Author: JJ Ollerenshaw

Last year, my friend was the victim of identity theft. A dozen new credit cards were issued, but rarely did the credit card companies call first to confirm. The way identity theft works is that the perpetrator provides a false address … Read more

Yesterday, the power was out in the area where we live. The outage lasted four hours, and because we'd been given prior warning, we were prepared. It was a dark and rainy day. Even expecting and knowing the power to be off, I don't know … Read more

Here in eastern Ontario, Canada, we experienced drought conditions this year even before the end of May. Our summer, so far, has been extremely hot and dry. Last week, a tornado warning was in effect, but although the air turned green … Read more

In the churches that I have attended, I've always enjoyed serving in some capacity. I once attended a church where all the jobs seemed to have been taken. Whilst praying to be used somewhere, I realized that several times, I'd wondered … Read more

I often notice people adding salt to their meal without tasting it first to see if it needs a little extra flavour. They just assume that it will be bland. Today, if a certain dish tastes bland, we might say that it needs a little zing. … Read more

One thing that I've learned in my journey with God is that He always builds on what went before. There's a sequence or a pattern to each adventure — and the Christian journey is always an adventure! When we're undecided about the … Read more

I used to think that I should cheerfully take on any job my church asked of me. But when I was asked to do tasks that I really wasn't suited for, I began to be resentful. With so few workers in my church, after a few years, I was burned … Read more

My friend attended a gospel convention in the United States and stood in line afterwards to have a word with one of the speakers. As she waited, she noticed a young man approaching her. He was a stranger to her, but he was making eye … Read more

Have you noticed lately a growing trend among store clerks to drop those "three little magic words": "please" and "thank you"? The cashier simply states what we owe, with no eye contact and no smile. If she were a child, we'd prompt her … Read more

My grandparents in England had a parlour at the front of their house that was never used. It contained their best furniture and their most valued knick-knacks. Although the room was dusted, it wasn't heated. It was cold and uninviting. … Read more