Scrubbing the gingerbread clock was no easy task for me. It was completely blackened with smoke deposited over many seasons of woodburning. For years, that clock had sat on a shanty floor behind a cabinet — all but forgotten. Imagine … Read more
Search Results for: "Psalm 119:"
Seeing Clearly
"My goodness, these glasses are dirty! I can barely read." I'd just grabbed a pair from the table to help me read the paper. I pulled them off and realized that it wasn't dirt that made them blurry — I'd picked up the single vision … Read more
The Unfolding
I have several beautiful cutwork tablecloths — a fabric design that incorporates embroidery or lace with parts of the fabric cut out to accent shapes. When they are folded up in the drawer, they don't look much different than any of the … Read more
Daily Nourishment
Because of my previous experience in raising pigeons, I have a real eye for them, and love having them around. We have a bird feeder behind our house, so, when one day a pigeon showed up, we were thrilled. We kept hoping that more would … Read more
Multiplied Blessings
It was almost four years ago that I began something brand new to me: writing devotionals. Let me explain how that came about. For a number of years now, I have been the "cat herder" for a group of my classmates from Multnomah School of … Read more
Looking For Light
I never really wondered why bananas are shaped the way that they are until I saw a children's program about them on television. I was intrigued, so I looked up the details on Google, and here is what I found out. Banana plants look like … Read more
Our Spiritual GPS
One lovely spring day, my brother and I were on a day trip, meandering along back country roads that followed the Columbia River, which divides the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. On our route was a small, four-vehicle ferry crossing … Read more
Aiming For Gold
I have variable-focus lenses in my glasses to help me with the flitting about from close range on the computer or fixing stuff, to afar off focusing out of the window or in the garden, looking up at the clouds in the sky or the military … Read more
Letters From Home
In the 1970s, my husband Lynn and I lived as far away from our hometown of Portland, Oregon, USA, as is possible. Portland's antipode (on the opposite side of the globe) is somewhere in the Indian Ocean, and the large island of Madagascar, … Read more
Watch Where You Are Going
Recently, I've become acquainted with a woman who is rapidly losing her eyesight. She once had full sight, but as the years have advanced, her vision has declined, until now all that she can perceive is brightness and shadow. Her white … Read more
Mid-Morning And Afternoon Snacking
Dad was a snacker, and he did it consistently. One of my earliest childhood memories is how my dad would pause during the day for snacks. As a small elementary-age child, I can remember his opening the back door of the apartment where we … Read more
The Bug Spray
Bugs, bugs, bugs are everywhere this summer: in our hair, in our eyes, in our mouths, in the house, in the car, under our clothes, in the bed. A person just can't get away from them! I have therefore been using a prodigious amount of bug … Read more
Investing Wisely
At some point in our lives, many of us will invest money for our retirement. Those of us who are retired may be drawing an additional source of income from the investments that we made when we were younger. Some, however, may have seen … Read more
Finding The Way
After attending a gathering in a remote area on the other side of the city from where I live, it was time for me to drive home. I was alone, and it was late at night. I was in an unfamiliar area. Following a sign that directed me toward … Read more
On Finding The Word Of God
With a fifth child on the way and in need of more space, we bravely knocked on the door of a big, old house. My husband and I had just heard that the owners were thinking of selling. That day, we began our very own "It's a Wonderful Life" … Read more
I Need This Thing …
"I need this thing …". So begins the customer's request upon arrival at the hardware store. My husband, the employee, must next discern what is needed. "They don't always know what it's called," he said to me. "They don't know what's … Read more
Our Need For Hope
What kind of sin steals a carefree childhood and spirals it into a world of alienation, shame, and secrecy? An evil that defies the very hope that Christ stands for, leaving hopelessness in its wake. Could it harm a child growing up in a … Read more
A Contagious Passion For Scripture
That morning, my 94-year-old friend wasn't interested in small talk. She opened my phone call with these words: "I've been reading the Bible every morning! I want to cover whole books at a time! I love it!" She continued, "I just can't … Read more
What Is Our Word Worth?
I recently upgraded my vehicle from a 2014 Terrain to a 2017 Terrain. I now had to sell my 2014 vehicle. I mentioned it to my neighbour, and right away, she said that she was interested. Thinking that it needed only brakes, I committed to … Read more
The Boundless Word Of God
"God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees and in the flowers and clouds and stars." – Martin Luther I once viewed the Word of God as simply a system of laws and rules to obey. At least, that's what I absorbed … Read more
Naming The Snakes
"BE AWARE OF RATTLESNAKES AND POISON IVY!" reads a warning about hiking in the Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forest in Idaho, USA. Such a sign didn't exist when I went skipping ahead of my family on a sunny morning across the ancient … Read more
Will Your Anchor Hold?
When I was a young, ten-year-old boy, we packed up the car, filled the roof-top carrier, and headed 32 miles north of North Bay, Ontario, Canada, to go on a fishing vacation at a place called Beaverland Camp on the Martin River. The first … Read more
Songs Of Praise
Praise God for the gift of music! Singing songs of praise can lift our spirits and fill us with His joy. I love to sing and give glory to God through praise songs and hymns. I play my favourite CDs when we are in the car. Lately, I have … Read more
Got Wisdom?
We had just finally found a place to rent, a former karate studio over a downtown business with a beat-up wreck of a kitchen that looked unusable. Moving in that night, I fed the children and put them to bed before retiring ourselves. … Read more
Hot Dogs And Holy Spirit Nudges
Recently, while I was at a local restaurant, I kept feeling a nudge in my spirit to go to a clothing store when I finished eating. As I arrived there, I recognized a homeless man named Mike. We struck up a conversation. "I can't give you … Read more
The New Car
Don't get me wrong — I loved my old car. Though it was almost ten years old, it was easy to drive and was still in great shape. My family, however, strongly encouraged me to consider getting a newer car with better safety features. … Read more
Light Therapy
It's that SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) time of the year again! I don't like the dark, and I'm longing for the days when they get longer again. I've been using my light therapy lamp since the beginning of November. It's become part of … Read more
The Lamp In The Stable
As I was looking through some of the Christmas carols in the hymn books that we have, I noticed that a fair number of them refer to either the stable or the manger: "Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed" or "Child in the … Read more
When I Was Lost
I've always been geographically dyslexic. My family used my inability as a reverse GPS. They'd ask me which way to go, and the opposite direction was always right. But I never thought that I could become spiritually dyslexic. It started … Read more
The Eye Opener
A lady here in town had just come back from having cataract surgery. While out and about, she met a friend and excitedly exclaimed that she could actually see her friend's eyelashes! She was quite thrilled with this new clarity of sight … Read more