I have started to learn French. I use an app that has a competitive edge to it. I have been doing it for over a month now, and already, I am up in the Emerald League and fifth from the top of the leader board. Unwittingly, I seem to have … Read more

My nose was blocked with mucus, and it was so serious that I had to breathe from my mouth. I know that it sounds absurd, but I was afraid that when I would sleep at night, I might forget to breathe through my mouth, and I would die. The … Read more

The late Muhammed Ali made a striking statement about the heart in 1978: "The personality of a person, the ways of a person, the thoughts, the deeds and the actions, it's all based around the heart. For what is a man? A man is his heart." … Read more

I am now on the other side of the communion table. What I see and hear are different from presiding at the table. Instead of an assemblage of heads, I see a cup and a loaf of bread. Instead of the memorized ritual of holy communion, I … Read more

My little terrier mix dog, Chewy, is a bottomless pit. He hops up and down excitedly as I place his bowl on the feeding mat. His grub vanishes in milliseconds before I've eaten a few bites of my own dinner. Then, he's at my feet … Read more

I am the main bread-slicer in our house. Having returned from a shopping trip up the road with an uncut loaf, I thought that a bit of pro-active slicing would be in order, to save the toaster from some of the family's exaggerated wedges … Read more

We watch a fair number of English mystery shows on television, and some of them start out with the warning: "This show contains coarse language and scenes of violence. Viewer discretion is advised." They warn us, so that we are prepared. … Read more

One of the first pictures that I ever saw of Jesus was contained in a children's book. In my mind's eye, I can still see it. Jesus is standing at the top of a hill with his hands held up in prayer to God. Before Him, on a rock, loaves and … Read more

I was told by medical personnel not to be surprised about some symptoms that I was asking about. They said that at 85, one can expect signs of memory loss, pains that were not there before, or dimming eyesight. At one point, a healthcare … Read more

One Sunday morning, our pastor introduced his sermon by referring to a ministry known as "Cat n Dog Theology". Having two cats at home, this idea naturally aroused my curiosity. Then, I heard the following quotation: A dog may look at … Read more

Tradition has a way of finding a place in many of the seasonal events in which we participate. In our family though, Christmas seems to have quite a few — from the trimming of the tree, to the Christmas dishes I set the table with, and … Read more

I needed a black skirt for a concert, so I googled the word "skirt", hoping to find fashion ideas. To my surprise, I got fishing sites and discovered that a skirt is a kind of fishing lure. This is not … Read more

"I am the master of my unspoken words, and a slave to those that should have remained unspoken." This unknown writer must have felt exactly the same way as I did: guilty. Have you ever said something that you were … Read more

"It's what's on the inside that counts." How many times have I heard that saying and even uttered it myself? It's normally reserved for those who don't measure up to society's definition of beautiful, so we comfort people by telling … Read more

Sometimes things happen and I ask, "Lord, what are You saying to me?" Today, I was enthusiastically having a cup of tea when such an event occurred. Earlier at home, in haste, I had cut off the last few biscuits … Read more

The other morning, my three-year-old daughter said something that, to her, was so simple, but which was truly quite profound. As she lay in bed with her mother, out of the blue, she said, "You know, mommy, I put carpet … Read more

The bread used in our church for communion is the unleavened wafer, which, when taken into the mouth, dissolves slowly on the tongue. Each time I take this bread, I hold it in my mouth until I return to my … Read more

Today's verse has caused me some difficulties lately. Now don't get me wrong, I haven't been having any uncontrolled swearing binges, or anything like that, but something happened recently that makes me feel like I need to be very careful. … Read more

With increased automation, things supposedly were made easier to understand, quicker to achieve, faster to get done. The other day as I rang up the number to check on the delivery and receipt of a parcel within our postal system, … Read more

For many, Mother's Day and Father's Day (where observed) are sorrowful days, for one or both of their parents are no longer with them. The words of Joshua refer to the setting up of the twelve stones carried from the … Read more

In her book, Raising Sheep the Modern Way, British Columbian Paula Simmons presents a nuts-and-bolts explanation of the vocation, including such topics as fences, feeds, lambing positions, parasites, hoof care, shearing, and mutton recipes. Yet even in such a secular … Read more