In 1983, the administrator of the local nursing home, Doris, initiated the construction of a 21-unit apartment complex for seniors next to the nursing home. Word came to me in a roundabout way that the newly formed Board of Directors … Read more
Search Results for: "Matthew 11:"
Hearing With Your Heart
I enjoy listening to non-fiction books, daily devotionals, and Bible Gateway. I usually close my eyes while I listen to the words being read to me. Many years ago, I learned the benefits of listening to God's … Read more
Stop Carrying Your Heavy Backpack
Sometimes, when I used to see students carrying heavy backpacks to school and everywhere they went, I wondered what was so precious that they wouldn't let it go. I imagine that the things that they carried back in those days were their … Read more
What My Father Taught Me
My great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my father were all carpenters. I grew up with the smell of wood sawdust in the air. I have a brass plaque on my tool box containing the words, "I am the son of a carpenter." It is there because … Read more
Sometimes We Wonder
As I write this, there are wars raging in various places. The ones most heard and talked about are in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. Dozens if not hundreds of people are being killed every day in the attacks. Meanwhile, so many people are … Read more
Partnering With Jesus
Many years ago, I began my first full-time teaching job with high hopes that I would be able to use and enjoy my gift of learning languages easily. My new assignment in the far north of British Columbia, Canada, was a tall order for a new … Read more
I Can't Do This By Myself
As a teenager I gave my life to Christ, not fully understanding what it meant, but I wanted to take a stand for something very important that I believed in, so I took that step. What followed were twists and turns to my mostly … Read more
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
No doubt you recall the hymn, "What a Friend we have in Jesus". Just typing out these words has me humming the tune. It always seemed like such a happy, upbeat song, especially for children. Not so! I looked up the background of the hymn … Read more
How Long Is A Piece Of String?
Recently, one of our leaders led the church community's "all-age spot". She held up a piece of string as a visual aid and asked some children to come up and help her to hold it as a representation of time. They stretched it out across the … Read more
Come To Me
Our fingers can be very useful parts of our body. Winston Churchill, and many others since, displayed two fingers shaped like a "V" to indicate victory. It is common to show our fingers across our chest or forehead as a salute. Sometimes, … Read more
Heart-To-Heart
I have had a tough time lately — full-on aggravation. Prior to the purchase of our puppy, Daisy, our money was waylaid when we were scammed by a fraudulent advertisement. A fine for my speeding resulted in a mistaken 90-month ban from … Read more
Be Friendly
I recall the beginning of the first day in that new home as though it were yesterday. On that gorgeous fall day, I had no idea that a new chapter of my life was opening and would become one of my favourites. Knowing how isolating … Read more
It's A Deal
Throughout life, situations often occur when one person makes an offer to another. If we want to make a deal, we usually try to encourage the person with whom we are dealing to accept the offer, because it is necessary for the deal to be … Read more
When Tears Are Not Enough
Although age is a privilege that many poor souls are denied, age is certainly not kind in numerous ways. Pain, critical health issues, and loss of loved ones come along, uninvited, to hinder our lives and deny us peace — so much so, that … Read more
The Big Ask
Virtually all of us have engaged in big questions related to COVID-19 vaccines: Should I? When? Where? How? What can I expect?" Along the way, we've encountered an abundance of guidance: "Book here!" "Go there!" When I went for my jab, I … 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
Doing Or Being Still
The last year has been a productive time for me. I have managed to fulfil many of the tick boxes mentally listed, partly because I have had the family at home to embolden me to keep going, just knowing that they are around to call if I … Read more
Impossible, God's Favourite Word
Someone said, It isn't the load that wears us down. It's the way that we carry it. They might've added, It's the fact that we carry it, at all. I was in the job market for many, many years, under-qualified, as I worked to support … Read more
Invitation Or Command
God is omnipotent. It always amazes me that He has chosen to allow us mere mortals to choose to obey Him, even though He has the power to make us do so. From the start, He has given us a command but leaves us the choice. In the early … Read more
All Our Anxieties
The Greek word for anxiety is "merimna" which means to be distracted or divided, to fall apart or to be split into pieces. It is a good description of something that we all experience when life hits us hard. One day, everything seems to … Read more
The Good Shepherd
When I looked at the Old Testament Psalm 23, I realized that those ancient words of David would be very reassuring and valuable to us in our present circumstances. The sole purpose of a shepherd is to look after all of the sheep under … Read more
The Sleigh
I try to get my little granddaughters out for a walk every day. The fresh air is good for all of us. It is also a great time to exercise my dogs. In the winter, however, it is quite difficult, as the paths are covered with snow, which is … Read more
The Fear Of What Might Be
A member of our church called me one day in September to ask if I could help her. She was born in the Netherlands and followed her Canadian soldier fiancé to Canada shortly after the war. They married and had five children. Her husband … Read more
Stain Remover
Often in these days of old age, with pains and lack of sleep, I may decide to have a stay-in-my-pyjamas day. Of course, that is just the day when someone will drop by. One day, my daughter happened to drop in on one of her quick visits. I … Read more
Darkness Over The Land
During Lent, I was studying some of the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus on the cross, and, in particular, the passages in the book of Matthew where the authorities and other people were mocking Jesus. "Even the … Read more
And The Birdies Sing
My friend's husband, recently fitted with hearing aids, came through the storage house door, calling with urgency, "Honey, there are birds chirping in my ears. We best call the doctor." Taken aback, his wife said, "Let's go outside and … Read more
Information Overload
Excessive information has become a plague. That occurred to me one day after receiving a ticket for unintentionally violating a "No Parking 2 to 6 A.M." bylaw. If there was a sign somewhere, I missed it amidst the plethora of signs on the … Read more
God's Comfort For All
As a long-time pastoral care volunteer at the local Long Term Care Facility, I have had occasion to comfort residents who were having a tough time coping, either mentally, physically, or spiritually, which I have always done to the best of … Read more