Archive for August, 2022

Change With A Purpose

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Change isn't easy for most folks, but when it has a purpose, well … Gossip had driven the previous pastor to another venue. During the interim period, the church had dwindled to around thirty faithful attendees. When the leaders … Read more

Follow Your Guide

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

My son-in-law Marc would make a great tour guide. My daughter's family has included me in a number of their trips, and it takes much skill and patience to wrangle our group of five — my daughter, my son-in-law, two college-age … Read more

The Unfinished Work

Monday, August 29, 2022

My one-year-old miniature dachshund, Simon, is a great little fellow and has fit in well with my other dogs. He has so many positive qualities, but he is still not trustworthy. If I leave him alone in the living room for a few minutes … Read more

How To Get To Know Who We Are

Sunday, August 28, 2022

I helped my husband write his resumé when he applied for a job — and he got it, over 100 other applicants! I thought that I could do the same for others, so I advertised. My first client said that she was a teacher and needed a resumé … Read more

Inspecting Our Treasury

Saturday, August 27, 2022

How's your treasury doing? You'll have one, of course. I'm referring to your life priority, the one which drives your focus — your consuming motivational reality. Our backyard chipmunk certainly has a "consuming motivational reality". … Read more

Attitudes Of Service

Friday, August 26, 2022

I stopped into a local fast-food restaurant for a late lunch. The teenager who took my order was obviously a new employee who was still being trained. When my food appeared, he stuffed it into a paper bag. I was waiting at a nearby table, … Read more

Looking For Light

Thursday, August 25, 2022

I never really wondered why bananas are shaped the way that they are until I saw a children's program about them on television. I was intrigued, so I looked up the details on Google, and here is what I found out. Banana plants look like … Read more

Remember

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

One of the many important gifts that God has given to human beings is the ability to remember. While memories are sometimes unpleasant, most often they are helpful, enjoyable, and, in some circumstances, even essential, as our society … Read more

Selah

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

The first family road trip that I remember taking happened when I was eleven years old. From our home on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, we travelled all the way to the Okanagan. Now an easy trip of eight or nine hours, it took … Read more

A Reflection

Monday, August 22, 2022

Years ago, I used to be a Vision and Values governor for a school where I did my best to uphold Christian values in a state-financed, nominally Christian school. My work as a governor made me realize that what I said and did, or assented … Read more

If Only

Sunday, August 21, 2022

No one has penned the "if only" conundrum more appropriately than poet Robert Frost in the selection, "The Road Not Taken": Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And … Read more

This Train

Saturday, August 20, 2022

When I was a very young girl, until I heard the lonesome steam whistle, I didn't know that a section of California's Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks were six miles down the mountain from my grandparents' sheep ranch. The wind … Read more

The Green Candy

Friday, August 19, 2022

Whenever I walked up to the main house in the morning to look after my granddaughters while my daughter went to work, I always put small treats in my pocket. There were two hard, green spearmint candies — one for Ade, who is the older … Read more

Choices

Thursday, August 18, 2022

The society that we live in offers an abundance of choices — at times, too many to take in. I find big-box stores to be overwhelming to enter, with their cavernous ceilings and seemingly endless rows of goods piled high. Finding what I … Read more

Back Off!

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

The warning was clear: "Back off!" I'll never forget it. I had been calmly strolling down the farm lane when suddenly, I found myself being chased by a raging gander, spewing hisses and honks. He swiftly approached me with outstretched … Read more

An Invitation

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

I love the genial attitude of Paul when he is being interrogated by the local Roman rulers in today's passage. He knows that his life is on the line, but instead of remaining fearfully silent or pleading for forgiveness, he shares his … Read more

Good Neighbours

Monday, August 15, 2022

It is better to have a good neighbour than a distant friend. – Old Dutch Proverb The other day, I read that since the rise of social media, email, and texting with people all over the world, we have much less contact with the people near … Read more

The Perfect Substitute

Sunday, August 14, 2022

"Here you go, ma'am!" The rental car dealer handed me the car keys and I happily drove away. I had been involved in a fender bender and now had use of a rental car as a loaner while my car was being repaired. Though totally satisfactory as … Read more

The Right Focus

Saturday, August 13, 2022

"One, two, three, eyes on me!" I would sing to my Grade One class. I needed to get their attention at the beginning of the lesson to give them instructions and to start teaching them. If they were noisy or if they had wandered from the … Read more

In His Steps

Friday, August 12, 2022

"My goodness, you walk your dog a lot!" My neighbour was walking his black Labrador for the third or fourth time that day. "It's a good way to get my steps in," he explained. "Getting my steps in" seems to be the current exercise craze. … Read more

Pride Slices Deeply

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Jansen was the head of a medium-sized organization. He and I were acquaintances, but little more. He needed someone to fill a certain position in which I was skilled, and he invited me to join. From the beginning, I felt that I had made a … Read more

Shattered Heart

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

I watched as if it were rolling in slow motion — or it could have been me moving in slow motion. I stretched my hand forward as it rolled to the floor — shattering. My heart skipped a beat. My favourite coffee mug lay in pieces on the … Read more

The Masks

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

My granddaughters always have a project in mind for me when I go up to the house to care for them. Recently, it was making masks, fashioned after their latest cartoon heroes. Once the masks had been made, we each had to wear one and … Read more

Hopeless

Monday, August 8, 2022

Some time ago, I was discussing the writing of these devotionals with a member of the staff where I am privileged to live. When I mentioned that I was considering doing one about counting our blessings, Ashley, who is always so … Read more

Tragedy!

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Tragedy struck here on the morning of June 27! All four baby robins had suddenly vanished from the nest. We had been video-monitoring their progress every day. They were just nine days old. We turned on the camera in time to see Mama … Read more

A Pillow For Her Heart

Saturday, August 6, 2022

My seven-year-old great-granddaughter touched me deeply during our last phone conversation. She excitedly told me about her love for mathematics. When I turned to the subject of what she was reading, her voice became even more animated … Read more

Gone Astray

Friday, August 5, 2022

One of our grandsons, Bryan, who lives here in our town, has pigeons, just like I used to have before we moved into town. I had homing pigeons (homers) but he has fancy pigeons. They are not flyers like mine were but rather just birds to … Read more

In The Last Car

Thursday, August 4, 2022

I read a cute story on Facebook about a little boy who thought that he was old enough to visit his grandparents by himself. After much discussion, his parents agreed, and with his suitcase in hand, they took him to the train station. … Read more

Just Hang On!

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

One summer, two young cousins were visiting me and my husband. One adventure that we dreamed up for them was a three-day trail ride in the mountains. None of us had really ridden horses before, but the guide assured us that each of our … Read more

The Final Solution

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

As an avid reader, I have always been a fan of the great detective, Sherlock Holmes, the literary creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I eagerly read — and watched film versions — of how he observed, made deductions, and uncovered crimes … Read more

God Has Us Totally Surrounded

Monday, August 1, 2022

Recently, I was sitting in my van at Elliot Lake looking out over the water. Being retired allows one to take time to enjoy nature and learn the lessons that God wants to teach His children. At the water's edge, I had gingerly parked the … Read more

 



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