"But, but, but" is a common phrase in my world these days, with a rambunctious four-year-old who has her own ideas about things and how she wants to do them. She rummages through the utensil drawer and makes off with the pizza cutter for … Read more

It was time to replace my old, clunky, hard-to-open storm door. After the somewhat painful process of researching, selecting, and ordering a new door, installation day finally arrived! The installer was scheduled to arrive in the early … Read more

Has it ever happened to you that you thought of something, perhaps something in your past, and that made you think of something else, and then something else came to mind? That happened to me a while ago, when I was told that a … Read more

It happened two days in a row: three different messages from God. Do you, like me, sometimes wonder how God lets us know what He wants for us? I'm a practical person, not given to flights of fancy or emotion. I'm more likely to read for … Read more

I've been missing many things during the pandemic, but nothing compares with the missing elements in worship. Yes, there have been alternatives to traditional worship such as services on Zoom and YouTube and drive-in church and physical … Read more

While my husband went to university, I ran a hostel for teenage runaways in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kids from every small town came to the city for what they thought would surely be fun times and adventure, only to wind up beaten, lost, … Read more

When my husband John was still here, we used to go on short-term mission trips. These trips were four to six weeks long. We were very aware that we could not accomplish a lot in that short time period, but our prayer was that the group … Read more

Jewels can sometimes be found among the junk. My wife calls it "junking", and she does it quite often. When possible, I usually tag along. We don't actually visit junkyards or stores, but we call what we do junking because we do it among … Read more

Periodically, when my grandmother was baking a cake or a pie, I got to help her with the enjoyable but tedious task of cracking nuts. Each nut required a different amount of hammer force to crack or break the shell without ruining its … Read more

Do you like surprises? I posed this question recently in a not-very-significant survey (I asked only three people). I received two responses in the positive and one in the negative. Even the two positive responses were later qualified … Read more

A painting that an artist gave me recently had been no more than a colourful garden scene, until it suddenly exploded with new relevance. That "Aha!" experience was too exciting to keep to myself. So here it goes: It began with an … Read more

My granddaughters and I, plus two of the dogs, had to spend the day in Whitehorse, Yukon. One of the dogs, Simon, was having surgery, which meant that we had to be on the road by 6 a.m. in order to arrive at the vet's by 8 a.m. The other … Read more

There was a time, before I trusted in Jesus' knowing better than myself, when everything worldly seemed up for grabs. It was a time of exploring our coming-of-age freedoms. For me, this included a girlfriend. Latterly, I realized that … Read more

During the COVID-19 shutdown, for more than a year and a half now, Greta and I have watched a great number of services on YouTube from a church in the Netherlands, which we attended a number of times when we went there on a family visit. … Read more

I remember a dream that I had when my oldest son was nine. He and I and two angels dressed in white were standing in heaven beside a giant Bible, taller than we were. The pages of the Bible had fallen open to these words: In the dream, I … Read more

When we retired and moved to our present home in Sauble Beach, Ontario, Canada, I became very interested in photography and took plenty of pictures of the beautiful sunsets in this area, many of which are now framed and hanging in our … Read more

I remember the first time when I was asked to share a message with God's people at a Sunday service and how I almost refused the offer to preach, because I was skeptical and timid. Days before the day when I was to preach, I tried to … Read more

During my first year at university, I moved back in with my parents. But school was in another town, requiring me to drive there if I enrolled. Cars didn't rust out where we lived, and my father kept an old car going for each of the six of … Read more

Nasty. Repulsive. Though he doesn't know what an adjective is, I could tell that these two were circling in his mind. My wife recently introduced our middle grandson to table food. We could tell that baby food wasn't satisfying him any … Read more

Seventy years ago today, I entered this life. The expectation at that time was that a good and long life would span 70 years, and maybe, just maybe, I might see 80. Her majesty was just beginning her reign, acceding to the throne on … Read more

In recent months, I have started eating an apple each evening. As I thought about this delightful experience, a Google search broadened my knowledge. Though the forbidden fruit of Eden in the Book of Genesis is not identified, popular … Read more

Recently, one of my dogs, Denver, had a veterinarian appointment. Normally, he rides in the truck bed under the canopy. But on this day, he was going to have to ride in the passenger front seat, something that he had never done before. … Read more

It seems like only yesterday that my sister gently cradled a small box in her hand and gently lifted the lid. Inside, for her Christmas tree, rested heirloom ornaments, her inheritance from our grandmother. One by one, she raised each … Read more

Leading up to and during the Christmas season, we read how the angel of the Lord told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth were to have a child who would be the forerunner of the coming Messiah, how the angel told Mary that she would be the … Read more

Today, I'd like to spotlight those little annoyances which subtly chew holes in our orderly lives. Perhaps, it's yet another telemarketer or an insensitive remark. These may not feel like a big deal, or they may trouble us greatly. … Read more

The older I get, the more that I realize that I have a unique role to play in life. I spent many years in active service to our Lord. I am now at a different point in my faith journey where I have just as much to share, but often with a … Read more

New global weather patterns make their presence felt and impose the requirement to change the way that we do life or else suffer the consequences: drought, wildfires, floods, and landslides, in addition to war, famine, and plague. … Read more

A large man was kicking in my front door, interrupting the nap that I'd been taking with my children, ages three and four. "I want my kids!" he was screaming. There was no time to run and hide, so I bundled my sleepy two under the … Read more

These days, there are few daylight hours. Here in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, at latitude 52 degrees, 16 minutes north, on the winter solstice, December 21st, the shortest day of the year, there were 7 hours and 41 minutes of daylight. That … Read more

Having been antique collectors and dealers for several years, my wife and I love the smell of "old". How does "old" smell? Perhaps only those who deal with old things can tell. When I open a book published in the 1800s, I smell "old". … Read more

It is now 2022 — a new year. Frequently, people make New Year's resolutions — although more are probably broken than kept! Resolutions require a decision to do — or not to do — something, and then action to make that resolution … Read more