It happened in Nova Scotia during the summer of 1949. The Presbyterian Sunday School children in Orangedale, on Cape Breton Island, were taking part in a Church Service. My wife Jean and I would have forgotten the occasion completely except … Read more

It happened in a village church where I was the minister. Directly after a Sunday morning Communion service, Lewis, one of the elders, took me aside and told me this remarkable story. Every day of the previous week he had … Read more

A short time ago I began to make a close study of Matthew, Mark and Luke to discover exactly what Jesus had for his top priority. I learned that the first move of the newly baptized and Spirit-filled Jesus was … Read more

Shortly after I had enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces I was surprised to find myself in a training course for Non Commissioned Officers (NCO'S). I was not prepared for this and it was scary. The worst part was to … Read more

Between the late 1920s and the 1950s Madame Chiang Kai-shek was a lady greatly revered in Christian circles around the world. Her husband was both the political and military leader of the National forces in China until his defeat by … Read more

Interviewer: Mother Teresa, you love people whom others regard as debris. What is your secret? Mother Teresa: My secret is simple. I pray. "I Pray." There, indeed, is the secret of success for all Christian life and work. In their … Read more

"The Lord be with you!" How often are we likely to hear the owner or CEO of a large company greet his workers like that? Or to hear the reply, "The Lord bless you!" The question, "Who is that young … Read more

It happened between three and four o'clock in the morning. I was restless and couldn't get to sleep. A bit of difficulty breathing was making me uneasy. I had time to think and wonder. For five months I had been … Read more

A Christmas gift for a bride-to-be has to be just right. The year was 1948. Jean and I were engaged. Now it was time to get an engagement Christmas present. The choice was easy. It was a cedar-lined hope chest, … Read more

Joy Davidman in her book Smoke on the Mountain wrote of "the mysterious power, vast and formless that filled the universe." It was her graphic way of describing the God of Israel. I found it a fresh and exciting description … Read more

These words remind me of Aunt Katie, a grand lady of the old school. When any proposed future activity was discussed, she would qualify any commitment with, "The Lord willing." It was a fairly common saying in those days. We … Read more

The previous three devotions have featured Rhoda, the woman "behind that smiling face." In case you have been wondering how she received this wonderful faith, here is her story. When Rhoda was eleven years old, two travelling evangelists were holding … Read more

When I was a young and eager Christian I was reading a book on prayer entitled Asking and Receiving. I was stopped dead in my tracks by a story of a dead American railroad engineer who was restored to life … Read more

In the previous devotional you were introduced to Rhoda, the woman "behind that smiling face". In it she told how she learned to enjoy life even while her only son Wayne's health was at the point of destroying her with … Read more

My wife and I met her one day fifty miles from home in a U Pick strawberry patch. She was a couple of rows over from us. She wore a broad brimmed hat and a long-sleeved jacket. There was little … Read more

When we try to relate the "world" in John 3:16 to the "world" in World War II we find two things. While God shows equal love and concern for all individuals on both sides of the conflict, he did, however, … Read more

As a young child I have two memories. One was memorizing John 3:16 and the other was a fascination with World War I. Memories of that war were still fresh. We were the "good guys" and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany … Read more

Did you ever try to relate the "world" in John 3:16 to the "World" in World War 2? I did about a year ago while working on a Remembrance Day sermon. I was thinking about a black leather waist belt … Read more

I am having trouble getting this devotional started. I know what I want to say but more than a dozen starts have all gone flat. Now I have lifted up my eyes to those words again. Help! That's it. I … Read more

I was thrilled with a recent episode of the TV Series "Seventh Heaven". It was the story of what happened in a clergy family home when a container of marijuana "pot" was found in the house. This caused a major … Read more

I once heard a Bible scholar assure us that the "darkest valley" is for real in Israel. Using some considerable detail he made it clear that some terrifying gorges awaited the ancient traveller. These situations are still with us, even … Read more

What is our greatest pleasure? The answer will tell us much about ourselves. The problem, however, is to narrow it down to one pleasure. Most of us have several pleasures that rank high. For me, to be part of a … Read more

Warren's face was aglow as he entered our home recently for a visit. He was barely seated when he burst out with this story. It had happened on the previous Sunday morning in one of our local churches where he … Read more

What Jesus was saying was, "Believe me when I tell you that if anybody accepts my words and keeps them will never experience death at all; he shall never know what it is to die." "What is it like to … Read more

At this present moment I do feel completely secure. Psalm 16 was my first experience with Christian meditation based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Meditating On the Word." I know every word of Psalm 16 by heart. I have listened to it … Read more

For God alone I wait in silence as I meditate on his Word in Psalm 16. What is he going to say to me? What is he going to do in me? Then the Psalm writer explodes. "All the good … Read more

Why do we meditate? Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers it this way: Because I am a Christian. Therefore, every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God's Word in Holy Scripture is a lost day for … Read more

For God alone I wait in silence as I meditate on his Word. What is he going to say to me? What is he going to do in me? To be silent is usually the hard part. Some of us … Read more

How shall I meditate? Christian meditation must be centred in God alone, the only true God; in Jesus Christ, the only one who has the power to save; and in the Holy Spirit who makes it all come together. Silence, … Read more

During World War 2 in Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was teaching students for the ministry of the Confessing Church. This Church was formed at the Synod of Barmen in 1934 at the very time when Adolf Hitler was taking over as … Read more

Do you recognize those words? What is more important, do you recognize the truth they bring? They come from The Message – The New Testament in Contemporary English (like you've never read it before.) by Eugene H. Peterson. Personally his … Read more

I shall never forget that letter. A few days before, I had conducted worship in an area church. At the door, following the service, there were expressions of appreciation and enthusiastic handshakes from departing worshippers. This letter, however, was special. … Read more

As a young person I was impressed with the number of people that Jesus healed in his ministry and how this was continued by the apostles as in these verses from Acts 5. Healing the sick was clearly a normal … Read more