Today is the winter solstice, the day when winter officially begins. In real life, we've had a month of winter here already, with far too many days when the temperature went down to -30° Celsius at night and only went up by 5 or 10 degrees in the daytime. Our two youngest cats insist on … Continue reading The first day of winter
Stories from my life
My computer caught a virus
- and home remedies didn't work. Two emails written in Russian found their way to my inbox last week. At least they were written with the Cyrillic alphabet and I think they were Russian. The only part I could read was the dollar amounts. I knew they were not good news and hit the delete … Continue reading My computer caught a virus
A tactless conversation starter
There was a Bible College in the city where I was living forty years ago. At that particular time, there was an emphasis in this school on overcoming the inhibitions that would prevent one from freely following the leading of the Holy Spirit. At least that was the intention. A lady in the church my … Continue reading A tactless conversation starter
My parents lied to me
I don't recall how it was taught, but right from my very earliest memories of Christmas I knew that most of my gifts came from Santa Claus. Of course there were other gifts from family members, but the most important ones came from Santa Claus. We lived in a rural area, there were no malls … Continue reading My parents lied to me
Time is NOT on my side
Minister Isaac Akinyombo of Nigeria, while preaching in a Canadian congregation, told the story of a lady in his country that got converted and wanted to be part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. There was a little problem, however: she intended to dance at her mother's funeral and she was told that … Continue reading Time is NOT on my side
A home with two people and three cats
We share our home with animals. I know that there are people who find this horrifying. I guess we just don't know any better, having always lived this way. There is another cat who earnestly desires to join the three under our roof, but I think we have reached our limit. The others came into … Continue reading A home with two people and three cats
I’m wearing a scary face today
Yesterday evening my wife was feeling a bit tired after a busy day cooking at the seniors' residence operated by our congregation. Therefore I went to church by myself. Returning home a couple hours later, I drove into the garage and walked the few steps to our back door. Let me set the scene here: … Continue reading I’m wearing a scary face today
Home
We had a wonderful weekend, except for the last 80 km. Saturday was sunny and mild. We arrived at the home of my cousin in time for supper and spent the night there. Kara and her husband have four children, aged 9 to 18. Their oldest son is an enthusiastic lad of 16, almost six … Continue reading Home
Friendliness is next to godliness – part two
"The strong Anabaptist emphasis on discipleship has led to a warm fellowship among the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregations and a gentleness in human relations which makes visitors feel unusually welcome among them." - page 228, An Introduction to Mennonite History, Cornelius J. Dyck, editor © 1967 by Herald Press. It was many … Continue reading Friendliness is next to godliness – part two
In Flanders Fields
98 years ago Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the poem, In Flanders Fields. McCrae was a surgeon with a Canadian artillery regiment in the First World War and a day earlier had buried a close friend on the battlefield near Ypres, Belgium. Poppy seeds lie dormant in the ground until the soil is disturbed by … Continue reading In Flanders Fields
Flatlander Faith 