Month: November 2011

When I collected my mail today, I found a greeting card that I had mailed weeks ago, returned to me marked "Return to Sender". It surprised me because the address I had mailed it to was the address given to … Read more

While reading Psalm 136 to my autistic son, I could not help notice the surprised look on his face. At that moment, I realized how pleasantly this psalm must have resonated in his mind with the constant repetition of the … Read more

Prayer is one of the most remarkable privileges of the indwelling Spirit. Through prayer, we breathe with the breath of God's Spirit. We exhale impure air — such as our complaints, our honest confessions, and our disturbing thoughts. In prayer, … Read more

As season leads to season, one year after another, comes the season of Christmas, heralded by Advent, when we sing: Prepare the royal highway; The King of kings is near! Let ev'ry hill and valley A level road appear! Then … Read more

My friend says that she's figured out the answer to her weight problem. The label on her shampoo promises "extra volume and body". Jokingly, (I trust!) she says that instead she will start using Dawn dish soap in the shower, … Read more

"It's what's on the inside that counts." How many times have I heard that saying and even uttered it myself? It's normally reserved for those who don't measure up to society's definition of beautiful, so we comfort people by telling … Read more

Each year, our town hosts a formal English tea on the Tarahne, an historical boat from the gold rush era. Both my daughter and I pitch in to help with the baking, preparation of savouries, and serving for this special … Read more

As there were for the apostle Paul, there are still so many pressing and perplexing troubles. We see our personal problems, family problems, church problems, community problems, regional problems, national problems, world problems. How can we handle it all? We … Read more

It began as a good day, those many years ago. Behind the steering wheel of my brother's car, I was about to have my first lesson in learning to drive. Beside me in the passenger side sat my brother and … Read more

I love seeing the moon and the stars in the night sky, but I guess that I'm going to miss them in eternity. This verse from Revelation makes it quite clear that night and darkness will have no place in … Read more