The rugged Selkirk Mountain Range, spanning Canada and the USA, is home to grizzly bears, cougars, and wolves. When my father was still able to go down into the mines, we lived at the foot of one of the mountains, in tenement housing … Read more
Archive for April, 2022
The Man Of Mystery
How often have I been captivated by the masked man, the man of mystery, in stories and film? The Man in the Iron Mask was reputed to be the wrongly imprisoned heir to the throne of France, and was restored to his reign by the Three … Read more
Being First
"I was here first!" It starts so early! This exclamation often ended in some pushing and shoving. The effort to be first in line seems to go way back in my memory. It seemed that to be first in line was some kind of great achievement … Read more
Do Not Be Anxious
As our little Shih Tzu puppy and I ventured out onto our patio one fateful morning, a female hawk dove directly towards Bailey. She was only a few inches away from me. I was terrified, so I furiously swung my iPad around (my only weapon), … Read more
God, The Ultimate Judge
At some point, it is likely that we have all heard this sentence: "My conscience is clear." We may have even said it ourselves. While we need to have a clear conscience, the sensitivity and integrity of individual consciences are very … Read more
Finalizing The Final Affairs
Handling final affairs can be sobering but helpful. Before my father died, he arranged most of his final affairs. Although he never went to the funeral home and selected a casket, he did have his order of service mapped out, as well as a … Read more
Letters From Home
In the 1970s, my husband Lynn and I lived as far away from our hometown of Portland, Oregon, USA, as is possible. Portland's antipode (on the opposite side of the globe) is somewhere in the Indian Ocean, and the large island of Madagascar, … Read more
Let It Go!
"Let it go!" These words interrupted my thoughts one day while wrestling over an issue which had begun to feel like a losing battle. My efforts to change the situation felt fruitless. With those words, "Let it go!" the light dawned: I saw … Read more
Not Seeing, We Believe
Whoo—who-who—whoo "Terry! Wake up! I hear the owl!" I had been hearing this sound every night from inside our cabin at Camp Loma de Vida, in south Texas, USA, during the winter months this year. We had never actually pin-pointed its … Read more
Easter In Kyiv
Eastern Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar, so as many of us Christians celebrate Easter today, we ask ourselves how on earth the Ukrainian people will be able to observe Easter next Sunday with many of their churches destroyed, … Read more
One Cold Easter
One Easter Sunday in Alaska when I was very small, we opened our front door and a wall of snow higher than the house looked back at us. There was no use digging through it. All the way out to the street would be just as deep. We'd have to … Read more
Together Forever
Wedding ceremonies shown in movies often feature the couple exchanging romantic vows in which they pledge to love each other forever. Similarly, a visit to a cemetery will reveal gravestones for couples with the caption, "Together … Read more
Appropriately Attired
Uniforms were required in the Christian school that my boys attended. They looked smart in their navy-blue dress pants and vests, crisp white shirts, navy socks, and black shoes. School uniforms were part of their training to grow in the … Read more
Friendship
This Scripture caught my attention recently. Herod and Pilate became friends! How extraordinary that Luke recorded this part of Jesus' trial. Two men who appeared to be enemies became friends to accomplish their goal: getting rid of … Read more
Words Of Truth Or Lying Lips?
During the occupation of the Netherlands from 1940-1945, a lot of people listened to Radio Orange, a Dutch radio program aired by the BBC European Service on behalf of the Dutch Government in exile in London. The programs were typically … Read more
What Does Jesus Pray About?
Do you ever feel like giving up on the Christian life, as if God doesn't hear your prayers, or even care? Growing up in a Presbyterian church in Ottawa, Canada, I learned a lot about prayer. I memorized the Lord's Prayer in Sunday School, … Read more
Watch Where You Are Going
Recently, I've become acquainted with a woman who is rapidly losing her eyesight. She once had full sight, but as the years have advanced, her vision has declined, until now all that she can perceive is brightness and shadow. Her white … Read more
Ready For Battle
Millions of Christians wonder if we are now living in the end times. They watch in shock as morale in North America deteriorates. Churches are becoming increasingly marginalized. More and more, theologians and false teachers manipulate and … Read more
The Main Support
When my brother built our greenhouse, he was wise enough to put in a main support that ran along the ceiling from front to back. The winter a year ago, with record snowfalls, we really needed it, for even though we kept the snow and ice … Read more
Where Is Your Heart?
One day in 1947, my dad mentioned that he had not seen his father for over a week. So, the two of us went over to see him. He was sick in bed — really sick. Dad went and got the doctor to see what was wrong with him. The doctor went … Read more
Trusting The Unseen
Financial crunches sometimes reveal the unseen. Ours was a financial crunch such as we hadn't seen lately. The payment on our low-mileage used car was draining our bank account. We had a decision to make. As much as we hated to part with … Read more
A Clear Conscience Before Men
In our endeavour to keep a clear conscience, we must work on having a clear conscience not only before God, but before man as well. God expects us to be ambassadors of heaven, and to do this, we must be exemplary citizens on the earth in … Read more
More Than Dandelions
My heart adopted two-year-old Buddy, a little boy who needed someone to lend stability to his life. His mother, an acquaintance, allowed us to spend our days together. When making valentines at five years of age, he told me that he didn't … Read more
Pressing On
"No turning back; no turning back!" I cheerfully sang these lyrics while tossing a pile of mementos into the wastebasket. I had extracted some old papers from my filing cabinet: a "Food Handler Certificate" granted 22 years ago from Public … Read more
The Right Voice
There's a beautiful family of North American songbirds called the Wood Warblers. Every spring, when these colourful little birds return to their breeding grounds, the heavens are filled with their trills and whistles. There are over 50 … Read more
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