I don't believe that Jesus was born on December 25. I don't believe any of the cunningly devised fables that have attached themselves to the story of His birth. I don't appreciate the crass commercialism of this season. I cannot comprehend how giving gifts at Christmas time has any connection with the birth of the … Continue reading Christmas Eve thoughts
children
Baby steps
We do not expect a newborn child to talk, to walk, or to do things to help others. A baby has the potential to learn to do all those things, but the learning comes slowly, in baby steps. When a little child begins to walk, she is very unsteady on her feet and will often … Continue reading Baby steps
Papa Martin, conclusion
The hours went by, the passers-by also. The little stove continued to rumble and Martin, in his chair, still watched the street. The Master did not appear. He had seen a young priest pass by with blond hair and blue eyes, just like Christ is depicted in the portraits in the church. However, while passing … Continue reading Papa Martin, conclusion
Papa Martin and the young woman
[Part 3 of Ruben Saillens' le Père Martin, translated from French.] A few homeward bound revellers passed by, but the old shoemaker barely glanced at them. The marketplace vendors came with their small carts. He knew them too well to pay much attention to them. After an hour or two, his attention was drawn to … Continue reading Papa Martin and the young woman
Learning the wrong lesson
Nelson was born with the umbilical cord around his neck, causing oxygen starvation to his brain. He was slower in learning during the early years of childhood and his parents were encouraged to place him in a school for children with special needs. The parents were disappointed with the results, or rather the lack of … Continue reading Learning the wrong lesson
I dreamed there was no God
[From an out of print book, When I Was Thirteen by Christina Young. I first posted this in March of 2013, and thought it worth posting again as it seems to me that far too many people today are living in just such a nightmare and do not know that it would be possible to … Continue reading I dreamed there was no God
Are you in the grip of, or under the influence of, a virus?
War is hell. The First World War, from 1914 to 1918, resulted in the death of 10 million soldiers and 7 million civilians. At least 20 million more were wounded. As horrible as that sounds, the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 to 1919 caused at least 50 million deaths, some say 100 million. Beginning in … Continue reading Are you in the grip of, or under the influence of, a virus?
Don’t tell your Mom
The teacher told her class: “Your parents probably won’t understand what we’ve been talking about, so it would be better if you didn’t tell them about it.” One of the students in that class was the teenaged daughter of a co-worker. I could tell that her Mom was not impressed when she talked about it … Continue reading Don’t tell your Mom
Things I am thankful for
I know that it is still three weeks until Thanksgiving Day, but there are many things to be thankful for every day and I want to tell you about the things that I am thankful for right now. My wife arrived home Thursday from a nine day stay in Edmonton where she was helping an … Continue reading Things I am thankful for
Why a child should not be king of the home
There are widely divergent views on child training in North America – ranging all the way from a laissez faire attitude (let the child alone and she will figure things out on her own), to the harsh disciplinarian (if you want a child to learn how to behave you need to spank him once a … Continue reading Why a child should not be king of the home
Flatlander Faith 