The words of Jesus are blunt; unless we submit our lives, our being, to His control, we are not capable of being a Christian. We can pretend, we may think we are doing a great job on our own, but sooner or later something will happen and whatever is really in our heart will show … Continue reading Without me ye can do nothing
Requiem for Tuffy
Tuffy came to us unexpectedly November 17, about a week after our first heavy snowfall. Chris opened the door early in the morning, a four month old kitten walked in, explored our home and decided this was his home. We delighted in his lively presence all winter, then he left us just as unexpectedly March … Continue reading Requiem for Tuffy
The foolishness of preaching
Singing and prayer have always been important ingredients of worship in the Anabaptist - Mennonite faith, but the focal point of a worship service is that which the apostle Paul called the foolishness of preaching. It appears to be foolishness because there are not many powerful orators amongst us, not many who make a great … Continue reading The foolishness of preaching
Rulers are not a terror to good works
I received my first injection of COVID-19 vaccine this morning. That means that I have chosen to ignore the warnings of well-intentioned friends who send me emails revealing the malevolent conspiracy behind the vaccination program. That means I have chosen not to live in fear. Image by DoroT Schenk from Pixabay I have chosen to believe the information … Continue reading Rulers are not a terror to good works
My current reading list
Your Life is a Book - How to Craft & Publish Your Memoir, Brenda Peterson & Sarah Jane Freymann- Kobo e-bookEveryone has a story to tell. However, most of us are not naturally endowed with the ability to select the parts that may be most interesting to others and how to tell them without appearing … Continue reading My current reading list
The Bible is enough
Image by Pexels from Pixabay A reader of my French blog recently mentioned the book Le roi des derniers jours, l’exemplaire et très cruelle histoire des rebaptisés de Münster (1534-1535), written by Barret and Gurgand, first published by Hachette in 1981. I obtained a copy of the book and found it a meticulous, almost day by day account … Continue reading The Bible is enough
Not too young to learn
Do you think your little child is too young to be taught important lessons? She is learning all the time, even when she doesn't appear to be paying attention. Consider this item that appeared in the newspaper 25 years ago when we were living in Montreal. A diabetic mother was worried what would happen if … Continue reading Not too young to learn
Day one of my eightieth year
Image by M W from Pixabay Another birthday, this one is number 79. That many candles on a birthday cake would set off the smoke alarm; perhaps I should feel more alarmed than I do. In my younger days I couldn't comprehend the world being able to withstand the impact when all those 9's in 1999 would rotate … Continue reading Day one of my eightieth year
You don’t know what you don’t know
There’s a deep meaning in that short statement, but if you’ve never heard it before it probably sounds like childish babbling. Let me unpack it for you. What this statement tells me is that if I don’t know something, I don’t even know that there is a gap in my knowledge. Like the time when … Continue reading You don’t know what you don’t know
Witnesses of the Light
As the apostle John begins telling the gospel story, he identifies Jesus as the Light of the World. Then he says “There was a man named John,” referring to another John, John the Baptist, and says of him, “He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” Two thousand years … Continue reading Witnesses of the Light
Flatlander Faith 