One of our memorable Christmas pageants had the junior Sunday School playing the parts of the Biblical characters. Mary and Joseph, with their ceramic doll Jesus, sat quietly and almost beatifically until the arrival of the bathrobed magi. Then as … Read more
Archive for May, 1998
The Comforter
Most of us have, or have had a wonderful, warm comforter. Something to snuggle in on cold winter nights. A "friend" to wrap around our weary bones which ache with arthritis, or call out for comfort when we have a … Read more
A Bad Patch
Last fall, I went through what some would call a "bad patch". A bad patch is an experience that comes at the wrong time, just like when one is driving through a bad patch, it causes sluggishness to one's wheels. … Read more
The Sowers Of The Seed
One of the sheer delights of taking a "nature walk" on these West Coast Islands, comes in seeing plants and flowers flourishing in places in which they are not indigenous. The birds "planted" the seeds. Oh, I'm sure it occurs … Read more
Reconciliation
John Westerhoff was invited to Northern Ireland to lead a spiritual retreat on reconciliation with a mixed group of Catholics and Protestants, young and old. He was feeling like a failure as the week slipped by and old animosities seemed … Read more
Bread On The Waters
I've always thought of today's verse in much the same terms as throwing a bottle with a message in it into the ocean, to see if and where someone would find it. And there's a spiritual analogy to that. Because … Read more
Taming The Tongue
When I am reminded of these verses about the tongue, I am reminded of the children's story with a tube of toothpaste. The children are asked to squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube which they usually do with much … Read more
Appreciating Disappointment
Thirteen of us from our volunteer group had been looking forward to attending a workshop with great anticipation. This was going to be such a great experience. This one was going to offer us new tools, more answers, enable us … Read more
One Day At A Time
On January 1, 1998, I made a New Year's resolution. Normally I try to avoid resolutions because I believe they set me up for failure. It's so hard to start new things in the dark cold winter. Yet, each year … Read more
All Things New
Hugh Martin in a wonderful work, "The Parables of the Gospels", tells the story of a rather rough, uncultivated man who fell in love with a beautiful vase in a shop window. He bought the vase and put it on … Read more
King Of The Hill (2)
In the child's game, King of the Hill, the object was to be king. I find that I like to be at the top of my "hill". I like the heady feeling of being in control, of having the best … Read more
King Of The Hill (1)
When I was a child I used to like to play a game called King of the Hill. In this game, there would be a hill, and the person standing at the top of the hill was the "king." The … Read more
Buying Time
The head nurse on the floor on which I volunteered gave a deep sigh. Upon my acknowledging it, she said she just wished she had some time, so the next day I presented her with a little bottle of thyme, … Read more
Steps Toward Eternity
Our congregation gave a gift not long ago. It was a gift in honour of a wonderful woman of one hundred years. What do you get for someone turning one hundred? Let me tell you what we did as a … Read more
What Must Come First?
A short time ago I began to make a close study of Matthew, Mark and Luke to discover exactly what Jesus had for his top priority. I learned that the first move of the newly baptized and Spirit-filled Jesus was … Read more
The Sound Of Your Voice
E-mail is so wonderful. It is quick and inexpensive. It enables you think out a message, change it, fix it, and "zip it off". An answer can be obtained immediately. Messages can be sent back and forth several times a … Read more
What Do You Say?
What do you say at a memorial, or funeral service where the deceased has lived a lifestyle not quite like yours? A few years ago I was called by a mom and dad whom I had married some years before. … Read more
Dear Abby – A.D. 55
You know who Dear Abby is, don't you? Many people open a newspaper to her column first thing, while others are scanning the obituaries for familiar friends. The format of Dear Abby and copycat columns (see how many of the … Read more
Hands Behind Your Backs!
Last night at church, after readings from John and Isaiah as part of our "Listening in Lent", we were given some interesting instructions. If we were people who were used to embracing others, offering an extended hand or a gentle … Read more
A Story To Live By
My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade … Read more
Let's Play Ball
In our home, one sure sign of spring is the beginning of Little League. Sometimes I think we live on the field, between scheduled practices and games for two sons on different teams. As a non-ball playing parent, I have … Read more
Attachments
After being sent yet another attachment for which I did not have the necessary decoding programs, I decided to "clean out" my computer… purge it of all the unwanted, undeciphered attachments that were just taking up space in my e-mail. … Read more
Kairos – God's Time
I'm not a bad cook when I put my mind to it and I love to come up with new creations from time to time. But it is never wise to ignore the advice I get from the 'experts' in … Read more
Some Assembly Required
It is fine to give someone the gift of a tool, or a gift which states "some assembly required"… but not if you leave out the instructions. The gift then becomes a burden because they want to use it, but … Read more
Tender Loving Care
Your life will be enriched as you give and as you are willing to receive love. Your release of love toward others will affect their health for the better. An experiment involved giving a dozen rabbits tender, loving care. Their … Read more
Peace Be With You
The Chinese have a way of saying a great deal using simple characters that join together to convey meaning. They have a character that stands for peace. It is made up of three separate characters. The first is ping, meaning … Read more
A Hermit With A Permit
A friend invited me to a workshop in her church, which was to be conducted by an Anglican Priest. "There's a write-up about her on the religious page", she said, "they've called her the 'Hermit with a Permit.' ". Sure … Read more
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