Some folks have been heard to say that they love the Lord, but the don't have much use for His ground crew. I confess that my first impulse is to be sympathetic to their point of view, having encountered a number of questionable representatives of that group. That impulse is tempered by the realization that … Continue reading Is Jesus’ “ground crew” the real problem?
The parable of the train-chasing dog
Many years ago, in the time of small farms, one such farm was located beside a railway that connected several of the big cities of the area. The farm consisted of a number of small fields, cultivated by a small tractor, and a pasture containing a few cows and their calves. There was a little … Continue reading The parable of the train-chasing dog
It takes a village to raise a book
The difference between a bad writer and a good writer is that a good writer knows he needs help. Publishers used to have people on staff to provide that help. Not anymore. We are on our own. Yet we dare not trust to our own evaluation of how good our writing is. There are three … Continue reading It takes a village to raise a book
The half-converted farmer
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
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
Flatlander Faith 