I was doing knee exercises in the open section of the community pool where anything goes. So, I didn't think it odd that a young woman would be making her way hand over hand along the pool edge towards me, fiercely intent on getting to …( read more )

It was a very snowy winter. Snow after snow fell, day after day. We lived in a very white world. As spring thaw began, a team of horses pulling a sled suddenly went down so deep beside the winter-packed tracks that they threw snow over …( read more )

Reflecting on today's Scriptures, I thought about my early upbringing in the Roman Catholic Church. I was taught to genuflect or bow the knee as a sign of reverence, as if Christ were physically present inside the sanctuary. Although …( read more )

My daily walks include meeting people, and so it was one day, that I asked a lady if I could sit on the other side of an outdoor table at a cafe. After a brief silence, we engaged in conversation about how lovely the day was. We found …( read more )

Last year during Lent, a friend of mine who sometimes attends church complained that the pastor's sermons contained too much about God and Jesus and sin, and not enough that's "uplifting". Actually, I think I get that — because many of …( read more )

"Tag" has come to mean many things over the years. Items are tagged with graffiti. People are tagged for speeding, with wins/losses in sports, and now in pictures online. But when I was growing up the only "tag" I cared about was our …( read more )

Over the past few years, I have attended three live animal programs. These shows included presentations by air, land, and sea animals. I saw everything from camels to mice responding obediently to the voice of their trainers. One of my …( read more )

There was a time when I turned my back on God. I denied His existence. He took my best friend — my father — even though I prayed that He'd heal and keep him on this earth. I was only nine then, but for many years, I wanted nothing to do …( read more )

Many of the Protestant churches in our area are struggling. It is a matter of grave concern to many of us. There are discussions and workshops; there is talk of amalgamation and re-alignment; there is even talk of closing some of the …( read more )

As a prison guard in a small town, I am always on call, so I keep a bag in the closet packed and ready to go. My shift may be short, or it could be quite long. It could be mid-day or midnight, so I make sure I have reading and writing …( read more )

In the early 1960s, we lived in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada, and we attended a small Baptist church. One Sunday, we had a guest speaker from England. He and his wife had come to the area through the Wycliffe Bible Translators, …( read more )

When I was walking my dog the other morning, some friends of mine were heading out towards their car. Immediately, Sparky began to pull on his lead, digging his feet into the soft ground in his eagerness to reach them and greet them in …( read more )

When I was fourteen years old, a book fell off a shelf that I was dusting, hit me on the head, and landed face up, open on the exact date of my birthday. It was a birthday book, the kind with various words of inspiration or advice. The …( read more )

Most of us can remember specific times when something significant took place, especially occasions of unexpected blessing in our lives. This seems to be the case as the prophet Isaiah reflects back to a certain year, to an event that … (read more)

There's a beautiful song based upon this Bible verse which is called "Here I am, Lord." I love singing it in church. The first time that I heard it was in Scotland when a choir member at the Maybole Church … (read more)

More than twenty years ago, God impressed my heart with this verse, and I answered Him just like Isaiah did: "Here am I. Send me." I saw my future as prophet-like. Using my words, my books, and my speaking engagements, … (read more)

Spreading wide the curtains in the front room, a place I love to snuggle down with the good book, I noticed that it was the time of year when the leaves turn colour and begin to fall. It is a … (read more)

It has been a very long time — almost three years — since I have written for the Daily. I have been through a "spot of bother", have moved and have begun a new ministry with two new congregations. I … (read more)

It amazes me whenever I stop and give serious thought to the people who were called by God to do the extraordinary tasks in the Bible. First, there come to mind the inner circle of Jesus' followers: Peter, James and … (read more)

Our youngest child, who is 5 years old, has said for the last week, "I wonder what I'm getting for Christmas?" My reply is "I wonder too!". As she spoke those words, I thought, every child across the world is … (read more)