Was it the wind or the kids across the road having come home from a night of celebrating the last day of school? Something had ushered us out of our sleep in the wee small hours of the morning. Perhaps … Read more

Upon getting into our van for a recent trip to the city, I noticed a spider web. It was an orb web, but the spider that had spun it couldn't have been very large. It was attached to the van … Read more

How should we be led to worship God? In today's passage from the book of John, we are told that the true worshipper will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Let us draw near to God with a … Read more

We could only choose one out of all the needy dogs at the animal shelter and we chose Grace. Tied up, pregnant and abandoned, left to die before the age of two, she had been discovered by a shelter worker … Read more

One of the scariest things I have ever done is to buy a house. The reason I say it was scary is on account of the cost that was incurred. When I signed the loan, I felt a very heavy … Read more

Have you ever heard of the computing acronym "GIGO" (garbage in; garbage out)? I once did an experiment to prove it. I learnt, from one of my programming lectures, that if the computer's memory is supplied with an alphabetic character … Read more

We recently spent a very warm day at our local beach. It was unfortunately extremely windy, and the large whitecaps on Lake Erie made swimming impossible. The threat of an undertow was too great. Still, we had a wonderful time … Read more

The modern versions convey much the same as today's text, except to change "shall men give into your bosom" to "will be poured into your lap", and to say, "whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt to … Read more

As a young man, I worked for some time in a men's correctional institute. Actually, the institute could have been better described simply as a prison, as any serious attempts at institutional rehabilitation were at the time still in their … Read more

This past week people were devastated when one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in our district burned to the ground. Everything perished. The one-of-a-kind inscriptions of the creed, the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments, lovingly hand-carved by … Read more

A number of years ago, I had what many would call a "nervous breakdown". An entire generation of my family had died over the course of that year. My job as a family counsellor for a local mental health agency … Read more

My daughter dropped by for a quick visit. We both love and admire our gardens. She talked for a moment about how severely she had pruned back a certain plant and how it was producing many more flowers. I agreed … Read more

Every spring, we plant a large garden in our yard. We plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, corn, and an assortment of other vegetables. My two children have always loved playing and digging in the dirt and helping plant the garden, … Read more

A couple of weeks back, after the church service, there were some young people who wanted to come to my home to see my animals and yard before the next service at 6:00 p.m. I gladly said yes, as I … Read more

"Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun while taking this medication." This is the message or warning that appears on the label of one of my prescriptions. In other words, prolonged exposure to the sun could cause damage to my health … Read more

The weather has been as contrary and unpredictable as the politicians here in the Washington, DC, area for the past few weeks. I think we have had everything but drought and snow and sleet. It was hot, sticky and humid, … Read more

Have you ever seen some phenomenon in nature that could have been put there just for you? Years ago, I was awaiting the end of term, the end of my time in school and my exam results. I was more … Read more

We went to the city recently to run errands. It is always a chore, unbuckling the kids from their car seats, dragging them into the store to pick up what we need, then heading out to the car, buckling them … Read more

To love one's neighbour as oneself is the second most important thing we can do. The other day I learned of the illness of one of our neighbours just across the road. Cancer had struck in their home. A woman … Read more

One warm spring day, my children ventured outdoors with a bucket of sidewalk chalk in hand. The leaves had not yet sprouted on the trees, and the grass had just begun to turn green. We drew a number of brightly-coloured … Read more

Walking one day recently in the park, I was amazed and ashamed to see the number of pop cans and the volume of litter some have left to mar God's beautiful world. I guess some expect that someone else will … Read more

It has been quite some time since I last wrote a devotional and as I contemplate what circumstances caused this, I find myself writing again. I am sitting outside in my favourite chair on the front porch. As I look … Read more

The life of a toddler is nothing short of amazing. Everything is new, interesting, and a learning experience. There are no jaded outlooks or set ways to be broken. When you are in diapers, life is a free-for-all. I learned … Read more

A friend, having recently visited the Hawaiian island of Maui, told me of seeing Psalm 139:9 inscribed on the memorial to Charles Lindbergh, the famous aviator. My own father was a private pilot. He'd taken lessons when we were very … Read more

Being fed up by the frequent and monotonous visits from a Christian friend, with his constant urging to accept Jesus as his personal Saviour, an atheist (who dearly loved flowers) planted a flower design in his compound that formed the … Read more

Recently, I looked at a copy of Invitation to Poetry: An Anthology for Junior Students. This 1956 volume was "presented for your consideration as a classroom text with the compliments of Macmillan of Canada". This complimentary gift must have been … Read more

Now that summer holidays are here, we are busy planning our vacation. We are travelling west — not a small feat for a family that includes a three- and a six-year-old. We will be starting our trip with four straight … Read more

A few days ago I went shopping for a lily for our front shrub bed. I purchased a splendid yellow hybrid lily. I am certain that, if this plant could talk, it would say, "I am so stately and tall … Read more

Having been warned of a virus by a friend, I replied, "I have Norton standing guard! I hope he does what I pay him for!" Immediately, I thought of the guard we have to protect us from evil, "the full … Read more

I went to the dentist yesterday. I am allergic to pain, dentists and drills. I break out in a rash of anxiety. I have known the waves of fear to pound on my hull, held together only with hope, determination … Read more

I was handed a new Canadian ten-dollar bill by a customer at work, who asked me if I knew that the poem, "In Flanders Fields," was printed on it. I looked, squinted, and looked again. No way could I read … Read more