I went through a period of my life when I wasn't sure exactly where I fit in. My parents were divorced when I was a little girl. No one could fully explain the who, why, or when to me. All I knew was I didn't live with Daddy or my sisters … Read more

One of my hobbies is paper quilling. This involves taking thin strips of coloured paper and rolling them around a spool into a tight circle. After the finished circle is removed from the spool, the coils can be released to the size … Read more

Not long ago, while my granddaughter and I were shopping, Ade excitedly pointed out the seed displays. From the time that she was old enough to walk, she had always helped me to plant the vegetable seeds in our gardens and greenhouse. … Read more

Perhaps you recall a day when your supervisor listed several impressive qualities in you. Then came that word, "but". You braced yourself, for whatever came next would surely undo everything that had been said. That's the nature of that … Read more

Did your mother have a mending basket? It was there that things which needed mending were put until there was time to fix them. Some items required carefully working from inside the garment and concealing stitches or weaving threads or … Read more

Uniforms were required in the Christian school that my boys attended. They looked smart in their navy-blue dress pants and vests, crisp white shirts, navy socks, and black shoes. School uniforms were part of their training to grow in the … Read more

The festival of Sol Invictus, the "Unconquered Sun", on December 25th, was a time when the sun god, Sol, patron of Roman soldiers, was feted. It was a celebration inaugurated by Emperor Aurelian in 274 AD. Houses were decorated with … Read more

Back in the day, I was raised under the tutelage and provision of God, in the pioneer spirit, acknowledging that God provides, and we were self-sufficient people within that framework. It was a family tradition to show love and save money … Read more

In a back corner of my friend's china cabinet stands the broken remains of a cranberry glass goblet. Now, why would anyone keep such a useless item? My friend provides an intriguing explanation, saying, "It reminds me of the sadness that … 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

"Please, will you ask her?" I pleaded with my older sister for the umpteenth time. Katrise lived next door. She was my older sister's best friend and was having her Sweet Sixteen birthday party in a few days. I wasn't invited; I was only … Read more

During Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953, watched by millions, she wore a gown and jewels worth millions of dollars. She was anointed with oil from a golden vial in the shape of an eagle, which is kept in the vaults under Westminster … Read more

Every morning right after breakfast, my wife reads me a devotional from a booklet. She tells me what to read from the Bible, and after I have done that, she reads the page from the booklet. One morning while I was waiting for her to tell … Read more

Working with stained glass has many joys associated with it, but also pain. As I work cutting and clipping and shaping the pieces, tiny fragments, shards of glass, fly here, there, and everywhere. Sometimes, those miniscule bits end up in … Read more

I wasn't always a physically active person and my body-image issues don't let me remember a time when I was completely happy with the way I looked. Yet, on a summer's day in 2009, I stepped on my scale to convince a disheartened friend … Read more

Since there is so much violence around, we may have worried feelings about terrifying things happening today. I could be apprehended and treated violently or taken to a dangerous spot where anything could happen. Here in my hometown, I … Read more

These days, a lot is said and written about the irrelevancy of our Christian faith. Some months ago, there was a report in our local paper about a minister of the gospel who had preached for many years and submitted faith-based articles … Read more

I have taken up a new hobby: stained glass mosaics. Mosaics are pictures or patterns made up from small bits of stone or glass. The nice thing about this hobby is that it requires only leftover pieces of glass, which makes it quite … Read more

Many years ago, when I attended the 428 Gospel Club on Wednesday nights in Glasgow, Scotland, several regular participants used to sing their own personal testimony songs. Iain, who ended up being the best man at my wedding, would sing … Read more

The last time I looked for a wedding dress was in 1970. I was 19, the dress was pink, and the wedding was at city hall. I was a typical sixties-thinking, cute gal, and a white dress didn't have much meaning for me then. But this wedding … Read more

I love Christmas. I haven't loved every Christmas in my life, however. The first Christmas four months after my daughter died in a car accident was a bad one. The Christmas before that, after my husband left, that same daughter wept as … Read more

Have you ever been in the pit of despair, having lost your way in the fog of self-pity and remorse? The other day, I listened to a friend recall how she felt when lost in the fog of despair and anger. It centered on her son's wedding. I … Read more

My youngest daughter, Sophia, is her own person. Being not yet two, she is quite prepared to stand her own ground and show her disapproval; she is, then, not a quiet child. It encourages me that she clearly carries my … Read more

How exciting! We normally never win anything, yet our name had been drawn. We beamed as we were handed a beautifully-wrapped prize. Others quickly gathered round pressing us to discover its contents. Ooohhhs and aaahhhs soon accompanied the article we … Read more

One of the mysteries of life that continually baffles believers is why God allows His enemies to persecute and torment His people. Recently, I read a thought-provoking devotional about Joanna, one of the women who supported Jesus and His disciples … Read more

At this time of the year, the fireweed plant, here in the far north, is nothing short of a glory of splendour upon the hills and fields. Its clear magenta colour floods the landscape with rippling beauty. Fireweed is classified … Read more

How constantly happy I am to be saved to this abundant life, to eternal life, and by God's grace to live as God's child in this new covenant dispensation. In this new covenant of God's grace, loving Father God saved … Read more

This past June, I was fortunate to join a group of other Americans as we travelled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to help with the home building and the healing that this province so desperately needs. We worked with the local chapter of … Read more

I didn't know it at the time, but my name and telephone number were etched onto a wall inside a cell of the local police station. At some point, I must have helped someone in the Scottish town I was serving, and he or she had marked it on … Read more

When I discovered that the word "stronghold" came from the Greek word "echo", some interesting thoughts came to mind. For instance, an old country song about lost love goes on about "the echoes of my mind". The dictionary defines our … Read more

One morning I was in a hurry. I was scurrying to get out the door to be at church early. The last thing on my list was to get myself ready. As I pulled a pair of nylons from the … Read more

We had a very large fire in our community last week. The commercial building held eight to ten different and varied businesses, and all were a total loss. Nothing survived this fire. There were two non-profit organizations, three government offices, … Read more

As followers of Jesus, we know that He has the ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. An errand was needed to collect a few donuts and cookies for an early morning meeting. What was to be a regular … Read more