In the 'seventies, I worked in England, and every other year, we would come back to Canada on home leave. Many times, when we returned to Europe, I would take a little present for the people who worked with me in the office. One year, I … Read more

One of my favourite hymns, Jesus Paid It All, has had a profound effect on me, whether I have sung it in church, sung it in a choir, or listened to it on my iPod. Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He … Read more

Last year, during the Lenten season, our pastor played a song in church called Watch the Lamb by Ray Boltz. This song is a beautiful depiction of the scene portrayed in today's Scripture. Not much is known about Simon of Cyrene except … Read more

Let's read again the account of Christ at Gethsemane just before His arrest, but this time, watch the words "nevertheless" and "but". Luke and Mark also recount Christ's "nevertheless … but" prayer. In our English Bibles, two different … Read more

During Lent, I meditate on the prayers that Jesus prayed for us before He went to the cross. The Charles H. Gabriel hymn My Saviour's Love drew my attention to Christ's prayer in Gethsemane. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the … Read more

He rose from his seat and scampered to the door to answer an unexpected call. What he heard next would change his life forever: "Mom's not breathing." Our small church wasn't prepared for the tragedy. Nor was her spouse, child, or … Read more

As longer days of warming sun return to the north, the melt begins. Drip, drop, splash, crash — the sounds of spring as snow and ice melt and drizzle or slide with a slap from the roofs. How wonderful to envision green sprouts, still … Read more

Apart from Easter, no day on the Christian calendar is so blatantly joyous as Palm Sunday. As we picture the scene, we see Jesus seated on a young donkey, entering Jerusalem in the traditional way of a king coming in peace. He was greeted … Read more

My friend and I had quite a conversation the other day. I remember her saying, "There is absolutely no way that I am going to do this! No way!" To which, without thinking, I replied, "Ya way!" What I meant to say was "Yes way!" We both … Read more

My son loved to swim. He was always at the pool and had passed all his swimming badges at a very early age. Swimming was an adventure, it was cool, it was fun, until one day when it almost came to a deadly halt. Chris had been carrying … Read more

She walked into the room and said, "Dad, I just asked Jesus into my heart," then turned and left. I was excited and confused — excited about her decision but confused over how she came to such a conclusion. She had heard me preach about … Read more

One of the things that I enjoy in my spare time is writing captions for my photo album. This hobby requires some thought in choosing the best words to describe the expressions captured on film. Catchwords can be lighthearted or serious; … Read more

In Eugene Peterson's book of daily devotionals, Praying With the Psalms, more than thirty of the 365 readings are about praise for God. Peterson's comments in the September 17th devotional were like a cold, wet washcloth to the face as I … Read more

It was very hot outside, and I had just come in from doing yard duty. I was so thirsty that I didn't bother waiting to get a glass of water from the staff room. I simply bent over and drank a long cooling drink from the fountain on the … Read more

Of the many beautiful sayings in the Old Testament, this verse from Jeremiah is one of my all-time favourites. Sometimes, I find myself reliving the past and regretting the mistakes that I have made. My stupidity, selfishness, and … Read more

Water, salt, sugar, oil, flour, and yeast. It's bread! Well, it could be! Most Saturdays, you will find my wife making buns for our church lunch on Sunday. She has done this for years now. They are delicious. But what goes into them? … Read more

Jack Patrick was just one of the usual tough, uncouth, young boys of our rough neighbourhood. Like the rest of us, he had a command of bad language and his share of bad habits. But Jesus found him and the change was quite evident. He … Read more

I recently received a reply regarding a devotional from a fellow writer. In her e-mail, she said that she loved my "out-of-the-box attitude". The response made me contemplate what she said. I wondered what an "out-of-the-box attitude" … Read more

My desk lamp was not the best light for my purposes, yet I lived with it. Although the lamp was seemingly otherwise in good condition, I did not realize that I was being blinded by the silently harmful light. For years, I let it be my … Read more

As we travelled from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, down the Island Highway to sightsee in Victoria, I was struck by the vast forest which bordered each side of the road. The trees grew so close together, yet each one was lush and … Read more

"Take this to your mother to hold in her hands," the little girl said. This little girl stood out at the front of a group of much taller children who had just come into our inner-city mission. I was surprised to see her again so soon. … Read more

"Just run away, Forrest." Jenny gave Forrest Gump this advice when he faced unpleasant situations. And I've done it. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "I shot an arrow into the air, it fell to earth, I knew not where." And I've done that, … Read more

One more log should do it, I thought, as I grabbed a log from the wood stack. A few smouldering embers were flickering in the fireplace. Normally, I would have let them die out; but a guest was coming shortly, and I decided that one … Read more

Recently, I received an interesting e-mail in response to a post I had written in 2006 on ancestry.com. As you can imagine, I was very surprised and delighted finally to receive an answer after all this time! Even more amazing, this … Read more

I am perturbed. No, I am not perturbed; I am very frustrated. My Internet connection keeps breaking, and each time this happens, I lose communication with my Facebook, Outlook, Twitter, Linkedin, and blog friends. Not only is it … Read more

Twice in one month, I was aware of being called "nice". Both situations arose as unexpected challenges. The other people involved had a reasonable expectation that I could be impatient and disparaging. Instead, I applied Christ's Golden … Read more

The cruise director on a recent cruise doubled, or should I say tripled, as a comedian at night and conducted the non-denominational service on Sunday. It was a smaller cruise line; the number of staff and passengers totalled almost … Read more

I received this note from a young fellow about his experience in our church. We have known him since he was a young kid and unofficially fostered him for awhile. He is now in his 40s. Hey Dad: He was lost, sitting in the lil' church, … Read more

Let us look in on the Plaza de Sant Roc de Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain. There stands a man with his bass fiddle poised to start playing his instrument. A young girl approaches the man's hat on the ground and drops in a coin. The man draws … Read more

I recently watched a program on the television about a man who had been entered into the Guinness World Records for the longest flight of a paper airplane that he had made. He had spent a lifetime, since he was a young boy, not just … Read more

I don't think that I ever heard my dad preach. If I did, I was too young to remember. I was just a wee lad in the early 1930s. He had survived being wounded several times (including at Vimy Ridge) and shell-shocked in World War I, only to … Read more