In the course of my work, I regularly come across little snippets about life in years gone by which are totally useless, except perhaps as bits of party trivia. However, I recently discovered something that I found quite interesting. Apparently … Read more

From about the year 1400 on, the Sunday after Easter has been known as "Low Sunday" in parts of the Church. After the joy and celebration of Easter, things calmed down again, and Low Sunday marked a return to regular … Read more

This promise, which Jesus made to his disciples just before his ascension, was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came down on the disciples as they were gathered in the room in Jerusalem. Following this, Peter preached … Read more

Gideon was aware of his own limitations. When God told Gideon that he had chosen him to deliver Israel from the Midianites, Gideon was surprised. "But God," said Gideon, "how can I do this for you? I am the least … Read more

As I was driving along the highway one day, a white sports car came barrelling up behind me at a tremendous pace and swung out to pass. I was driving a little over the speed limit myself, but the teenager … Read more

I'm sure that many of us have picked up a child who has fallen, or is upset for some reason or other, and said, "Now stop crying. You're all right. It didn't hurt that much." I catch myself saying this … Read more

One of the joys of my job as a dictionary editor is that I have the opportunity to learn many interesting tidbits about the language we speak. Some of these are merely entertaining; others teach me something about my life … Read more

In the two previous devotionals, I have talked about my four-year-old daughter's version of the Lord's Prayer in church one Sunday morning: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be my name. My kingdom come, my will be done, on … Read more

In yesterday's devotional, I described my four-year-old daughter's version of the Lord's Prayer in church one Sunday: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be my name. My kingdom come…". My first thought was to correct her, but as the … Read more

Our four-year-old daughter memorized the Lord's Prayer about a year ago. Recently we were in church, and she was saying the prayer more loudly than she normally does. I suddenly realized that she had started off, "Our Father, who art … Read more

I was driving around the city the other day when I suddenly noticed that the gas gauge on my dashboard was pointing right at empty. The light that warns me that I am running low on fuel had come on … Read more

I remember once, when I was about 11 or 12 years old, carrying a long aluminum extension ladder with my father. We had to walk quite a distance, and while aluminum is a lightweight metal, everything is relative. That ladder … Read more

Recently I have been working at a frantic pace to meet a deadline for a major project at my office. There was a great deal to be done, and a fixed amount of time to do it in. With help … Read more

One Sunday after church, when I was about four years old, my older brothers and sisters were "helping" me to assemble the family's cardboard manger scene. My mother, in the kitchen making lunch, suddenly heard a tremendous uproar, and came … Read more

In the summer of 1998 I had the opportunity to spend a week in Oxford, England, on business, and decided to take a short holiday there as well. One morning I awoke to find the view out my bedroom window … Read more

I have a small but growing collection of glass milk bottles. In fact my entire kitchen is filled with bits and pieces of dairy memorabilia. Most of it comes from my family's dairy and creamery business, which operated from the … Read more

Several years ago my wife had to travel to Montreal to attend a conference. We decided that I would join her after it ended and we would spend the weekend in Montreal together. So on Friday night I boarded a … Read more