There is an appointed time for everything! The word "time" appears 28 times in the book of Ecclesiastes and over 600 times in the Bible as a whole. I have always been fascinated by all kinds of old manual pendulum wall clocks, which … Read more

During the years 1947 to 1951, there was a big influx of immigrants from the Netherlands to Canada. They came to find a new life for themselves and their children. After the devastating war years, some came because they wanted a new start … Read more

On our journey of life, it is normal to be looking ahead. Sometimes, we look back and hopefully learn from mistakes that we have made, but more often, we look ahead with hope and anticipation of good things that lie ahead. One of my … Read more

From the beginning of time, we have been created not to be alone. We are designed to be together. This last couple of years, the COVID-19 restrictions have significantly increased the situations where we have been forced to be apart. … Read more

It's been over three decades of Christmases for me in Nigeria, and by God's grace, I have had memorable experiences in all of those years, especially those of my childhood. Christmas season in Nigeria can at times be crazy and full of … Read more

The World Health Organization has declared this latest coronavirus a pandemic. This directly affects life for all of us to some degree. At first it was a sad development in far-away China, where sickness and death rapidly spread. Then it … Read more

Time is a continuum of the past, the present, and the future. We can learn from things that happened in the past, but we can never return to relive the past. It is history! We spend much time and effort trying to influence the future. It … Read more

"Sally has to go!" lamented the farmer. "It's because of her bad influence on the other cows. She's the dominant cow in the herd; and that's bad." This farmer, in the video that I watched, had seen enough of Sally's bad influence on … Read more

It kept returning — that pesky little spider! The creature was free to explore the wide world of nature during the outdoor worship service. Yet it preferred my notes — the very spot from where I was preaching. Finally, after several … Read more

I have always admired the apostle Paul, not just because of his wonderful epistles, but because of the hardships and struggles that he underwent. Whenever I hear a fellow pastor or someone else disparaging Paul because of something he … Read more

It was brand new, and what a vibrant colour! I was so pleased and couldn't wait to wear it, although afterwards, I wished that I hadn't. It happened as I was walking down the driveway to feed the horses. The exuberant pup, dashing about … Read more

On Mother's Day, we had a guest preacher in our church, and partway into her message, she mentioned that not all children have good mothers, and then she added, or good fathers either. This statement came as a kind of a shock to me, … Read more

A part of me was like any other normal teenager — I wanted to fit in. Clothing brand was important. Levis. Children with parents who cared at all about their child's reputation made sure that they wore them. Cut back on the groceries and … Read more

At the end of August, we were visiting family at a lake house they had rented in Connecticut, USA, when Hurricane Irene struck. We "evacuated" to their home in New York State, and watched the television in horror at the … Read more

A recent power outage found me in a room with no windows. I called out to the person in the other room, "Please get me a torch." A quick reply came back, "You want a what?" Again, I asked for … Read more

A few decades ago, my husband and I were looking for acreage to buy in what was then described as suburbia. We searched the areas around our home town for just the right spot. At the time, opportunities abounded everywhere. … Read more

A no-good potato? I must admit I have never seen a potato I didn't like. After looking at the one I had brought up from the fruit cellar, though, I found it was soft and had sprouted about five or … Read more

On the first Sunday of each month we celebrate communion in our church. On a recent occasion, I sat looking over the small crowd gathered for worship and thought how our congregation avoided this service. I felt disheartened. I had … Read more

For most of her ten years, Bethany has had long hair. It is thick, naturally streaked, with just enough wave. Beautiful hair! Unfortunately, she also has an extremely sensitive head, which made daily hair brushing an ordeal that often ended … Read more

When I was preparing a devotional to share with the local Christian school, I went to my favourite storybook, the book of Daniel. Here we learn how a young man was born into a noble family yet taken into captivity … Read more

"That's the problem," my friend said, when we were visiting together one evening. We had shared a meal together, and then spent a couple of hours talking and sharing. Three times during our conversation, the phone rang. Two of these … Read more

When I was learning to type, there was a standard warm-up exercise that we always used to begin the lesson: "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country." Those first four words … Read more

In the world of investing, a contrarion is someone who invests in what is currently out of favour. When a valuable commodity or an industry becomes unpopular, contrarion investors buy, and then wait patiently for their investment to pay off, … Read more

Valentine's Day was one of excitement and anticipation back in my elementary school days. We worked on building little paper baskets or boxes for the collection of valentines from our classmates. At home we'd choose the perfect valentine for the … Read more

The air was heavy with grief. Grandma's time had come to share in Christ's glory. As I entered, the family was already gathered round the hospital bed. Several hugs later, after Scripture had been read, comfort and love eased their … Read more

Our Youth Group was watching Chicken Soup Live, a portion on Self-Esteem, and the actor talked about a wasted life of seeking change, transforming the world (which is often the dream of the young). Only in old age was the … Read more