There are words in the Christian vocabulary that seem archaic, one of which is "abide". As it is used in the Bible, it means staying constantly, or remaining on a continual basis. "Abide" makes me think of an abode, a home, and when I form … Read more

The Gleaners plant near Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, is the home of a highly efficient non-profit operation. Surplus and unsaleable produce and shipments of lentils, peas, or barley are combined in dehydrated form to produce a … Read more

Easter Sunday, March 30, 1997, is a day that I have never forgotten. I was looking for a new church home. A friend recommended a church to me, and I was not disappointed after attending my first service. The interim pastor on that Easter … Read more

For a number of weeks through this past winter, I was out in western Canada to visit family. In some places, the ice underfoot was thick and treacherous. I am used to having salt mixed in the gravel that is applied to roads and parking … Read more

In an instant, his anger caused him to sin, and shattered his dream of entering the Promised Land. When I first read this verse, "Be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26a ESV), it sounded like a contradiction. It might surprise some … Read more

A few years ago, when my husband first took our young grandsons to the tennis court to begin teaching them how to play tennis, their balls flew all over the place. The boys didn't know how to direct their swing so that the balls would … Read more

There's something heavy that has been weighing on my heart for several years. It sometimes causes me to wake up in the middle of the night and sadly reflect on how some people that I dearly love are being misled by what is untrue, unjust, … Read more

One of our grandsons, Bryan, who lives here in our town, has pigeons, just like I used to have before we moved into town. I had homing pigeons (homers) but he has fancy pigeons. They are not flyers like mine were but rather just birds to … Read more

I've just returned from the gas station, where I filled up the gas tank in my car for just under $20. Gas prices in the USA have been rising almost daily to the point where they're more than double what they were two years ago, so you may … Read more

Hooray! I had successfully made a pot of delicious homemade cream of tomato soup! Successfully making cream of tomato soup is not always easy, given the tendency of milk to curdle when it is combined with acidic tomatoes. I enjoyed a hot … Read more

Is there anything cuter than a chuckling baby — happy, curious, and squealing with delight with every new toy? A baby exudes love, trust, and dependence to everyone in the room — often being the centre of attention. But how quickly the … Read more

When my husband John was still here, we used to go on short-term mission trips. These trips were four to six weeks long. We were very aware that we could not accomplish a lot in that short time period, but our prayer was that the group … Read more

Have you someone in your life who is angry and resentful, who really knows how to bug you, who knows your weaknesses and how to exploit them, who pushes your buttons? I have certainly worked with such people in my career; one individual … Read more

Recently, a friend loaned me a jigsaw puzzle. In the past, I'd considered working jigsaw puzzles to be a waste of valuable time. Finally, during a seemingly aimless part of a day, I decided to tackle it and dumped the pieces on a table. … Read more

Once I had come to believe, to step out in faith, and to embrace the truth of God's offer of salvation, I wondered, What do I do now? Some have summed up the Christian life after first believing as Trust God. Clean house. Help others. … Read more

It should have been easy to back the Ford Escape out of the garage. After all, it's half the size of our former Ford Expedition. With that big vehicle, I had figured out when to start and stop turning in the eight-metre space between the … Read more

The morning was chaotic, not much different than any other 1940s morning, having many interruptions. My sister-in-law quickly reached for her second apron before her neighbour arrived for coffee. She tied it securely at the waist over the … Read more

Ah, the post office, a place where we all have to go at Christmas, even if it is with a smashed-and-broken soul, as I had then. The loudspeaker was blaring a loop of hollow-eared music from which every smidgen of spirituality had been … Read more

An ancient memory pictures an event that occurred when I was four. I was busily engaged in playing with grain stored in the spare bedroom of a farm home where my family lived. My small hands were spreading the grain over the floor. What … Read more

Once all the Christmas decorations are taken down and put away, have you ever noticed how much more space you have? We have a large home, so even with the holiday decorations, it is not cluttered. But still, I am always taken by surprise … Read more

A friend told me that he was looking for a new therapist. "I thought you were happy with the one you had," I said. "Oh, I can't go back to him," he said. "When I thanked him for helping me, he replied that talking to me had been a … Read more

I live in a home that is occupied largely by seniors. There are frequent changes, with people departing and others moving in. Change, as expected, brings stress. The other day, an older lady (with her family) was inspecting a unit on my … Read more

For about 35 years, I had a flock of homing pigeons. I didn't race them, but I took them out for a fly on occasion, mostly for short distances — sometimes longer ones — and they would always find their way home. I had one big white cock … Read more

The other day, I was sitting reading, when the sun burst forth, streaming through my window. The window held a recent stained glass piece that I had hung to allow it to dry fully. As the sunbeams hit the already beautiful glass, every … Read more

I recently wrote a devotional about our foster child in the Philippines. She's a principal now and is in charge of several schools. We keep in touch through Facebook, and she often posts pictures of the schools, which are usually in old … Read more

Forgiving each other is not always easy. In the movie, The Crown, Queen Elizabeth II, a sincere believer, discovers that her uncle, the exiled Edward VIII, had plotted with Hitler in an attempt to betray England, and she finds that she … Read more

Have you ever wondered why God created us with two ears and two eyes but only one mouth? Do you think it could be that we should spend four times as much listening and observing as talking? When I told a member of the nursing staff where … Read more

"Want to know my worst day driving a bus?" a driver asked me one summer day. "There was a woman on the very back seat with groceries in a couple paper bags. In one of them was a big watermelon. She was busy talking, not payin' much … Read more

One chose to stay on the farm; the other chose city life. When my mom was a junior in high school, she chose to leave her family farm and marry my dad. Her new life would take her away from her country upbringing and plant her in cities … Read more

I was on my way to an appointment. I had only left the house and been driving for a matter of minutes, when I realized that I had forgotten something. I hurried back home, opened the front door and walked in. Immediately, I could sense … Read more

Now that the really warm weather has arrived, the horses get down to business shedding the last of their winter coats. They groom one another with their noses. They sidle up against the fence and then drag themselves along it to loosen … Read more

When we immigrated to Canada, we had to rent flats in various houses until my father and mother had saved enough money for a down payment on a house of their own. I remember my mother telling me that the very first flat that they rented … Read more

Recently, I did something unusual. I wrote to a media commentator appealing for mercifulness in his rhetorical style. I offered this reason: Our adversarial world desperately needs moral exemplars — those who consistently exemplify the … Read more