Month: December 1998

I received a long-distance call from a friend a while back. She was awaiting news of the birth of her first grandchild and, lest she be tempted to call and check on the progress every so often, chose to call … Read more

A couple of books off my bookshelf got some extra wear and tear – and reading – this year. One is The Grey Seas Under. It's a book by Canadian author Farley Mowat, about the trials and tribulations of a … Read more

When I first read about Mary's conception, and the subsequent birth of Jesus, I almost came undone. "God, is this really true?" For me the rubber hit my new road of faith – I had to believe it was true, … Read more

Isn't Christmastime a time of love? Isn't Christmas a celebration of the coming into the world of the greatest example of our Father's love? How can I say that Christmas is a time to hate? Of course, this time of … Read more

I got a chance to go "home" before Christmas, but I didn't want to go. Home, in this case, is not where I live now, but the place where I was born and grew up. That's Windsor, Ontario, right across … Read more

As a child growing up in a godless household, with a single mother trying to raise six children, including four adult male alcoholics, I dreaded Christmas. Not for me was the anticipation of presents under the tree, nor the feeling … Read more

A familiar tune that's heard throughout the Christmas season is Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas". Whether it's Presley's powerful voice, the strings of some instrumental, or the strains of friends pouring out their hearts in song, it is traditionally counted among … Read more

This passage from Isaiah is a familiar one for the Advent Season. I know that I have read it often, but it has only been recently that this image of a stump has really intrigued me. Where we live, on … Read more

We visited a church in Florida on Sunday morning; it was a busy, friendly church with about forty to fifty in attendance. The congregation was made up mainly of older folk, with a sprinkling of middle-aged ones, and about four … Read more

Lord, maybe what I need this Christmas is a new pair of spiritual eyeglasses, ones that would let me see the hope and trust those ill people had in You, so even if they have died, as we on Earth call it, we know they are alive forever in … Read more