It's the first day of an eleven-day tour of Israel and I'm sitting on the steps of the pool of Siloam near the city of David, in Jerusalem. Our guide is explaining how Jewish people ritually cleansed themselves here before the long walk up … Read more

These days, there are few daylight hours. Here in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, at latitude 52 degrees, 16 minutes north, on the winter solstice, December 21st, the shortest day of the year, there were 7 hours and 41 minutes of daylight. That … Read more

The age of being politically correct is a struggle for some people. Ways of speaking and behaving have changed and are changing. The second great commandment — "You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22:39 NRSV) — is the … Read more

Over 25 years ago, I was told that I was going blind. Treatments and surgeries have slowed the onset of visual impairment over the years, yet the lack of sight is evidently growing, and it has become more apparent lately. Slowly, over the … Read more

My neighbours were going away, and they asked if I would drop in daily to feed their cat, Riley. I told them that I would be happy to look after him. The first two days, Riley greeted me happily. On the third day, it took me twenty … Read more

In November five years ago, these two Scriptures took on a tremendous significance for me. I love reading the story of Jesus healing the blind man by putting clay on the blind man's eyes. I read this story as Jesus placing the substance … Read more

It was only 4:45 a.m., but I was up and out in the backyard trimming back rampant wild roses. As I clipped away, I was glad to be able to make good use of the daylight hours, as I know that here in the north, the darkness will soon be upon … Read more

It was one of those absolutely gorgeous winter days: bitterly cold, but with a brilliant sun shining out of a cloudless, powder blue sky that went up forever. It made me smile as I heard the hymn "Immortal, invisible, God only wise" by … Read more

It is quite often said that Paul of Tarsus, often referred to as "St. Paul", was the greatest evangelist of all time. We first hear about him as he is persecuting the "People of the Way", as the new believers in Jesus were called. After … Read more

As a biology professor at a Christian university, I often set aside a few minutes of a lecture to share with my class one of the miracles of healing described in the Bible. This practice is to encourage my students to relate what they are … Read more

Each spring at "our little church in the Creek", we have a Festival of Faith Conference, and we look forward to the weekend with great anticipation and joy after a long winter of snow and cold in the Maritimes. This … Read more

Last fall, I failed to see a tool left on the ground by a workman. Why had I missed seeing that tool? Some time before, I had noticed straight lines becoming wavy. Before long, when I looked at a person, … Read more

Once after attending a mission conference, I listened as a missionary witnessed to an unbeliever who stopped by to look at the biblical literature displayed on the table. However, when the woman heard about Jesus, she was not the least … Read more

We are all familiar with the story of the man born blind, how Jesus cures him, and the man begins a voyage of faith. But what if a person were to lose his sight in a tragic way? How would … Read more

When I first went to work in Maybole, Scotland, I used to enjoy visiting the local farmers. They loved the land — and their families had been working on it for many generations. From first light to twilight, they would constantly labour … Read more

We recently drove by some garage sales in our area. It seemed like everyone was selling garden lights — the ones that are connected together with cords that can be buried in the ground and plugged into an outlet. When … Read more

An aeronautical engineer would tell us that, on account of its design, a bee should not be able to fly — but it does. The honeybee is the only member of numerous bee species which produces that sweet treat that … Read more

On a certain Tuesday evening a while ago, I attended a training session for our church's faith visitation programme. In that session, the minister threw out a phrase that was quite simple but has truly captivated my thoughts. One of … Read more

Countless stories could be told of those who triumphed over sickness, suffering and sorrow, and went on to be there for others in need: the cancer survivor at the beside of one troubled by what tomorrow may bring; the alcoholic … Read more

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got … Read more