Each year leading up to February 14, there is a rush, fueled by the chocolate and floral industries, to purchase candy and flowers for the ones we love the most. No flowers declare love more than the roses! But they are also the quickest … Read more
Search Results for: "John 4:"
Freedom From Anxiety And Fear
I love to travel with my husband, whether it is by road, ship, or plane, but for some unknown reason, for the last two years of my mother's life, I developed a fear of flying. The thought of going to the airport and getting on a plane … Read more
The Sure Foundation
Growing up, I was fairly oblivious to the concerns that my parents were then experiencing: money, household, job security, school schedules, and so on. Global and political crises of our country seemed peripheral. My main concerns were … Read more
Love Gives Its Best
I once participated in a service of praise, prayer, and foot washing with Christian people during the Lenten season. Sitting in a circle, one by one, we knelt, washed, and dried our neighbour's feet, using a basin of warm water and a … Read more
Straighten Up And Love Right
"Now, you behave." How many times did I hear my mom say that in my childhood? If I had a penny for every time that she told me or my sister, Tracey, to behave before school, at the dinner table, before and during church, or at the mall, … Read more
True Or False?
My dad was a talented woodworker and carpenter, doing many renovations in our home and even building a rowboat. I took a woodworking class in high school, and although I was not skillful, I did gain an appreciation for the beauty of wood. … Read more
Calendar Savants
I know of two people who can tell the day of the week for any date that one may give them. When I first met "Tony", he asked me when my birthday was, and without thinking about it, he told me correctly that it was on a Sunday. I tried … Read more
A Patient Patient
I needed to make an appointment to have my ears checked, so I called my ear, nose, and throat doctor. The next available appointment was a month away, and I booked it. A week before the appointment, I began getting text reminders to … Read more
Open And Ready To Receive
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
The Altar Before Us
A few weeks ago, an article appeared in the newspaper, entitled "Why GenXers Aren't Going Back to Church." You can imagine that there was a wide variety of reasons for people 41-56 years old. Some were busy with work and kids. Others were … Read more
The Baby Robins
I love spring! It's such a beautiful time of the year. The weather is warm, everything is coming back to life, the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and the birds are singing. It's amazing how God brings new life to the world every … Read more
Squirrels, Birds, And Skunks
While I believe Jesus' words that God does feed the birds of the air, I love to watch them flutter around my bird feeders as they chow down for the trip ahead every spring and fall, or if it's summer, to furiously fly off to feed hungry … Read more
The Barker
Kayley, one of my collies, is three years old now and is still a barker. She barks at anything and everything, despite my training, discipline, and frustration with her and this noisy bad habit. Collies do tend to bark, since they are … Read more
Shattered Heart
I watched as if it were rolling in slow motion — or it could have been me moving in slow motion. I stretched my hand forward as it rolled to the floor — shattering. My heart skipped a beat. My favourite coffee mug lay in pieces on the … Read more
Ready For Battle
Millions of Christians wonder if we are now living in the end times. They watch in shock as morale in North America deteriorates. Churches are becoming increasingly marginalized. More and more, theologians and false teachers manipulate and … Read more
Perfect Love
As part of the history class that I took in high school, I had to study the origins of World War II. Our class spent several weeks focusing on the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and how he motivated the American people to deal … Read more
A New Creation
In celebration of the birth of a brand-new day and a brand-new year 2022, snowflakes fell from the sky like bright confetti, each one a miraculous reminder of God's love and faithfulness. The footprints of yesterday's sins vanished … Read more
The Water Man
As the harvest was gathered in this fall, many of us discussed our gardens — their successes and their failures. As we did so, I was delighted to discover that where certain vegetables had failed throughout town, all of our plantings had … Read more
The Tragedy Of Unasked Questions
Have you ever been plagued over questions that you wished you had asked when you had the chance? Questions like: What do you mean? Why is that necessary? When is it finished? How …? Where …? Who …? Et cetera. You later realized that … Read more
Seeing God
Throughout my many years in ministry, I've recognized that the invisibility of God is a problem for some people. Because He cannot be seen in person, they refuse to accept His existence. They think that if He were to turn up one day and … Read more
The Life Raft
When we were children, my brothers would at times try to build a floating raft, using spare boards and bits of rope. We watched many dramatic films of life and death experiences aboard life rafts, with sailors battling waves and storms and … Read more
Around The Kitchen Table
What parents would not choose to wrap their children in an invincible security blanket every morning before sending them off to face the harsh world outside? It often begins at the kitchen table, as we educate them about how big God's … Read more
Bitter Water And Living Water
One Sunday in August, we went to a rural church. In the bathroom, there was a sign that said, "Do not drink the tap water". There are various reasons why water is not fit for human consumption. For example, although the water may taste … Read more
I Will Honour The Commands Of The Lord
The other week, I received a letter from my bank, declaring that it would be making changes to my account. This came as a surprise to me, so I asked God for His favour and rang my local branch. However, after a few minutes of conversing … Read more
Tick, Tock
I purchased a new clock, and its ticking seems loud to my husband. I am not bothered because I am hearing impaired. Whenever he mumbles "Tick, tock …" under his breath, I am reminded of nights spent with my grandmother. I often stayed … Read more
Wanting Too Little
I've been sensing an inclination among God's people: wanting too little from God. I call it Expectancy Deficit Disorder — EDD. We are at risk of wanting something less than what God has for us. We don't ask because we don't expect it. … Read more
Unconditional Love
When we lived in England, we resided in a pleasant town just south of London. One Friday evening, we were away to London for a show, and on Saturday morning, I saw that there was a broken window in the door of the back entrance to the … Read more
The Garbage
Every year, I find new stuff when I am out doing my cleanup around the property. The previous owners of our acreage buried their garbage. Over the past twelve years, I have discovered the tin can location, the glass pit, and the … Read more