What you stare at, you steer for

That was what my wife was taught many years ago in her driver's education class. If you see danger on the road ahead and fix your eyes on it for fear of hitting it, you will unconsciously steer in the direction you are looking and will hit it for sure. The way to avoid danger … Continue reading What you stare at, you steer for

Rained out — in January!

A few of us, five to be exact, were planning on getting together over coffee this morning to discuss how we could better be effective witnesses of the gospel to the people around us, to Mister Average Canadian. There are no Tim Horton's close by, not really any coffee shops at all, so we decided … Continue reading Rained out — in January!

Témoin anabaptiste

Alert readers of this blog may notice a new entry in the blogroll on the right. If not, I'm telling you about it. I have started a new blog in French, called Témoin anabaptiste.  This is a project that I have been thinking about for a number of months. The content will be somewhat similar … Continue reading Témoin anabaptiste

A memorable small town minister

Readers may have noticed that in my last post I only gave  the full name of one of the young people who met an untimely death. I named Joan Vickers because I wanted to write a little about her father, Reverend Kenneth Vickers. The funny thing is that I can bring up no memories of … Continue reading A memorable small town minister

My times are in thy hands

As teenagers we were invincible. We were young, healthy and strong, what could possibly go wrong? It turned out that a whole lot of things could , and would, go wrong.  A year after we graduated from high school in 1959, Jim and his dad were installing a septic system for their home. All the … Continue reading My times are in thy hands

Winter travels

Our fall was much warmer than usual, but now it has turned cold and every once in a while we get a little skiff of snow. There is just enough to cover the ground this morning and most of it could disappear if we get a sunny day or two. Nevertheless, this is the beginning … Continue reading Winter travels

Am I a suspect?

We lived in a village in south-western Ontario for 12 years. The United Church Manse was right across the street from our home. Several ministers and their families came and went during that time. We exchanged a few pleasantries, but never really got to know them. One couple was different. The husband had been raised … Continue reading Am I a suspect?

How adaptable can a flatlander be?

I am a flatlander, a native of Saskatchewan. The nickname refers to the flatness of our landscape, but there are other aspects of our character where the term applies too. I like people to just say what they have to say, with no long descriptive or flowery preambles. Sir or Ma'am sound artificial and phony … Continue reading How adaptable can a flatlander be?