Year: 2019

During the fall, huckleberries were ripe for the picking in the shelter of the tall redwood trees. Our family picked fruit and took full buckets to a larger container at a nearby log landing where my two-year-old brother played in his … Read more

When the apostle Paul boldly made his appeal to Caesar, he was setting in motion a whole process that would have global consequences. It was the right of every Roman citizen who faced serious accusations to have their case heard directly … Read more

In 1948, J. Calvin Reid published a collection of stories under the title Birdlife in Wington. Wington is an imaginary town, and all the characters are birds with very human qualities. One of my favourite Wington stories is about a … Read more

We have a wooden deck behind half of our house. It is a place where we can sit when the weather is good. It is about three feet (one metre) off the ground, with four steps at one end to take us down to the lawn, the vegetable garden, the … Read more

A lady I once worked with was complaining that her muffins never turned out. I shared that I had a no-fail recipe and would bring it in to work for her. She was quite pleased. I did take the recipe in, and she asked me if it was … Read more

The sign read, "House for Rent. Hot and Cold Running Water." Though laughable now, there was a time when having indoor plumbing was a luxury that only the wealthy knew anything about. Water was drawn from a well or creek and was carried … Read more

I was blessed with parents who both followed the biblical instruction to keep their promises. While many such circumstances come to my mind, there are two that I will share with you. My father accepted a senior lay leadership role in … Read more

Recently, the slugs and snails have been after my dahlias and lupines. I have been dismayed at how much damage can be done in such a short time over the mid-summer nights. Brutal has been the decimation, and total the annihilation of some … Read more

This title, from a children's musical, reflects a common theme for kids' songs: the search for meaning in an unwelcoming world. Each year, I discover such lyrics through my involvement in Summer Music Camp. The lyrics may not resonate with … Read more

In the spiritual life, there is an important action called "The Sacred Pause," part of two-way prayer. Before proceeding, we stop and ask God whether the way that we are heading is the way that He intends us to go. Then we pause ("The … Read more