For as long as most people now alive can remember, abortion has been considered a means of empowering women. The inconvenience of an unexpected pregnancy can be quickly eliminated and the woman can carry on with life as she pleases. But it is precisely the motherly trait of womankind that men stand in awe of, … Continue reading The empowerment of women
Faith and life
Manchester and the Crusaders
Islamic extremists are telling Muslim youths that it is their religious duty to strike back at Christian nations because they are descendants of the Crusaders who wreaked havoc upon Muslims many years ago. There are serious flaws in this simplistic approach: 1. The Crusades were efforts by the popes to expand their political influence. Religion … Continue reading Manchester and the Crusaders
Have we misdiagnosed the problem?
It is at least 50 years since C.S. Lewis wrote: “The greatest barrier I have met is the almost total absence from the minds of my audience of any sense of sin . . . We have to convince our hearers of the unwelcome diagnosis before we can expect then to welcome the news of … Continue reading Have we misdiagnosed the problem?
Reflections on my bread machine saga
I thought I had this bread machine almost figured out, I had managed to produce two loaves that were completely edible. Friday's trial number six proved that I still have a ways to go - the loaf rose too high and then fell. I cut off the top part and the rest is quite edible, … Continue reading Reflections on my bread machine saga
The dying poplar
Three native species of poplar grow in Saskatchewan: cottonwood, trembling aspen and balsam poplar. They are fast growing trees that can attain heights of 25 to 30 metres (80 - 100 feet) and a diameter of 100 cm (3 feet) at eye level. The balsam polar is more slender. Cottonwoods send forth their seeds … Continue reading The dying poplar
Books that unsettle
I read a lot and glean at least a kernel of useful information from everything I read. Perhaps a snippet of information that might someday be useful, perhaps a way of seeing things that is new to me and helps clarify my vision. Sometimes I read a book that shakes the walls of smug complacency … Continue reading Books that unsettle
Christ in you, the hope of glory
Jesus spoke the following words while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. The words were shocking, no doubt deliberately so. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, … Continue reading Christ in you, the hope of glory
Darkness and light
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3) The Scriptures speak of two kinds of darkness: the one a natural darkness … Continue reading Darkness and light
Jesus as agent provocateur
Doesn’t it appear that Jesus deliberately did things that he knew would provoke the Pharisees to reveal their lack of compassion? Jesus healed many people of their blindness; in some cases he touched their eyes, in other cases there was no physical contact, he simply declared them healed and they were. Why then did he … Continue reading Jesus as agent provocateur
Are we like oxen?
(My father broke land with oxen when he homesteaded in southern Saskatchewan a little more than 100 years ago.) Exodus 32:9 - And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. Stiffnecked was originally used to describe oxen who would not lower their heads to permit … Continue reading Are we like oxen?
Flatlander Faith 