. . . the Saffron-winged Meadowhawk doth also abound. I was cutting grass this afternoon and as I cut around the shrubs, I disturbed large numbers of beautiful medium-sized dragonflies with translucent saffron-coloured wings. The Saffron-winged Meadowhawks are back! We are in the third year of extraordinarily wet weather. There is much water lying in … Continue reading Where the mosquito doth abound
English Christianity – Part 4
JOHN SMYTH AND THE MENNONITES John Smyth, a minister of the Church of England, was dismissed as a preacher of that church in 1602. He continued to preach without a license, becoming the spiritual leader of a number of like-minded people from Lincolnshire and adjoining areas of Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. For a time these people … Continue reading English Christianity – Part 4
English Christianity – Part 3
CHURCH OF ENGLAND In 1529, while the Catholic church was under attack from Lutherans and Zwinglians on the continent, King Henry VIII persuaded Parliament to pass an act separating the Church of England from the authority of the pope. There were many in the English Church who hoped for a reformation, some motivated by true … Continue reading English Christianity – Part 3
English Christianity – Part 2
INFLUENCE OF WYCLIFFE IN BOHEMIA - HUSSITES The writings of John Wycliffe reached as far as Bohemia, where they were adopted, at least in part, by Jan Hus. Hus was appointed rector of the University of Prague in 1401 and chaplain of Bethlehem Chapel in Prague in 1402. Hus preached in the Czech language and … Continue reading English Christianity – Part 2
English Christianity – Part 1
PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY The exact time when the Christian faith first reached the British Isles is lost in the mists of time. Traditions that the Apostle Paul or Joseph of Arimathea first brought the Gospel to England seem somewhat dubious, but cannot be proved or disproved at this distance in time. There is evidence, though, that … Continue reading English Christianity – Part 1
Imaginary Sympathy
Around 50 years ago The Readers’ Digest carried an article suggesting that the word “sympathy” had become so degraded in common usage as to make the word unacceptable to many people. As I recall, the writer felt that “sympathy” had taken on too much of a connotation of superiority towards the person one felt sympathy … Continue reading Imaginary Sympathy
The Bible is One Book
There was one more thing I needed to do before I left for Manitoba — find a Bible. I knew where there was a small stack of nearly worn out Bibles, looked through them when no one else was around, selected one that seemed the right size and stashed it in my suitcase. My employer … Continue reading The Bible is One Book
Vacation Bible School Memories
Two weeks ago it was announced in our congregation that one more Vacation Bible School teacher was needed, for the oldest class. That sounded like something I could do, so this 70-year-old grandpa spent the past week teaching Bible lessons to a group of twelve and thirteen-year-old girls (no boys in that age group came … Continue reading Vacation Bible School Memories
A Cat Mystery
Let me begin by saying that in the ongoing debate about the relative intelligence of cats and dogs, I am firmly on the side of the cats. As I see it, a dog’s willingness to grovel when scolded is his greatest talent. Many people find this a touching and endearing quality. Never mind that the … Continue reading A Cat Mystery
Peter and the Keys
“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, … Continue reading Peter and the Keys
