I clearly remember getting my first eyeglasses. I was 12 years old, and I didn't realize how blurry the world had been until we were driving home from the optometrist. I looked out the window and discovered a clearly-defined world with … Read more

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

For a middle school boy, I had the job of a lifetime — regardless of the pay. My paternal grandfather was an ice cream delivery man — not the kind who drove through neighbourhoods and sold ice cream novelties to eager children, but the … Read more

Have you ever done something that you were ashamed of and felt that you could never be forgiven for? Like most people, I suspect, I have been guilty of things that I'd hate to admit to. Not everyone has come from a loving, nurturing home, … Read more

One time when I was working in the Middle East, on my way back from Muscat to the camp where we lived and worked, I picked up six young Omani boys and gave them a ride in the back of my Land Rover. They sat in the back, three on each side, … Read more

We all make mistakes, but it's what we do about them that counts in God's eyes. There's a creeping a-moralism in our churches and society right now that says, "It is okay to make mistakes; God understands; so there's no need to repent or … 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

Today is All Saints' Day on the Christian calendar. Many Protestants don't celebrate it, but Roman Catholics are required to go to mass today, for this is what's called a "Feast of Obligation", and for them, it is one of … Read more

When I was growing up, I had a great friend called Gus, who used to fall all of the time. He was one of the last people in my generation to suffer from polio, which meant that one of his … Read more

It's actually part of my "Blooming Idiots" clown outfit, but even on its own, my hat is quite outrageous! Every inch of its wide-brim straw base is covered with silk flowers of every size, colour, and description. When I … Read more