Archive for January, 2013

Attention To Detail

Thursday, January 31, 2013

When my daughter married a man from Great Britain, it became obvious that she would soon be living there. The huge number of things that she had to do just to gain the visa was mind-boggling. She paid great attention to every detail and … Read more

Remolded And Restored

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

There seem to be a lot of people these days who have questionable addictions: drugs, alcohol, tobacco, video games, television, cell phones, texting, computers, work, greed, sports, and bad language — just to name a few. Whether any one … Read more

Lost

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Fog! Thick, swirling, engulfing fog! And I was hopelessly lost. I had decided to take a shortcut home to save time, but now I had absolutely no idea where I was. My GPS was in a drawer somewhere in my house, and I no longer carried maps … Read more

Detour

Monday, January 28, 2013

No word holds more weight than the word "detour" to people driving with a 27-foot trailer in tow behind them. Early last fall, we spent a week in Pennsylvania, USA. We have visited this area many times in the past twenty years, but this … Read more

Change And Pain

Sunday, January 27, 2013

In the summer of 2010, the Daily Devotional sponsored a tour of central Europe, featuring the Oberammergau Passion Play. Within city after city, we visited the "old city", with narrow cobblestone streets and buildings that dated back to … Read more

Turtles And People — Endangered Species?

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Have you ever considered people to be an endangered species — like the snapping turtle? The elderly man whom I interviewed about his hobby of rescuing turtles had once been "endangered" himself. As a young adult, he became lured by his … Read more

Turtles And Churches — Endangered Species?

Friday, January 25, 2013

It has been said that the Church is one generation away from extinction. That would suggest that the Church is an endangered species. Considering all the influences trying to snuff out faith, we could easily see it that way. We realize … Read more

What Legacy Will You Leave?

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Three years ago, I took my mom, then 90, to a nursing home to visit her even more elderly friend, Winnie, who was basically not "with it" anymore. I was in awe of my mother, who despite her own dementia, really "cared" for Winnie. It was … Read more

Examined

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Some ancient Greek penned these words: "Children are short humans who don't like vegetables." According to this definition, are some adults who don't like vegetables also quite short?

The apostle Paul speaks of Christians who are also … Read more

Panning For Gold

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

In the movie The Hanging Tree, three men working an alluvial claim find no gold until a terrible storm knocks over a huge tree near to their site. In the hole left by the fallen tree and among its exposed roots, to their delight, they … Read more

The Comfortable Pew

Monday, January 21, 2013

In 1965, Pierre Berton wrote a bestseller entitled The Comfortable Pew: A critical look at Christianity and the religious establishment in the new age. He ends the book with an optimistic prescription that a transformation is … Read more

The Question

Sunday, January 20, 2013

I feel sorry for John the Baptist at this time in his life. He was an outdoors man who spent most of his life in the wilderness, in bright, open spaces, with no boundaries. When Herod arrested him, the cruel king didn't have to torture … Read more

Heavenly Glue

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Our loving God created us in His image and He delights in us. He continually surprises us with hidden treasures in all of creation for us to discover and enjoy. For example, scientists have identified protein molecules called laminins. … Read more

The Giraffe

Friday, January 18, 2013

Casey, my miniature long-haired dachshund, loves his stuffy toys, and in particular, his stuffed toy, Giraffe. Every night when he hops into bed, he races over to grab Giraffe, then hugs him to his furry little chest with both front paws. … Read more

Life To Its Fullest

Thursday, January 17, 2013

One morning this past summer, during our morning walk, my wife and I stopped for a break at our usual bistro. It was a beautiful morning, and we decided to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. Sitting at a nearby table was a group of three … Read more

Deep Water Faith

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I wasn't excited about going, so I held onto the pool's side. That's where I made my mistake.

I was nine and couldn't swim. No one in my family could — not dad nor mom nor any of my grandparents. Since I came from a swim-less family, … Read more

Prayer And Providence

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

As I stood up from my chair to take my first step at the end of our church's pre-service adult Bible study, I experienced a very brief feeling of vacancy in the back of my left leg. Then I flew across the room and landed on my left hip. … Read more

Lessons From A One-Legged Sandpiper

Monday, January 14, 2013

Recently, while sitting by the ocean in northwest Florida, I watched as three sandpipers scurried by. There was something special about one of them. He had one leg and one little stump.

One leg or two, he could still soar. But to walk … Read more

Famished

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Have you ever wondered what Jacob's stew tasted like? Most Bible scholars believe that it was made with lentils. Considering the nutritious quality of such a meal, I thought that it would be interesting to try to recreate this historical … Read more

W.A.I.T.ing

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Some of our questions about why pray and how to pray begin to find answers when we look at the apostle Paul's instructions about prayer found at 1 Timothy 2:1-4 within a conceptual framework of: make statements on behalf of … Read more

A Paper Trail

Friday, January 11, 2013

Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire is reported to be the largest privately-owned house in Great Britain. It boasts over 100,000 square feet of opulent space in more than three hundred rooms and, of course, a maze of corridors.

In days gone … Read more

Never Far Away

Thursday, January 10, 2013

My Amish neighbours have a foal in their pasture whose mother is never far away. Sometimes, I even see the little one tied behind a buckboard that is rolling along our macadam roadway. It seems that the mare will not pull the buckboard … Read more

But, I Thought …

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

It all started when my friend invited me to visit her. She worked in the school at Ulukhaktok, a tiny Inuit village in the Land of the Midnight Sun. She thought that I might have the opportunity of teaching some classes and ministering in … Read more

A Modern-Day Miracle

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

As a biology professor at a Christian university, I often set aside a few minutes of a lecture to share with my class one of the miracles of healing described in the Bible. This practice is to encourage my students to relate what they are … Read more

Hot Dog

Monday, January 7, 2013

Last fall, a bike ride ended in a visit to a coffee establishment that is close to my home. I left my bike unlocked as I sat enjoying my coffee at a table near a window. Usually, I take my helmet in with me, but for some reason, I hung it … Read more

Undercover Boss

Sunday, January 6, 2013

The clerk was miserable, snappy to the point of being rude, and totally uncaring.

While in the store the other day, I needed help in finding certain items. When I asked for direction from a sales clerk, all I got was a pointing finger … Read more

Nail Polish

Saturday, January 5, 2013

I'm trying to grow my fingernails. I've been trying all of my life to do this. But when there is the least little bit of stress, I fiddle with my nails and pick at edges that stick out, and before I know it, I've ripped off the end of a … Read more

God Never Fails

Friday, January 4, 2013

Every day can be an adventure with the Lord, a "God day", even if we don't see it at the time. God always seems to give me a personal analogy when I give the Sunday School lesson for the kids at church.

My lesson was from the book of … Read more

Pioneer Stock

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Louis L'Amour, author of so many wonderful western (actually historical) novels, said that western men and women possessed character and dignity.

"Wherever you see them, the men and women who went west, old now and often poor, carry … Read more

New Year's Resolutions

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A new year has begun, and it seems that each new year, we make resolutions to be a better person as we look forward to the second coming of Christ. Some declare that they would be healthier by joining their local YMCA or other organization … Read more

Kindness, Gentleness, And Forgiveness

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

As Christians, what a tremendous challenge is presented to us in the prayer which our Lord taught the listeners of His day. We sometimes repeat the Lord's Prayer so glibly, without fully considering the responsibilities of our words or … Read more

 



PresbyCan is a community of faithful, Holy Spirit-filled, Christ-centred, God-honouring Christians.