In 1977, my family cleared a forested mountainside, preparing to build a home. To install a water pipe from the pump to the house, our boys — aged 13 and 10 — and I dug a huge ditch, 18 inches deep, 12 inches wide, and 450 feet long, … Read more

Here in North America, society seems to be evolving to a state where everyone — irrespective of gender, race, culture, religion, or political views — has equal freedom to hold and practice their beliefs. Simultaneously, however, … Read more

As a visitor at a church service some years ago, I watched as the reader marched up to the platform with an air of confidence to read an Isaiah portion from the large pulpit Bible. It had been placed on the lectern moments earlier in a … Read more

Lately, I have been spending more time than previously reading the Bible, doing devotionals, and going to Bible study classes. I've also been devoting more time to church activities, but I've felt that something is missing. In the past … Read more

Dust, dust, and more dust! This was on day one of an eight-day renovation project. I was surrounded by plaster dust, pieces of drywall that had been cut to fit the size of the ceiling, and bits of cardboard that had peeled from the … Read more

Bam! I was on my way home from an appointment with my income tax accountant when my Ford Focus announced that it needed attention: brrramble, rumble, grumble. It made noisy sounds like a Sherman tank might make as it clanked and rumbled … Read more

Never in my life have I had an immediate example of the truth of this Scripture — at least not until today. Recently, I was given a birthday gift called "The 30-Day Praise Challenge" by Becky Harling. I committed to this challenge and … Read more

After an extremely cold winter, I was happy to set free into the wild several ladybugs that had taken up residence in my home. A friend suggested that I get rid of them, but instead, I kept them in a plastic storage box and gave them food … Read more

I have always believed this promise, simply because it is the Word of God. However, when it started becoming real in my life in a practical way, almost as a weekly occurrence, I was totally blown away. His promise moved from my head to my … Read more

Though I was young and inexperienced, I was appointed to be responsible for the evening talk. There would be a fairly large group. Oh, how I agonized over that presentation, praying that the subject would be appropriate for those in … Read more

One doesn't think of old age until we reach 80 or 90; then it hits us. We are getting old. I am old! But can anyone really say that and still have great expectations? Is there any indication in the Bible that the Lord has plans for our old … Read more

Every winter, I have struggled with a cold home. I put up plastic to break the wind blowing across my front porch, and also over the inside of leaky windows. I bought heavy liners for my window curtains. I blocked … Read more

One morning recently, I put on the radio to see if the world was still on its axis — though I knew it had to be, as I was still in place. I listened to a commentary about a Christian … Read more

I've met a couple of people who lived to be more than a hundred years old. One of them was a lady whose family were west coast of Scotland fishermen. She lived with her 75-year-old daughter, who treated her mother … Read more

I once served in a church where I had to rely totally upon God for everything I needed. I was much younger then; living a life of faith was exciting to me; and, since I was not married, I had … Read more

In my early Christian journey, I, like many other young Christians, looked to others to represent me before the throne of God in prayer, believing that mature prayer warriors had more power in prayer than my own stumbling prayers. Then … Read more

Imagine praying and hearing this: Thank you for calling the Divine Service Department. Your call is important to us. In order to speed the processing of your enquiry, please select one of the following four options. If you do not … Read more

As a new church on the western outskirts of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, one of the tasks for our group is to come up with a name for ourselves. In the passage from Isaiah, God promises to give a name … Read more

Our God is awesome. Consider for a moment the infinite power of our Lord. To partly grasp the issue of the infinite, I am reminded of a Bob Newhart spot about the subject. I'm not sure if it was to … Read more

Let's be blunt and honest to God before we begin talking about prayer. We have real trouble in this present age with prayer. I'm not certain if the problem stems from our belief or lack of belief in prayer or … Read more