OK, so I was stupid. I can be forgiven for a bit of stupidity. I sailed over to Pictou Island to spend the night in the safety of the Western Wharf with my family. The next morning I planned to … Read more

You have no idea how much work goes in to preparing for the sailing season. Hours and hours are spent on the hard stuff – scraping and sanding and smoothing and then painting and polishing. Making the boat look good … Read more

When you sail, everyone thinks they have instant gifts for you. All they need to find is something with the word in it and 'presto', an instant gift. Take the new mug in my office. It contains a picture of … Read more

It's the race of the year. Every bit of gear has been checked and rechecked, every piece of rigging gone over again and again. We are ready for anything. The starter's horn sounds and we're off! And there we sit, … Read more

OK. Why is the Church like a sailboat? Give up? Because so much energy goes in to keeping the thing repaired and so little time is left to do the activity it was made for. When I talk about sailing, … Read more

Recently I was talking with one of my neighbours over the back fence as we hung out our laundry. Suddenly the conversation plunged from trivialities into one of those deep places that are always there, just under the surface. She … Read more

We live on a quiet street in a pleasant neighbourhood of old houses and old trees and good neighbours. Our back yard stretched unimpeded across four homes. Once the snow has disappeared in spring, housewives abandon their clothes dryers and … Read more

As Ghandi stepped aboard a train one day, one of his shoes slipped off and landed on the track. He was unable to retrieve it as the train was moving. To the amazement of his companions, Ghandi calmly took off … Read more

The phone rings in the night. A childhood friend has just died. I sit in the dark and wonder again about life and what life means, especially for her now that death has come. She found out many years ago … Read more

Yesterday I passed by a young boy learning how to mow the lawn. He stretched his arms up as high as they would go just barely reaching the mowers' handles. Even over the motor you could hear the young child's … Read more

In an old Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown attempts to explain the mystery of life to his friend, Lucy. He says, "Be kind. Don't smoke. Be prompt. Smile a lot. Eat sensibly. Avoid cavities. Mark your ballot carefully. Avoid too … Read more

Max Christensen has written a book entitled, Turning Points: Stories of People who made a Difference, and in it he recounts the stories of many nobodies who become somebody because they trust God and believe God wills the very best … Read more

Evidently, judging from Jesus' parable of the mustard seed, God looks at things differently than we do. Is that surprising? What we regard as common, small, of little account, God regards as miraculous, wonderful, what the kingdom is all about. … Read more

A Sunday School teacher was trying to talk to the fifth grade class about being called by God. The teacher really tried to make the story come alive, telling of Jesus' call to those who fished or collected taxes, the … Read more

William Willimon begins a meditation with a series of questions we do well to ask ourselves. "Why are you here?" he asks. "Not why are you here, here at church, but why are you here, you of all people? You … Read more

As a young person I was impressed with the number of people that Jesus healed in his ministry and how this was continued by the apostles as in these verses from Acts 5. Healing the sick was clearly a normal … Read more

He came to me again after church and simply said "Luke 12". He's done this before and I know the code for a breakthrough in this man's life. He had experienced personal, health, and business failure and his life had … Read more

Yesterday I offered you this "Prayer of Abandonment" to God, written by Charles de Foucauld: Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all; … Read more

At the beginning of this century, Charles de Foucauld, a deeply committed servant of Christ, took these words from the Lord's Prayer and made them personal for the immense benefit of folk who are seeking to grow spiritually. This prayer … Read more

A favourite topic of conversation among local senior citizens is the comparison of the Early Bird Specials offered at various restaurants. Listening to a nearby discussion, I learned that Denny's ranks high for providing a free piece of pie with … Read more

Be true to yourself, believe in yourself, and love yourself. Remember the story of Narcissus who looked into a pool of water and fell in love with his own reflection? This isn't what I mean by self love. Love of … Read more

There is an old saying that goes like this: You never know what you can do until you try. Maybe you feel that way about graduation, maybe even more about what you will be doing next. Bonaro Overstreet has added … Read more

A word of wisdom that no book can ever teach is how to be happy. The longer I live the more I realize that God wishes for us to be happy in life, to enjoy life and love life. Long … Read more

Henry James was one of those strange philosophers who would use twenty words where one would do, and who would speak in riddles when plain speaking was necessary. When his nephew Billy was leaving home, Henry James called him aside … Read more

Appeals, appeals, appeals: The list of charitable organizations flooding the mails with appeals for donations is endless. I will never live long enough to use up all the address labels and cute little correspondence cards tucked suggestively into a lot … Read more

When Jesus visited Mary and Martha in Luke 10, Martha chastised Jesus that he allowed her sister Mary to sit listening at his feet rather than help with the preparations for the meal. Jesus kindly rebukes her and sets her … Read more

Peter tells us that everyone has some gifts; everyone has something that they can do. It's simply a case of finding your gift, accepting the opportunity to use it and then following through prayerfully. When I was home after the … Read more

Jesus takes the time to heal blind Bartimaeus when he cries out for mercy. The Son of God, surrounded by endless requests and wearied by miles of walking, looked need squarely in the face and asked, "What do you want … Read more

In Genesis 24, Abraham asks his chief servant to find a wife for Isaac, not among the women of Canaan, but among Abraham's own people in north-west Mesopotamia. Eliezer takes the first step in being a faithful servant and accepts … Read more

These words were spoken by the Son of God on a day when his disciples needed a proper perspective on servanthood. James and John ask Jesus if they might sit on either side of him in heaven, one at his … Read more