As I look out of my living room window early in the morning, I see a seagull standing on the rooftop of the neighbour's two-story building. What is he looking for? Another sea gull? He looks so alone, taking stock of his domain. The ocean … Read more
Archive for December, 2016
Written Memories
During the last number of years, I have visited a considerable number of elderly people, and most of them seem to want to talk about their life's experiences. I knew one gentleman who told me a great many stories about how things were in … Read more
Learning Perseverance
If you are like me, when we pray faithfully for a long, long time and we see no results, we tend to get discouraged, for it is our human nature. However, there is Someone Who is above our human nature, Whose schedule we cannot even … Read more
A Word For The New Year
A praise team leader at church mentioned that he and his wife asked God for a word, specifically for them, each new year. It caught the attention of both my husband and me. We knew that it was for us. We were curious to know what word … Read more
The Everyday Christmas Gift
If there's one thing that I've learned when I am in the corral cleaning up, whether it be summer or winter, it's to be deliberately conscious of my step, for the corral is fraught with perils. Brush, broken branches, rock, and uneven … Read more
Christmas Remembrances
As I grow older, I yearn for the Christmases of my childhood. Being the first grandchild in the family meant a great deal of spoiling. Though I don't remember those years, pictures relay the joy and giving that took place. Prior to my … Read more
The Night Our Lord Was Born
In July of 2010, my mother-in-law died, and we inherited her old, well-used hymnbook. In the Christmas carol section of this hymnal, she had glued in a poem written by our daughter around 1977, when she was about eighteen years old. We … Read more
Is That All There Is?
The nine-year-old sat with his substantial pile of opened Christmas presents, gazed up at the adults around him, and asked, "Is that all there is?" That's also the title of a song by the same name. The verses tell of a house fire, a visit … Read more
Salt, A Christmas Blessing
How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven. Every evening before eating supper, my husband prepares the coffee for the next morning. He dumps out the old coffee, … Read more
The Peace That Surpasses Understanding
The time before Christmas is a period of great stress for many young adults who attend colleges and universities. After several months of study, they have arrived at their final exams. Often there is much at stake. For many students, the … Read more
A Cooperative Effort
When the children were little ones, on Christmas Eve or just before, my hubby, the kids, and I piled into the car and drove to the Christmas tree lot where we selected a tree, usually from the cheaper ones in the back. We'd haul it home … Read more
Spotlight On Joseph
Do you secretly wrestle with a gnawing sense of insignificance, feeling like you don't matter much? The sense of meaninglessness is a common form of suffering today. That's why, for a moment, I'd like to shine the spotlight on Joseph in … Read more
The Missing Piece
They stream out of the store, carts crammed with piles of groceries, assorted Christmas items, wreaths, toys, candy canes, chocolates, huge frozen turkeys, and the occasional clinging child. A few people notice me standing beside the … Read more
The Wrong Person
You may have already started your Christmas card list. Soon it will be time to post the cards. But are we making the same mistake that we have made in the last few years? Who should really be receiving our Christmas greetings? Notice what … Read more
The True Meaning Of Christmas
Even in mid-November in this eastern part of Canada, people were taking advantage of the relatively mild weather and putting out their Christmas decorations: lights, Christmas trees, and those inflatable lawn decorations. One day, I … Read more
Son Of The Highest
Reflecting on today's Scriptures, I thought about my early upbringing in the Roman Catholic Church. I was taught to genuflect or bow the knee as a sign of reverence, as if Christ were physically present inside the sanctuary. Although … Read more
Glory To God In The Highest
Some years ago, we were on a tour to Israel with a group of fellow believers and a pastor as the leader. Among many places that we visited, we did some extensive sightseeing in Bethlehem by bus as well as on foot. We visited the Church of … Read more
Out Of The Mouth Of Babes
Last summer, my daughter, her husband and their young family travelled through Washington State, USA, on their way to Yellowstone Park. They stopped in a little Bavarian-themed town called Leavenworth, to look around. One of the stores … Read more
Sing Glory To His Name
Two Christmases ago, I wrote a devotional about a song that I had written ( Sing a Song of Praise ). Many of our readers responded, asking me if there was a tune for it. Unfortunately, I had a tune only in my head, and I had no idea … Read more
Are You Good Or Bad?
As Christmas approaches, I keep hearing these admonitions to children: "Have you been good or bad?" "If you are not good, Santa Claus will not come." The children quickly get the message, "I have to be good or I won't get that toy or … Read more
Do Not Be Afraid
Twice a month for a great number of years now, I have been leading a Bible discussion at the local Long Term Care Centre. On special occasions such as Christmas, New Year's, and Good Friday, I lead a worship service there as well. My wife … Read more
Prepare The Way For The Lord
My mother had the gift of telling us about real-life developments as they unfolded. She kept us spellbound with vivid details, even when the story took several years to reach its secretly hoped-for, but still-unexpected climax. One such … Read more
Mary's Psalm
I am enthralled with Mary's song recorded in Luke 1:46-55. It's not what I'd expect from a young teen who finds herself pregnant — it's more like the utterances of a seasoned prophet! Here, Mary expresses her personal joy in the style of … Read more
The Boring Part
I had decided that I would begin Advent by reading the book of Matthew. Of course, like several other books of the Bible, it included the dreaded family tree. Ho hum, what a bore. I was tempted to skip this part until the Spirit nudged … Read more
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