How should we be led to worship God? In today's passage from the book of Nehemiah, we are told of the thirsting of the people for the word of God. In our churches today, do we have that same thirsting … Read more
Devotional
The Potatoes
Some years ago I was cleaning out a drawer of pots and pans. I got everything organized and straightened out, and the drawer had room to hold more without spilling over. I thought to myself, "Now I can even put … Read more
Tiger-Striped Bird-Eating Tarantula Spiders!
A man was an avid cactus collector. He bought a meter-tall cactus plant. He brought it back to Australia for his collection and planted it in the back garden after it had passed all the quarantine regulations. One day, when … Read more
The Challenges Of Life
Within walking distance of our house was a very large amusement park named Sunnyside. It sat nestled on the shores of Lake Ontario in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I used to go there often. My chief ride was … Read more
Two Heads Are Better Than One!
The old saying is that two heads are better than one. And, unlike many proverbs and sayings, this one is actually confirmed by the scriptures. We discussed these verses in my Sunday School class recently, and I came across them … Read more
Search Me, O God
Over the years, I have been the chief cook and bottle washer. I cleaned, cooked, did the laundry, cut the grass, did the gardening, shovelled snow in winter, looked after the children. You name it; I did it — even … Read more
Babies In Christ
The other day in church, I was observing a young child playing with a very unusual toy. The child had a candy-cane-shaped container, filled with chocolate candy, and he was using it as a hook. All throughout the service, the … Read more
For That Which We Behold Is Not Ours
I had been corresponding with a young woman whose heart was breaking. Her little one was suffering with a cancer that had spread into his spine. This had left him crippled. The tumour in his brain had grown once more. … Read more
Why Do Tears Come?
On May 19, 2001, I received a telephone call to tell me that my friend, Patrick, had just passed away. I had last talked on the telephone with Patrick exactly a week before, and he had assured me that, though … Read more
Making Time To Take Time
Just as we've been given the ability to share our joys and happy experiences, we were not meant to face our challenges and sufferings alone. We have all been given the choice both to ask for and to offer help … Read more
Mulchin' The Plants
One day recently as I was out watering the plants, I noticed that our pine tree had dropped plenty of needles in the street. I decided to clean them up so the entire yard would look nice. As I was … Read more
Don't Neglect The Good In Our Lives
Not too long ago I wrote about how we had neglected the clocks in our house [ Clock Chime — Tune Out, Tune In , May 8, 2001]. We finally got them fixed. The grandfather clock required a house call … Read more
Hungry Travellers
In my morning prayers, I had prayed for God to use me in his service and to set an appointment where I could help one of his lambs or witness in his name. On the way into the city, I … Read more
Blessings In Disguise
How many blessings do we pass up just because something looks different or is unfamiliar to us? Recently our family had the opportunity to host twelve youth overnight in our home. They are in two Christian bands on tour this … Read more
Rainbow: Promise With Peace
Recently it was time for my six-month check-up with the dentist. To have this check-up I must travel many miles. Why? Because I have a hereditary gum condition that is very rare, and treatment for it is only experimental. Trips … Read more
A Time Of Frustration
Has there ever been a time in your life when you were so frustrated because you did something and, after having done it, regretted it? I have. At such times, the days, the months, and sometimes years, become dark, and … Read more
Picking Up The Pieces
Several years ago, a friend of mine who had immigrated to Canada from Europe had asked a mutual friend of the same heritage who was travelling to their homeland if it would be possible for her to bring back some … Read more
Just Checking
Was it the wind or the kids across the road having come home from a night of celebrating the last day of school? Something had ushered us out of our sleep in the wee small hours of the morning. Perhaps … Read more
A Tangled Web
Upon getting into our van for a recent trip to the city, I noticed a spider web. It was an orb web, but the spider that had spun it couldn't have been very large. It was attached to the van … Read more
Preparing Ourselves For Worship
How should we be led to worship God? In today's passage from the book of John, we are told that the true worshipper will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Let us draw near to God with a … Read more
Paying The Mortgage Off
One of the scariest things I have ever done is to buy a house. The reason I say it was scary is on account of the cost that was incurred. When I signed the loan, I felt a very heavy … Read more
The Sin Experiment
Have you ever heard of the computing acronym "GIGO" (garbage in; garbage out)? I once did an experiment to prove it. I learnt, from one of my programming lectures, that if the computer's memory is supplied with an alphabetic character … Read more
Washed Ashore
We recently spent a very warm day at our local beach. It was unfortunately extremely windy, and the large whitecaps on Lake Erie made swimming impossible. The threat of an undertow was too great. Still, we had a wonderful time … Read more
The Gift From "The Gift Of The Hoya"
The modern versions convey much the same as today's text, except to change "shall men give into your bosom" to "will be poured into your lap", and to say, "whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt to … Read more
This Little Light Of Mine
As a young man, I worked for some time in a men's correctional institute. Actually, the institute could have been better described simply as a prison, as any serious attempts at institutional rehabilitation were at the time still in their … Read more
God's Real Home
This past week people were devastated when one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in our district burned to the ground. Everything perished. The one-of-a-kind inscriptions of the creed, the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments, lovingly hand-carved by … Read more
Grow In Christ And One Day Produce For Him
My daughter dropped by for a quick visit. We both love and admire our gardens. She talked for a moment about how severely she had pruned back a certain plant and how it was producing many more flowers. I agreed … Read more
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Every spring, we plant a large garden in our yard. We plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, corn, and an assortment of other vegetables. My two children have always loved playing and digging in the dirt and helping plant the garden, … Read more
Cleaning Mr. Turtle's Pond
A couple of weeks back, after the church service, there were some young people who wanted to come to my home to see my animals and yard before the next service at 6:00 p.m. I gladly said yes, as I … Read more