For God alone I wait in silence as I meditate on his Word. What is he going to say to me? What is he going to do in me? To be silent is usually the hard part. Some of us … Read more

How shall I meditate? Christian meditation must be centred in God alone, the only true God; in Jesus Christ, the only one who has the power to save; and in the Holy Spirit who makes it all come together. Silence, … Read more

During World War 2 in Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was teaching students for the ministry of the Confessing Church. This Church was formed at the Synod of Barmen in 1934 at the very time when Adolf Hitler was taking over as … Read more

Robert Louis Stevenson told the story of a ship at sea during a terrible storm. The passengers were is great distress. After a time, one of them, against orders, went up on deck and made his way to the pilot … Read more

I finally got to live among hills, mountains actually, during our much anticipated family vacation in Alaska. For most of our holiday we were blessed with clear, crisp weather, allowing for fantastic visibility. On other days we were blessed with … Read more

Imagine for a moment, a person venturing out into the middle of Lake Ontario, who is then unable to find his way back home. After being rescued, his friends give him a compass to help him on future trips. Once … Read more

Do you have any idea how powerless I feel in many pastoral situations? So often, all I can do is sit and listen and hold a hand and lend a shoulder to cry on. Yet often God invites me to … Read more

A newspaper clipping tells the ironic story of Antonio Lopez, an immigrant worker in the United States. He was known to his neighbours as a steady hard worker, but very poor, and rather eccentric. When people would go over to … Read more

A man discovered a roach in his food while he was travelling on a dinner flight. He was so angry that he wrote a letter of protest to the president of the company. The president wrote back and said, We've … Read more

Ever since Jesus said that the hairs of our head are numbered, people have speculated on what that might involve. One preacher remarked, "When we comb our hair and a few strands come off in our comb, an angel changes … Read more

"You do not have to be your mother unless she is who you want to be. You do not have to be your mother's mother, or your mother's mother's mother, or even your grandmother's mother on your father's side. You … Read more

Do you remember the story of the Arab who had lost his way, travelling across the desert? After several days without food, and nearly exhausted, he came to an oasis. Searching for some scrap of food, he found a small … Read more

In the midst of some of our daily journeys we find ourselves reminded of the presence of God in Christ who welcomes us. We were looking forward to moving house, but getting ready was something else! The boxes were all … Read more

In these days of tension, conflict and strife, it is both refreshing and rare to see people co-operating. An example of this was a paralyzed lady and a blind man. What a sight to see them arriving at church. She … Read more

In the midst of some of our daily journeys we find ourselves reminded of the presence of God in Christ who brings us his love-light. The Van Morrison concert was over, and it was time to return from Edinburgh to … Read more

Are you feeling down today? All of us go through those days, even such a great Christian as Martin Luther. One day when Luther was downcast and despairing, his wife came into the room and announced excitedly, "Have you heard … Read more

Here I am, on a bright sunny July morning, sitting on the backyard deck overlooking a treed grassy park. During the night someone has cut one of the support ropes on my hammock and left it fallen on the ground. … Read more

A minister once preached a sermon about Jesus' parable of the three men who were given five, two and one talents of silver to trade with until the master returned. The man with one talent was reprimanded because he buried … Read more

In the midst of some of our daily journeys, we find ourselves reminded of the presence of God in Christ. He's been there all along, but we haven't really noticed. We had the tickets, we had the luggage, and we … Read more

Years ago, workers were building a bridge across part of the New York harbour. Where one of the buttresses was to be put, they discovered an old scow, filled with rocks, that had sunk, and it was settled deep down … Read more

In the midst of some of our daily journeys we find ourselves reminded of the presence of God in Christ who leads us home. We pitched camp late at night. At dawn we woke and set off to climb one … Read more

Only those who have gone through deep waters and bitter trials can know the comfort and re-assurance that the Lord so lovingly gives in those hours of darkness when we cry out for his help. In 1873, Mr. H.G. Spafford, … Read more

Do you recognize those words? What is more important, do you recognize the truth they bring? They come from The Message – The New Testament in Contemporary English (like you've never read it before.) by Eugene H. Peterson. Personally his … Read more

We are such a busy people now, with our careers and courses (self-improvement), families, special events, volunteer work, hobbies, and so on. Even our vacations are hectic. Then suddenly, one day, we are faced with some bad news that almost … Read more

Have you ever had a great idea for a certain project, only to have it turn out the very opposite of what you intended? Sometimes our inspirations lead us to jump in without considering all the implications. I've been told … Read more

When I read about what faith the size of a mustard seed can do, I am sometimes chastened and sometimes gladdened, and I always realize how small my faith is, compared to what God intends for us. I am chastened … Read more

I just completed peer support training. This is a course to train women to offer support to victims of wife abuse. During one session we drew a tree on the board and then wrote words that described who or what … Read more

"Okay boys and girls, here's the path," said Mr. Smith, the school teacher. "Remember, you can go anywhere you want on the main path or take the little paths that go off it. You have two hours to explore and … Read more

When my daughter and I attended a concert recently, we were disappointed to discover that our seats were quite a bit farther from the stage than the TicketMaster chart had led us to believe. "At least we're not in the … Read more

I shall never forget that letter. A few days before, I had conducted worship in an area church. At the door, following the service, there were expressions of appreciation and enthusiastic handshakes from departing worshippers. This letter, however, was special. … Read more

There goes one now – a tourist. All year they waited for this moment to simply relax and get away from it all. Oops, there goes another one. Holidays are a time to get away from the busyness and hecticness … Read more