The name "Canada" is rooted in an Iroquois word "kanata" meaning "settlement" or "land". The land now known as Canada and the peoples who dwell in it are much older than the 150 years marked on July 1st in a sesquicentennial celebration. … Read more

The instructor at a recent meeting of the local canoe club presented three navigational aids: a map, a compass, and a GPS. He then challenged the members present with a question: If you were able to take only one of the three on a trip, … Read more

A major announcement on February 2, 2011 from one of the news networks heralded the launch of the so-called first daily newspaper for iPads. I first read the announcement on a news page from yahoo.com; sadly, that story no longer appears … Read more

I am usually a peaceful man who enjoys the wildlife — birds, squirrels, and the like — which frequent our yard. Last Saturday, however, I was heard to say, "I would like to shoot that rabbit!" The problem was that … Read more

Canada, as the host nation for the 2010 Winter Olympics, has set a new record for winning the most gold medals in any Winter Olympic Games. The record fourteenth gold medal was won by the Canadian men's hockey team by … Read more

Many who have worshipped on Christmas Eve or who have attended Church School Christmas pageants held on a Sunday evening during the month of December will be able to recall an instance when a particular child "stole the show" or at least … Read more

Today, July 10, 2009, is the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. As I write this on the eve of the anniversary, 60 volumes of Calvin's works stand in front of me on the desk in my study, and the collection in my library is … Read more

The stories recently in the media about the shoppers in parts of the United States going out at midnight to do their Christmas shopping, only to be disappointed because the parking lots were already full, and about the women who … Read more

Not long after the congregation which I formerly served had paved its parking lot, I happened to arrive at the church building on a bright, sunny spring day in the middle of the week, to discover that some of the … Read more

A sudden and unexpected power outage can be a shock and a source of frustration to those working in offices where telephone, e-mail, fax, and printing capabilities are all dependent on electrical power. Yet such an event can be a … Read more