From my kitchen window, I enjoy the heavy, low-flying, distinctively coloured, quiet, slow-mannered pair of wood ducks that like to rest on their webbed feet awhile on the horizontal branches of my big, old maple trees almost every morning …( read more )

The greed of the tenants in Christ's parable from Mark 12:1-12 causes them to lose their rationality and humanity. They want to possess the cultivated land for themselves, so they conspire to rid their community of any outsiders. Their …( read more )

The note was attached to the door; the decision had been made. At nine years of age, he was doing what most boys his age did in the summer: romping and playing — until his sister noticed how yellow his eyes were. She ran inside to tell …( read more )

From my kitchen window, I enjoy the heavy, low-flying, distinctively coloured, quiet, slow-mannered pair of wood ducks that like to rest on their webbed feet awhile on the horizontal branches of my big, old maple trees almost every morning …( read more )

You may have already started your Christmas card list. Soon it will be time to post the cards. But are we making the same mistake that we have made in the last few years? Who should really be receiving our Christmas greetings? Notice what …( read more )

I felt the slightest whisper of its touch as it lit on my arm. A mosquito! Instead of swatting it, as I normally would, I blew it away. This happened three or four times as I was walking my dog, Sparky, along our favourite trail beside a …( read more )

I have been writing for the PresbyCan Daily Devotional since January, 1999, when I first was led by the Spirit to put words onto paper (via the computer). I still have a copy of that first devotional and the four responses that I …( read more )

The cost to produce the penny is higher than the actual penny is worth. This is what the Canadian government concluded earlier this year when they decided that the penny would be phased out. They let us know that as of March 2013, the …( read more )

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" is an English-language children's rhyme that was created in Britain before 1872. It was meant to persuade the child victim to ignore the name-calling, to refrain from …( read more )

I don't know if Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Prize winner, is a Christian or not. If he isn't, he's putting on a pretty convincing, hard-to-follow act, giving us a fine example. Mr. Liu first came to the notice of the … (read more)

A favourite lament of a high school teacher of mine was, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. I can teach you all knowledge, but I can't make you think." As a daydreamer, I … (read more)

Have you ever tried to do something, and no matter what you do, it just doesn't happen the way it should? That is because God has created us to excel in at least one thing, and we just get by … (read more)

I remember the first time I ever rode a bike without using the stabilizers, which we called "training wheels" in Scotland. It didn't go very well. The bike shoogled and vibrated, making me so anxious and fearful that I kept … (read more)

Although I have not read the book, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement by Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell, I did read an excerpt from the volume which was circulating via the Internet. The article explains a … (read more)

During my devotional time one day, I came across a quotation which essentially said that God makes our neighbours. That thought intrigued me, because most of my life, I've assumed that my neighbours were there by chance and certainly not … (read more)

This year, in preparation for Christmas, while baking, cleaning, putting the finishing touches to the decorations, and finishing up the last of the shopping, here is a challenge: include yourself in your gift-giving. After all, Jesus said that our love … (read more)

Going through my collection of books recently, in hope of eliminating some through a sale, I found many types of Bibles collected through the years. There were many different versions, some being translations and others paraphrases. These Bibles had been … (read more)

Occasionally, I buy for one of my grandchildren a gift that requires batteries. Then, of course, I have to buy the right size of batteries to make the toy work. I am careful to read on the box what size … (read more)

One of the best memories that I will take with me from my time working with the Middle Georgia College Warriors football teams of 1998 and 2000 is the unique friendships that I saw develop and be established as a … (read more)

As a young girl, I was always an "ideas" person. "Ideas" came naturally to me, so it didn't take much imagination at Christmas to suggest to school friends that we should gather together as a group to go carolling. The … (read more)

She was full of thoughts and prayers for friends, family, the community, even the world, but then she stubbed her toe on the dresser. She yearned to give food to the hungry at the food bank, donate some clothing to … (read more)

I'm at Woodlands hospital — again. I was here yesterday to have some tests done so that I could stay in this beautiful country of Guyana. The first two at the lab went fine and I paid the money necessary, … (read more)

Not long ago, I started running in the mornings with one of my neighbours. To my surprise, this has proven to be as much a spiritual exercise as a physical exercise, as each morning during our run we share with … (read more)

As we hear about the temptations and pressures that young people face these days, we wonder how we can protect them from yielding to the evil around them. Of course, we should teach our children to fear God and honour … (read more)

Jesus talks about selling all we own to enter the kingdom of God in today's scripture. Juan Carlos Ortiz tells a modern-day version of this Parable of the Pearl in his book The Disciple. Imagine with Ortiz the transaction between … (read more)

I have been in a holding pattern for many months now, like an airplane that's awaiting the okay to take off. The only trouble is that I don't know where I'm supposed to go or what I'm supposed to do … (read more)

How often have we begged God for a "sign" so that we would know God's will? When we pray, how do we recognize God's direction over the beguiling call of our desires and perceived needs? Wouldn't it be so nice … (read more)