"I was here first!" It starts so early! This exclamation often ended in some pushing and shoving. The effort to be first in line seems to go way back in my memory. It seemed that to be first in line was some kind of great achievement … Read more

I am in the middle of a very interesting general-interest course on the life cycle of stars. To simplify and condense the subject, the current theory is that stars are formed within clouds of stellar gases, the detritus of dead stars. … Read more

Recently in the news, it was reported that natural disasters doubled during 2010 from 200 to 400, and 42 million people were displaced as a result. During 2011, we have seen the triple disaster in Japan (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear … Read more

The voices of about three thousand college students, including my son and daughter, singing the words to the song, "Lion Of Judah" by Paul Wilbur, is one of the most inspiring anthems of praise I have ever heard. Listening to … Read more

My favourite vacation is a trip to the beach. My husband and I love to get a hotel by the water. We can sit and watch the mighty ocean waves roll in — roll in just so far, and no … Read more

Don't you just love cleaning house? Our street is under construction. It doesn't matter how often I dust, it is still very dusty in the house. Now you know why I started with the question that I did. Dust. That … Read more

Every day, we enjoy the beauties of nature from our deck overlooking the Westport Pond and beyond it, Foley "Mountain". We watch God's creatures and note especially how they care for family: On the pond a string of mergansers, with … Read more

This past Thursday, we saw a miracle unfold on the Hudson River in New York, USA. A US Airways flight heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, lost both its engines as it was taking off, and the veteran pilot had to … Read more

It was the first time that I saw someone actually die, and he was a stranger to me. I had just started as a part-time chaplain to a local hospital and received a call very early one Saturday morning. "Can … Read more

When I read this verse recently, it reminded me of the beginning of an old nursery rhyme that always puzzled me. Perhaps you remember it as well: How many miles to Babylon? Three score miles and ten. Can you get … Read more

During the mid 1980s a lot of people got interested in the reports of near-death experiences that seriously-injured and gravely-ill patients were having all over the world. Some critical event happened that made them feel that they were finally dying. … Read more

Three brilliant, beautiful stained glass windows adorn the wall above the altar at the little church where we meet for Contemplative Prayer. Carefully crafted, the centre window holds Jesus at the door, knocking, lamp in hand. Facing the altar, the … Read more

I know I'm not the only person who gets "road rage" — that incredible urge to yell at other drivers when they get in your way, pass too closely to your fender, take the parking spot you had your eye … Read more

Sunday's reading from Job 38:1-7 really got to me. And not for the first time either. Even when not reading it, its essence entraps me. "Who do I think I am?" It all became a bit much. There I was, … Read more