Author: John Stuart

I regularly suffer from insomnia, so the chances are that you'll find me reading, writing, or drawing late at night. I do this to keep my mind occupied and to weary my eyes so that eventually, I will fall asleep. For the past two years, … Read more

Sometimes God says "No." Over the years, I have pleaded to God for the healing of others, the mending of broken relationships, and the ability to overcome my problems immediately, only to discover that God isn't going to do what I ask. … Read more

In the end, salvation is the most important event in the church. We tend to get caught up with dogmas and decisions, interpretations and issues, business meetings and ecclesiastical meanderings that don't bring one single person into the … Read more

This is one of my favourite verses from the Bible, because it encapsulates the work of the church. Congregations can get caught up in building programs, financial campaigns, and missional projects, but in the end, if no one comes to see … Read more

One of my all-time favourite movies is Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard. My dad took me to it when it was first released in Britain. I was six years old at the time, and although I didn't really understand … Read more

One of the saddest experiences that I ever had took place in a psychiatric ward in Scotland. I was stationed there for six months as part of my seminary training. The ward was locked because it was full of deeply disturbed patients who … Read more

There was a time in my childhood when my siblings and I were all fostered out to our aunts and uncles. It was during a summer, and my mother had been taken in to the local lunatic asylum. My dad was unable to stay off his work to look … Read more

I've only tried archery once in my life, which was during a summer Scout camp in the Western Highlands of Scotland. I signed up for the archery course in order to get a new merit badge for my troop. From what I remember, it wasn't as easy … Read more

It's called "crop rotation" or "fallow ground" back in Scotland. That's when a farmer allows the land to rest for a year and refresh all the nutrients in the soil. In times of hardship and economic crisis, it's a hard thing to maintain, … Read more

I love the old Western movies, especially the ones that have wagons heading over the Oregon Trail. Those early pioneers of the west must have been amongst the bravest of souls on earth. To cross the wide Mississippi River and head over … Read more