I enjoy toast for breakfast. Peanut butter and jam is my favourite morning fare on bread, and has been for years. It's good to know that peanut butter, in moderation, is good for you — protein, right? I love a sandwich for lunch, but in …( read more )
Archive for February, 2017
Chosen For Redemption
When I think back on my childhood, I remember playing all kinds of games with neighbourhood children, like baseball, British Bulldog, and Red Rover. Many of the games began with choosing sides. I can still remember the agony of waiting …( read more )
Entertaining Angels
When death may be just around the corner, even encouragement from a stranger is appreciated. Sam's heart was barely functioning, and many of his vital organs were being affected. He'd been on the transplant list for quite some time, but …( read more )
Hard To Follow Instructions?
I needed a computer technician to fix my Internet security software. Watching him go from screen to screen, from page to page, with writings and numbers and codes for what to do next, I was taken by all the technology before me and the …( read more )
Take Heart
The more that I read this beautiful story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man, the more that I believe that real healing begins with forgiveness. As a pastor for over thirty years, I have been with and cared for many people in times of …( read more )
Trying To Stop Jesus
"He was trying to stop Jesus!" My mind was jolted by that remark in a recent sermon. It was not about a wicked person, but about a godly prophet: John the Baptist. Peter also tried to stop Jesus — twice! Obviously, well-meaning …( read more )
Lost And Found
Not too long ago, I joined a weight loss class. I finally accepted the fact that I needed help, and that I could not lose the weight on my own. To date, I've lost thirty-seven pounds, and I have gone down two dress sizes. I have also lost …( read more )
Caught By The Seat Of My Pants
It happened suddenly. In my den, I stepped away from my ironing board and lost my balance. Mid-air, I dreaded injuring my already-compromised hip. Almost at the floor, the seat of my pants caught on a plastic projection sticking out from …( read more )
Love Expands
I have always had a challenge understanding the idea of "infinity". Even as a child in science and math class, I had difficulty grasping infinite time or infinite space. So, too, with the love of God: I've heard many ministers and Sunday …( read more )
A Watch In The Night
This past Christmas, my family gave me a beautiful grandfather clock. It stands tall in the foyer and is the first piece of furniture that guests notice when they enter our home. The hourly chimes are delicate; they gently remind me …( read more )
The Fulfilment
A friend and I were having an email conversation not too long ago and found ourselves sharing about family members with whom we desire to have better and deeper relationships. Due to circumstances beyond the control of us and them, …( read more )
Known To The Lord
The week before Christmas, one of my sons dropped by to make some adjustments to my computer. It was a quick visit without much conversation. But on his way out, he turned around and said to me, "There were three terrorist attacks today, …( read more )
No Hiding Place
As I walked along with my dog, Sparky, during the January thaw, I couldn't help but notice how dirty the street was. Apparently, a lot of people do not bother to pick up after their dogs, and that angers me. There is absolutely no excuse …( read more )
Sheltered By A Tree
One morning, while I was driving east past our university, the rising sun was at that perfect position to blind my vision. The visor could not help, and neither did my sunglasses. As I kept driving and becoming quite concerned, one of …( read more )
Unconditional Love
Have you ever done something that you were ashamed of and felt that you could never be forgiven for? Like most people, I suspect, I have been guilty of things that I'd hate to admit to. Not everyone has come from a loving, nurturing home, …( read more )
The Rail Strike
Before Christmas, my husband and I were in England when the big news was the rail strike. England enjoys a complex network of both surface and underground trains. They interconnect like a giant spider web: a maze of tunnels, escalators, …( read more )
Discerning God's Voice
One text message can change the course of a life. She really didn't want to come to church that Sunday night. After all, they were just showing the movie, God's Not Dead. But her husband wanted to come, so she obliged. Near the end of …( read more )
Are You Afraid Of Your Brother?
Have you ever been asked that poignant question? One day on my way home from elementary school, a girl asked me that. Not being one of the more popular kids in town, I immediately became defensive and replied, "Are you afraid of your …( read more )
Simple Trust
Recently, I took some neighbour kids to the pool. The six-year-old twins showed absolutely no fear in the water, especially because they've trusted a few adults to hold them and teach them. I was super-excited to see their joy for …( read more )
Snow, Snow, And More Snow
The sun's rays illuminated the freshly fallen snow outside my living room window. Thousands and thousands of miniature diamonds glistened in the sun. There's nothing like freshly fallen snow. It is pure white, soft, and fluffy as it falls …( read more )
Listening To Others
The Samaritans are a national organization in the United Kingdom, whose 20,000 volunteers listen. Every six seconds, day or night, someone contacts them. They help callers talk through their concerns, worries, and troubles. Many years …( read more )
Which Way To Turn?
I live in the country, on the outskirts of a village of about 1,300 people. Our house is on a main road leading into the village, and although there are street lights in the village, they end just before our house. When I take the dogs …( read more )