As I look over the last year, I ask myself, What have I done that God would be pleased with? Yes, I know that my times are in His hands, so I ask, What is He expecting of me in this new year? I trust Him explicitly with it all, but … Read more
Archive for December, 2015
One Day At A Time
Last year was a very difficult year for our family. My mother and my mother-in-law both died within a period of three months. Then my wife was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. She was in hospital for five weeks. There were so … Read more
The Ongoing Feast
The roast turkey that we enjoyed so much on Christmas day just keeps going and going. Saturday was hot turkey sandwiches, Sunday was turkey salad, and today will find me standing at the counter picking its meaty bones. Picking the bones … Read more
Being Thankful
This past Christmas, I became more and more aware of the commercialism of the season. We were talking to one family in which everybody buys a present for everybody in the family. Certainly, there are financial constraints arising from … Read more
The Babe In The Manger
It was a cold Christmas Eve. I found myself very comfortable within the lobby of my assisted living residence, conversing with staff members who were on duty. In the corner of a small sitting area, a highly customized manger scene had … Read more
A Second Chance
I was eleven years old in Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Many Hungarians used that brief slit in the Iron Curtain to flee to the west. For domestic as well as political reasons, my 17-year-old brother took off in the … Read more
A Timely Christmas Carol – Part 2
Pastor Phillips Brooks was known as a great orator in his day. Ironically, though, after visiting the actual site of Jesus' birth, he was moved beyond words. For the first time in his life, he was speechless — unable to communicate the … Read more
A Timely Christmas Carol – Part 1
Recently, I read the story behind a popular Christmas carol, the song we all know and love, called "O little town of Bethlehem". The author, Phillips Brooks, lived during the civil war, a dark and tragic period in American history. … Read more
Marry Christmas
I received Christmas greetings from a friend today, and the e-mail subject line was "Marry Christmas". This struck me as funny: I don't really know anyone named Christmas, so who was I supposed to marry? I mentioned it to a friend, and she … Read more
Listen To The Sermon
In many churches, the traditional ways of worship have changed. The order of service is not as rigid as it used to be. Some ministers interact with the congregation, and some people even reply. There was a time when we did not laugh in … Read more
The Second Christmas
As the dogs and I watched the horizon, patiently waiting for the sun to rise sufficiently for us to go for our walk, I silently counted the days until December 21st, the shortest day of the year, signifying that on the morrow the darkness … Read more
Christmas In A Strange Place
We were in a strange place and had no plans to spend our first Christmas there. Eight years had passed since I graduated high school, but now I felt God's call into full-time ministry. Obeying it would require furthering my education. I … Read more
Eight Tiny Reindeer
At Christmastime we read and hear poems, stories, and songs about reindeer. There are those eight tiny reindeer, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, and the one that ran over Grandma. Once, Harold Kurtz, a missionary in the Presbyterian … Read more
The Catalogue
I can remember as if it were just yesterday the anticipation of the arrival of the Sears Wish Book. Growing up, we lived in the country, so trips into the larger city were few, especially in the winter. This, I believe, added to the … Read more
The Sad Christmas
It was a sad Christmas. A special, long-time friend and companion had died suddenly, and a light had gone out of my life with her passing. No amount of positive and faith-based thinking lifted me from the doldrums. My energy had waned, … Read more
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Ever since I was a youngster on the platform in our one-room, country school, along with about twelve children of varied ages and grades, I have enjoyed Christmas pageants. At the age of ten or eleven, I was the chosen angel Gabriel, and … Read more
Predictive Text
I learned to text, only to discover that the cell phone fancied itself a prophet. This is called predictive texting. Whenever I punched in a letter, it finished the word for me. Thus, I sent messages full of words like "spzxq". The last … Read more
If You Look For Me At Christmas
Recently, a friend invited me to a ladies' Christmas luncheon at her church. In front of everyone's seat was a beautiful poem written on decorative holiday paper. The title of the poem was "If You Look for Me At Christmas." The pastor's … Read more
Shoebox Cantata
"I have a present for you," Izzie called out from the living room of our country home. And on most occasions, I just call out and say, "I will be right there." However, this time, my auntie antenna was up, for I had had a shoebox with a … Read more
The Shepherd Has Come – Part Two
Christmas and shepherds go together! But I've discovered that focusing instead on Baby Jesus as the promised Shepherd brings a new level of meaning to Christmas. One of the little-quoted prophecies of God Himself coming as a shepherd is … Read more
The Shepherd Has Come – Part One
What if this Christmas we specifically celebrated Baby Jesus as the promised Shepherd and made shepherds our season's theme? What would that be like for you? Here's what I imagine: I see a Christmas tree decorated with fluffy sheep, … Read more
We Wait In Hope
Having for many years taken part in a number of Christian activities at the local Long Term Care Centre, I have gotten to know a considerable number of people on a quite personal basis. Some of them tell me about their hopes and … Read more
The Branch
A few years ago, I took a class on the subject of genealogy. Written in my notes was the suggestion that the holiday season provides a good opportunity to dive into family history. For example, round-the-dinner-table gatherings at … Read more
Plethora Of Light
The pace of activity has picked up tremendously at Arcadia Gardens. It all started with the daily hammering of wooden spikes in the courtyard. These preparations begin annually in October, as the property is transformed into formations … Read more
The Benefit Of Christmas
Advent begins the countdown to Christmas. In the church, Advent marks the beginning of a new year. Similarly, the Jewish new year and the Chinese new year do not align with the first of January — the new year on our ordinary calendars. … Read more
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