One of my dad's favourite Christmas carols was "O come, O come, Emmanuel". O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O … Read more

During my time working in New York City, USA, I would regularly attend midday prayer at St. Thomas Church. Its Anglo-Catholic style is very high church even by Episcopal Church standards. The priests faced the altar when performing the … Read more

I have an old black and silver combination lock, used so often that the black paint on the dial is chipped and worn. My dad used it on his tool box for years, and I used it on my high school and university lockers. Now, I keep it in my gym … Read more

"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

Have you noticed how our protective face masks have become useful as identity markers? We're seeing them designed with logos, symbols, flags, or colours representing various group identities: sports teams, activist movements, social … Read more

I was folding my husband's jeans and checking the hems for frays. That's how I determine at a glance which are his work jeans versus his dress jeans. The thought came to me that when we live our lives in Christ, we become like a pair of … Read more

People do some strange things when they aren't paying attention. Did you ever use conditioner as a moisturizer? Or hand cream as sunscreen? Did you ever spray shaving gel into the air, believing that it was air freshener? Once, I used … Read more

I recently wrote a devotional about our foster child in the Philippines. She's a principal now and is in charge of several schools. We keep in touch through Facebook, and she often posts pictures of the schools, which are usually in old … Read more

Recently, my husband and a friend were outside cutting down trees on our property. The area where we live is surrounded by many maple trees and silver birches. Unfortunately, many of the birch trees are dead and need to be taken down. They … Read more

"What colour is he?" I asked myself. Unable to sleep that stifling night, I got thinking about someone in our mission. Day after day, I saw him working diligently with the maintenance crew. Yet, that night, I could not envision his skin … Read more

It is a beautiful, but brisk, evening here on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario, as I am writing. In contemplation, I am sitting in our parlour in front of our wood-burning fireplace. In the fireplace, a maple log is burning … Read more

I'm six years old. I'm very frightened, sobbing, and heartbreakingly miserable. I'm in a strange school in a strange country, and strange people are now driving me away. Where is my mommy? The car stops outside a large, red brick … Read more

Years ago, we had a budgie bird in our home. It was so tame. When out of its cage, it would follow us and sit on our shoulders. It would even land on the arm of our glasses and view … Read more

When my hands are busy with one mindless task or another, I like to keep my wandering mind occupied too. To prevent it from going places it should not go, I "read" while I work, by playing Christian music or … Read more

There are more passages with promises of God's love and eternal life for us than this page could possibly print. When you think about it, our lives are filled with promises. We promise to be good, or not to do … Read more

In yesterday's devotional, I described my four-year-old daughter's version of the Lord's Prayer in church one Sunday: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be my name. My kingdom come…". My first thought was to correct her, but as the … Read more

Several years ago I was on a train, returning home from a tax seminar. The train was crowded and I was sharing the row with a complete stranger, an older black gentleman. As well-trained and polite travellers should, we acknowledged … Read more

The terrible scourge of the 20th century, the Iron Curtain, has now fallen and the old foe is the new friend and all things are possible. Can that hope extend to the plight of the haves and have-nots, the warring … Read more

If Paul's letters are regarded as E-mail, then his message is evangelical, ethical, ecclesiastical – and also ecumenical. This is another word that makes some people suspicious. Yet originally it was one of Paul's greatest contributions to see the Church … Read more