I heard it again the other night — the failure of a childhood conversion. The counsellor at a Christian summer camp had talked about Jesus and heaven and then asked the children if they wanted to go to be with Jesus in heaven when they died. A little girl was among those who said yes. … Continue reading Parents: Don’t run ahead of God!
But what doth your arguing reprove?
For those who do not recognize the question at the head of this article, it is part of Job's response to the arguments of Eliphaz the Temanite and is found in Job 6:25. The whole verse reads: "How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?" I confess that I have sometimes been … Continue reading But what doth your arguing reprove?
Natural affection
I started school in 1948 in a one-room school. The first order of business on the first day involved cutting and pasting and I recall the teacher assigning me to help a little girl who had apparently never done anything of the sort before. I was already quite a proficient reader and the Dick and … Continue reading Natural affection
Truth and reality
In simple terms, truth is something that we trust in and base our lives upon. Reality is what others see from the way we live. Is there a gap between what we say we believe to be true and what is revealed by the choices we make in life? We say we are saved by … Continue reading Truth and reality
Negro is not a polite term for black people
Back in November the U.S. Army acknowledged that Negro was not an acceptable term and removed it from their regulations, leaving Black or African American as the acceptable terms. Isn’t it about time for Christian people to catch on? Granted, it was once acceptable for black people to be called Coloured (Canadian spelling — “colored” looks … Continue reading Negro is not a polite term for black people
The Father himself loves you
My father was a man with high principles and good intentions, but a short fuse. And when he blew up, he would stay angry for days while my mother and I tip-toed around to avoid further aggravating him. He was never physically violent, but the verbal abuse was just as damaging. It happened again one … Continue reading The Father himself loves you
My boomerang won’t come back!
This was the title of a hit song from about fifty years ago. Sung by a British singer with a cockney accent, it was the lament of a young Australian Aborigine who couldn't get his boomerang to come back to him. It was the type of politically incorrect, culturally insensitive song that would never be … Continue reading My boomerang won’t come back!
Older, and maybe a little wiser
Forty-five years ago, around this time of year, I had paid a weekend visit to my fiancée in Saskatchewan and headed out Sunday afternoon for the six hour drive back to the Manitoba town where I managed a country grain elevator. I hadn't gone very far when I came up behind a semi that was … Continue reading Older, and maybe a little wiser
And lean not unto thine own understanding
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" -Proverbs 3:5. I've been wondering of late if I really understand this verse. God has given us a mind with the capacity of understanding vast and complex subjects, and surely He wants us to use it. The Bible certainly assumes … Continue reading And lean not unto thine own understanding
Youth and the church
Since the days of the youth movement, church youth work has often lacked that element of Christian sobriety that alone might enable it to recognize that the spirit of youth is not the Holy Spirit and that the future of the church is not youth itself but rather the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It is … Continue reading Youth and the church
Flatlander Faith 