer, a good friend died after a very long illness. We had attended the same elementary school. I had forgotten about her until I met up with her some thirty years ago. We became good friends, and we visited back and forth a lot. …( read more )

In a busy world, Sabbath is something that we need to seek intentionally. People need to pursue Sabbath moments in life. People in the church and in society alike need concrete examples of how to create Sabbath — in their car, through …( read more )

I had just read the book, The Nun Story. As a teenager, I was so enamoured with the concept of being hidden away from the chaos of adolescence, a boyfriend, and trying to figure out my place in life, that I announced to my parents that …( read more )

Being still is not easy; in fact, it is more difficult now than ever before. We have become technology gluttons, bombarded with a cacophony of smart phones, computers, tablets, iPads, radio, and television. From sun-up to sun-down, the …( read more )

Excessive information has become a plague. That occurred to me one day after receiving a ticket for unintentionally violating a "No Parking 2 to 6 A.M." bylaw. If there was a sign somewhere, I missed it amidst the plethora of signs on the …( read more )

Growing up in the 1960s, I learned to love "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. And the sign said: "The words of the prophets Are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sound of silence." It was …( read more )

Stop the roller coaster! I want to get off. Since I don't like heights, I've never liked roller coasters. However, one summer at Canada's Wonderland, when our daughter was about six years old, I decided to go on one of the tamer roller …( read more )

I have lived in Canada for fifty years, and I still don't enjoy winter. It seems like a waste of time to me because I don't like going outside. I find snow not just dangerous but boring. There it is, every day for months — dismal and …( read more )

Lately, I have been spending more time than previously reading the Bible, doing devotionals, and going to Bible study classes. I've also been devoting more time to church activities, but I've felt that something is missing. In the past …( read more )

It's that time of year again: time to go through drawers and closets, sorting out, downsizing, and organizing. It's something that I like to do about this time each year, before the good weather comes when I would rather be outside …( read more )

On the morning of the 27th of January, I woke up early, and I was teary-eyed. I had been dreaming about the birth of our first child, stillborn on January 29th, 1957. I think about her quite often, and certainly around that time of the …( read more )

Have you ever been assigned a responsibility, and then others took over? They wanted to run the show, and you were pushed aside. You felt sad and frustrated because you could not do what you were assigned to do. You could not be who you …( read more )

In all the busyness of today, we can lose sight of what is important. For myself, I know that sometimes, it is the end of the day before I realize that I was so busy with things, I did not spend as much time with Jesus as I should have. …( read more )

A number of years ago, a distant cousin put together our family tree on my father's side. It revealed that my heritage is Welsh and English, although I am convinced that there is also a Russian branch missing from the tree as I am always …( read more )

Our grey tabby cat, Joey Been, was so called as it truly seemed that he had been everywhere — a born adventurer. We never knew where we might find him next. One day, however, Joey and his whereabouts really took me by surprise. It was …( read more )

Many of us are familiar with today's verses, or if not, then the sentiment that they convey, namely, that God looks after His own, who are in His kingdom. In times of trouble, we can spiritually and mentally run into His presence and …( read more )

The Holy Spirit impressed this verse upon my heart when I first asked Christ into my life. More recently, as I have been asking Him to reveal more of my inner self to me — the good, the bad and the ugly — He has brought this verse back …( read more )

Back in 1989 and 1990, our church was without a pastor, and I used to do a lot of visiting of church members and adherents. There was one couple's home in particular where I went quite often. The man especially enjoyed my visits and told …( read more )

Today, our firstborn would have been 60 years old. I wrote about that a few years ago in devotional called God's Comfort . In it, I explained in some detail the events of the day when our first child was born but did not live. Over the …( read more )

I was overwhelmed by the responses to my New Year's Eve devotional, Which Way To Go . Readers were very loving and understanding as I outlined my future needs while facing a move to residential care. I really appreciated the love and …( read more )

A praise team leader at church mentioned that he and his wife asked God for a word, specifically for them, each new year. It caught the attention of both my husband and me. We knew that it was for us. We were curious to know what word …( read more )

The world-wide, ever-increasing pace of life in general — encouraged by the onset of technical advances which allow for immediate access and interaction with others through a simple phone device — is drastically changing our lives. …( read more )

Two months ago, I injured my ankle when I tripped over a garden fence in my backyard. To my surprise, it was more serious than I'd first thought. An x-ray revealed that a bone was dislocated, so I needed surgery to repair it. Afterward, …( read more )

On a recent evening, rehearsing with our community church choir, our director had us sing "Help!" by the Beatles. All of us, being "of a certain age", knew the words pretty much by heart. After we had sung it through once, she commented …( read more )

This beautiful verse was written in calligraphy and appeared in a frame on the wall of an old Anglican church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. For several years, I played the organ for Sunday evening services at that church. It was a small …( read more )

During the last month, we have seen a number of events of terrible carnage in various places: Ankara, Turkey, October 12th – 97 killed, 250 injured; Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, October 31st – a Russian airliner allegedly brought down by …( read more )

There is an old preacher's story about the little girl who brought her friend to worship with her one Sunday. When her friend started to talk out loud, the girl said, "You have to be quiet or the hushers will come for you." My weekly …( read more )

Have you ever been in a place or situation that you felt was truly hopeless? I'm sure that if we are honest with ourselves, we have all been in that place at one time or another. What is our first response when we find ourselves in a …( read more )

I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland. At one time, there used to be over a million people living in the city. Glasgow prospered due to being situated on the banks of the River Clyde, where great ocean-going steamships were …( read more )

Most people in my Bible class at the Meaford Long Term Care Centre have worries. Some are unable to get around without help; others are having trouble remembering. There are those who worry about their families and, in some cases, their …( read more )

At the beginning of summer, as my job as a crossing guard is shelved until September, and various church and school activities and other social gatherings shut down for nine to twelve weeks, God has repeatedly drawn me to this verse: I …( read more )

Most of us have been captivated by the news that a commercial airliner was shot down over the Ukraine on July 17th, killing all 298 people on board. Of the victims, 198 were citizens of the Netherlands. We watched the news in disbelief, …( read more )

As a guard at the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment, I see many types of people in cells. Some are quiet and reserved and sleep their time away. Others are loud, rude, and obnoxious, while still others display anxiety, …( read more )