My sister-in-law and I are classical music aficionados. For a number of years, we had season tickets to the Oregon Symphony and greatly enjoyed meeting in downtown Portland for each of the concerts in our season's package. This long-time … Read more

I'm old enough to remember hearing popular radio program announcers say things like "Don't touch that dial" and "Stay tuned" and "Tune in again next time" that would keep the attention of the listeners during station breaks. I was … Read more

We sat in a small group and talked about appointments and disappointment, and how, when hope is crushed, we experience frustration. When I have an appointment, someone has agreed to meet me at a particular time, or I've agreed to meet … Read more

Perhaps you, like me, wonder at times how to manage those lengthy prayer request lists which come along. There are so many needs — for friends, family, leaders, nations. Some lists come as emails or letters from various organizations. It … Read more

Years ago, Larry and I were chaperones on a teen trip that left us sleeping in many different abodes. If my memory serves me, we slept at a hostel, in beautiful college dorms on Lake Michigan, and in many campsites. But the most memorable … Read more

Recently, I fixed the shower by attaching a new shower head to the flexible hose that comes from the taps. This was no big deal as I am a practical-minded person. More recently, however, I noticed that the screw-fit connector to the pipe … Read more

Do you like tongue twisters? Here's an old favourite: "What noise annoys an oyster most? A noisy noise annoys an oyster most." I doubt that noise annoys oysters at all since they can't hear. But I do know what does annoy them the most, … Read more

In 2013, my husband and I retired and bought a two-and-a-half-storey brick house in Durham, Ontario, Canada. Our seven-year-old granddaughter said, "Grandma, it looks like a haunted house." It did. But the real estate agent called it "a … Read more

Denver, my ninety-five-pound dog, has a habit. He routinely stands beside the dog food bin licking its outside. Day in and day out, the same old, same old: lick, lick, lick. By his behaviour, you would think that I starved him, even though … Read more

Who would have thought that I would welcome the pounding and thudding up on my roof? Yet, at last, the long-anticipated and dreaded day had arrived! Our condo association board had been preparing us for several months for this reality. It … Read more

Camping in the mountains without light for the path can be disastrous. When my brother, my children, and I backpacked in the mountains, we wanted our packs to be as light as possible. But a flashlight wasn't one of the things that I … Read more

The city of Ottawa, Canada, where I live, is on an active seismic fault line, and we occasionally experience earth tremors. As a college dorm student, years ago, one such tremor at night woke us all up by shaking our bunk beds, and at … Read more

I grew up in the church. My father was a pastor and I was the dutiful first child, so I was at church every time the door opened. That meant Sunday School, Sunday morning church service, Training Union (helping church members grow in their … Read more

Last Sunday in church, a young father sat in front of me, holding his beautiful baby son. This little child is about nine months old. He is cherubic, with red hair, beautiful blue eyes, and the most wonderful smile. Throughout the … Read more

This day in March always takes me back in time and makes me laugh at the memory of being a seventh grader. In my mind's eye, I can still see the old gym where we gathered when we were not in class. Those who were brave enough could take … Read more

I learned a lesson the other day — don't throw around phrases that can hurt people. I don't mean the "sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me" kind of stuff (which really do hurt, by the way). I mean referring to … Read more

When the snow finally melts, the water from the tap in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, starts to taste terrible. It's brown and turbid from mud and silt stirred up by the now faster-flowing Red Deer River that intersects our city. Dead and … Read more

Marshall, our goat, is a greedy goat. Whenever I throw scraps or take treats into the corral, he rushes ahead of everyone else and gobbles down as much as he can as quickly as he can. When Frank, the horse, and Lily and Agnes, our other … Read more

She was a vibrant young teenager who was faithful to the end. Rachel Scott had a premonition that she'd never live to see twenty. She was popular at her high school, even though her witness for Christ wasn't always well received. Two … Read more

When I was eleven years old, I attended children's Bible camp where I committed my life to Jesus Christ. At thirteen years of age, a friend of our family gave me a copy of John Bunyan's novel, The Pilgrim's Progress, written in 1678. I … Read more

I met Larry Nihiser when I was seventeen years old, and for me, it was love at first sight. He was a tall, blond young man with a beautiful head of hair that would rival any teen idol at the time. He proposed when I was twenty-one (almost … Read more

At the end of January this year, we had a warm spell with brief flurries that deposited a thin mixture of snow and almost frozen water on the ground. Then, the temperature started to drop. That thin mixture was still a bit soft when we had … Read more

Does that sound like a panic attack to you? Many factors — including biology, heredity, temperament, stress, and the particular experiences of a situation — can contribute to panic attacks. This can be a serious medical condition and … Read more

A universe opens to me when I sit down with a good book. I especially like reading something about which I know little or nothing. A recent example was a book called The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb. I learned that during the early … Read more

The Tarahne is an historical boat in dry dock on the shores of Atlin Lake in the town of Atlin, British Columbia, Canada. Once upon a time, she sailed upon the waters of the lake, full of tourists, and being useful as she delivered goods … Read more

I have been to the west coast of Mexico a few times, and the approach to Puerta Vallarta is always memorable. The airplane arcs over the grey dragon-spine of the Sierra Madre Mountains and circles over the sparkling sea to make its landing … Read more

A diversity of choices can make us ask, "How do I decide?" My wife is the queen of slow when deciding what to wear. Very conscientious of how she looks, she spends more time in a closet in one morning looking at clothes than I do in an … Read more

When we first moved to Arizona, USA, we attended a church that was searching for a new pastor. One fine spring Sunday, a candidate and spouse from Alabama came in view of a call. After the Sunday morning service, they decided to drive … Read more

When I was a kid in the 1950s, there was unfortunately no air conditioning except in the dime store uptown to escape to and hide in until the onslaught of blistering temperatures subsided. So, when summer did not offer any relief from the … Read more

One day in November, 2007, our team of staff and teenaged students arrived early at a tiny, ramshackle building in downtown St. John's on the Caribbean island of Antigua. Our mission on this trip was to present the gospel to the elementary … Read more

Her name was Louise. She died a month or two shy of 105 and shared half of that long life with me. She worked with my mother during World War II and they were the best of friends. She was there for my mother when she developed multiple … Read more