Doesn’t it appear that Jesus deliberately did things that he knew would provoke the Pharisees to reveal their lack of compassion? Jesus healed many people of their blindness; in some cases he touched their eyes, in other cases there was no physical contact, he simply declared them healed and they were. Why then did he … Continue reading Jesus as agent provocateur
April’s fool
First thing this morning I went to the kitchen and prepared the coffee maker to make my morning coffee. Then I went to the office and read my French Bible for morning devotions. I could hear the coffee gurgling into the mug as I read, but when I went to get my coffee I saw … Continue reading April’s fool
Spring interlude
I had cataract surgery the day after my last post on this blog (almost two weeks ago). The surgery went smoothly, the eye is recovering as it should and my distance vision is now as good without glasses as it was with glasses before the surgery. So far so good. Better than good, wonderful. The … Continue reading Spring interlude
Are we like oxen?
(My father broke land with oxen when he homesteaded in southern Saskatchewan a little more than 100 years ago.) Exodus 32:9 - And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. Stiffnecked was originally used to describe oxen who would not lower their heads to permit … Continue reading Are we like oxen?
Moving on, or pressing on
I really thought that spring would be here in just a day or two. The sun shone warmly on Saturday, the few patches of snow left were becoming smaller and smaller, we heard of birds coming back to a place just a few hours south of us. Alas, it was but a dream. We awoke … Continue reading Moving on, or pressing on
Attitude correction
For more than 200 years, the government of Canada has graciously extended the privilege of exemption from military service to members of religious denominations which objected to participation in warfare for reasons of faith and conscience. At first, the law required conscientious objectors between the ages of sixteen and sixty to register annually and pay … Continue reading Attitude correction
Reflections on turning 75
I remember the exact moment when I realized I was edging into the senior ranks. It was in 1992 and I was explaining to a younger friend how things had been when I was a boy. All of a sudden there was a little voice in my head saying, “Wait a minute! What’s going on … Continue reading Reflections on turning 75
Book review: Humble Roots
Hannah Anderson is the wife of a country pastor in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia who finds inspiration for her writing in her garden and other growing things. This book helped me understand why I have always felt uncomfortable when Christians talk about their humility. She tells us that "Show, don't tell," one of … Continue reading Book review: Humble Roots
Primitive Christianity and the Celts
As far as archeologists can determine, the Celtic peoples originated near the Danube River and spread east, south and west from there. Today, the only identifiable Celtic populations are found in France (Brittany) and the British Isles (Ireland, Scotland and Wales). Two thousand years ago they were all over southern Europe. They lived along the … Continue reading Primitive Christianity and the Celts
Matthew Effects in Learning
“For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” (Matthew 25:29). In 1986, Keith Stanovich published a study entitled Matthew Effects in Reading: Some Consequences of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Literacy. The “Matthew Effects” … Continue reading Matthew Effects in Learning
Flatlander Faith 