I went to see Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One the other day. The special effects and stunts were entertaining, but what struck me was the message of a film that isn't advertised for a Christian audience: the fight between … Read more

My grandfather led his horse, Nellie, to a large area that needed to be tilled, and he prepared her to plow for the garden. I observed her as she plodded along, looking straight ahead. With my thumb hooked over my coverall pocket, and the … Read more

It is very pleasant to look down from my fifth-floor balcony onto the street below, while I try to establish facts about the many pedestrians, who are from many different countries. They are close enough to see but too far away to engage … Read more

While on a road trip many years ago, before AAA travel guidance, smartphones, and auto-court directories, my parents had not planned ahead of time to reserve rooms. As darkness set in, neon signs glared, "No Vacancy", so dad drove on … Read more

Today's devotional title may remind you of a bad dream: the nightmarish experience of losing control. What I have in mind is no dream. It's the actual world that we experience: the horrifying absence of brakes on sinful desire — like … Read more

Before Christmas, my husband and I were in England when the big news was the rail strike. England enjoys a complex network of both surface and underground trains. They interconnect like a giant spider web: a maze of tunnels, escalators, … Read more

With the coming of winter in the north, the cold, dry air quickly takes its toll on a person's skin. One must learn to be prepared and diligent to prevent problems. So each winter, I begin to use moisturizer, especially on my hands and … Read more

Last New Year's Day, I received by email a New Year's poem written by Frances Ridley Havergal 140 years ago. With research, I found that it may be sung to the tune used for the hymn, "The Church's one foundation". Another year is dawning, … Read more

For a while this summer, we saw no hummingbird visitors at our feeder. We wondered whether, with more flowers in bloom, perhaps the "hummers" did not need the feeder. When my husband climbed the ladder to bring the feeder in to refill it, … Read more

The robins proclaim both their own and spring's arrival through song, ending the winter's silence with their robust and distinctive singing: a cheery, rolling trill. It was a robin's loud, persistent, and forceful chirp that caught my ear … Read more

My friend says that she's figured out the answer to her weight problem. The label on her shampoo promises "extra volume and body". Jokingly, (I trust!) she says that instead she will start using Dawn dish soap in the shower, … Read more

In our apartment, we have a balcony where we can look out towards the mountains. We love the view. One day, a friend brought up a heavy pot containing a plant and deposited it on our balcony. It was a … Read more

I enjoyed reading the book, The Apologetics Of Jesus, by Norman L. Geisler and Patrick Zukeran. In it, the authors describe the various styles of arguments Jesus used in responding to the criticism of His opponents. Jesus, being fully aware … Read more

In these times, we are well taught and warned to care for our hearts by partaking of a healthy diet with adequate exercise. Many of us can be seen throughout supermarkets diligently reading labels to know the contents of foods, … Read more

When I was a teenager, I went to visit my aunt and uncle at their cottage. They had a motor boat. The other family members were sitting on the deck enjoying the warm, sunny weather. My uncle invited me to … Read more

We had an unbelievably long winter last year with record amounts of snow. From the first snowfall till the snow was mostly melted was six long months. We also had seven feet of snow last year — the most we … Read more

The elderly man sat across the table from me drinking coffee, relaxed and at peace with his world. "It took me a lifetime to arrive at my stage of contentment," he said. "I suppose it will take others that long … Read more

We live across the road from a school. After a recent storm in which we received first rain, then freezing rain, and then snow, I happened to be looking out the window and saw a mother and her child making … Read more

I worked in a hospital for fifteen years. One of the strongest memories I have of this period of my life was the signs everywhere reminding us to Wash your hands. This was very important in a hospital — to … Read more

In a state park where we once camped, there were many springs, bubbling out of the mountainside. This water was pristine, cool, and refreshing. If we had no containers, we cupped our hands together and drank from them. This spring … Read more

Randall, Mayo, Eddie, Raynardo, Jon, Patrick, Shug, Lee, Zach, and Tony are members of the Tigers' football O-Line. Their job is pretty much to be the first line of defence against the opposing team's offensive line. To guard in football … Read more

Among the words in his song, "Beautiful Boy", John Lennon sings, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." To us hospice volunteers, "life" is what has happened to those with whom we share the journey, … Read more

I have a furry alarm clock. Every morning at 6:00 a.m., give or take a couple of minutes, my golden retriever lays her face on the bed beside my head and sighs. It's as if she says, "Okay, it's time; … Read more

Our thoughts are the forerunners of our words and actions. Submerged thoughts have a way of emerging when unguarded. For years, people have complained I had a "shell" around me. Others felt I was "cold and unfeeling". I had such … Read more

There are people in my church I never come in contact with directly. Some sit on the opposite side of the church down front. Since I sit in the back, I'm out and gone before they leave the church. For … Read more

We all have a blind spot, a place where we cannot see. I was travelling up the highway, not really paying the attention I should have. I was a little mesmerized with the traffic cruising along at the speed limit, … Read more

The snow in our backyard is quite deep. Our two dogs have worn a path all the way around the edge of the yard and across the middle of the yard. The other day when I looked out the window … Read more

For the largest part of my life, I must admit that I was a stubborn person, to say the least. I never wanted to admit that I could not do something, or that I needed the help of anyone else. … Read more

Which version do you prefer? Recently I received an e-mail which begged the age-old question "Why did the chicken cross the road?" complete with thirty-nine different explanations. There were answers from someone's perception of how Plato would have responded and … Read more

Be true to yourself, believe in yourself, and love yourself. Remember the story of Narcissus who looked into a pool of water and fell in love with his own reflection? This isn't what I mean by self love. Love of … Read more