Author: JJ Ollerenshaw

A few years ago, several churches in my area participated in the Finding the Hope campaign. Dozens of Christian volunteers went door to door and blitzed the whole city with a small booklet about salvation and an invitation to church, … Read more

I love to receive my grandchildren's annual school photographs. I can see how they've changed and grown. They often stand back to back with each other — and me — to see who is taller. The younger ones stand straight as their height is … Read more

In many states in the USA, capital punishment is legal but uncommon. The means is usually by lethal injection, and it is conducted quietly and privately. In contrast, capital punishment during Roman times was often public, and could be … Read more

One Sunday morning, we were about to leave the house for church when we came to a sudden halt. There was a small puddle on the floor of the mud room. Looking up, we discovered a slow drip from a pipe hidden in the ceiling. This would not … Read more

I was delighted when a friend returned from vacation in Florida and presented me with a large seashell. I immediately put it to my nose. Most people would put it to their ear, listening for the sea. But I am hard of hearing, and to put … Read more

My grandson accidentally let go of his six-year-old sister's new birthday balloon. Just minutes previously, she'd been thrilled to receive a shiny, foil-coated balloon depicting her favourite Frozen characters. But filled with helium, it … Read more

Do you believe in miracles? When you awoke this morning, did you consciously realize that you were breathing and your heart was beating? Our blood circulates; we blink and swallow instinctively; our hair and nails grow. We're alive! It's … Read more

Recently, some of my family participated in a run to raise funds for breast cancer research. This type of run is not to prove who is fastest. Some take part in wheelchairs, some walk supported by another. The prize is that each person … Read more

Did you, like me, write your first letters on a slate with chalk? In Jesus' day, it is said that, as a reward, teachers in Hebrew synagogue schools would put honey on the slates of children doing well. They were then allowed to lick the … Read more

Christmas wasn't a big deal when I was growing up, but my family would usually take the train to London to see "the lights". The windows of the big department stores displayed electric trains, animated bears clapping continuously, and … Read more