There's something about February 14th that makes many hearts thrill and flutter. In the Philippines, Valentine's Day is a grand, festive day, and various businesses sell roses, stuffed toys, and chocolates — the famous items that are … Read more

Is there life after death? Yes! Before Alzheimer's disease robbed my mother Leanora of her memory, my sister and I went to the funeral home with Mom to make funeral arrangements. Looking back today, I have to say that Mom was realistic … Read more

Our youngest child, who is five 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 asking the same question. … Read more

Have you ever composed and sent off what should have been a perfect document, only to find that a serious error either in spelling or word placement had taken place? Very frustrating! You have been there, too? I was preparing a PresbyCan … Read more

My summer home is both small and old — 30 years old this year. The appliances have all been updated, but the kitchen sink is original and sometimes hard to get clean. The other day, I scrubbed it with my favourite cleanser, but there were … Read more

Sophie, my retriever cross, had started panting during our walks, so I took her to see our veterinarian. After a thorough examination, the vet deduced that it was most likely a touch of arthritis, due to Sophie's age. She also remarked … Read more

In my younger years, I was focused on the busyness of daily life and had little interest in my heritage, but over the past twenty years or so, I've become much more interested in my genealogy. We have tools at our fingertips today that … Read more

While we were at church on Sunday morning, August 31, 1986, a Piper Cherokee nearby collided with the stabilizers of Aeroméxico Flight 498. The small private plane crashed in an empty school playground in Cerritos, California, USA; all … Read more

The older I get, the more that I want to learn about Jesus and read about God. As a pastor for almost forty years, I thought that I knew a lot, but now, I realize that there's infinitely more to learn about Christ and more to experience … Read more

Back in the days when my daddy was still alive, he ordered from Amazon an 18-pack of super-bright LED flashlights featuring a compact design, constructed of high impact ABS casing in an assortment of colours. Each flashlight had a … Read more

In my last devotional, It Only Takes A Spark on April 18, 2024, I told how a farmer lost his barn in a fire due to a spark from his tractor. This time, I want to tell how John was involved in the … Read more

Having had a career in biology, I know that scientific discoveries provide compelling reasons to worship God. For example, the structure of DNA defies chance assembly. Yet until one of the world's most renowned scientists, Stephen Hawking, … Read more

Every day, I pray for my family who live in the United States, as well as those in Scotland and around the world. I ask God to bless and protect them, to guide and support them, to love and cherish them. It's a ritual that I go through … Read more

The basket of laundry in the closet was overflowing with a mixture of bath towels, kitchen rags, Mom's clothes, and mine. I just sighed. Washing clothes isn't a favourite chore of mine, but it is one that must be done on a regular basis. … Read more

John was working with the hired man, Murray, making ductwork in the shop, and I was working in the garden. The shop phone rang and John answered it. He came running to the garden to let me know that the neighbour's barn was on fire. He had … Read more

When my daughter Sarah was born, x-rays revealed that she was missing a lung and needed the assistance of life support to breathe. The doctors gave her ninety percent oxygen to keep her alive in an incubator. After surgery to move her … Read more

As a young camp counsellor at Gracefield Christian camp, near Ottawa, Canada, I really enjoyed canoeing. I practised my J-stroke, carefully loaded the flat-bottomed aluminum canoes, and even learned how to right a tipped canoe in deep … Read more

I recently attended a funeral for a friend who was a huge support to me in the recreational vehicle (RV) resort chapel ministry that I lead each summer. Bob supported me when there was … Read more

I find working on a jigsaw puzzle to be fascinating, addictive, and annoying, all at the same time. My mother loved doing them while she still had vision, spending hours figuring out the edges, then the main images. It's even harder when … Read more

As an artist, I have been asked to paint portraits, sometimes of one who has passed as a remembrance for the family. I studied with an exceptional art teacher, who trained in the ateliers and museums of … Read more

I am not a doctor or a nurse. I am an English major with a minor in journalism, and I received my master's degree in counselling and psychology. I went the education route and ended up working as a newspaper reporter for more than two … Read more

While visiting the veterinarian recently, the receptionist asked me if I would like to see the cat house. I am not really a cat person, but my daughter is, and I knew that she would be interested in what they had to show me. The cat … Read more

It was early one morning when the four kittens — two black and two calico — made their presence known to us. I was peeking outside the window that overlooks our side yard when I saw them. They were following a larger grey cat out from … Read more

I was thumbing through some black-and-white photos, taken 60 or more years ago, by my mum and dad: photos of themselves, their friends, and the small town where they grew up. Smiling faces looked back at me from skiing and skating parties … Read more

When we were children, my older brother excelled at assembling and painting model kits, mostly of military aircraft and vehicles. The small boxes, with vivid photos on top, contained small grey plastic pieces, glue, paint, and instructions … Read more

A few months ago, my dad passed away. Reflecting on past Christmas seasons, we remembered some of the things that Daddy did during family gatherings, like the time he pushed my cousin's face into the whipped cream on a pie. One of my … Read more

We had just finished trimming the goats' hooves and removing burrs from their coats when I noticed that my horse Frank had a large burr in his tail. As I took the shears to cut it free, I realized that it wasn't just one burr; his whole … Read more

While we were looking at this parable of Jesus at a Bible study, I was asked the question, "Do you think Santa Claus is God?" I said, "No, I do not." The person then asked me if I had anything of Santa in my home. I gave a negative … Read more

When I was a child, one of my favourite games was hide and seek. My cousins, my sister, and I would play it at our house, or at my grandma's house when we were all visiting there together. Friends and I would play it on the playground at … Read more

A number of years ago, John and I decided to take a summer vacation in western Canada. We chose to go in a recreational vehicle (RV) so that we could take my younger sister with us. John and I rented the RV and made arrangements to pick up … Read more

Recently, I had an interesting "I wonder why…?" conversation with myself. I wondered why God initiated the aging process in nearly every system in His creation. Why didn't He just create everything starting at its prime, mature stage — … Read more

Ms. Elliott-Binns was my religious knowledge teacher in high school. I remember her not because she gave me good grades in her class, but because of her exuberance while she taught religious studies to her sometimes disinterested students … Read more

One evening, as we were all going inside for the night, one of the baby goats let out a loud wail. My daughter went to investigate. Mulan, one of our young kids, was trapped on a bench in the barn. Mulan's left hoof and ankle had slipped … Read more