In 1920, when Grandma was beginning her family, she bought an improved homestead of 160 acres, with a home, a barn, and a large orchard. The orchard had already seen its prime, but was still producing apples from what had once been … Read more

Arriving by boat at the welcoming shoreline of Kill Bear Park, my husband and I lowered our anchor and slipped gingerly into the shallow, cool water of Georgian Bay. Laughing as our feet wrestled with the shifting sand below, we slowly … Read more

He gave until he took his final breath. My paternal grandfather was a giver. I have fond memories of his giving to others but also of how much he gave to me — and not always in monetary form. As a single guy, I had difficulty handling … Read more

My 2022 New Year's resolution has been to acknowledge God's blessings in my life, and to continually give God recognition and thanks. I've found that when I focus on my blessings, my discontentments and disappointments have been … Read more

"Just love everybody. I'll sort 'em out later. — God" When I first read that quote recently on a church reader board, I thought that it was a bit flippant and irreverent. After all, the "everybody" in today's world indeed includes many … Read more

I was going to be alone for the Easter weekend. My friend Katie agreed that it didn't feel like Easter this year. Despite the online Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services that we had both enjoyed, there would be no visiting with … Read more

You may have seen the phrase in today's title a time or two, but it holds special meaning for me, and the pandemic is messing it up! For years, my weekly routine included a trip to the Canadian Blood Services. I gave about two hours each … Read more

When I first started writing devotionals, neither did I know anything about writing one, nor was I a huge fan of daily devotionals. But along the line, I heard in my spirit, "Roll out devotionals," and I was sure that was God giving me an … Read more

In the late winter of 2020, a new virus appeared on the scene, shutting down businesses, public buildings, churches, and schools. We are in the grips of this pandemic whether we like it or not. With all the hype over the virus, people … Read more

This past summer, I went on my first cruise. My daughter's family and I had planned a "last hurrah" sort of family trip before their two busy, active teenagers would soon be heading off to college and unknown parts of the world. One leg … Read more

In a busy world, Sabbath is something that we need to seek intentionally. People need to pursue Sabbath moments in life. People in the church and in society alike need concrete examples of how to create Sabbath — in their car, through … Read more

There are many references to hair in the Bible, but this particular one challenges my imagination — to think that God even knows the number of our hairs. Some males like myself, with few hairs on our heads, may make the numbering … Read more

We live in the Information Age. There are some positive things about that, but there are some negative things, too. Linda Stone, a former senior executive with Apple and Microsoft, coined the phrase "continuous partial attention". She … Read more

"Sally has to go!" lamented the farmer. "It's because of her bad influence on the other cows. She's the dominant cow in the herd; and that's bad." This farmer, in the video that I watched, had seen enough of Sally's bad influence on … Read more

You may remember that a few years ago, there was a plush toy, "Tickle Me Elmo", based on the Muppet character Elmo from the children's television show, Sesame Street. When Elmo's tummy was squeezed, he shook, vibrated, and giggled. … Read more

Of all the sayings of Jesus, I find this one to be among the hardest to put into practice. Whenever people upset me, whether it be family, friends, or acquaintances, I initially find it difficult to forgive them. I think unkind thoughts … Read more

As I turned off my television last Saturday night, I was nearly in tears. I had been watching the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, last week. Wounded veterans from 17 countries, 550 of them, many … Read more

This verse came to mind as I glanced at the time displayed on my iPad as I was waiting for my aunt to finish her grocery shopping the other day. The time was 3:16 p.m. I drive my aunt to shop for her groceries, the bank, and sometimes to … Read more

Some time ago, I was asked to visit a lady in the hospital. She had just survived a serious operation, she was in extreme pain, and she was worried about her husband who was at home alone and not coping well. She wanted to tell me about … Read more

One day, back from my grocery shopping in the nearby mall, I checked the change that I had received from the cash that I had paid for the groceries. My first look was a sure thing: I had received less change than I was owed. This left me … Read more

What I'm known for is as important as why I'm known for it. White was a well-known family name throughout certain portions of West Virginia, USA, and beyond. The family patriarch — and the one who initially brought the family's … Read more

This may sound strange, but for most of my life, I had no idea what a real enemy was like, although in the past year I have been overwhelmed by an enemy. A person consumed with jealousy and discontentment has made it a personal mission to … Read more

"I can't go to visit people when someone close to them has died." Sometimes, the person who utters words like these might fear crying when visiting sorrowing people. Yet, we can remember that God is with us to teach us how to weep with … Read more

No matter where He went, people crowded around Jesus. He was constantly mobbed with all sorts of people who were suffering from a multitude of diseases, illnesses, and sicknesses. His fame as a healer had spread around the Galilean … Read more

Is life getting you down? Are you feeling like Atlas, carrying the world on your shoulders? Sad, blue, depressed, restless? I know that I have felt like that, and often, I don't know what brought it on. Then, when I come to my senses and … Read more

Twenty years ago, we outgrew our little church in the downtown area. It had been built in 1938 by a small group of people who had decided not to join a church union movement. For a number of years, they rented other buildings until they … Read more

Across from our house is a park that has a couple of ponds in it. When they built the park, they brought some ducks and geese to make their home around the ponds. Now there are not many ducks, but a lot of geese. They love to come into … Read more

The rain continued its onslaught, so I decided to make use of this inside day by setting up our tent in the back room. We bought this tent many years ago and had lent it out to others but had never used it ourselves. Unfortunately, the … Read more

For the past few weeks, I have felt the Lord speaking to me on the subject of having a tender heart. At first, I didn't understand what this meant, so I have been praying and searching the Scriptures to help me figure this out. Along the … Read more

Twice in one month, I was aware of being called "nice". Both situations arose as unexpected challenges. The other people involved had a reasonable expectation that I could be impatient and disparaging. Instead, I applied Christ's Golden … Read more

A twelve-year-old boy I will call Joey was transferred into our school able to read only a dozen or so words. His speech and language were like that of a much younger child. From an early age, this red-blond lad … Read more

One Sunday morning, I was late for church, so I slipped into the corner of a back pew marked, "For Parents with Small Children." All around me were mothers and fathers with wriggly youngsters. A little lad beside me quietly … Read more

I always enjoy reading the signs on church lawns. Here are some of my favourites on prayer: – You'll never get a busy signal on the prayer line to heaven. – The quickest way to get back on your feet … Read more