While I was using a bar of my homemade goat soap, I was once again amazed at how such a lovely, gentle cleansing agent comes forth from using the caustic substance, lye, to produce it. To make the soap, I add a considerable amount of lye … Read more

Cooped up in the muggy, germy elementary school classroom for almost a week, we finally got an outside recess. Although the rain had stopped, dark and ominous clouds billowed in the sky. As we went outside, there was an eerie, crackly … Read more

God seems to prepare things for us in even the simplest of ways. Recently, a neighbour shared with me her upset and then her happiness from incidents that occurred during a shopping trip. Having completed her task of picking up a few … Read more

For about 35 years, I had a flock of homing pigeons. I didn't race them, but I took them out for a fly on occasion, mostly for short distances — sometimes longer ones — and they would always find their way home. I had one big white cock … Read more

What others consider misfits, God often considers fits. My father served as interim pastor for a small, struggling church after he retired. Once a thriving church on the local lake, it now struggled to survive. Dad tried to get them to … Read more

A few months ago, I stopped going on social media. I got to the point where I could not see another Instagram pose — the kind with the phone held up in front of a mirror, hip to the side, complete with a pouty lip, or the photo … Read more

For some peculiar reason, I kept missing my destination. I couldn't understand why. I had often driven to that property, which was nearly impossible to miss. Yet that day, I failed to see it — repeatedly. Finally, I realized that it was … Read more

As much as I love God — and believe me, I really do love Him — it seems that there are times when I feel so far from Him. Now if I'm going to honest — and that I must be — the feelings of isolation usually start with a decline in my … Read more

I love to read, so I haunt thrift shops and yard sales for interesting titles. Recently, I found an old one, Prayer, Conversing with God, by Rosalind Rinker (Zondervan, 1963). As often happens when I begin to study a topic, I see similar … Read more

Over the years, I have acquired various labels: Sales Agent, Sales Executive, Regional Sales Executive, Youth Worker, Bible Student, Pastor, Caretaker, Religious Education Teacher, Information and Specialist Software Adviser in Higher … Read more

I am sitting in the beautiful setting of Bon Echo Provincial Park. Evidences of God are everywhere: the tall pines that tower over the campsite, the warm sunshine beaming down on us, and the stunning view when we walk down to the water's … Read more

It was time to trade in our car for a newer model. We asked God to lead us to the right vehicle. An online search finally produced a 2014 sport utility vehicle (SUV) that looked promising. The dealer said that it was at a lot in a nearby … Read more

The other day, I was sitting reading, when the sun burst forth, streaming through my window. The window held a recent stained glass piece that I had hung to allow it to dry fully. As the sunbeams hit the already beautiful glass, every … Read more

In the six years since we bought a home built in 1901, I have spent quite a bit of time stripping paint off doors, trim, and walls. The accretions of the ages had become ugly and needed to come off so that repairs could be made and fresh … Read more

God is always faithful in both the largest and the smallest things of my life. During my second pregnancy, my fingers swelled so much that I needed to remove my wedding rings before they cut into my finger. At the time, I placed them … Read more

I was doing knee exercises in the open section of the community pool where anything goes. So, I didn't think it odd that a young woman would be making her way hand over hand along the pool edge towards me, fiercely intent on getting to … Read more

The famous preacher, Charles Price, wrote: We talk a lot about leadership, and rightly so, but our role is never to lead. It is to serve, and God is the one who makes leaders out of servants. If we want to know who our future leaders … Read more

Over a lifetime of moves and other changes along the way, I have been a part of several churches. My current church was once very large, but as is true of many churches today, it has diminished significantly in numbers over the years. The … Read more

Before we moved into town just over five years ago, we lived on four acres of land on the outskirts of town. For many years, one of my hobbies was having homing pigeons and several kinds of chickens. They gave us eggs, they ate all our … Read more

If you have seen the 1983 classic, "A Christmas Story", you may remember the scene where the mother is about to take her first bite of dinner when Ralphie, her oldest son, interrupts her to ask for "More red cabbage, please." As she gets … Read more

Single moms often carry an overwhelming burden. They've been cast with the crucial role of shaping young lives, often with limited resources both materially and non-materially. Stigmatized as less successful, they may bear the sting of … Read more

She had been abused and needed a safe place. Johnnie was in a situation of her own making. For thirteen years, she had endured an abusive marriage — one she had entered merely to be on her own and make her own life. Jim had seemed like … Read more

For years, it has been a pattern. Evening comes, it's time to get ready for bed, and into my mind come memories and thoughts from the day or the past. Every one is tainted by hurt, and at its heart, by self-pity or my desire for … Read more

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with burnout, anxiety, and severe depression. Formerly a full-time teacher, my days suddenly revolved around visiting doctors and psychiatrists, taking medication, and trying to cope with mental lows and … Read more

In 2016, my deceased parents left me a very valuable family property back in Mangalore, India. A friend, who had previously been completely trustworthy and beyond reproach, had me sign a property development agreement with his developer … Read more

I've heard that in Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, attendees must stand up, say their names, and state that they are alcoholics. I need to start a Chocolates Anonymous or a Carbohydrates Anonymous where I would stand up and say, "My name is … Read more

Let us compare ourselves with the disciples. The disciples had the great advantage of being with Jesus on the boat. They knew where Jesus was. But they had an inadequate idea of who Jesus was. They asked, "Who is this man? He gives orders … Read more

In the summer, I was out in the fields taking pictures of butterflies and nature. This was in between dropping the children off to school, doing chores, and getting back to pick them up again later. My attention was focused on taking … Read more

Brother Charles has been a very good Christian friend to me, and his faith challenged me to become a believer. One day, he gave me information that a certain pastor would be visiting the Christian Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, for ministry. … Read more

The other night, my two-year-old son climbed up on the couch and said, "Read Bible." Then he reached over to the side table and took hold of my old, worn, brown Bible. Concerned that he might tear the thin pages, I handed him his … Read more

What do you want? What a good question! In a course I once took, it was one of the most important questions: Why are you here? What do you hope to gain? What do you want? Many of the exercises that we learned were to help us to attain … Read more