When I was a young child, each Sunday morning my grandmother made sure that I was ready for Sunday School, nicely dressed in my one and only Sunday best. I remember very vividly my little white socks trimmed with lace and my feet planted … Read more
Search Results for: "Luke 18:"
Keep On Praying
It has been more than a year since the start of the war in Ukraine, and I'm sure that thousands of people, if not millions, pray every day that it will soon be over. The complete devastation of infrastructure, the loss of thousands of … Read more
The Truth About Pull Tabs
As we were walking along one day, my middle-school-aged grandson picked something up off the ground. "What did you find?" I asked him. "A pull tab. Our school is collecting them," he answered. "They make wheelchairs out of them." I … Read more
Persistence
Every year in the spring in central Texas, USA, we anticipate the return of the hummingbirds from their winter homes in Mexico. Upon their return, these birds are eager for the nectar found in the hummingbird feeders located in various … Read more
Oh, Her Again
I wrote awhile back about calling 911 for a woman lying in the grass beside a parking lot, with all that she owned in the world scattered around her. When the firemen arrived and saw the woman on … Read more
Information For Divine Liberation
Brother Charles has been a very good Christian friend to me, and his faith challenged me to become a believer. One day, he gave me information that a certain pastor would be visiting the Christian Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, for ministry. … Read more
The Difficult Chew
My young granddaughter, who is just learning to feed herself, sometimes chokes on her food. When this happens, she coughs until she dislodges the morsel from her throat. Sometimes, she re-chews and swallows it successfully, and other … Read more
Talking To God Or To People?
I have come to the conclusion that some of us who lead in worship services or are asked to offer a public prayer at gatherings of some kind are at times caught up in the desire to be well spoken. We want to be assured that the people … Read more
Pocket 9-1-1 Calls
I read in the newspaper that our emergency 9-1-1 call centre is having to deal will a ton of false calls from users of cell phones that have one-button emergency dialing. Some may also be children playing with unattended phones. I can … Read more
Persistent In Prayer
I experienced what it meant to be persistent in prayer one night when my five-year-old daughter came down with pneumonia. Three doctors diagnosed her that night. She was in and out of consciousness and was hallucinating with a temperature … Read more
We Make Choices
I have sometimes been confronted with this accusation: "You only believe in God because your parents ground it into your head when you were young." The implication is that our parents taught us their beliefs, and we have quietly accepted … Read more
Get To Know God
In chapter sixteen of his book, The Power of Prayer, Andrew Murray deals with a subject that I am sure many people find difficult to deal with. It is the age-old problem of answers to prayer. So often we hear the complaint, "I prayed … Read more
The Unexpected
Growing up in a family where grandpa, dad, and some uncles were carpenters, I was used to tools. My brother and I helped clean and oil things and get them ready for the cold winter in the tool shed. Watching … Read more
The Whiner
Would you like some cheese with that whine, Hoss? Whine, whine, whine. How I get fed up some days with listening to that dog whine. In fact, I get so sick of hearing him whine that he often ends up … Read more
Three Insights
The highlight of the Daily Devotional tour of central Europe last summer was, of course, the Oberammergau Passion Play. This five-hour presentation of the last week of Jesus' life, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, has been performed every ten … Read more
Perspective
We recently met friends for coffee, and we got talking about Skype, which is a computer programme that allows people to talk with their family and friends all over the world. It is much like a telephone conversation, but people … Read more
Tree Pulling
I like to garden — but I don't like pulling weeds. I especially don't like pulling up weed trees that are growing in the middle of a flower bed or vegetable garden. Even more, I detest uprooting volunteer trees that shoot off roots of a … Read more
Monkey Puzzle Tree
Have you ever seen a monkey puzzle tree? They are also known as Chilean Pines and come from the Andes regions in South America. They prefer a cold, wet climate, so you see a great many of them in Scotland. … Read more
A Peaceful Passing
Often, we have heard that someone we know passed away peacefully. Never did I fully comprehend how this happened until I saw it with my own eyes. As my husband was dying on Easter Sunday, I sat at his bedside … Read more
Global Warming
In recent days, a report of scientists from the United Nations presented data on the heating of the earth, with serious consequences for the planet. The report predicts that the level of the oceans will rise because of the melting … Read more
From Impossible To Possible And Promise
Impossible: Not capable of being accomplished. There are days when I feel like whatever I am trying to do or get done is impossible. Something or someone will get in the way of what I want to accomplish. Honestly, it … Read more
Inheritance
"Inheritance" is a word that has come to mind often over the past few days while my grandchildren have been visiting. One day I discovered that I was mentally cataloguing the children's physical attributes as well as the natural talents … Read more
Morning Notes
A writing course I once took required me to write three pages of Morning Notes to get my thoughts moving. We were to write about any subject that came to mind. The first page was a usually-dry diary-type note, but … Read more
Learn To Keep Praying And Not Faint
A few days ago, I began to go through one of my older journals, and I came across this quotation from Hudson Taylor: "Move men for God through prayer alone." I then decided, as a reminder, to copy those wise … Read more
The Children's Friend
When my children were small, there was one lady at our church who always had a group of children by her side. Not only was she active as a Sunday School teacher and Junior Church co-ordinator, but she also greeted … Read more
Give Us A Cuddle
I work as a pre-school teacher within a nursery, and spend most of my time with children aged two-and-a-half to four years. Part of every day is spent giving hugs and cuddles when the children need them, whether it is … Read more
The Inner Eye
As Christians in today's society, we must develop a strong sensitivity to the creed of a Pharisee. Do we exhibit those traits in our lifestyle? Most of us, at some time or other, have viewed the world around us from … Read more
Walk With Me
On a Friday evening early in May, my husband and I attended an ordination and induction service at a local Presbyterian Church. It was a special occasion for everyone concerned, because a young woman, who grew up within the Presbyterian … Read more
His Birthday
Recently I said to two children, aged five and six, "You seem to know what Halloween is all about; can you tell me what Christmas is about?" I got the expected reply that seems to be the norm for too … Read more
I Am The Kiddie!
"I am the kiddie!" This was my raison d'être. One of the dangers in doing something I think is "worthwhile" is that I become focused on the task and allow myself to become distanced from God. We can see this … Read more
Focus On God – In And Out Of Sorts
Frankly, I have always loved the sunlight. As a small child, I regularly went to the park around the corner from where we lived to play. My tan got so dark that one time we converted a neighbour's old Brownie … Read more