New Year's Eve was fast approaching and the pressure was on. What to wear? The same old tacky (meaning I am so tired of it!) from six years ago? (Be grateful it still fits!) Buy something new for a totally … Read more

I was downcast, worried, and in physical pain in several different locations on my middle-aged body. It was a rainy Saturday, and I returned to bed after breakfast, thankful for a moment's relaxation. For some time, I had struggled with … Read more

Children attend my church from a facility that cares for them when their parents are arrested for drugs and other offences. Recently, we discovered that one girl had a beautiful voice. After much pleading and encouraging, our pastor got her … Read more

My dog, Ginger, lay down at my feet, looking up at me. She usually lies with her head down unless she wants the food in my hand. However, I had no food this time, only a book that I was … Read more

It was Billy Hunter who believed in Christ and spoke words of faith to me. I know that God speaks to our hearts in order to receive Christ, but He also uses people as vessels to convey that faith as … Read more

There is this recurring picture in my mind: I walk into a room to visit the parents of one of our children and see something I will never forget. It is a flashback to those years spent at Flora House … Read more

I call him Christmas Sam because he doesn't just enter a room, rather, he bursts in with his face radiant, as bright as a night star, and with legs that wobble a wee bit like Tiny Tim's. If he should … Read more

A little parcel came through my mail recently. It contained three CDs of original, authentic Slovak music — one of which contained Christmas songs and carols. Although I neither read nor speak Slovak, as soon as I heard Ticha Noc, … Read more

Christmas gifts are for many of us the real joy of Christmas. Some folks cannot wait until Christmas morning to open their gifts. Children cannot wait to run down the stairs and see the toys. Even we adults find Christmas … Read more

It was the first snowfall of the season, and as I sat thinking about past Christmases, many memories filled my mind. In my youth, I was never much for memorizing Scripture, most likely not wishing to take the time, but … Read more

Recently, while dropping off a couple of bags of coats and clothing at a thrift store that services the homeless and underprivileged, I thought I'd just take a look around, as they always have great things. As I turned away … Read more

It must be very hard to be far from home at Christmas. Mary and Joseph had that sad experience, but they had no choice. They were a subjected people under Imperial Rome, and they had to obey orders. So here … Read more

Joseph must have been quite a compassionate man. In his days, a young woman who was found to be pregnant out of wedlock would have been ostracized by the community and ruined for life. Even before the angel visits Joseph, … Read more

It's amazing what a thousand years of faith can do for people. King Solomon, who perhaps wrote some of Ecclesiastes, was a spoiled, rich man who was bored with life. He had experienced everything under the sun, and when he … Read more

Some people think that reading the Bible is what gets them into heaven. It doesn't. If that were the case, we could read the whole Bible once and be assured of our passage into God's everlasting presence beyond the pearly … Read more

I have often wondered about the music of the angels. Do they use words when they sing? Or do angels use a different mode of expression, without words? Toddlers gain the use of words quite easily, but prior to that, … Read more

I am reminded of a game where a message is repeated from one person to another, around a circle. Usually, when it comes back to the sender, it is a brand new message. Hardly anything of the original is left. … Read more

Since moving to Alberta where there is more snow (usually) than on Vancouver Island, I have been looking forward to a white Christmas. Like many who were raised in the frozen areas of Canada, I am once again dreaming of … Read more

Every Christmas season, I treasure the wonderful carol, "Good King Wenceslas", written by a man named John Mason Neale in 1853. The song tells of the good king who ventured out into the bitter weather on the "Feast of Stephen" … Read more

Having company visit or drop in over Christmas is part of the holiday season for almost everyone. For most of us, part of Advent and Christmas preparations is to give the house a good cleaning, so that it looks good … Read more

My Christmas gifts while growing up were small, but very meaningful. In a family of nine children, there were no elaborate gifts. Back then, we were not into the age of technology, so our parents did not have that challenge … Read more

As this Christmas season fast approaches, we find ourselves overwhelmed with Christmas advertising. It seems that the malls have been decorated since the end of October. Magazines are filled with quick Christmas recipes. The schools send notes home telling of … Read more

Winter mornings are so dark here in this northern country; I long for summer sunrises to colour my mornings with light. As I draw the curtains, my spirit bids me look up, and there are some twinkling stars, reminding me … Read more

"I called to remind you to buy a jug of milk," my husband said, "but you did not answer your cell phone." "I never answer in heavy traffic," I replied. "I focus on my driving, which I consider more important … Read more

It seems that the world is beginning to feel stressed out about Christmas, and there isn't any fun in it anymore. Recent news items and magazine articles appear to be bewailing the fact that Christmas is putting so much pressure … Read more

"It's time to haul out the old toilet brush and decorate it for Christmas." "Hey kids, help us stuff this old toilet brush back into the box!" Wouldn't those comments raise an eyelid or two? The truth is that an … Read more

This year, in preparation for Christmas, while baking, cleaning, putting the finishing touches to the decorations, and finishing up the last of the shopping, here is a challenge: include yourself in your gift-giving. After all, Jesus said that our love … Read more

It's just a little sentence, yet it's one that reveals a lot about Zechariah's character. He's just had a profound, miraculous experience. He's just been struck dumb by the whole event. He has become the centre of speculation, and has … Read more

We have a glass door that separates the kitchen from the living room. As the years have passed, I have noticed that it is easier to keep clean, for as the boys have grown older, there seem to be fewer … Read more

Advent: a time of waiting, preparing, expectation. Even in the rush of life, a moment of silence and observation enters the heart that is open to the reason for the season. We know that peace comes from God's peace, that … Read more

As my daughter and I wait for her bus in the morning before school, we often play with shadows. She tries to make her shadow look taller than mine. We step on each other's shadows. Our shadows do what we … Read more