Almost daily, the neighbour twins run over to my house to check the fruit seeds that we have planted in broken mugs in the kitchen window. We've had one success so far: the soursop seed grew to be a foot-and-a half tall before we … Read more

On my walk around the block just awhile ago, I was down in my spirit, saddened by the obvious worldly conduct of the people that I passed. My thoughts were mixed, seeing the disorderly behaviour on the street corner that undermines the … Read more

The Bible makes it clear: God has a special place in His heart for the poor, and we should, too. When I see the terrible situation of refugees in tents in the rain and mud, far from home, I wonder, what can I do? How can I be a blessing? … Read more

Growing up, I was shunned for all the wrong reasons. Prior to high school, I did my best to live with integrity. I knew that God had a plan for me. You would have thought that a good, clean-cut kid would have been readily accepted. It … Read more

Having a quiet time each day or making time for a devotional moment has so many intrinsic blessings. In one of my recent prayer times, I was reading an Old Testament passage about King David's conquests. During his time of stabilizing the … Read more

I have always admired the apostle Paul, not just because of his wonderful epistles, but because of the hardships and struggles that he underwent. Whenever I hear a fellow pastor or someone else disparaging Paul because of something he … Read more

In years past, I have chronicled the development of the PresbyCan Daily Devotional in devotionals like " Bread On The Waters ", " Death Of A Vision ", and " What God Has Prepared ", but each of them has focused on what happened in my … Read more

In advance of the 20th anniversary of the PresbyCan Daily Devotional on May 25th, I designed an appropriate poster and submitted it to Facebook. It was there that I heard from some of the people whom I had known, and still know, as … Read more

Last Sunday during the worship service in my local church, our pastor was preaching about the importance of sharing our faith with one another. At one point in his sermon, he stepped down from the pulpit and began to walk slowly down the … Read more

As I go through each day and get to an advanced age, I tend to be more mindful of the blessings that God bestows on each of us. He has sent showers of blessings to us over the years, just as He has promised. One of those blessings is the … Read more

I'm not sure how I came so often to sit beside my grandmother when we had family gatherings. But I remember that sometimes, she'd just quietly beckon me toward herself. Now Grandma always had handwork in her fingers as she sat in her … Read more

Joshua needed a prod. He had been Moses' assistant, and now it was up to him to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. But Joshua was hesitating. Doubting. Was he the right man to do this? Would the people follow him? Was he able to … Read more

Recently, I received an invitation to one of those milestone birthday parties for a friend. However, my excitement regarding attending was dampened by the fact that the party was to be held in a home in a new subdivision of our city. I … Read more

Some years ago, we were in a church where a young couple gave a report about the situation they were in. They had two children, the youngest one only two months old. When he was born, they discovered that he had trouble breathing, due to … Read more

Today, one of our toughest Christian challenges arises from the relentless pull of godlessness from all around. It's like a menacing tide, subtly trying to sweep us away from our trustful contentment in the Lord. I certainly sense it. And … Read more

Have you heard of "tonsorial"? If I said that I had a tonsorial appointment, what would you think? Is my throat sore? Some words sound like they should mean one thing, while, in fact, they mean something entirely different. As it is with … Read more

Divine guidance is surely something to pray for, because divine guidance is second to none. God's guidance makes each hour greatly blessed, and we live in peace. That is something that we all need, especially as we get older or are in … Read more

Early on Easter morning, I was out walking with our dog, a morning ritual that I have come to enjoy as much as she does. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and cold, and we were out very early, so we were able to watch the sun rise on our … Read more

I am the maddy: the mummy-daddy. Caroline and I work as a team. She earns my living so that, for my part, I can enjoy being at home. I do the majority of chores, running the day-to-day stuff of life and wrangling with the children. I … Read more

We're all looking for peace in our lives: peace and quiet in order to rest; peace in our households in order to get along; peace at our work, so we can be effective as teams; peace in our neighbourhood, so we can sleep at night; peace in … Read more

I find myself putting in the time sitting on my recliner knitting more dolls. Even though I see double at times, each doll forms out properly — it is all from old know-how and memory. I noticed that the clock on the wall was out of sync … Read more

Climbing up onto the stable roof and re-tarring all the rolled asphalt shingling is not my idea of fun. In fact, it's one of the last things that I ever wanted to see on my to-do list. And yet there it was: "tar barn roof". Oh me, oh my! … Read more

This may sound strange, but for most of my life, I had no idea what a real enemy was like, although in the past year I have been overwhelmed by an enemy. A person consumed with jealousy and discontentment has made it a personal mission to … Read more

For as long as I can remember, she has sung. I'm not sure when my mother actually began singing gospel songs. I suppose that it was as a young girl when she gathered with her family on Saturday nights around the old converted player … Read more

Having been involved in a church committee debate over the colour of paint, I was struck (and maybe stung) by Nan St. Louis' recent devotional, " Where are you? " which mentioned the negative effect on others of Christians who disagree … Read more

Years ago, I returned to England for my father's funeral while my husband stayed in Canada to look after our young children. I entered the funeral service holding my mother's arm, but as we came out, she was suddenly surrounded by friends … Read more

During the last week of February and the first week of March, we were on a Caribbean cruise. I am not at all nautically inclined, but I was fascinated by the maritime activities in the various ports that we visited. When we left our port … Read more

For the past few months, I have been trying to return to my pre-surgical level of fitness. It has required a great deal of patience. At times, it has been very frustrating and discouraging. Often at the end of my hour of exercise, I felt … Read more

When I read today's Scripture, I thought about how we all want our children to know peace, righteousness, and freedom from fear, terror, and oppression. Thus, we have taught our offspring about God, but then, I wondered, have we thanked … Read more

Raise your hand if you've never been afraid! While I cannot see your response, you can be sure that my arms are limp by my side. In fact, when I stroll down memory lane, I can think of a few scary, fearful instances in my life. For … Read more

In ancient Rome, when a military commander or great general came back to the Eternal City after a victorious campaign, a triumphal procession was given to honour both the leader and also the mightiness of Rome itself. Behind the … Read more