As winter approaches each year, many residents of Atlin enjoy playing the waiting game: putting off as many chores to prepare for winter as possible, in exchange for taking advantage of every good weather day that we still have left, so … Read more

"What's that?" I asked my friend as we strolled through the market in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, near the Mexican border. She had just bought a cone-shaped object, shrink-wrapped in cellophane. "It's piloncillo, raw sugar. … Read more

Some memories of summer camp days linger — long, warm days at what was then known as Gracefield Presbyterian Centre, near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As camp counselors, we always planned games for our young campers. One was a group race, … Read more

I live in a busy, distracted society, in which many have no belief in the Lord God, His Son Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. There are so many things vying for my attention: my job, social media, following the news, spending time with friends … Read more

After attending Bible college, I went to Malawi in the summer of 1986 on a short-term mission trip. I stayed with a missionary couple in the city of Blantyre and experienced their Christian ministry in that country. One day, the … Read more

The city of Ottawa, in which I live, has many embassies and consulates, housed in stately mansions, lovely old homes, or in ordinary office buildings. The red diplomatic license plates of their cars are a common sight on our roads. … Read more

I have an aging car with an old battery nearing its expiry date. Via a connector in the boot, I have attached a trickle-charge solar panel in the tailgate window to keep the battery charged up as high as it will allow. This way, the car … Read more

In early March, as I sat in the car, waiting for the parents to leave the car park, I noticed a grandmother with a small boy, no more than six years old. She was encouraging the lad to get into school. He wanted the grandmother to walk to … Read more

Recently, I watched my grandson playing with some blocks. He was cheerfully building a tower by piling each brick one on top of the other. At some point, the tower became unstable, and he laughed loudly as the blocks tumbled down. He … Read more

Our house burned to the ground when I was a young teenager. At that time, clear across town, the city was planning to build a highway through a fancier neighbourhood, which meant tearing down every house that stood in its way. With our … Read more

Since the first snowfall last October, winter has gripped many of us in a relentless deep freeze. At times, our lives came to a frozen standstill. Cancelled plans and commitments became the norm. The ground froze farther down than usual, … Read more

One more log should do it, I thought, as I grabbed a log from the wood stack. A few smouldering embers were flickering in the fireplace. Normally, I would have let them die out; but a guest was coming shortly, and I decided that one … Read more

Even though I have quite a substantial biblical study library, last year I treated myself to a new, rather expensive, but very extensive computer Bible program. It has so many Bible versions, all at my fingertips as I study, as … Read more

You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why! "Santa" might bring you a new computer! Thousands of people spend time in hospital emergency wards every Christmas because of computer injuries. A foot … Read more

"One wheel on my bike and I am still rolling along…"? Not much changes, or so it seems; we just acquire a few more wrinkles and pounds, as the months — and years — race past. Life seems to be wearisome. Somehow we have lost the plot. … Read more

In the heart of Maybole, Scotland, there is an old collegiate church, where the ancient kings of Carrick were buried. It's over 800 years old, is in ruins, and is also surrounded by an old cemetery, which is still looked after by the town … Read more

"Miss Fannie always thought I was special," said Jane, as we reminisced about our childhood experiences. "It didn't matter whether others thought so or not. That she thought I was special made a big difference in my life." Jane also … Read more

Just the other day the Holy Spirit guided my wife and me to these passages. For anyone who praises the Lord on a regular basis and listens to His word on the Sabbath has a hard time understanding those who … Read more

Have you ever considered that you may be the only Holy Book, sacred text, Bible that somebody reads today? Has it ever dawned on you that you may be the only sermon someone hears this week? What are you showing … Read more

In our home, one sure sign of spring is the beginning of Little League. Sometimes I think we live on the field, between scheduled practices and games for two sons on different teams. As a non-ball playing parent, I have … Read more