We have had a blocked drain. As a school caretaker for awhile, back in the mists of time, one of the things that I had to do was unblock the drains. So, with my past experience and with my usual optimism and presumption, I set about … Read more
Search Results for: "Mark 7:"
The Illusion Of Privacy
The other day, I received two emails from Google. The first one mentioned my privacy features; the second displayed my recent whereabouts on a Google map, as tracked through my cell phone. Both emails required my response — to protect my … Read more
Playing Church
When I was five and my brother was four, we'd play church. We dressed up just like the grownups. My brother was the minister, and I was the organist. He'd stand on the kitchen table with a book in his hands (often upside-down) and preach … Read more
Spanish Lesson
Christ's teaching influences my whole life, but some parts of the gospels directly relate to what I do as a Presbyterian minister. Much of the criticism that Jesus had for the religious clerics of His time still applies today, and I … Read more
Under The Table
At ten-plus years of age, my dog, Elliot, lives to eat, sleep, and watch the birds fly to and from the feeders in the front yard. Most of all, he loves his food — it doesn't matter what brand or type. He will even scarf up crumbs from … Read more
Ephphatha – Be Opened
When I was old enough to use the stove unattended, I went wild with "experimental" dishes. Today, they'd seem pretty tame, but my meat-and-potatoes Dad saw every one of them as disastrous. He refused to eat things like pork and … Read more
Outer Containers
From the basket, I picked up the last apple to use in the fruit salad which I was preparing. It was a beautiful, bright red apple. I marvelled at its beauty. As the knife sliced through the fruit, though, it … Read more
Bold In Faith
When my boys were growing up, we lived in the country. They had to depend on my transporting them to places of entertainment. They knew also that I had lots of responsibilities at home that came before taking them swimming, … 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
A Clean Bathroom
Our mothers all give us advice when we are growing up. We do not always listen to these instructions, but some of them seem relevant to us. If this is the case, we decide to follow our mother's advice. If … Read more
The Innermost Self
I've been down at the bottom of a mine, but never any place like this. When I was touring the mine, the guide suggested we turn off the lamps on our hard hats. One click and I was in a … Read more
Catching People Doing Right
A radio talk show host suggested a novel idea the other morning… try catching people doing something right. He went on to say how our society had become one of finding fault with people and worse yet, reporting it. "Well," … Read more
Being Open
We have started an intercessory prayer group in our church. We are small in number, but we spend much time praying for the concerns of our largely senior citizen congregation. The other day, as we went down the list of … Read more