She wasn't any good at rod-and-reel casting, because she never did it. Instead, my maternal grandmother was a cane pole caster. Weather permitting, she fished every time she got a chance, but she didn't take a rod and reel. She cut cane … Read more

Recently, I watched a documentary about the world heritage narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway in northern India. Shimla is in the cool Himalayan foothills and once was the summer capital of British India as government and army staff escaped … Read more

One night, I had a dream. I was at a resort in the Caribbean with a friend, and there were some people asking about their luggage, which had not arrived. The clerk at the desk said that they would find it, and one of the people responded, … Read more

Does that sound like a panic attack to you? Many factors — including biology, heredity, temperament, stress, and the particular experiences of a situation — can contribute to panic attacks. This can be a serious medical condition and … Read more

One of the greatest burdens in ministry, as well as in other counselling or caring professions, is the amount of indifference that we come across from folks we attempt to help or try to support. I can remember in Scotland spending many … Read more

In his first letter to the "Pilgrims of the Dispersion", the apostle Peter gives all kinds of advice to young and old alike, and then he tells them: These verses remind me of a story that I read some time ago about a vendor on his way to … Read more

The year 2020 and COVID-19 have surely given me a new perspective on many things. Let's step back a bit to 2019. We had a family vacation, and I was able to visit family in California and in England. Those three events gave me memories … Read more

I miss my homing pigeons. I miss seeing them flying around the property, walking on the lawn, or sitting on the loft sunning themselves. I miss feeding them twice a day and just looking after them. After we returned from 20 years away from … Read more

Today's Scriptures bring back memories of a time when a dear friend turned against me and complained to other members of the church. I felt shocked, betrayed, and abandoned by someone I had trusted. Nonetheless, the personal pain that I … Read more

Like most people, there are some days when I would like to run away from all of my responsibilities, travel somewhere remote, and just be all by myself. I sometimes daydream about getting in my car, driving as far west as I possibly can … Read more