Years ago, there was a farmer in our neighbourhood who lived a simple life. He had no need of electricity, running water or a lawn mower. He didn't seem to have a need for a wife either, though it was rumoured that once long ago there had been a lady of the house. Perhaps the … Continue reading The half-converted farmer
Author: Bob Goodnough
Little men
Two little men attended our worship service last Sunday. Kirk and Gary have Down Syndrome and their "handicap" was apparently too much for their birth parents to cope with, so they became foster sons of a couple who used to live here. Here they were loved, cared for and taught responsibility. They were also taught … Continue reading Little men
The healing power of forgiveness
There is a great peace that comes over us when God forgives our sins, a release from the load of guilt that we have been carrying and a soothing of the pangs of conscience. Yet we tend to soon forget the caveat that comes with this peace: " But if ye forgive not men their … Continue reading The healing power of forgiveness
The voice of God
How does God speak to you? Do you know His voice? Jesus said that his sheep would know his voice and would not follow the voice of a stranger. Are all the people who call themselves Christians listening to the same voice? Sometimes God speaks to a person through circumstances or dreams in such a … Continue reading The voice of God
Mission statement for writers
I confess that I am quite cynical about the term "mission statement." In my experience in the business world, a mission statement is an exercise in public relations where management attempts to come down on the right side of every hot button issue of the day. Creating a mission statement has generally been an exercise … Continue reading Mission statement for writers
Transcendence and Immanence
The more one understands about the order of the universe, the inter-relationship of all its parts, the harder it becomes to believe that it could be the result of mindless chance. It is the same when one gets just a layman's grasp of the minute detail of living things, the intricacy of DNA and the … Continue reading Transcendence and Immanence
Dumb spam emails
Spam emails show up in my inbox every day, despite the increasing sophistication of spam filtering done by ISP's. These emails tell me that my account at such and such a bank has been frozen and I need to click on the link provided to resolve this issue. In almost all cases I don't have … Continue reading Dumb spam emails
Loving God
It is important to have an assurance that God loves me just the way I am. But is that the most important factor in Christian life? The Law and the Gospels tell us that: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, … Continue reading Loving God
Less is more (and more is less)
Too many new writers have the idea that they have to use interesting words to entice others to read their prose. They load up on colourful adjectives and adverbs, the more syllables the better, and replace simple nouns and verbs with ones that are larger and weightier. Readers get weary trying to wade through that … Continue reading Less is more (and more is less)
Double-decker church planting
I grew up in a town I shall call Seagull, Saskatchewan. This is a fictional name, as are all the other names given in this account, but the events are true to life as best as my memory serves. Like all other prairie towns, there were a number of tall wooden grain elevators lining the … Continue reading Double-decker church planting