My friend's husband, recently fitted with hearing aids, came through the storage house door, calling with urgency, "Honey, there are birds chirping in my ears. We best call the doctor." Taken aback, his wife said, "Let's go outside and …( read more )

Do you ever enter a room, and then wonder why? (Please say that I am not the only one who does this.) What am I doing? I look around, puzzled. With an exasperated sigh, I go back to the place where I was before, hoping to trigger my …( read more )

He lay almost motionless — a Superman tattoo on his arm. My brother-in-law often kidded that he was Superman. And he had been. He survived things that had killed many people. Though a young man, several heart attacks had damaged his …( read more )

The Indonesian archipelago consists of 17,508 islands, of which about 6,000 are inhabited. For about 300 years, these islands were called the Dutch East Indies. First mention of the Dutch being there was around 1595. In 1800, it became a …( read more )

I hate cleaning up after the horses in the winter. Everything sticks solid to the icy ground and is a real chore to pick up day after day. It is an even greater chore when my desire to do it in my own strength gets the better of me. I …( read more )

The first thing that those who visit me remark on is all the sirens! The "Get out of the way, quick!" shrieks of fire engines headed for my neighbourhood's under-repaired housing. The life-or-death screams of ambulances attending victims …( read more )

An inheritance is something passed down from parents to their children or other persons named in their will. As a child of my parents, I inherited their cottage when they passed away. When my husband and I retired, almost twenty years ago, …( read more )

"It is her quietness that speaks so loudly." At least that is what I believe the Holy Spirit was saying to me as I studied very closely the picture of the Mona Lisa that I found in the encyclopedia. As I gazed at it, I noticed that the …( read more )

As Heraclitus is purported to have once said, "The only constant in life is change." So it is that I have had to face up to the fact that I have been writing devotionals for myself and the PresbyCan Daily since May, 2001. Like many, I …( read more )

As I opened the front curtains one morning, I noticed a woman walking by with her large dog. I live in the "no pet" area; I was not happy. Then he decided to use my flower bed for his bathroom. That did it. I threw open the front door. …( read more )

There are many references to hair in the Bible, but this particular one challenges my imagination — to think that God even knows the number of our hairs. Some males like myself, with few hairs on our heads, may make the numbering …( read more )

I've been sensing an inclination among God's people: wanting too little from God. I call it Expectancy Deficit Disorder — EDD. We are at risk of wanting something less than what God has for us. We don't ask because we don't expect it. …( read more )

Being still is not easy; in fact, it is more difficult now than ever before. We have become technology gluttons, bombarded with a cacophony of smart phones, computers, tablets, iPads, radio, and television. From sun-up to sun-down, the …( read more )

In 2001, the Church of Scotland looked around and decided that something was terribly wrong with the church in Scotland. It wasn't just numerical decline. There was something wrong about how people — both inside and outside — perceived …( read more )

On Valentine's Day, like many others, I will wear something red. For a special date, a woman might wear that little black dress and pearls, or other "glad rags" (party clothes). In this world, fashions come and go. Sadly, modesty …( read more )

Inside her roughly built pioneer cabin were treasures. Carefully folded deep inside an old trunk, my great-grandmother's homemade blue Victorian wedding dress rested. Beside it sat her high button black leather shoes and her Bible. I …( read more )

I love a good checklist! Checklists are so … functional. They are neat and orderly, systematic and defined, satisfying my mostly orderly mind and soul. Some days when I don't have a specific list of errands or chores to tackle, I could …( read more )

I carried them out by the armload — a seemingly endless task. Our move was complete — except for moving our clothes. Although my wife doesn't buy fancy clothes — nor buy them from expensive stores — she loves new outfits — or at …( read more )

During the winter months in the north, it gets very dark. In the mornings, it stays dark until 9:30, sometimes 9:45, depending upon the weather. I hate the dark, so I have lots of large windows, as well as lights. I also work best in the …( read more )

Titmice, chickadees, and mourning doves come to my feeders to eat the seed. They twitter, sing, and coo as they feed. The doves are a hoot as they strut with their head-bobbing stride. Their grey coats pale in comparison to bright male …( read more )

When I was young, back in the Alaskan bush, we had to fly in and out of mining camps as my father and grandfather were prospectors. There were no year-round roads, due to seasonal melting of the permafrost. One time when the plane didn't …( read more )

"What, no mirror?" Pride chided Jewel. Jewel loathed mirrors! Just seeing her reflection would stir within her the haunting voices that had plagued her since childhood: "We wish you were never born." "You deserve every bad thing that …( read more )

In November of last year, I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land, along with my daughter and several others from my church. It was an amazing experience to walk the same ancient paths that Jesus walked and to see a number of …( read more )

Recently, Caroline managed to snag her engagement ring, caught in her coat. The central ruby was lost somewhere on the floor at college. Being well acquainted with my role as a husband, I took the ring off to the goldsmith to get it …( read more )

Although I have almost completed fourscore and six years, some of you reading this will be even further along than I am on the runway of life. However, most of you will have more time before you take off and "fly away". When shopping at …( read more )

Mind if I ask a question? How do people find the words to pray? I made a new friend just the other day. Her name is Cheryl. As I was sitting at the table eating breakfast, I decided I wanted to pray for her. For some reason, I wasn't sure …( read more )

Excessive information has become a plague. That occurred to me one day after receiving a ticket for unintentionally violating a "No Parking 2 to 6 A.M." bylaw. If there was a sign somewhere, I missed it amidst the plethora of signs on the …( read more )

Growing up in the 1960s, I learned to love "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. And the sign said: "The words of the prophets Are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sound of silence." It was …( read more )